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Run a Profitable Gym

Author: Chris Cooper

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Run a Profitable Gym is packed with business tools for gym owners and CrossFit affiliates. This is actionable, data-backed business advice for all gym owners, including those who own personal training studios, fitness franchises, and strength and conditioning gyms. Broke gym owner Chris Cooper turned a struggling gym into an asset, then built a multi-million-dollar mentoring company to help other fitness entrepreneurs do the same thing. Every week, Chris presents the top tactics for building a profitable gym, as well as real success stories from gym owners who have found incredible success through Two-Brain Business mentorship. Chris’s goal is to create millionaire gym owners. Subscribe to Run a Profitable Gym and you could be one of them.

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Colby Knepp's gym revenue more than doubled in fewer than 12 months. In this video, he explains exactly how he did it.So how did he generate incredible growth at his PT studio in Colorado? According to Colby, Step 1 was hiring a mentor, and Step 2 was doing everything she told him to do. Of particular note, Colby researched mentorship as part of his business plan to open a gym. Instead of flying solo and making mistakes, he used Two-Brain's data, resources and tactics to open with members and pay himself on Day 1. Then he used more business tools to hire staff, grow his gym, increase profit and reduce work hours. Now, he's steadily attracting new high-value clients to Olde Town Athlete without advertising, and he's retaining members to build a strong, sustainable fitness business.You can do the same thing.LinksTwo-Brain Business Prescriptive Model How to Open a Gym With Dozens of Members on Day 1Book a CallGym Owners United12:06 - Colby's strategies for increased revenue20:38 - Why mentorship is necessary for real growth28:34 - The trajectory of your business after revenue growth
Titans Sports Academy, owned by Chance Beam, made Two-Brain’s Top 10 leaderboard for revenue in January 2024. Each gym in the top 10 brought in over US$50,000, and the top gym grossed over $125,000!Chance has been in business for over 20 years, and his program has propelled several athletes into Major League Baseball. In fact, seven of his former players are in the big leagues right now, including World Series champion Nathaniel Lowe of the Texas Rangers. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Chance, who shares revenue-boosting strategies that can work in any type of gym. Chance’s main piece of advice? Look for opportunities to service your clients’ needs. Whether that’s through apparel sales, personal training or something else, solve problems for your customers. In return, they’ll stay with you longer and spend more, boosting your length of engagement (LEG), average revenue per member (ARM) and lifetime value (LTV).Listen to Chance break down problem solving in the gym business, and don’t miss his practical ideas for boosting revenue in your gym. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:46 - Revenue stream breakdown4:36 - Sports training academy10:31 - The great accident19:35 - What’s your main focus?23:04 - Rocket-ship moment
Six-figure monthly gross revenue at a CrossFit gym? It can be done, and we have proof. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper presents the January 2024 Top 10 revenue leaderboard. The numbers, which are rolling three-month averages, run from $58,330 to $125,606 USD.After the Top 10 rundown, Chris shares quotes straight from the gym owners so you can replicate their success in your fitness business. A quick summary of their advice? Keep it simple. Focus on improving your basic metrics, one at a time.That’s called “virtuosity in business"—which is the theme for this year’s Two-Brain Summit.LinksGym Owners United2024 Two-Brain SummitBook a Call1:23 - January 2024 leaderboard6:10 - Stability is the theme7:39 - Quotes from the leaders16:41 - Headcount is good but ARM is best
Check out these monthly marketing stats from today’s guest:About 60 leads, 25 appointments, 23 shows and 18 closes.These are great numbers, and gym owner Kieran O’Dwyer isn’t breaking the bank to post them.In this episode, host John Franklin sits down with Kieran to learn how he’s built such a successful marketing funnel on a small budget at Bathurst Strength and Conditioning and Orange City Strength and Conditioning in Australia.Kieran’s marketing strategy starts with posts on Google Business Profile and Instagram, and then leads are moved to a more personal setting on Facebook. By the time leads book appointments at one of Kieran’s gyms, they typically already understand pricing and respect the gym’s authority, professionalism and communication. From there, closing the sale is easy. This episode is packed full of tactical and inexpensive strategies for boosting lead generation and sales—tune in to hear them all. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call00:51 - Kieran and his gym7:32 - Be sure to get photos18:32 - Starting the conversations26:41 - One more piece of the puzzle34:51 - Kieran’s onboarding
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin is joined by Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper.They provide a glimpse into the upcoming Two-Brain Summit, happening June 8 and 9 in Chicago. Some of the incredible speakers for this year’s event include Jonathan Goodman, Jason Khalipa, Brian Chontosh and coaches from Mayhem Nation. Attendees will also get to grill a panel of experts from Kilo, PushPress, WodBoard and Wodify with questions such as “why aren’t gyms keeping clients longer?” and “what’s most important for gym owners right now?”Finally, John and Chris dive into Chris’ latest book, “Millionaire Gym Owner,” which shares the personal paths over a dozen gym owners used to reach $1 million net worth. Chris is handing out 60 copies of “Millionaire Gym Owner” for free right now—first come, first served. Get yours by joining the Gym Owners United group and DMing him. LinksTwo-Brain Summit tickets Book a Call1:29 - Events aren’t losses, they’re investments11:28 - 2024 workout and coaching partners20:51 - Tinkers at the 2024 summit33:31 - Don’t feel guilty about money35:52 - Abundance mindset
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper and Mike Warkentin run through the jaw-dropping speaker lineup for the 2024 Two-Brain Summit, which goes down June 8 and 9 in Chicago.At the Summit, gym owners will hear about everything from building $1-million net worth to leveraging the four different personality types found in a business. Coaches will upgrade their skills and learn how to build careers in fitness by generating more revenue for themselves and their gym.  Among those taking the owners stage are 2008 CrossFit Games champ Jason Khalipa, Brian “Tosh” Chontosh, Jonathan Goodman and Carrie Wilkerson. Speakers on the coaches stage include Bill Parisi, along with Christi Novak and Darren Hunsucker of Mayhem Nation. And these speakers won’t just be lecturing; they’ll run interactive workshops where you’re given simple, actionable tasks to complete on the spot to improve your gym or career. LinksBe sure to get tickets before they sell out: Two-Brain SummitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:38 - 2024 speaker lineup7:23 - Think "workshop not lecture"13:30 - The four avatars21:11 - Be curious about your members27:42 - Keep your business growing
Have you ever heard of a gym with a waiting list?CrossFit Leiden in the Netherlands has capped its membership at 400 clients. Instead of adding more people, the gym is focused on retention, increasing value for clients and raising average revenue per member (ARM).In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin chats with gym co-owner Jeroen van Duijn to learn how CrossFit Leiden obtained—and retained—so many clients.One of CrossFit Leiden's top strategies for getting new clients is a weekly bring-a-friend event, and Jeroen shares exciting tips for making similar events successful at your gym. To hold onto each new patron, members of Jeroen’s team focus heavily on relationship building and the client experience. From No Sweat Intros to Goal Review Sessions to 100-visit gifts, the gym has touchpoints all along the client journey to make sure clients keep coming back—and want to bring their friends. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:56 - "I don’t want to increase my client count"6:57 - Jeroen’s projects9:12 - The client journey15:58 - Finding great clients22:18 - Making some changes
Focusing on retention can improve just about every metric in your gym, from average revenue per member to length of engagement. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with Chris Cooper, Two-Brain founder and CEO, about all things retention.They dial in on the five pillars of retention: results, fame, compatibility, consistency and referrals. Chris explains what each is and why it matters. Then he provides five actions you can perform today to start keeping clients in your gym longer. And these strategies aren’t pulled out of thin air—they’re proven to work based on data from about a quarter of a million gym members around the world. For more support, and to get Chris's new “Never Lose a Client Again” guide, join the Gym Owners United group. LinksThe Prescriptive ModelGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:38 - What is retention and why does it matter? 6:49- 5 pillars of retention26:42 - Actions you can take today32:11 - Get after referrals
Could you acquire over 400 members for your gym? And if you hit that total, could you hold onto them?Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin chats with Rune Laursen, owner of BoxLife/CrossFit 5512 in Denmark. Rune made our December 2023 Top 10 leaderboard for client count, which ran from 324 to 1,034 members.Rune’s already improved on his late-2023 stats: His gym now has 512 members and is steadily growing. He explains how he brings in and retains so many clients by using No Sweat Intros, Goal Review Sessions and the Prescriptive Model—and he backs up everything he says with data!Rune credits much of his retention success to adding a CSM—a client success manager. He’s even looking at hiring a second CSM to ensure he holds onto all his hard-earned members.Tune into this data-packed episode to learn how to expand your gym’s membership and build systems to support its growth.LinksThe Prescriptive Model Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:37 - Rune’s retention5:17 - Goal reviews & retention10:36 - Always be calling17:09 - Systemizing for success26:33 - Final thoughts
Gym owners often think they have a marketing problem when they actually have a retention problem: It doesn’t matter how many new clients you bring in each month if they aren’t sticking around!In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper presents Two-Brain’s Top 10 leaderboard for client headcount in December 2023. Each gym on the leaderboard has over 300 members and is super profitable. These gym owners have mastered both marketing and retention, and they’re sharing their top tips with you.A few of their suggestions? To get clients in the door, use four different marketing funnels and audit them regularly to make sure they’re working. Then improve your length of engagement by setting up Goal Review Sessions with new and at-risk members. Tune in to get more tips—and hear the astounding headcount of the No. 1 gym on the leaderboard. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call4:02 - Audit your marketing funnels7:19 - Members per gym (not gyms)9:58 - No. 1 gym9:44 - Retention more than marketing12:25 - Most important funnel for you
Many paths lead to millionaire net worth as a gym owner, and one of them involves buying your gym’s building.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin sits down with Brian Strump, a chiropractor and the owner of Live Active Charlotte, who recently bought his gym’s building for $1.8 million. The pair get into the details of the huge purchase and discuss the benefits of owning your building—some might surprise you! Whether you’re ready to buy now or considering real estate as an option in the future, John and Brian share tips to get you moving toward your goal.To find out how a dozen other gym owners became millionaires, check out Chris Cooper's latest book, “Millionaire Gym Owner,” available via the link below.Links"Millionaire Gym Owner"Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:04 - Brian and the CrossFit Forum9:09 - Brian’s team17:53 - Brian's building26:28 - Advice for first-time building owners39:22 - When is someone ready?
Here are two big staff-related threats to a microgym: Coaches say “I can’t make enough money doing this” and leave the fitness industry. Or they say “I can’t make enough money here” and leave to start their own gyms.What’s a gym owner to do? You can start by showing your coaches how they can create great careers at your gym—and bringing them with you to the Two-Brain Summit this June is a fantastic way to do that.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper shares the lineup of speakers who will present to coaches at the summit. A few big names to note: 2008 CrossFit Games champion Jason Khalipa, the Mayhem crew, and gym owner Oskar Johed, who is also a member of CrossFit’s Seminar Staff.They’ll be joined by many other great speakers—including Josh Martin from The Refined Art of Coaching—who will get your coaches fired up to create to careers on your platform. LinksFull lineup and tickets: Two-Brain SummitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:33 - Inspire your coaches3:36 - 2024 speakers and topics8:35 - Career Roadmap Session12:07 - Mayhem speakers and workout15:36 - The Refined Art of Coaching
Do you have a business model for your gym?In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin and Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper lay out five gym business models that have been proven to be successful—and that’s based on data from thousands of gyms around the world. The models are:1. Group only.2. Group plus personal training.3. Group plus high-ticket offers.4. Semi-private training.5. Guided access.Tune in to learn the pros and cons of each model, and then get Coop's full guide to these models via the link below. In the full guide, “5 Gym Business Models That Work,” you’ll find everything from bulleted executive summaries to spreadsheets full of data, so you can make an informed decision and create the best long-term plan for your gym.LinksFull guide: "5 Gym Business Models That Work"Brian Bott on semi-private training Joe Venuti and Alessandra Bisalti on guided accessBook a Call1:21 - Is the group model still viable?7:51 - Is on-ramp a barrier?11:53 - Other revenue for group models18:47 - Semi-private training27:39 - Guided access and how it works
With just 1,700 square feet of usable space, Daniel Purington’s gym averages around $50,000 in revenue per month, allowing him to earn over $100,000 in net owner benefit, provide careers for four full-time staff members and pay two part-timers. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin sits down with Daniel, owner of Woodslawn Fitness in Portland, Oregon, to uncover the secrets of his success: consultative selling, diversified revenue streams, strong systems and mentorship.By pairing carefully created programs and consultative selling—aka, No Sweat Intros—Daniel gives clients the services they need, while boosting profit and retention. Solid systems enable Daniel to focus his time where he chooses, both inside and outside the gym.And having a trusted mentor to hold you accountable and celebrate your successes is, in Daniel’s words, “like dumping gas on the flame.”Check out Daniel’s tips, and then use them to determine whether you’re making the most of your time and space.LinksDaniel's Instagram Woodslawn FitnessGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:34 - What Dan’s gym does7:17 - Dan’s pricing model15:49 - The process and how it works26:13 - Incorporating the hybrid30:41 - What has Dan been planning?
This episode of “Run a Profitable Gym” was recorded live in Dallas, Texas, during a meetup of the world’s best gym owners—some of whom are featured in Chris Cooper’s latest book, “Millionaire Gym Owner."Host John Franklin sits down with Taryn Dubreuil of CrossFit Function and Joleen Bingham of 13 Stripes Fitness. Both Taryn and Joleen are Two-Brain mentors and certified millionaire gym owners. Tune in to hear Taryn's and Joleen’s individual paths to success—from hitting rock bottom to reaching and exceeding $1 million net worth. For both, it all started with building a profitable gym and then reinvesting wealth somewhere it can compound. To read more stories and see how other gym owners achieved millionaire status, get your copy of “Millionaire Gym Owner” today.Links"Millionaire Gym Owner" by Chris CooperGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:13 - Taryn's and Joleen's paths12:35 - Gyms as cash-flow generators17:56 - Investing in real estate27:40 - Staying focused on a plan32:07 - Impostor syndrome34:10 - When are you ready to create your own plan?
“How can I stop working 70 hours a week?” “What will I do if an unexpected expense comes up?” “How am I ever going to retire?”As a young gym owner, Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper asked all these questions, and at first he couldn’t find any answers. This led him to search inside and outside the fitness industry for a path that led to freedom of money and freedom of time—aka, retirement. He found that path, and it's the foundation of his latest book, “Millionaire Gym Owner,” which he and host Mike Warkentin discuss today on “Run a Profitable Gym.”In the book, Chris shares his personal journey to $1 million net worth and beyond. But there’s more than one way to reach this milestone, and that’s why the book also includes the step-by-step paths of a dozen other millionaire gym owners. Two-Brain has certified over 40 millionaire gym owners who have created jobs, saved lives and improved their local communities. We’d like you to join the ranks!Links“Millionaire Gym Owner” by Chris Cooper Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:28 - Why did Chris write the book?4:35 - A timeline for earning7:47 - Struggling gym owner to millionaire13:34 - Community around million-dollar gym owners16:49 - Get your business into a good spot
This month’s leaderboard show is all about average revenue per member (ARM)—how much a gym earns on average from each client in a month. In this episode, host Mike Warkentin is joined by Two-Brain ARM leader Michaela Munsterman. Her gym, Elite Medical Exercise, in Austin, Texas, has a gigantic ARM—but Michaela doesn’t spend any money on ads to attract her high-value clients. Instead, she built a dedicated wellness community entirely through word of mouth and focused local networking, and she’s here to share her strategies with you. Her top tip? Start charging what you’re worth. If you don’t, everyone around you will suffer, from your family to your staff to your clients. Two-Brain even has an exact template to help clients raise rates while minimizing risk so gym owners can have healthy, sustainable businesses and help as many people as possible.Another top tip: Introduce yourself to other local business owners—and don't forget to bring the baked goods!Chris Cooper's Help First concept has been instrumental to Michael’s success, and you can read all about it in his book of the same name, linked below. What would happen to your gym if you introduced yourself to one local business owner every week? Head across the parking lot with coffee today and find out for yourself.Links"Help First" by Chris CooperGym Owners UnitedBook a Call2:24 - What does Michaela do?8:54 - Where does Michaela find clients?15:57 - No paid advertising20:52 - Other revenue streams23:38 - Charging what you’re worth
Many gym owners are scared to raise rates, even though they probably don’t charge enough for the value they provide.The good news? There are a few simple tactics you can use to boost revenue before you do a rate increase.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper is joined by Brendan Rice, CEO of Wodify, to talk about two new Wodify features that enable gym owners to make more money without raising rates or adding more members.One of these features allows gym owners to increase profit by an average of $1,000 each month with just the click of a button.The second new feature—called Free Unlimited—was designed to get Wodify’s state-of-the-art software in the hands of as many gym owners as possible, no matter where they are in their entrepreneurial journeys.Tune in to learn more about these exciting new features—and existing Wodify users who want to enable one or both can contact support@wodify.com. If you’re not yet a member, just head over to wodify.com to get started.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a CallWodify 0:38 - Processing fees explained5:02 - Presenting to members8:22 - The new initiative12:09 - Learning from other industries13:53 - Clients will understand
How much extra revenue would your gym bring in if you increased rates by just $10? What if each client contributed $300 or more to your gross revenue?In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks average revenue per member (ARM) with Kelly Lorenz, owner of FORM gym in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Kelly’s gym boasts an impressive ARM score: It earned a spot on Two-Brain's December 2023 Top 10 leaderboard, which runs from $427 to $800 per month. Kelly built her ARM number with a $10 rate increase and the addition of several new, valuable programs that solve clients’ problems. For example, she developed and sold a 10-week program for kids that had a huge effect on her ARM. She also added on-ramps, personal training and small-group training. Tune in to learn strategies for boosting your ARM, all while retaining high-value clients. Your first ARM target? $205. If you hit that and serve 150 clients, you can earn $100,000 a year as a gym owner.  LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:53 - How has your ARM changed?4:38  - Adding value8:20 - Kids programs13:45 - High-value clients19:37 - Baby steps for gym owners
Every month, Two-Brain compiles a leaderboard of the top-performing gyms so we can find out what the best gyms are doing—and tell you.In December 2023, we focused on average revenue per member (ARM) at more than 1,000 gyms worldwide. ARM measures what clients are paying in return for the value a gym provides, and the businesses on our leaderboard provide a ton of value.The No. 1 gym earned just shy of US$800 per client per month—and that’s a rolling three-month average, not just a one-hit wonder. In today’s episode, Chris Cooper presents the Top 10 ARM leaders for December 2023 and shares the tactics behind the numbers, from Affinity Marketing (referrals) to adding new programs.If you want to hear more from these ARM leaders, our full episode with Kelly Lorenz will air Feb. 1, and Michaela Munsterman’s episode airs on Feb. 8. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:55 - The Top 104:48 - How’d they get those ARMs?7:20 - Creating new programs8:53 - Building value12:47 - What stops gym owners
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Comments (6)

Shamshad Ali

To run a profitable gym, prioritize member satisfaction, offer diverse fitness programs, maintain top-notch equipment, and employ skilled trainers. Focus on customer retention, marketing strategies, and operational efficiency. Regularly assess and adapt offerings to meet evolving fitness trends and member needs for sustained profitability.

Mar 5th
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Shamshad Ali

heavymug.co

Mar 5th
Reply

Dave Lockwood

..., . ..,. ml. ....

Jun 24th
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Aaron Kubetz

Good stuff. Thank you 👍

Feb 12th
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Aaron Kubetz

I can totally relate. I am making the shift from trying to build my credibility by flaunting my knowledge to building an emotional connection with my clients.

Feb 2nd
Reply

Aaron Kubetz

Do you have any resources for how to implement Habits Based coaching for nutrition? This sounds good but I am having a hard time picturing exactly how this might look in practice.

Jan 22nd
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