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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...
The data every gym owner needs is finally here! Two-Brain's sixth annual “State of the Industry” guide was released on Nov. 10 on "The Sevan Podcast." Check out this rebroadcast as hosts Sevan Matossian and Matt Souza break down key gym business stats with Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper. The free 72-page guide delivers critical benchmarks and insights from thousands of gyms worldwide, giving you the clarity to make confident decisions about pricing, staffing, retention and growth in 2...
How many clients should your gym have? What should you charge? When’s the best time to run classes? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper shares highlights from Two-Brain’s 2025 “State of the Industry” report—a comprehensive analysis of stats from gyms around the world, including thousands of Wodify clients. Chris is joined by Wodify’s CEO, Brendan Rice, to discuss what the numbers reveal about gym performance as we move into 2026. They discuss trends in retention, attend...
If you want to improve lead flow, add more high-value clients and generate more revenue, these three simple words can work wonders: “Bring a friend.” In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” gym owner and chiropractor Dr. Braeden Cordts shares his secrets for using bring-a-friend events to replicate his very best clients and grow his membership. Braeden walks through his plan to get red-hot leads into a workout at Kôr Fitness & Performance in Minnesota, and then he lays out his air-t...
The holidays are coming—and for most gyms, that means fewer check-ins, more cancellations and panic about cash flow. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares five simple tactics gym owners can use to boost year-end revenue without falling into the discount trap. He explains how smart, seasonal offers—such as holiday retail presales, meaningful gift cards and “save your spot” promotions—can generate real income while keeping y...
What does it take to run two thriving gyms and serve more than 900 clients? Tyler Quinn has the answers: He operates two Denver fitness studios with nearly 1,000 members combined. But here's the surprising part: He didn’t reach these members with paid ads or gimmicks like discounts. Seventy percent of his new clients come from referrals. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin asks Tyler about the systems and strategies behind building high-volume gyms that actually work...
The average big-group gym has 129 members—but some Two-Brain gyms are thriving with 300-700 clients. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper breaks down what the Top 10 gyms for client headcount are doing differently. Coop explains how five critical systems allow these gyms to retain clients for over 24 months, deliver a consistently high-quality experience and attract new members month after month. He also shares real insights from the leaders on how they reactivated former clients...
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with gym owner and Two-Brain mentor Tim Caputo about a simple idea that brought in $720 in one hour—and generated six new leads. It all started with a client suggestion that evolved into a “moms and kids” pop-up class. The event sold out quickly, generated profit right away and opened the door to a steady stream of high-quality referrals. Tim explains the strategy behind his pricing and promotion, how he used the class to ...
Feeling pressured to run a Black Friday deal at your gym? Don’t do it. Your gym is a premium service provider, and it should compete on results and relationships, not price. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper breaks down the dangers of discounting and explains why most gym owners who offer sales end up trapped in the “discount death spiral.” Black Friday deals attract the wrong clients and weaken your brand, and you have better ways to grow yo...
Can a gym be profitable with just 15 to 20 members? The answer is yes—and Oskar Johed is proving it. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Oskar, co-owner of two thriving CrossFit facilities in Sweden, to talk about why he chose a different path for his third gym: a small-group training model. Oskar breaks down the advantages of small-group training, from lower overhead and reduced staff burnout to higher client retention and stronger profitability. ...
If you try to scale your gym the wrong way, you might kill it. In this episode, Two-Brain founder and gym owner Chris Cooper shares how his first attempt at scaling nearly bankrupted his family. But you don’t have to guess like he did. Today, Coop walks you through safe, profitable scaling using small-group and semi-private training. He explains the difference between the two services and how to transition existing clients into them, whether they’re coming from one-on-one or big-group trai...
Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with attorney and former gym owner Matthew Becker of Gym Lawyers PLLC about how to use AI safely in your business without creating massive liability. Matthew breaks down the legal risks gym owners face when using AI tools, including operating outside their scope of practice, violating privacy laws and infringing on copyright. Improper AI use can even increase exposure to lawsuits and eliminate liability protection. So how can gym o...
CrossFit changed the fitness industry forever—but with affiliate numbers declining, gym owners are asking, “What’s next?” In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper digs into why affiliate numbers keep shrinking, where former CrossFit gyms are going and what gym owners can do right now to stay competitive. He explains how novelty-driven methods such as Hyrox are pulling attention and why the lack of clarity from CrossFit HQ has created uncertainty for affiliate owners. Coop la...
The key to steady gym growth and stronger retention? Turning your best members into your best recruiters. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper explains how to use affinity marketing to strengthen your community, keep members longer and bring in more people just like your favorite clients. Passive referral programs rarely work, so Chris shows you how to actively connect your clients’ families, coworkers and friends to your gym. He even provides an inside look at Two-Brai...
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper presents hard numbers and explains why the gap between 3% and 5% churn can be the difference between stability and collapse. He shares lessons from two decades of studying the science of retention, showing how most gyms don’t fail because they need more leads but because they can’t keep the people they already have. Coop explains why contracts aren’t the answer, why chasing Facebook leads and six-week challenges can actually erode your...
Kevin Munoz gives his training plans away for free—and still closes 80% of sales! Find out how he does it in this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym.” Today, host Mike Warkentin talks with Munoz about how he built $500+ average revenue per member (ARM) at his gym, Peak PT. Kevin shares the exact strategies that helped him land on Two-Brain's Top 10 ARM leaderboard, which runs from $502 to $854. At Peak PT, Kevin uses Two-Brain's Prescriptive Model to sell, and he'll give prospective clients ...
Ready to find out how the top gyms in the world earn between $500 and $850 per member each month? Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper reveals the latest leaderboard for average revenue per member per month (ARM) and explains exactly how the Top 10 gym owners earned their spots. You’ll hear about 10 proven tactics used by the leaders, including bundling services, offering semi-private training, selling with the Prescriptive Model and using simple billing changes to boost revenue. ...
Gym growth is simple when you understand the only six metrics that really matter in fitness businesses. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper breaks them down so you can improve your gym: Average revenue per member (ARM)Length of engagement (LEG)Return on investment (ROI)Effective hourly rate (EHR)Net owner benefit (NOB)Client headcountUsing data from over 15,000 gym owners who contributed to Two-Brain’s 2024 “State of the Industry” guide, Coop presents the industry average...
What’s stopping your gym from growing? In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris Cooper explains how gym owners accidentally limit their business growth and presents a four-level framework for leadership mastery. The progression moves from self-leadership (controlling your focus and energy) to team leadership (getting staff aligned without micromanaging), peer leadership (influencing equals without authority) and community leadership (expanding impact beyond your gym). The key insig...
Overwhelmed by conflicting business advice? Cut through the noise with Chris Cooper’s proven system for building wealth as a gym owner. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris explains how to move beyond the passion-first mentality that keeps most fitness entrepreneurs stuck and broke. He breaks down his four-phase roadmap for gym-owner wealth: Founder, Farmer, Tinker and Chief. These phases show you what to focus on right now, what to ignore and how to move toward financial freed...
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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.
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Good stuff. Thank you 👍
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.
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.