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This channel (presented by Two-Brain Business) is packed with business tools for gym owners and CrossFit affiliates. We provide actionable, data-backed business advice for all gym owners, including those who own personal training studios, fitness franchises, and strength and conditioning gyms.
Episode 86 – Kate Foster & Taylor Kemp This episode is brought to you by Anvil Coffee Co. Today we are very lucky to be joined by Kate Foster former poster child for CrossFit for Hope. Her journey through two bone marrow transplants is well-documented in CrossFit Journal. I was there at St. Jude in 2013, and I share a small snapshot of that meeting in this podcast intro. Kate just graduated high school a few months ago and is going to be attending the University of North Carolina this fall. She will be studying biology and economics and would eventually like to become a doctor. She has a heart for medicine and is looking forward to helping others just like she has been helped before. One of the big causes that Kate supports is bone marrow transplants. Being that she has had two bone marrow transplants, she knows how important it is to have a matching donor. Taylor Kemp was Kate’s bone marrow donor. She was a student at the time at University of Georgia and she happened to be attending an event for bone marrow donations. Six months later, she got a call telling her that she was a potential match for a girl with leukemia. After a few extra tests, she was confirmed as a match for Kate!
What if we had 1000 mentors helping 1000 small businesses each?
I love entrepreneurs.
Fitness led me to entrepreneurship. Now it's time to help other entrepreneurs find fitness.
Why do business owners *really* need fitness? Sure, like the rest of us, they might need to lose a few pounds. And everyone knows that exercise relieves stress and improves focus.
But entrepreneurship requires more than resilience and focus: it requires a fit BRAIN.
One of my companies is IgniteGym. Our mission is to build cognitive fitness. These are the 10 elements of cognitive fitness:
Memory
Attention
Motor Control
Sensory Processing and Perception
Organization, Planning and Logic
Language
Social, Emotional functioning
Computation, calculation
Motivation
Creativity, imagination
ALL of these are critical for entrepreneurs. And they're all enhanced by exercise. In fact, I'd argue they're the REAL purpose of exercise for business owners.
But what KIND of exercise?
In this episode, I discuss each of the 10 cognitive domains, and how to build them with different types of exercise. I share my personal regimen, and how I get business owners at the Two-Brain Workshop to build workouts into their day.
Know a business owner? Share this episode with them.
The first step is BDNF: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. This is what John Ratey called "Miracle-Gro for the brain" in his book, "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain".
What triggers BDNF? Aerobic exercise.
In this episode, I talk about the necessity of developing BRAINpower for business owners. Then I tell you specifically WHAT to do; how I would build a perfect brain-training week for a business owner; and what I do every week to make me more effective at growing my businesses.
If you're a gym owner, there are tips in this episode to help other entrepreneurs (and, let's face it: yourself.) If you own another business, this episode will tell you what to do; how long to do it; and where to find a coach (because you'll need one.)
I refer to my podcast episodes with Ari Meisel of GetLeverage and Nelson Dellis, four-time US Memory Champion.
I mention IgniteGym.com and Zecutive.com too. You'll find some sample workouts and challenges on the latter site.
I get a LOT of questions.
Sometimes it's from people who read my books. Sometimes it's people who watch our videos on YouTube or Instagram. Sometimes it's people who get an email from me--almost daily, lately.
Sometimes it's from people listening to this podcast. If that's you, thank you. Sometimes it's even people who hear an idea on another podcast, or another website, or even the CrossFit Journal, trace it to the source, and find me that way. To those people, my deepest thanks for the extra work.
I've said before that some of my OLDER content is outdated. There are parts of Two-Brain Business that weren't there in 2012, and there were parts in the original that are no longer in the new edition. New books are coming. And every few months, I'm tempted to pull Two-Brain Business--the bestselling fitness business book of all time--from the shelves, because things change.
Instead, I record this "Ask Coop" episode every year or so as an update.
The first question is one from a listener who pegged me on something I said a few months ago: that I see a polarization happening in the microgym community.
The second one is from a reader who pegged me even HARDER on the subject of seminars and online courses and mentorship.
I'm brutally honest in both questions, even though they might get me into trouble.
With those out of the way, I get into the BIG stuff:
Where should affiliates concentrate their marketing?
How do you create SO MUCH content?
Why do you shoot your videos in that other building? WHere's your gym?
How do I work with sports teams?
I have a big idea--how do I promote it to the CF Community?
Do you display your workouts on your site?
Why does your site have so many membership options?
How do I know when to hire a GM?
How Do You choose Mentors for TwoBrain?
I get enough emails that I could literally do a Q+A on EVERY episode. But I like to connect you with big thinkers and big ideas instead of repeating myself all the time.
Got a question? Email chris@twobrainbusiness.com.
Need help? Visit www.twobrainbusiness.com/help, and watch FREE videos that will answer your biggest questions!
Guest host Amanda Hendren asks, "Are You Giving Too Many F*cks?"
Episode 83 – 3 Tactics To Self Motivation for Owners
No matter how noble our mission, we ALL struggle with motivation.
After a great weekend like I just had, it's tough to kick the sand out of my shoes (and between my ears) and get back to work at 4am. Even after 22 years as a coach and 12 as an owner, I still need to practice mindset techniques. In this episode, Craig is going to share three that have been extremely helpful.
Craig Hysell is a close friend, a firefighter, the founder of Conviction Training Facility (CrossFit Hilton Head) and the co-host of Conviction Strong Radio.
Craig is a mindset guy. I guess we're all "mindset guys"--but Craig WORKS on it. While most of us are the victims of our brains, Craig works hard to take control over his emotions, thoughts and feelings. His gym is built on a different hierarchy than most of ours:
Mindset
Nutrition
Mobility and Recovery
Strength
Conditioning
Best Self.
When I say Craig is one of my favorite gym owners in the world, I'm not exaggerating. He's been through everything with his gym, and his mindset pulls him through it all. He's a leader in the TwoBrain group because of his philosophy instead of his profit margin.
"Opportunity breeds motivation, success feeds motivation."
Craig talks about 3 tactics to consistent self-motivation.
"Consistency is the key to progress; progress is the key to happiness."
"When you chose to become a leader as a coach or business owner, you forfeited your right to be a victim. You're in charge now."
Three great quotes out of dozens packed in this podcast
This is a short episode, but VERY powerful.
Craig's message was part of the 2017 TwoBrain Summit in Chicago. We're only doing one more this year: the 2017 UK Summit at Reebok CrossFit Thames in London, England. You need to be there.
Episode 82 – Boot Camps
In the CrossFit world, Boot Camps can often have a bad name. However, today we are here to discuss how these can supplement your CrossFit gym and provide a non-threatening environment for new members to get their first start in the CrossFit world. Learn about how to setup a Boot Camp, what to price it at and much more!
Ryan Webber from CrossFit Eternal and Sherman Merricks from CrossFit Dynasty join me to discuss this topic on the show today.
Meet the nutrition needs of your gym with Healthy Steps Nutrition!
Join us for the Two-Brain UK Summit on November 11th and 12th at CrossFit Thames in London! Register here to reserve your spot.
In this Interview:
Is Boot Camp just CrossFit Lite?
What is the true difference between a Boot Camp and a full on CrossFit Program
The secret to using Facebook ads effectively to drive sales for your Boot Camp
Plus:
How to make sure CrossFit coaches are on board with a Boot Camp Program.
How to pick the right name and differentiate a Boot Camp from true CrossFit
How many sales can a Boot Camp generate?
Today’s Guests:
Ryan Webber is originally from Maine but now resides in Charlotte, NC where he runs and owns CrossFit Eternal. He began CrossFit after playing football in college and fell in love with the competitive nature of the sport. He founded CrossFit Eternal in 2010 out of his garage and has since grown it into a world class CrossFit gym.
Sherman is the founder and owner of both Dynamic CrossFit, in Gainsville, Florida, and Notable Guidance. He discovered his passion for sports growing up in Florida and excelled at basketball through high school and college. After graduating and feeling a huge competitive void, he realized CrossFit could fit the bill and he has never looked back. He has a passion for helping others be their best by improving their fitness and now their life. Sherman’s main focus is to help people reach their goals and still have fun doing it.
Timeline:
2:11 – Bootcamp Introduction
4:30 – Is CrossFit the end all be all? Thinking about offering something different.
6:16 – Is Boot Camp just CrossFit Light?
8:19 – What is in a name? Differentiating a Boot Camp from CrossFit
9:14 – Can you transfer clients from Boot Camp into a full on CrossFit program
11:06 – The difference between CrossFit and Boot Camp programming
16:54 – Finding the right coach for Boot Camp and how they differ from a CrossFit coach.
20:44 – Offering Boot Camps as recurring classes instead of a one off challenge.
24:03 – How often and what schedule should a Boot Camp like class be run.
27:10 – What should a Boot Camp type program be priced at?
31:41 – How many sales can you expect within a Boot Camp program?
38:36 – What it takes on the backend in order to drive sales
41:53 – The secret to using Facebook ads effectively to drive sales for your Boot Camp
44:42 – The specific phrasing your Facebook ads need to have to be effective
46:01 – How to make sure your CrossFit coaches believe in the Boot Camp program as well
48:17 – How do you deal with weather issues when running a Boot Camp outside?
51:55 – Allowing members to perform an express version of CrossFit
This episode is brought to you by the 2017 TwoBrain UK Summit, November 11-12 at Thames CrossFit in London, England. Register here!
Episode 81 – Partnerships
Do you REALLY need a partner?
I would describe CrossFit as an owner/operator model. But many of us need a little extra push or need money at start up; or a security blanket; or just a kick in the butt. So we take a partner.
Today we talk about how to start a partnership; when you actually need a partner; and how to get out of a partnership gone bad. Take good notes as this episode could save your sanity and your partnership!
Be sure to download the Two-Brain Business Sample Shareholder’s Agreement. This will help your partnership get off to the right start!
Meet the needs of your growing membership base, outfit a new facility, or refresh existing inventory with Rigquipment!
In this Interview:
My partnership experiences and lessons learned
What are the first steps to starting a partnership?
How to get out of a bad partnership?
Plus:
What role does the operating partner have within the partnership
Why you should use a thirds party to adjudicate the breakup of a partnership
How to define profit within your business and partnership agreement?
Timeline:
2:54 – Partnerships Introduction
3:37 – Chris Cooper’s partnership story and how he started his first gym
9:33 – First step to starting a partnership: Defining the roles and tasks of each partner
10:29 – Second step to starting a partnership: Assign a value to each item a partner brings
11:55 – Third step to starting a partnership: Defining what a perfect day for each partner is
13:11 – Fourth step to starting a partnership: Discuss how each partner is to be paid
13:42 – What is profit?
16:35 – Final step to starting a partnership: Defining how a partner exits the agreement
18:03 – Mapping out how decisions are made in a partnership in a fair manner
19:34 – Having a plan for everything that happens in advance
21:12 – Agreeing on pricing when engaged in a partnership
23:28 – Creating a feedback and accountability loop within your partnership
29:29 – The role of the operating partner within a partnership agreement
31:05 – Let’s say it’s time to get out. How to exit a partnership agreement.
34:57 – What to do when you have less money than your partner
37:42 – What to do when you have more money than your partner
41:23 – How to end a partnership when no agreement is in place
44:12 – Signing a separation agreement when ending a partnership
45:18 – Using a third party to adjudicate the breakup of a company
48:35 – Two-Brain UK Summit Announcement
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