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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.
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.
Links
Full guide: "5 Gym Business Models That Work"
Brian Bott on semi-private training
Joe Venuti and Alessandra Bisalti on guided access
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1:21 - Is the group model still viable?
7:51 - Is on-ramp a barrier?
11:53 - Other revenue for group models
18:47 - Semi-private training
27:39 - 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.
Links
Daniel's Instagram
Woodslawn Fitness
Gym Owners United
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0:34 - What Dan’s gym does
7:17 - Dan’s pricing model
15:49 - The process and how it works
26:13 - Incorporating the hybrid
30:41 - 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 Cooper
Gym Owners United
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1:13 - Taryn's and Joleen's paths
12:35 - Gyms as cash-flow generators
17:56 - Investing in real estate
27:40 - Staying focused on a plan
32:07 - Impostor syndrome
34:10 - 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 United
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0:28 - Why did Chris write the book?
4:35 - A timeline for earning
7:47 - Struggling gym owner to millionaire
13:34 - Community around million-dollar gym owners
16:49 - 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 Cooper
Gym Owners United
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2:24 - What does Michaela do?
8:54 - Where does Michaela find clients?
15:57 - No paid advertising
20:52 - Other revenue streams
23:38 - 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.
Links
Gym Owners United
Book a Call
Wodify
0:38 - Processing fees explained
5:02 - Presenting to members
8:22 - The new initiative
12:09 - Learning from other industries
13:53 - 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.
Links
Gym Owners United
Book a Call
1:53 - How has your ARM changed?
4:38 - Adding value
8:20 - Kids programs
13:45 - High-value clients
19:37 - 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.
Links
Gym Owners United
Book a Call
0:55 - The Top 10
4:48 - How’d they get those ARMs?
7:20 - Creating new programs
8:53 - Building value
12:47 - What stops gym owners
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin interviews longtime gym owner Ben Bergeron of CrossFit New England and CompTrain.
After spending more than 15 years in the fitness industry as a gym owner and coach to CrossFit Games athletes including Mat Fraser and Katrin Davidsdottir, Ben says that virtuosity—mastery of the fundamentals—is essential in a successful gym business.
He dials in on four basic areas where every gym owner can improve: leadership, product, marketing and finances.
To help you build an amazing business, Ben shares his top tactics for continually improving your gym—from hiring the right employees to onboarding new clients to creating a vision and mission statement.
If you want to hear more from Ben, he’ll speaking at the Two-Brain Summit this June in Chicago.
Links
Two-Brain Summit Tickets
Ben Bergeron on Instagram
CompTrain
Gym Owners United
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1:42 - Meaning of virtuosity
10:21 - Someone good people work with
20:47 - Creating a great environment
33:38 - Building from scratch
40:17 - Practical visualization
How do you dominate your local market?
The key is focus: Don’t try to offer every service under the sun.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin is joined by Jack Wheeler of 360 Fitness in Red Deer and Sherwood Park, Canada. Jack’s flagship location does over 4,000 personal training sessions per month, and if you Google “personal training Red Deer,” his gym is the No. 1 result.
If you just search “gyms Red Deer,” he’s still on Page 1, but not quite at the top.
Jack owns the keyword “personal training” in his market because he dialed in and doubled down on his niche.
Listen to find exactly how he did that, and learn about great tactics for gaining traction in your community, such as good-will marketing and going where your target clients are.
Links
Gym Owners United
Book a Call
1:31 - What’s changed?
7:36 - Dominating the local market
19:12 - Differentiate from online competition
23:09 - Getting involved with the community
34:50 - How Jack does marketing
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