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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.
Two-Brain Radio: Good Debt vs. Bad Debt With Clay Ferrer
On this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Greg Strauch speaks with Clay Ferrer, Founder and CEO of Rigquipment Finance, a lender that specializes in boutique fitness facility financing.
Clay—a passionate CrossFit coach in his own right—talks about the difference between good and bad debt, why you might take on debt for purchases and reserve cash on hand versus paying up front, and why the best time to take on debt is when your business is already in a good place.
He explains the different forms good debt can take—such as the purchase of hard assets—and how to maximize ROI on those investments from Day 1. He also discusses the bad-debt pitfalls gym owners should avoid.
Finally, Greg and Clay discuss Riquipment's exciting partnership with Two-Brain Business, which allows gym owners to finance the Incubator.
Links:
https://rigquipment.com
https://www.uplaunch.com
Contact:
info@rigquipment.com
571-933-8339
Timeline:
4:26 – From investment banker to the financial services sector.
7:46 – Watching the CrossFit Games hung over on New Year’s Day and finding a gym via windshield flyer.
9:36 – From athlete to coach to entrepreneur: The birth of Rigquipment.
11:47 – Taking on debt for a purchase vs. paying up front.
14:42 – Defining good debt.
20:06 – The benefits and dangers of business credit cards.
23:00 – When to take on good debt.
25:44 – Looking at the ROI of a good-debt purchase.
30:54 – Defining bad debt—going beyond the credit card.
31:37 – Merchant cash advances: just a BandAid.
33:22 – Short-term working capital loans: It’s a (interest) trap!
39:00 – Financing the Two-Brain Business Incubator with Rigquipment = good debt.
Two-Brain Radio: Matt O'Keefe
On this edition of Two-Brain Radio, Sean Woodland talks with president of Loud and Live Sports Matt O’Keefe.
Not only is Matt agent and manager to four-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser, but he also helps run one of the most high-profile sanctioned events of the Games season, Wodapalooza.
Matt and Sean talk about how he got involved in the business of the CrossFit Games, why Loud and Live decided to expand from one to five sanctioned events in 2020 and what needs to happen moving forward for the CrossFit Games season to not only be successful but also to grow.
Links:
https://www.loudlive.com
https://www.amazon.com/Founder-Farmer-Tinker-Thief-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07QH85HSX
Contact:
Instagram: @okeefmr; @loudlivesports
Timeline:
1:42 – How Matt found CrossFit.
3:06 – Moving on from the “cookie-cutter corporate structure” and starting a business in the CrossFit world.
3:47 – Becoming Mat Fraser’s manager.
7:12 – What is Loud and Live Entertainment?
8:41 – Discovering Wodapalooza and developing Loud and Live Sports.
12:33 – From one sanctioned event to five.
14:48 – How to retain the individual culture and identities of the five sanctioned events.
18:29 – How to sustain fan interest across so many events.
20:55 – The money question.
22:36 – Future developments for Wodapalooza and other sanctioned events.
25:46 – Giving more people the chance to compete with an international online qualifier.
27:48 – For the long-term success of the Games and sanctioned events, one key strategy: Everyone stick together.
30:02 – Kicking off globalization with the Spanish-language broadcast of the 2019 CrossFit Games.
Two-Brain Radio: Jesse Topp
Jesse Topp is the owner of Topp Performance, a multifaceted strength-and-conditioning center in Port Elgin, Ontario, focused on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, CrossFit and personal training.
Topp Performance began as a simple personal-training service that paid the bills when Jesse was competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. After Jesse discovered that CrossFit training significantly improved his explosiveness, endurance and recovery time in fights, he "totally bought in" and affiliated with CrossFit.
Though the business took off quickly, Jesse's marketing efforts—homemade ads dispatched with no rhyme or reason—weren't geared toward long-term success, and he didn't know how to sell. Through the Two-Brain mentorship program, he learned how to develop systems, manage staff and create high-quality, targeted ads. Last month, Jesse spent $180 on ads and made $5,000 in front-end sales.
Join us to hear how mentorship helped Jesse take Topp Performance from passion project to lifestyle business empire.
Links:
https://toppperformance.com/
https://www.uplaunch.com/
Contact:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.topp.9
Instagram: @toppjesse
Timeline:
3:06 – A fighter discovers CrossFit.
4:39 – The birth of Topp Performance: broke fighter needs to pay the bills.
6:24 – The very first ads: “picking up a can of paint and throwing it at the wall and seeing what would stick.”
10:12 – Life before Two-Brain: No systems, no security.
11:26 – After joining Two-Brain: More revenue, less stress.
12:15 – Getting your staff on board with mentorship and changes to the business.
13:07 – Selling lifestyle change.
13:48 –Revamping digital marketing.
14:36 – The lead-nurture process, from Google Sheets to No-Sweat Intro.
17:49 – The keys to success: hard work, recovery and mentorship.
Two-Brain Radio: Incredible Client Success with Eden Watson
In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper speaks with Two-Brain client success manager Eden Watson—aka "the right brain of Two-Brain."
As client success manager for Two-Brain Business, Eden is responsible for maintaining Two-Brain client relationships and increasing client LEG, or length of engagement, and in this podcast, she explains exactly why gym owners need someone in that role and how to get started with a CSM.
She breaks down some of the intrinsic characteristics necessary of a good CSM—empathy, tech-savviness and attention to detail—and illustrates how the role might evolve from simply managing Bright Spot Friday posts a couple hours a week to a full-time role overseeing the client journey and tracking and increasing LEG.
Links:
https://www.sendoutcards.com/app
http://affiliateguard.info/
https://www.amazon.com/Founder-Farmer-Tinker-Thief-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07QH85HSX
https://www.uplaunch.com
Contact:
eden@twobrainbusiness.com
Timeline:
3:55 – What is a client success manager (CSM)?
6:57 – What does a CSM do?
8:14 – Characteristics of a great CSM.
11:34 – The evolution of the CSM role.
16:00 – Why do you need a CSM? Why not just do it yourself?
23:17 – The tools you’ll need to empower your CSM.
30:01 – Steps you can take today to increase client length of engagement.
Two-Brain Radio: Chase Ingraham
On this edition of Two-Brain Radio, Sean talks with former Games athlete and current CrossFit broadcaster Chase Ingraham.
Chase has been involved in CrossFit since 2008. He currently owns CrossFit Big D in Dallas, Texas. He competed at the Games in 2010 as an individual and has also been to the Regionals five times. Chase was a member of the CrossFit Games media team and most recently served as an analyst alongside yours truly on the Rogue Iron Game in Madison, Wisconsin, for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
He and Sean talk about how he got into the broadcast side of the sport, growing up as the son of two high-level athletes and some of his most memorable performances as an individual athlete.
Links:
https://crossfitbigd.com
https://www.amazon.com/Founder-Farmer-Tinker-Thief-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07QH85HSX
Contact:
Instagram: @chase_ingraham
Timeline:
1:49 – Becoming a CrossFit Games broadcaster.
4:16 – Learning how to BE a broadcaster.
8:32 – How being a coach and a former competitor informs Chase’s work as an analyst.
12:21 – His best broadcast memories aren’t of the sport, but of the people.
14:39 – Being born into a family of superstar athletes.
22:28 – Finally finding his sport in water polo.
27:59 – Finding CrossFit post-collegiate athletics and “cheating” at Fran.
32:35 – Becoming Captain American and the 2010 CrossFit Games experience.
40:29 – Winning the “100s” event at the 2013 South Central Regional: A game of strategy.
46:31 – How Chase predicted his own 14.5 score.
49:21 – The future of CrossFit Big D: Continue to make it a safe haven and the best hour of clients’ days.
Season 3, Episode 2: Darren Thornton
In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Mateo Lopez of Two-Brain Marketing speaks with Darren Thornton, owner of CrossFit Defy in Toronto, Ontario.
Though Darren’s passion for CrossFit was born out of a love for competition, today, he runs CrossFit Defy for one purpose: to help people get better at life. He’s also a brand-new entrepreneur—CrossFit Defy is less than one year old.
But that doesn’t mean he lacks experience to share. Darren learned quickly the lesson it takes many gym owners years to learn: Get help. Though he’d experimented with Facebook ads and had hired another coach just a few months after opening, he soon realized he needed “a bit of direction.” The business was stable, but growth had halted.
Today, after completing the Incubator, Darren is flourishing in Farmer Phase, having learned some valuable lessons about business structure, digital marketing and how to hire according to your long-term vision.
Links:
https://crossfitdefy.com/
https://www.levelmethod.com/
Contact:
darren@crossfitdefy.com
Timeline:
2:11 – Finding CrossFit in the British Royal Marines.
3:58 – From commando to competitor to gym owner.
5:21 – Discovering Two-Brain Business: “I knew I needed help.”
6:30 – Darren’s mission: to help people get better at life.
8:18 – Lessons learned in the Incubator.
10:49 – Onboarding new clients, personal training and hybrid memberships.
12:28 – It’s all about relationships.
17:15 – Upselling as you go.
18:59 – Hiring for the bigger picture.
24:25 – There’s no magic success pill—you’ve got to work for it.
Episode 179: Q & A With Coop
In today's episode, we turn the tables as Two-Brain Client Success Manager Eden Watson takes the mic to interview Two-Brain Business founder Chris Cooper.
Eden presents Coop with a couple of the most common questions gym owners ask, and Chris shares some of his hard-won wisdom, earned over the course of more than 10 years of gym ownership.
Chris breaks down the four phases of entrepreneurship, shares some of his own practices for focusing his thoughts and energy, and reveals some of the challenges he's faced—and mistakes he's made—while building Two-Brain Business.
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Founder-Farmer-Tinker-Thief-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07QH85HSX
https://twobrain.com/flow/
Contact:
chris@twobrainbusiness.com
Timeline:
2:59 – Defining the four phases of entrepreneurship.
4:44 – Coop’s phase: It just might surprise you.
7:20 – Choosing which roles to take on and which to set the standard for others to fill.
9:35 – The challenge of leadership.
12:05 – To be a great leader, you need a great team.
14:35 – How does Chris produce so much content?
18:11 – Two tricks to staying focused: mentorship and meditation.
21:06 – The biggest problem in the fitness industry: lack of vision.
24:19 – To be successful, build your own platform instead of tearing others’ down.
30:19 – Do one thing at a time.
34:35 – In business as in fitness: Start with small wins.
Two-Brain Radio With Sean Woodland, Episode 12: Stacie Tovar
On today’s episode, Sean speaks with 8-time CrossFit Games individual competitor Stacie Tovar and her husband Dustin.
Stacie first competed at the CrossFit Games in 2009 in Aromas. Her final year was in 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. She and Dustin own CrossFit Omaha in Nebraska—a gym that has been around for nearly 12 years—and recently became parents with the birth of their first son, Gavin.
Sean talks with Stacie about her career as a CrossFit competitor and how she and Dustin have built their affiliate into one of the best gyms in Omaha. You'll also get insider knowledge of which Disney movies are Stacie's and Dustin's—and Sean's—favorites.
Links:
http://crossfitomaha.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Founder-Farmer-Tinker-Thief-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07QH85HSX
Contact:
Instagram: @stacietovar, @dustintovar
Timeline:
1:33 – Adjusting to parenthood.
2:22 – Growing up on a Nebraskan farm: Disney movies, hard work and detasseling.
6:31 – Inheriting a taste for competition.
8:28 – Finding CrossFit—thanks to husband Dustin.
10:04 – When Stacie couldn’t do a box jump and why she kept coming back.
11:15 – Becoming a CrossFit Games athlete.
12:26 – Memories from the 2009 CrossFit Games at Aromas: deadlifts, dust and barbed-wire fences.
15:49 – Sharing the veteran’s circle with Becca Voigt and Annie Thorisdottir.
18:18 – Stacie’s retirement send-off moment at the 2017 Games and why she decided to retire.
21:27 – Becoming affiliate owners and running a business with a spouse.
25:40 – The most important qualities of a good affiliate.
27:37 – Developing staff.
31:47 – Characteristics of a great coach.
32:28 – How CrossFit Omaha’s been successful for more than a decade.
35:26 – The future of CrossFit Omaha.
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