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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 With Sean Woodland, Episode 9: Alexis Johnson
On today’s episode, Sean speaks with two-time CrossFit Games athlete Alexis Johnson.
After competing as an individual at the 2016 and 2017 CrossFit Games, Alexis will return to Madison this year as a member of the Misfit team alongside Jen Smith, Travis Williams and Roy Gamboa. She also recently earned a Ph.D. in algebraic geometry from Rice University.
She talks about battling an eating disorder before she found CrossFit, her journey to becoming a CrossFit Games athlete, why she finds math so intriguing and her goals for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
Contact:
Instagram: @alexis_mathlete
Timeline:
1:12 – Finding CrossFit after severe calorie restriction.
5:10 – Dealing with an eating disorder as an early 20-something.
7:33 – How to support someone battling an eating disorder.
8:41 – Becoming a CrossFit competitor.
11:02 – Regionals 2015: “Hope but not confidence.”
13:02 – Lessons learned at the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games.
15:42 – On team competition.
19:48 – Why math?
23:18 – Pursuing a career in algebraic geometry.
24:28 – Teaching kids applicable mathematics.
27:47 – Love at first lick: Math plus ice cream.
28:41 – What comes after Ph.D.?
29:48 – Travis Williams: Secret math genius.
31:14 – Goals for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
Two-Brain Marketing Episode 18: Ryan O'Shaughnessy
Today we are joined by Ryan O'Shaughnessy, the former operator at Bowery CrossFit in New York City, one of the most competitive fitness markets in the world.
In his nearly two years at Bowery CrossFit, Ryan honed and systematized the gym's lead nurture and sales strategies. Last year, he spent $10,000 on ads that resulted in a whopping 2,000 leads—and thanks to his systematic approach to lead nurturing, $70,000 in front-end sales.
In this interview, Ryan explains his process from the first point of contact to No-Sweat Intro confirmation. He also discusses when and how to accept client feedback, how to cultivate community and how to deal with toxic members.
If you find sales and lead nurturing overwhelming or intimidating, you won't want to miss this episode.
Links:
https://foreverfierce.com/
Contact:
ryan@twobrainbusiness.com
Instagram: @_lucidvisions
Timeline:
3:08 – How Mateo and Ryan earned their stripes together at Bowery CrossFit.
6:39 – Finding CrossFit after a collegiate swimming career.
10:28 – Ryan’s cold-call sales experience at Yelp.
12:15 – How to onboard new clients without alienating existing ones.
13:47 – Why you should seek client feedback from both new and seed clients.
16:43 – How to cultivate community: Lead by example and according to your core values.
22:07 – Dealing with toxic clients: The soft approach.
25:33 – The lead-nurture process.
27:31 – The importance of staff communication during all stages of the lead-nurture process.
28:47 – Address roadblocks before selling to a potential client.
31:44 – How to replace yourself: Put processes in writing and teach according to how people learn.
Episode 175: The Green Light Program With Vaughn Vernon
Today we are joined by Vaughn Vernon, owner and director of Affiliate Guard, an industry-specific company that provides insurance coverage for CrossFit affiliates.
In this episode, Vaughn discusses the Green Light program, a new Affiliate Guard service designed to help gym owners ensure their businesses are compliant with the Safe Sport Act—written to protect young victims from sexual abuse—due to go into effect in 2020.
To be in compliance with this legislation, gym owners will need to conduct annual background checks on trainers, create anonymous tip lines, develop incident documentation procedures and more.
Vaughn shares how the Green Light program will give Affiliate Guard affiliates the resources, templates and procedures they need in order to be compliant and shares best practices for avoiding litigation once this legislation goes into effect.
Links:
https://growyournutritionbusiness.com/
http://affiliateguard.info/
http://affiliateguard.info/resources/templates/
Contact:
vaughn@affiliateguard.info
801-677-0076
Timeline:
2:42 – The Safe Sport Act and what it means for affiliate owners.
5:52 – Best practices for child injuries vs. adult injuries.
8:30 – The birth of the Green Light program: a proactive reaction to legislation.
10:31 – What you get with the Green Light program: background checks, templates, procedures, and more.
13:48 – Scheduled equipment maintenance: Why you need to do it.
20:27 – Beyond the Level 1: Affiliate Guard coverage extends to multiple certs.
26:16 – Health sharing for owners and coaches: How Vaughn saved tens of thousands of dollars with health-care coverage through Affiliate Guard.
Two-Brain Radio With Sean Woodland, Episode 8: Brian Chontosh
On today’s episode, Sean speaks with Brian Chontosh, retired U.S. Marine and founder of Crooked Butterfly.
Brian—aka "Tosh"—served 21 years in the United States Marine Corps, where he rose to the rank of Major. He received two Bronze Stars and the Navy Cross for his actions in March of 2003 during the Iraq war. He is also the founder of Crooked Butterfly, which helps people from all walks of life develop leadership skills.
Brian talks with Sean about the incident for which he was awarded the Navy Cross and how it affected him as a soldier and a person. He also discusses the challenges of re-entering civilian life and how it led to the founding of Crooked Butterfly, as well as what it takes to be a great leader.
Links:
http://www.crookedbutterfly.com/
http://journal.crossfit.com/2009/08/asep-lecture-another-speaker.tpl
Contact:
Tosh@CrookedButterfly.com
@tosh.crookedbutterfly (Instagram)
Timeline:
1:52 – What happened on March 25, 2003.
5:57 – What it’s like to be awarded the Navy Cross.
9:19 – On being an effective military leader.
11:02 – Brian’s first CrossFit experience: Cindy.
16:14 – Bringing CrossFit to the ranks.
19:09 – Retiring from the Marine Corps.
21:34 – The birth of Crooked Butterfly.
22:51 – Arranging “the intimate meeting between you and yourself.”
28:11 – Making people better leaders.
30:53 – Working with teenagers.
32:43 – The biggest misconception about leadership: Trying too hard.
37:26 – The extra-golden rule.
41:07 – The never-ending process of self-discovery and growth.
Two-Brain Marketing Episode 17: Dan Visentin
Today we are joined by Dan Visentin, Two-Brain Business mentor and marketing team member and owner of CrossFit 416 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dan opened his gym eight years ago in a 1,200-square-foot space with just $25,000. Since then, the gym has moved twice and managed to not only survive, but thrive.
But it wasn't easy.
Dan takes us through the early days of his affiliate—when he was working too much, coaching too many classes and losing his passion—and shares how he revamped his business by defining his vision, putting the right staff people in the right places, and redefining himself as a mentor, not a manager.
He also shares his ad-campaign and lead-nurture strategy, and how he turned $10,000 in ad spend into $30,000 in front-end sales revenue.
Join us to learn how to hire and develop great staff and how to winnow your marketing and lead-nurture processes to get more clients.
Links:
CrossFit 416
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't"
Contact:
Dan.visentin@twobrainbusiness.com
@crossfit_416
Timeline:
3:00 – Intro to Dan Visentin.
6:00 – The early days: Working too much and relocating out of panic.
6:53 – Why join Two-Brain?
8:17 – The first big “aha” moments: Creating a vision and developing staff.
9:37 – Mentoring—not managing—staff.
13:53 – What it means to be a great leader.
16:04 – Hire people who share your values—then find a place for them.
18:49 – Selling a solution to people’s problems.
22:07 – Ads and lead nurturing: trial and error.
28:35 – Selling the prescriptive model.
29:54 – Converting six-week challengers to monthly membership clients.
34:04 – The key to success: Putting the right people in the right places.
Two-Brain Radio With Sean Woodland, Episode 7: Tim Paulson
On today’s episode of Two-Brain Radio with Sean Woodland, Sean speaks with two-time CrossFit Games athlete and co-owner of CrossFit Pallas in Ithaca, New York, Tim Paulson.
Paulson made his CrossFit Games debut in 2017, finishing 19th his rookie year. He returned in 2018 and will be competing again in Madison this year. He spoke with Sean about how he found CrossFit, CrossFit Pallas' early days in a dingy two-car garage, and why he gave up a job as an accountant with a nationwide firm to take his gym from hobby to career.
Bonus: You'll also learn which high-fantasy novels and authors are his favorites and about his newfound love for photography.
Links:
https://www.crossfitpallas.com/
Contact:
@trexpaulson and @trex.in.the.wild
Timeline:
1:00 – How Tim found CrossFit.
3:03 – Choosing CrossFit over hockey.
3:59 – Becoming a competitor: Tim’s first Regional experience.
6:16 – Finally making the Games.
10:04 – Returning to the Games in 2018 with the wrong mindset.
11:18 – Listening to Mat Fraser bark.
13:12 – Navigating the changes to the CrossFit competition season.
16:14 – Managing mental fatigue.
18:51 – Thoughts on rumors of performance-enhancing drugs.
20:51 – The history of CrossFit Pallas: from hobby to business.
27:25 – How to be a great coach and relate to the average-Joe athlete.
29:35 – Standing out among the affiliate—and non-affiliate—competition.
31:13 – Thoughts on the disappearance of CrossFit Inc.’s social media.
33:56 – Why remain an affiliate?
35:59 – What the future holds: Opening a non-CrossFit gym.
37:15 – The biggest mistake affiliate owners make.
38:25 – Tim Paulson nerds out on philosophy, sci-fi and photography.
Two-Brain Marketing Episode 16: Tyler Lee and Jonathan Gibbons
Tyler Lee and Jonathan Gibbons own CrossFit Resurrection in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.
The pair bought the gym three years ago, navigating the sticky situation of raising membership prices and firing the previous owners after they began sowing discord.
Neither Lee nor Gibbons had any prior business, sales or marketing experience and felt overwhelmed at the prospect of advertising and nurturing leads—until they joined the Two-Brain family about eight months ago. Since then, they've totally overhauled and automated their No-Sweat Intro and ad campaign processes. Last month, they spent $800 on ads and generated more than $5,000 in front-end revenue.
Join us to learn how Lee and Gibbons used Two-Brain practices to take their gym from surviving to thriving.
Links:
https://healthystepsnutrition.com/
https://crossfitresurrection.ca/
Contact:
crossfitresurrection@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/crossfitresurrection/
https://www.instagram.com/crossfitresurrection/?hl=en
Timeline:
3:49 – Intro to Jonathan and Tyler.
5:54 – Life before Two-Brain: Running in circles.
9:20 – The toughest business lessons they’ve learned so far: Firing the previous owners and raising prices.
12:46 – Make decisions based on numbers, not emotions.
18:09 – Why they turned down a marketer’s offer to get CrossFit Resurrection 100 new leads.
20:39 – Going through the Incubator: Learning to develop systems and train staff.
27:29 – Overhauling the No-Sweat Intro booking process and lead nurturing.
33:36 – Managing paid advertising campaigns.
39:05 – Book No-Sweat Intros based on your schedule, not the potential client’s.
43:49 – The key to success? Communication.
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