The Future Is Niche: Specialization for the Win in Your Gym Biz

Are you sleeping on HYROX? That's a mistake.In this episode, Two-Brain CEO John Franklin and founder Chris Cooper discuss the hottest thing in fitness right now: HYROX.John, fresh off a race in Miami Beach, had nothing but praise for the event, and Chris Cooper suggests the races give your members a reason to keep training and way to find success and smiles outside the gym.The best part? HYROX affiliation fees for gyms are low—about US$150 a month—so it's easy to get huge ROI, if you have a plan. No plan? No ROI. Solid plan? Huge ROI is possible.For example, one Two-Brain gym generates $12,500 a month in HYROX revenue, and another added $100,000 in annual revenue just by setting up two HYROX training sessions a week.Chris and John dig into the details to help you determine if a HYROX program is right for your gym, even if you're a CrossFit affiliate. Newsflash: CrossFit gyms don't need to be scared of HYROX; the program is complementary. Check out this discussion, and if you want to take the next step, "The Complete Guide to HYROX Affiliation for Gym Owners" is available if you DM Chris Cooper through our Gym Owners United group, linked below.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:29 - Why is HYROX working?4:02 - The opportunity5:48 - Should CrossFit gyms be afraid?8:05 - How to get ROI15:48 - Marketing, selling, retaining

Most gyms treat old members as if they’re gone forever—but Xtra Mile Fitness brought back 36 departed clients in one year.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Corey Lewis (owner of Xtra Mile Fitness) reveals how he reactivated 36 alumni—comprising nearly 40% of his “new” members—last year. Corey’s philosophy: The client journey doesn’t end when someone leaves your gym.To help you reacquire members, he lays out fundamental exit practices every gym should implement: exit goal reviews, thank you postcards and 90-day follow-up texts. He also shares more advanced tactics for winning old members back, including social media engagement, video texts and coffee meetings.Corey never “pitches” to alumni. He leads with a "help first" mentality and checks in genuinely. The resale happens naturally when the person is ready. Tune in to get Corey’s complete system for reactivating former gym members, then implement it in your gym!LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - 36 returning members2:44 - Exit goal reviews6:22 - Postcard follow-ups9:03 - Social media engagement13:13 - Why this works

The future belongs to gyms that specialize.The data proves it: Small group training has a 7% higher profit margin than large group training, and length of engagement in niche gyms is double the industry average.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper lays out how niching down will transform your gym. Yes, you can find and own a niche without kicking out existing clients.When you niche down, everything gets easier: Marketing becomes crystal clear, referrals become automatic, your schedule shrinks, facility costs drop, staffing simplifies, and retention skyrockets.Generic “fitness for everyone” gyms compete on price and lose. Specialized gyms charge premium rates and win.Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Find your people and serve them exceptionally well.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:01 - Intro0:40 - The industry right now5:25 - Why niche down?8:39 - How to find your niche18:37 - What isn’t a niche?

Buying a gym can be one of the best business decisions you’ll ever make or one of the most expensive mistakes of your life.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin and attorney Matthew Becker of Gym Lawyers PLLC walk you through exactly how to buy a gym without overpaying, buying a disaster or landing on legal landmines.Matthew has handled over $50 million in gym transactions, and John has personally bought and sold five gyms in New York City.In this step-by-step training, the pair break down:The formula for valuing a gym.Factors that impact the valuation.How to define and find the gym you’re looking for.The legal process for buying a gym.Options for financing a gym purchase.Before you commit to a buy, check out this show and make sure you're setting yourself up for long-term success in the fitness industry.LinksFree valuation calculator: "How to Buy a Gym""How to Value a Gym: SDE, Multiples and What a Gym Is Actually Worth"Book a CallGym Lawyers Consultation2:41 - How to value a gym17:14 - Define your “buy box”18:55 - The search22:12 - Legal and financing36:43 - The full playbook

If you burn out, your gym dies. That’s why taking care of your mental health is the best business decision you can make. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper explains why burnout happens to gym owners and how to prevent it.If you pour your energy into clients all day, manage staff, call leads, clean bathrooms and run your business, then go home and scrape the bottom of the bowl for whatever’s left for your family, you'll eventually run out of gas.Your clients will know exactly when that happens. And they'll walk out.  Chris shares six practical strategies for improving your mental health before you burn out, including setting boundaries, finding someone to talk to and systemizing your business.You can’t sell your clients energy if you don’t have it. Tune in to learn how to keep your cup full—and your gym alive.Connect with gym owners just like you at the Two-Brain Summit. Get tickets via the link below!LinksTwo-Brain Summit TicketsGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:46 - What we’re really selling6:18 - The money problem9:29 - Mental health strategies 1-315:37 - Mental health strategies 4-621:35 - The Two-Brain Summit

Most gym owners stay stuck because of fear. Fear of failure. Fear of confrontation. Fear of making things worse.But here’s what Chris Cooper learned after 15 years of mentoring gym owners: The only thing stronger than fear is love.You have to love the local people who need your help more than you fear publishing that Instagram post. You have to love your family enough to fire that coach who’s hurting your gym.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris presents gym owners with a challenge: Expand your comfort zone.Coop gives you 10 difficult scenarios to choose from and a simple four-day process for practicing them until they become easy:Day 1: Practice the uncomfortable task in a mirrorDay 2: Practice with a supportive friend or spouseDay 3: Practice with your mentorDay 4: Do it for realYour comfort zone is like a muscle. When you exercise it, it gets bigger—and you become more capable of making the changes your business needs.To get the free Comfort Zone Challenge worksheet, DM Chris in Gym Owners United, linked below.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:01 - Intro1:57 - How to change3:27 - Do you care enough?11:01 - Comfort Zone Challenge15:09 - Which gym owners succeed?

The Two-Brain Summit is back for its 10th year this June in Chicago, and it’s bigger than ever before!Get your tickets via the link below and make June 6-7 the most valuable weekend of your entire year.Headlining the owners side, bestselling author Mike Michalowicz will teach you how to stand out and attract the right customers to your gym. You’ll also hear from fitness business experts such as:- Matt Souza of “The Sevan Podcast” and “Souza’s Show”- Street Parking co-founders Miranda and Julian Alcaraz- Rick Mayo, founder of Alloy Personal Training (1992)And while you’re leveling up as a gym owner, your coaches will be honing their skills with some of the best in the industry, including: - HWPO’s Michele Letendre, CrossFit Games coach and former athlete- Power Monkey’s Dave Durante (gymnastics) and Chad Vaughn (weightlifting), both former elite athletes- Bill Parisi, fascia expert and founder of Parisi Speed SchoolTune in as Chris Cooper presents the full lineup and shares exactly what gym owners and coaches will be working on at the world's biggest gym business conference.  Then, use the link below to get your tickets before prices go up on Apr. 1.LinksTwo-Brain Summit TicketsGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:01 - Intro2:16 - Saturday lineup: Owners9:18 - Saturday lineup: Coaches11:50 - Sunday lineup: Owners18:30 - Sunday lineup: Coaches

For almost a decade, CrossFit affiliate owners followed a misguided mantra:"CrossFit is done in big groups only."In 2026, we know this is false. CrossFit is an incredible tool you can use to get clients fit, and you can deliver coaching one on one, in semi-private groups, in small groups and in big groups. The more individual attention a client receives, the higher the rate.That's critical: High-value services such as PT help CrossFit gyms dramatically increase average revenue per member (ARM). Back in the day, ARM scores of $100-$150 were common, and many gym owners struggled to make a profit.Now, with PT sales and group-plus-PT "hybrid packages," CrossFit gyms can push ARM north of $200.Chris Vasseur of Bionic CrossFit is the proof: His ARM is $400+ on the strength of PT sales. The best part: Vasseur doesn't get slimy to sell PT. He just tells people exactly how to accomplish their goals."Want to be able to link 20 double-unders? I can teach you. Let's book a one-on-one slot next week."It's that simple.Tune in as host Mike Warkentin gets all the details from a CrossFit affiliate owner who uses real talk and a desire to help to sell lots of PT.Links"Help First" by Chris CooperAffinity Marketing: How to Get Clients FastGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:01 - Intro0:45 - Who needs more help?5:29 - PT rates7:56 - Selling PT13:30 - New PT clients16:31 - ARM boosters

What if every one of your clients paid $400 or more per month?You probably wouldn't need more clients, staff, equipment or space, right?In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shows exactly how 10 top gym owners have solved the "need more clients" problem by earning world-class revenue from existing clients.In short, they price coaching services correctly and deliver monster value with premium services such as personal training, small group personal training, semi-private training and nutrition/habits coaching. These high-value members get results, so they stay longer and refer friends, creating a very profitable business model.Coop's got key details from our leaders, plus expert perspective to help you drive up average revenue per member in your gym. Your first target: $205. If you hit that—use Coop's tips!—you can earn $100,000 per year with just 150 members.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:01 - Intro4:03 - Leaderboard reveal6:18 - How they increased ARM7:50 - Focusing on high-value clients9:50 - Starting a gym with Two-Brain

 In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," fitness entrepreneur Daniel Purington reveals the system that produced these world-class stats at Woodslawn Fitness in Oregon:170 members$350 average revenue per member36-month length of engagementDaniel serves his members in just 2,000 square feet of space and has capped membership: He accepts just four new members per month.To acquire the clients he needs to say at his cap, he doesn't run lead ads. Instead, he uses a clever Affinity Marketing tactic to "replicate" his existing clients: Daniel hosts "retention events" for current members and encourages them to bring their friends and family to the barbecue.Daniel and host Mike Warkentin dig deep into the affinity plan at Woodslawn to offer up tips to help you earn more hot leads and high-value clients without spending a dollar on ads.Listen, then plan your own retention-boosting event infused with a clever dose of marketing.LinksTwo-Brain SummitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:01 - Intro2:51 - Affinity marketing process6:40 - “Seeding” Google reviews8:56 - Tracking and annual events plan19:30 - Dan’s ARM and LEG23:55 - What to do first