Fix the Owner, Fix the Business: Leadership Skills for Gym Growth

Gym growth is simple when you understand the only six metrics that really matter in fitness businesses.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper breaks them down so you can improve your gym:Average revenue per member (ARM)Length of engagement (LEG)Return on investment (ROI)Effective hourly rate (EHR)Net owner benefit (NOB)Client headcountUsing data from over 15,000 gym owners who contributed to Two-Brain’s 2024 “State of the Industry” guide, Coop presents the industry averages for each metric so entrepreneurs know exactly where they stand in comparison.Then, he equips gym owners with specific tactics to improve each metric and explains why many gyms actually don’t need more members to generate additional revenue. Plus, Coop dives deep into marketing with Two-Brain’s four-funnel system: referrals, content, social media and paid ads. He even shares an exclusive preview of the clients-only worksheet Two-Brain gym owners use to audit marketing performance, and he provides actionable fixes for each funnel.Tune in to learn how to track and improve the critical numbers in your gym business.Want Coop’s $100K checklist? Head to Gym Owners United using the link below and send him a DM.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call2:14 - Average revenue per member (ARM)8:23 - Length of engagement (LEG)14:33 - Return on investment (ROI)21:48 - Effective hourly rate (EHR)27:14 - Net owner benefit (NOB)32:47 - Client headcount37:13 - Four marketing funnels45:13 - Auditing and fixing your funnels59:34 - Getting more leads

What’s stopping your gym from growing?In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris Cooper explains how gym owners accidentally limit their business growth and presents a four-level framework for leadership mastery.The progression moves from self-leadership (controlling your focus and energy) to team leadership (getting staff aligned without micromanaging), peer leadership (influencing equals without authority) and community leadership (expanding impact beyond your gym).The key insight: Before you can lead others effectively, you must first master yourself.Fix the owner, fix the business.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:57 - Self-leadership6:45 - Team leadership10:30 - Peer leadership14:23 - Community leadership18:31 - How to grow as a leader

Overwhelmed by conflicting business advice? Cut through the noise with Chris Cooper’s proven system for building wealth as a gym owner. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris explains how to move beyond the passion-first mentality that keeps most fitness entrepreneurs stuck and broke.He breaks down his four-phase roadmap for gym-owner wealth: Founder, Farmer, Tinker and Chief. These phases show you what to focus on right now, what to ignore and how to move toward financial freedom.Coop also shares candid stories from his early years of gym ownership, including mopping floors personally and trapping his business in Founder Phase. Everything changed when he focused on fixing the foundation first, stopped trying to market a broken gym, and started doing the right things as a CEO and business owner.Now as the CEO of Two-Brain Business, Cooper has helped thousands of fellow gym owners fix their businesses, too. He’s minted more than 60 millionaire gym owners, and hundreds more are earning over $100,000 per year.It’s time to break free from day-to-day operations and start building wealth. Tune in to get the full blueprint.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:28 - Why gym owners get stuck7:44 - Founder Phase10:51 - Farmer Phase14:34 - Tinker Phase19:36 - Chief Phase

After consuming free Two-Brain content for three years, gym owner Tyler Ouwendyk signed up for mentorship. Less than a year later, he earned a spot on the Top 10 leaderboard for net owner benefit (take-home pay), which ranges from US$17,000 to $45,000 per month. Tyler runs three facilities in a town of 30,000 people: two 24/7 access gyms with memberships capped at 400-500, plus a group training studio that launched with 52 members on Day 1 and hit 130 clients in eight months.In this episode, Tyler shares the Two-Brain strategies that contributed most to his gyms’ success:Eliminating all discounts and sales.Raising prices to reach the top of his market.Creating proper onboarding systems. Adding goal reviews to drive retention and upsells.He also explains how mentorship accelerated his growth through expert guidance and accountability. Now, as a Tinker-level gym owner, Tyler’s focus is on building wealth through real estate, life insurance and other investments. His advice to gym owners who are considering mentorship? “Just do it. It's not a cost; it's an investment. You're gonna see the ROI right away.”  LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:50 - Getting results from free content3:54 - Goal reviews in an access gym9:53 - Why go from free to paid help?13:43 - How mentorship added speed17:54 - Opening a profitable new gym

Many gym owners burn out because they reinvent everything daily. In this episode, Chris Cooper shows you how to systemize your gym without killing your creativity.He introduces the concept of “freedom within a framework”—the solution to decision fatigue, staff chaos and businesses that get stuck in the Founder Phase forever.Coop explains exactly where to systemize and where to be creative in each area of your business:MarketingSalesRetentionOperationsLeadershipYou’ll also hear how Two-Brain Business mentors help fitness entrepreneurs build solid systems that support their gyms’ growth without forcing a model or method. Stop starting from scratch every day and start building the stable, profitable gym you want to run.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:19 - The problem and its solution4:41 - Marketing and sales systems9:26 - Retention and referral systems11:53 - Ops and leadership systems17:26 - Mentorship gives you freedom

Think you need a huge gym and hundreds of members to make serious money? These gym owners proved that wrong by generating $600 average revenue per member (ARM) in just 1,400 square feet.In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Mike Warkentin sits down with Jake Parton and Jenser Gomes from Evolver Fitness in Connecticut, who made Two-Brain's Top 10 leaderboard for net owner benefit (owner take-home) with only 90 members.Jake and Jenser reveal how they built a high-ticket, high-touch personal-training model that keeps overhead low and maximizes profit. They share their bootstrap approach to opening during the pandemic and explain how they lost 85 percent of their clients before rebuilding with systems that now allow them to work fewer hours while earning more.Also up for discussion: their referral-based marketing strategy that eliminates the need for expensive ads and their extraordinary retention system that keeps clients for years. Tune in to hear how these gym owners worked with a mentor to create the systems that transformed their business and allowed them to build a team of trainers to deliver high-quality service.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:27 - Key to high net owner benefit in a small gym4:42 - Planning for high ARM9:57 - Earning more for their time14:47 - Acquiring and retaining clients27:25 - Systemizing their business

In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris Cooper reveals the monthly leaderboard for net owner benefit—what gym owners actually pocket from their businesses.The top-earning fitness entrepreneur takes home over $45,000 a month!So what are our elite gym owners doing that others aren't?The Top 10 includes gyms from Belgium, Norway, Canada and Hong Kong, proving location doesn't limit earning potential.The leaders also proved small gyms can dominate: One top earner has only 90 members, and another operates in just 1,400 square feet of space.Chris breaks down the two key factors behind high net owner benefit for gym owners: consistency in delivery and total business excellence.You’ll also find out which business models are driving these impressive income stats. Some gym owners focus strictly on one-on-one coaching, while others use semi-private training or a combination of high-value services to increase revenue.Listen to learn about the marketing, sales, retention and staff-development systems that separate top-earning gym owners from those who are barely breaking even.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:58 - Top-earning gym owners revealed4:43 - Keys to high net owner benefit8:45 - Staff systems support growth10:53 - Models with the highest NOB15:56 - What all 10 have in common

Think you need 300+ members to run a profitable gym? The data says otherwise.In fact, the average gym can generate an extra $45,000 per year just by keeping the clients it already has for two extra months.In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris Cooper cuts through the noise with hard numbers from the “State of the Industry” report—the most comprehensive data set in the fitness industry.He walks through the six metrics every gym owner needs to make smart business decisions:➡️ Average revenue per member (ARM)—earn more without adding clients.➡️ Length of engagement (LEG)—keep members longer.➡️ Net owner benefit (NOB)—your rewards as an entrepreneur.➡️ Return on investment (ROI)—which expenses allow you to increase revenue.➡️ Effective hourly rate (EHR)—are you a trainer or a CEO?➡️ Client headcount—the lives you are changing with fitness.Listen to hear all six metrics explained, then help build the next report by filling out the survey via the link below.Links"State of the Industry" SurveyGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:32 - Earn more per client3:10 - Keep clients longer6:17 - Take home more money7:57 - Increase return on investment11:11 - Earn more per hour

“Get 500 members.” “Online coaching is dead.” “Don't raise your rates.” How much of the gym business advice flooding your social feeds is actually true?In this episode, Chris Cooper cuts through the BS with a crucial request for gym owners: Be part of Two-Brain's annual “State of the Industry” report.Every year, thousands of gyms worldwide contribute to the report, along with software platforms such as Wodify and Kilo, creating the largest fitness business data set in the world.The data is reviewed by an independent analyst and then published to help gym owners make informed decisions about pricing, staffing, marketing and more—one gym owner even saved $100,000 on a lease just by reading the report. The more gyms that participate, the clearer the picture becomes for every gym owner.Please take five to 10 minutes to fill out the survey via the link below. In return, you'll get immediate access to 19 of Two-Brain's best resources and an advance copy of this year’s “State of the Industry” report delivered straight to your inbox.Don’t just listen to the loudest voice you hear. Let’s separate fact from fiction together. Links"State of the Industry" SurveyGym Owners UnitedBook a Call

Hate writing but love talking? Here's how one gym owner uses AI to create everything from SOPs to sales scripts without typing a single word.In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Mike Warkentin sits down with gym owner Ryan Webb to explore how AI tools have transformed his gym’s operations—with minimal investment of time or money.Ryan shares his workflow for using Wispr Flow and ChatGPT to save hours each week on essential business tasks.He explains how Wispr Flow transcribes and improves spoken thoughts, which ChatGPT can then turn into marketing copy, staff playbooks, sales scripts and much more.These AI tools can even help gym owners navigate tough conversations with employees.This episode will equip you with a complete system for quickly turning your thoughts into polished content that helps you grow your gym.LinksStreamline Ops With AIWispr Flow Book a CallGym Owners United0:58 - Using ChatGPT and Wispr Flow03:49 - Other uses for these tools06:38 - Shortcut for creating staff playbooks12:41 - Feedback on sales scripts16:55 - Future plans for scaling AI