Run a Profitable Gym

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! Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - 36 returning members 2:44 - Exit goal reviews 6:22 - Postcard follow-ups 9:03 - Social media engagement 13:13 - 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. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 0:40 - The industry right now 5:25 - Why niche down? 8:39 - How to find your niche 18:37 - 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: 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. Links Free valuation calculator: "How to Buy a Gym" "How to Value a Gym: SDE, Multiples and What a Gym Is Actually Worth" Book a Call Gym Lawyers Consultation 2:41 - How to value a gym 17:14 - Define your “buy box” 18:55 - The search 22:12 - Legal and financing 36:43 - 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! Links Two-Brain Summit Tickets Gym Owners United Book a Call 1:46 - What we’re really selling 6:18 - The money problem 9:29 - Mental health strategies 1-3 15:37 - Mental health strategies 4-6 21:35 - 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: Your 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. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 1:57 - How to change 3:27 - Do you care enough? 11:01 - Comfort Zone Challenge 15:09 - 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 School Tune 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. Links Two-Brain Summit Tickets Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 2:16 - Saturday lineup: Owners 9:18 - Saturday lineup: Coaches 11:50 - Sunday lineup: Owners 18:30 - 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 Cooper Affinity Marketing: How to Get Clients Fast Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 0:45 - Who needs more help? 5:29 - PT rates 7:56 - Selling PT 13:30 - New PT clients 16:31 - 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. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 4:03 - Leaderboard reveal 6:18 - How they increased ARM 7:50 - Focusing on high-value clients 9:50 - 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: Daniel 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. Links Two-Brain Summit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 2:51 - Affinity marketing process 6:40 - “Seeding” Google reviews 8:56 - Tracking and annual events plan 19:30 - Dan’s ARM and LEG 23:55 - What to do first

When gym owners need more clients, most jump straight to ads, social media or complicated marketing campaigns. Another path will produce much better results faster. In this episode, Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares the zero-cost strategy he used to fill a new program at his gym in less than a week: affinity marketing. Instead of chasing cold leads, use affinity marketing to leverage your best clients' connections: their family, friends and coworkers. Chris explains how to organize your outreach with an Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet, run goal reviews that naturally lead to referrals and follow up so conversations actually turn into clients. Chris' personal results: One text produced 16 clients. Don’t wait and hope members will refer their friends. Tune in and learn how to build a referral funnel that constantly produces hot leads and high-value clients. Download the Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet and other free lead-generation resources via the link below. Links Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 3:48 - The marketing bull’s-eye 6:37 - Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet 8:49 - Goal review process 14:07 - Follow-up script

Many gym owners hire the wrong mentor for the wrong reasons. They pick the cheapest option or someone who “really cares.” But "cheap" doesn't mean "effective" and caring isn’t enough. You need results when you invest in mentorship. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through the Mentor Match exercise, a step-by-step process for identifying exactly the right mentor for you. The exercise reveals which coaching styles have actually worked for you in the past: Some people respond to drill sergeants, while others need questioners or explainers. The key is finding the style that matches your personality. Chris also covers the three non-negotiables when choosing a mentor: They’ve done what you want to do, they’re objective (not just supportive), and the investment is uncomfortable enough to ensure you do the work. Every coach needs a coach. Use the Mentor Match exercise to find the right fit. Download the free Mentor Match worksheet in Gym Owners United, linked below. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 1:45 - Mentor Match exercise 13:01 - Find the expert 16:17 - Non-negotiables 19:48 - Do your due diligence 20:51 - A reality check

You have access to endless knowledge and resources, but you can’t seem to put it all together and fix your gym. Why? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through the mind of a mentor—showing you exactly how they diagnose problems, prioritize solutions and guide gym owners step by step. He reveals the three reasons gym owners need more money: - Expenses are too high. - Number of clients is too low. - Average revenue per member (ARM) is too low. Many gym owners say, “I need more leads,” but that’s rarely the real issue. Chris maps out the actual problem-solving process so you can identify your biggest priority. He explains how to get more clients, increase retention and earn more per member. You don’t need more knowledge to grow your gym; you need clarity and a step-by-step plan. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 3:24 - Earn more per member 8:44 - More clients, longer retention 16:51 - Understand your lead funnel 24:43 - The four marketing funnels 33:18 - Make time to grow your gym

Don’t let potential members slip away! Get the free “1-Hour Marketing Audit for Gym Owners” here. Joe Rouse ran Two-Brain's “1-Hour Marketing Audit” on his gym and uncovered gaps in his funnels—even after 12 years in business. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin sits down with Joe, owner of Breakaway Fitness & Performance, to find out what he discovered using Chris Cooper’s free marketing audit guide. Joe thought his funnels were dialed in. The audit proved him mostly right: His lead follow-up, Google Business profile and website all earned top scores. But the audit also revealed a few critical gaps: His social media posting schedule wasn’t being followed consistently, and his sales process needed better documentation for staff handoff. In under an hour, Joe walked away with a clear action plan to improve his lead generation and sales—so no more potential members slip through the cracks. Even experienced gym owners find problems when they audit their marketing. Joe plans to use this guide quarterly to keep his funnels and his sales process running smoothly. Get the free 26-page guide via the link below and fix your gym’s marketing funnel today! Links 1-Hour Marketing Audit for Gym Owners Gym Owners United Book a Call 2:12 - No. 1 audit discovery 5:08 - What he’s doing right 8:33 - Getting recommended by AI 12:48 - Post-audit action plan 15:40 - Sales process improvements

Your gym is leaking leads. But you can fix it in 60 minutes with this marketing audit. Get a free copy of the 26-page audit workbook here. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through a complete one-hour audit of your gym’s marketing funnel—from lead generation to closing sales. He demonstrates the audit live with his own gym, Catalyst, revealing every problem he finds along the way. The audit covers four critical parts of the marketing funnel: Most gym owners think they need more leads. In reality, they’re often getting enough leads but losing them because follow-up is poor, calls to action are unclear or sales processes are weak. Fix the leaks before pouring more water into the funnel. Tune in to find out what to look for and how to prioritize fixes. Just one hour of focused work can help you recover thousands of dollars of lost gym revenue. Get your free copy of the “The 1-Hour Marketing Audit for Gym Owners” via the link below. Links 1-Hour Marketing Audit for Gym Owners Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 2:26 - Part 1: Lead Generation 15:56 - Part 2: Lead Capture 28:05 - Part 3: Lead Nurture 38:21 - Part 4: Appointment and Close 49:40 - Results

The median gym owner brings home $61,000 per year, but the owners on Two-Brain’s latest leaderboard earn between $189,000 and $357,000 annually. What’s the difference? In this episode, Mike Warkentin sits down with top earner Ryan McStockard to find out exactly how he secured his spot on the leaderboard. In 2020, Ryan took zero income in some months just to keep the gym alive. Then, in 2021, he invested in Two-Brain mentorship and rebuilt everything. Now he consistently earns over $16,000 per month from his gym. His biggest wins came from adding high-value services, such as personal training, and focusing on improving the client journey: Personal training makes up 34% of his revenue, and his clients stick around for a whopping 42 months on average. As a Two-Brain mentor, Ryan now helps other gym owners replicate his success. He’s also in the Tinker Mastermind, where he’s focused on maximizing his income and his lifestyle. His primary goal today is simply “to not miss family dinners.” Interested in becoming a Tinker? Email Joleen Bingham (leader of Tinker North America) or Lisa Palmer (leader of Tinker Europe) to learn more: joleen.bingham@twobrainbusiness.com or lisa.palmer@twobrainbusiness.com Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 1:07 - Gym overview & low point 5:02 - Revenue breakdown 7:24 - Finding Two-Brain 20:52 - Additions to Ryan’s NOB 31:13 - Retention secret

The top gym owner on Two-Brain’s leaderboard takes home $29,767 per month. That’s $357,204 per year from a single gym location. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper reveals the Top 10 net owner benefit (NOB) leaderboard—showing exactly what elite gym owners actually take home each month. What sets these owners apart? Chris shares their top tactics, such as nurturing leads, selling high-value coaching services and focusing relentlessly on doing the basics better. Other common tips include using Two-Brain's Prescriptive Model and knowing your data. One owner said: “Increasing my NOB has been a goal for the last three years. Every month I've been finding small ways to do that—adding semi-private training, training staff to take on lower value tasks and talking to other similar owners in Two-Brain.” Tune in to hear exactly how these gym owners earn consistent, sustainable incomes so they can make an impact, make a profit and make it home for dinner. Ready to start your path to the leaderboard? Use the link below to book a call! Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 1:29 - Why NOB matters 3:21 - The leaderboard revealed 5:33 - Annual projections 6:13 - What they actually do 8:21 - The boring secret

When your gym is stable and the fires are out, what's next? Two-Brain’s Tinker Mastermind provides an elite level of mentorship for gym owners who are ready to build wealth, scale their businesses, learn to lead and create lasting legacies. This is the fun part of entrepreneurship—the part where you have choices: build investment portfolios, acquire real estate, franchise your concept, create new businesses or simply pick your kids up from school every day. The possibilities are endless. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin sits down with Tinker leaders Joleen Bingham and Lisa Palmer to find out exactly what the program is and who it’s for. Tinker-level gym owners have reliable cash flow, available time and a growth mindset. They focus on four main pillars to build their Perfect Day: lifestyle, wealth, scaling and leadership. Tinkers join weekly breakout calls with elite entrepreneurs from around the world and attend quarterly in-person meetups in places such as Florida, Arizona, Portugal and Ireland. The results speak for themselves: Two-Brain has certified over 70 millionaire gym owners through Tinker, with 17 certified in the last year alone. One Canadian Tinker took home $300,000 in net owner benefit, became a certified millionaire, invested in three syndications and opened a second gym that's hitting $30,000-$35,000 months. A U.K. Tinker spent three months in South Africa with his family while his gym ran without him. Are you Tinker ready? Email Joleen (North America) or Lisa (Europe) to find out: joleen.bingham@twobrainbusiness.com or lisa.palmer@twobrainbusiness.com Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:44 - Who is Tinker for? 5:10 - Problems Tinker solves 11:59 - Tinker program structure 21:40 - Tinker Toolkit preview 23:47 - 70+ millionaire gym owners

Stop trying to clone yourself when you hire coaches. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper explains why hiring for personality and training for skill is the smartest path to building a team that lasts. Most gym owners hire based on certifications and technical knowledge. Then they micromanage every rep, correct every cue and watch their coaches burn out within two years. But clients don’t care about perfect squat mechanics; they care about how they feel when they walk through the door. Coop explains where to find coaches with great personalities and also provides a 10-question personality assessment you can use on potential hires. Before you start looking for coaches, take the assessment yourself. If your score reveals you’re burned out, use the strategies from this episode to deal with that first. The key takeaway: Hire people who light up when they’re around others. Then teach them the technical stuff. DM Coop through Gym Owners United to get his free Energy and Attitude Assessment—link below. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:01 - Intro 2:52 - Where to find potential coaches 8:06 - The personality assessment 12:02 - Dealing with burnout 17:08 - The problem with bad personalities

Feb. 13, 2026, is Two-Brain’s 10th anniversary—a full decade of solving every problem in the gym business. In this special episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper tells the complete story of how Two-Brain Business became the biggest mentorship practice in the fitness industry. The journey started long before 2016. In 2005, Chris opened his first gym, and by 2008, he was broke, running two struggling locations and looking for part-time jobs in the newspaper. He couldn’t find a single example of someone making a real living as a gym owner. Then he found a mentor outside the fitness industry and started translating business lessons into gym-specific tactics. He published his first blog post on June 9, 2009, as a “love letter to future Chris”—sharing exactly what worked and what didn’t. By 2012, gym owners were flying him to Fort Lauderdale to speak. He self-published his first book, “Two-Brain Business,” which went on to sell 26,000 copies, becoming the bestselling fitness business book of all time. On Feb. 13, 2016, Chris officially launched Two-Brain Business with 52 gym owners who believed in the vision: make a difference, make a profit and make it home for dinner. Today, Two-Brain works with thousands of gyms worldwide, publishes the industry’s largest data set every year and runs the biggest gym business summit in the world. Tune in to hear the full origin story—and find out what’s ahead. Join Coop at the 10th annual Two-Brain Summit, June 6-7, 2026, in Chicago; get your tickets with the link below. Links Two-Brain Summit Tickets Gym Owners United Book a Call 1:05 - 2005-2015: Prehistory 1:12 - Opening a gym 6:28 - Hiring a mentor 18:09 - Publishing book No. 1 20:24 - Becoming a mentor 28:32 - 2016-2018: Early days 29:23 - The first Two-Brain Summit 35:57 - Building the “State of the Industry” report 39:43 - 2019-2021: Growth & lockdowns 43:39 - Certifying professional mentors 44:41 - 2022-2025: Additions and refinements 49:18 - 2026: 10th anniversary 49:33 - Leaving the CEO role 53:11 - The 10th annual Two-Brain Summit

Different gym owners need different leadership books. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares a simple plan to help you use the contents of any book to improve yourself and your business, and then he recommends specific books in each realm of leadership. Self-Leadership (to go fast, go alone): Team Leadership (to go far, go together): Peer Leadership (share the mission beyond your gym): Tribe Leadership (influence your community at scale): Plus, from Feb. 9 to 13, 2026, only, Coop is giving away free digital copies of his 10 books for gym owners. Go to Gym Owners United (linked below), DM him with your biggest challenge, and he'll send you the right book to start with. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 1:56 - Your leadership diagnostic 6:31 - Self-leadership books 8:44 - Team leadership books 10:57 - Peer leadership books 11:58 - Tribe leadership books