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Run a Profitable Gym

John Franklin

We've already helped 3,000 gym owners become more profitable, and we're the #1 gym mentorship program in the world.

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.

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S4 · E75
Yesterday · 13 min
The Real Reason Your Gym Stopped Growing
Grab our free tools to help you fix the most common problems gym owners face. If your gym has been stuck at the same revenue number for a year, you probably think you need more leads. You’re only half right. In this episode, Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin breaks down why “I need more leads” is usually a symptom, not the real problem. He explains the two things that keep gyms stuck: not consistently doing the work that generates leads, or a bigger structural issue in your business that’s harder to see from the inside. John introduces the Golden Hour, a dedicated daily block for tackling your gym’s biggest bottleneck, and shares the story of Jared, a gym owner who'd been flat for 10 months until he committed to that one habit and posted his best revenue month ever. He also shares the story of Charlie, a UK gym owner who made one change to how he positioned and priced his coaching that’s projected to triple his revenue in just over a year, without adding a single new client. Tune in to figure out whether your gym’s plateau is an effort problem or something you can’t see from the inside, and how to get unstuck for good. Links Free Tools Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - The two reasons gyms stop growing 1:00 - Why busy isn't the same as productive 3:01 - The Golden Hour and establishing the run 5:30 - How a Two-Brain client turned a flat gym around 7:31 - The revenue jump after Jared got serious 8:38 - The problem you can't see from inside your own gym 9:47 - The pricing change that transformed Charlie's gym 11:58 - What's really holding your gym back
- Transcript
S4 · E74
Monday · 38 min
Our Gym Revenue Has Plateaued ... Now What? (Live Coaching)
Their gym has been open 14 years, has over 150 members and pulls in around $30,000 a month. But growth stalled, and they wanted to know why. In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin sits down with Tanya and Meredith, longtime owners of a Sarasota CrossFit affiliate, for a real, live coaching session. John opens up their books and pricing sheet, which includes 15 different things a prospect can buy, and starts asking hard questions to find out exactly what’s capping their revenue. What John uncovers is a common but costly pattern: personal training makes up only 10% of their revenue, even though the vast majority of new prospects walk in intimidated and needing more support than a group class alone provides. John walks Tanya and Meredith through a repositioning of their entire onboarding and pricing structure, one that could significantly change how much of every dollar makes it to their bottom line. Tune in to hear a real mentorship session unfold and see exactly what it takes to break through a revenue plateau. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - A profitable gym stuck at $30,000 a month 1:15 - Meet the co-owners running a 14-year affiliate long distance 7:43 - The seasonal revenue swing and the number they want to hit 10:35 - Fifteen ways to buy in, and where all the revenue comes from 12:37 - Personal training pricing and the onboarding that leads to membership 16:54 - What the numbers reveal once you compare them to industry benchmarks 18:25 - Why a loyal, stable staff still can't carry the business further 23:54 - Reframing onboarding around coaching instead of group class 27:21 - Consolidating fifteen memberships and reworking the price 35:36 - Real proof it works, and the plan to make the change stick
- Transcript
S4 · E73
September 17 · 54 min
We Are About to Open a Gym ... Now What?
This episode contains important visuals and is best enjoyed on YouTube. No amount of planning makes handing over your life savings feel completely safe. Today Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin sits down with Steven Smith and Andreia Onofre Smith, who are 40 days from opening their first gym after nine years of planning. This is a real, live mentorship session: John and the couple walk through their SBA financing process, their build-out timeline and the founders club offer they’re using to bring in revenue before the doors even open. Steven and Andrea share the vision behind their gym, a family-first concept built around helping parents stay consistent with fitness by giving their kids a genuine experience of their own, not just childcare. But the real value in this episode comes when John spots a critical gap in their pricing plan and walks them through exactly how to fix it before opening day. Tune in for a rare, unfiltered look at what it actually takes to open a gym the right way, mistakes, financing headaches and all. Links How to Buy a Gym Step by Step Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Live coaching before two first-time gym owners open their doors 1:00 - A gym built for parents who stopped showing up 3:02 - Nine years of planning and a deal that fell through in 2018 5:38 - Why they hired a mentor before they even had a location 8:36 - Financing and building out a gym in New Jersey 14:49 - What a Two-Brain mentor does before day one 17:24 - Building and pricing a Founders Club offer 29:22 - The scheduling problem stopping them from adding small group training 40:53 - Where their first members came from
- Transcript
S4 · E72
September 14 · 43 min
How This Gym Generates $700K Revenue With Only 190 Members
Grab our free tools to help you fix the most common problems gym owners face. A cheap intro offer brought in members who weren’t ready to commit—and retention that Dan Purington calls an “absolute dumpster fire.” In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin talks with mentor and gym owner Dan Purington, who runs a CrossFit affiliate doing north of $700,000 a year in revenue with fewer than 200 members. Dan breaks down how he rebuilt his entire onboarding process from a $70 low-barrier offer that attracted the wrong people into a $499, five-week hybrid on-ramp that more than doubled his revenue. Dan explains the “curated” approach behind his on-ramp, why he moved nutrition conversations to week five instead of the front end, and how giving prospects a taste of personal training alongside CrossFit or small group strength naturally upsells members into higher-value memberships. He also shares how this shift let him build real, full-time careers for his coaching staff, and tackles the most common objections gym owners raise about space, staffing and pricing when they consider making a similar change. Tune in to see how a smarter onboarding process can grow your revenue and solve your staffing problems at the same time. Book a free call and rebuild your onboarding process with a mentor. Links Free Tools Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:34 - The $70 on-ramp that became a dumpster fire 5:08 - Inside Dan's 1,800-square-foot gym 8:09 - What's actually sold in the no-sweat intro 10:29 - The 5-week onboarding, breakdown 12:45 - Why they call it "curated" instead of unlimited 16:16 - Why nutrition waits until week five 19:28 - How the onboarding upsells members into small group 21:25 - How this model built full-time coaching careers 30:51 - Common objections: pricing, space and staffing 36:18 - The revenue jump after the switch
- Transcript
S4 · E71
September 10 · 19 min
How to Hire A-Players and Double Your Gym Revenue
Listening to this alone won’t make your gym more profitable. A mentor will. Book your free call with the Two-Brain team. If you can’t attract good coaches, the fix probably isn’t your job post. It’s your salary cap—and that’s determined by how your gym packages and prices its services. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin explains why gyms end up stuck offering $25-an-hour split shifts instead of real, full-time careers, and how to fix it by growing your salary cap. He breaks down exactly how to calculate what your gym can afford to pay staff, and then walks through why your model is capping your revenue. You’ll find out how shifting to a “coaching first” model can double what a client is worth to your gym and use the extra revenue to attract and keep better coaches. Tune in to learn how to build a gym that can actually afford to pay great coaches what they’re worth. Links Darren Thornton's Full Story Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why your A-player job posts attract bad candidates 2:05 - The salary cap concept limiting your payroll 3:19 - Real numbers: calculating your gym’s salary cap 4:49 - How growing revenue grows your salary cap 7:30 - Where the onboarding model came from 9:50 - The hidden friction in the onboarding model 11:11 - The coaching-first model top gyms are using 13:33 - Case study: from $9K a month to $1M a year 15:26 - The coach-pay formula explained 18:45 - How to build a team of A-players
- Transcript
S4 · E70
September 7 · 52 min
This Gym Owner Does $1M a Year With 7 Full-Time Staff
Listening to this alone won't make your gym more profitable. A mentor will. Book your free call with the Two-Brain team. Darren Thornton left his gym for 10 weeks to live in a van with almost no contact—and came back making more money than when he left. In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin talks with Two-Brain alumnus Darren Thornton, who built a gym doing over a million dollars a year in revenue with seven full-time coaches on salary. Darren walks through his entire hiring process step by step, from writing a job description designed to filter out uninterested applicants to the four different offers he might make at the end of an interview. He also breaks down the pivotal decision that let him build a full-time team in the first place: shifting to a high-value membership model that ensures every coach has enough paid hours to build a real career. Darren shares the exact numbers behind the transition, the pushback he got early on and why he believes this model is ultimately better for members, not just for staffing. Tune in to learn how to build a gym that can actually support full-time, well-paid coaches. Links State of the Industry Survey Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - He went dark for 10 weeks and came back making more money 2:24 - The hardest skill this gym owner had to teach himself 3:33 - Building a job post that filters out the wrong people 9:18 - The unpaid trial that exposes who's not serious 16:04 - Why every coach on his team is full-time, no exceptions 18:15 - What actually gets someone hired at his gym 23:47 - What happens the moment the interview ends 29:43 - From one guy in a cape to seven full-time coaches 35:04 - The math behind mandatory personal training 46:36 - Why standing out meant turning members away first
- Transcript
S4 · E69
September 3 · 25 min
What I Would Do If I Was Launching a Gym From Scratch in 2026
Fill out our State of the Industry survey and get a free report card showing how your gym stacks up. If Chris Cooper started a gym tomorrow, with no reputation, no members and no brand, what would he do? In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin puts founder Chris Cooper through a real-time thought experiment: build a gym from scratch using everything he's learned from 30 years in the industry. The pair work through six categories step by step: the coaching model, pricing, space and lease decisions, equipment spend, the exact marketing funnels Chris would use to land his first clients without ads, and when and how he'd eventually bring on staff. Chris gets specific throughout, sharing real numbers on rent, equipment budgets, pricing and how many clients it takes to earn $50,000 in year one. He also touches on the advice he's giving his own daughter as she considers opening a gym of her own. Tune in for a candid, numbers-driven look at what a smarter gym launch looks like today. Links State of the Industry Survey Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:03 - Starting a gym with a clean slate 1:12 - The coaching model: one-on-one to semi-private 4:28 - Marketing without ads or a following 10:36 - Space, lease and build-out decisions 16:21 - Earning a full-time income 20:57 - When and how to hire
- Transcript
S4 · E68
August 31 · 12 min
Why Most Gym Owners Never Reach $100K
Fill out our State of the Industry survey and get your custom Gym Report Card! Every gym owner thinks their problem is unique. In reality, it’s usually one of six. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper breaks down the six problems that show up again and again in struggling gyms, and why most owners don’t realize which one is holding them back. Chris walks through each bottleneck: not having enough clients, not paying yourself first, not charging enough per client, not keeping clients long enough, expenses that are too high, and trying to do everything yourself. Along the way, he shares specific benchmarks to aim for, including client counts, average revenue per member and realistic retention numbers. His core message: You don’t make six figures as a gym owner by working harder or finding one big secret. You do it by knowing which of these six problems is actually costing you the most money right now, and fixing it. Tune in to figure out which bottleneck is holding your gym back. Use the link below to get our free training on how to make $100,000 per year as a gym owner. For more support, join Gym Owners United: http://gymownersunited.com Links State of the Industry Survey $100,000 Income Training Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why most gym owners are solving the wrong problem 1:23 - The client count that actually pays your bills 2:49 - Why paying yourself last is quietly killing your gym 4:41 - The real number your revenue per member should hit 7:47 - The retention number almost every gym owner gets wrong 9:11 - The expenses that feel necessary but are actually draining you 10:27 - Why doing everything yourself caps your gym's growth
- Transcript
S4 · E67
August 27 · 14 min
How to Land a Gym Client in 15 Minutes
Turn more consultations into memberships with our free Objection-Handling Scripts. Can Chris Cooper close a sale in 15 minutes—even with a client who's trying to make it hard on him? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris puts himself to the test with a live, unscripted consultation. John Franklin plays a deliberately difficult prospect: a busy parent with a recurring back injury, an unpredictable schedule and a strong preference for flexibility over structure. Watch Chris run through a No Sweat Intro in real time: asking the right questions, uncovering the actual goal, and prescribing a program that addresses all of the client’s concerns at once. When John throws out objections around commitment, cancellation and pricing, Chris handles each one without flinching or discounting. By the end, you’ll see exactly what it looks like to coach someone into a confident yes. ➖➖➖ Fill out our State of the Industry survey and get your custom Gym Report Card. Links State of the Industry Survey Objection-Handling Scripts Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - 15 minutes to close a difficult client 0:47 - What actually brings a hard-to-please prospect into your gym 3:03 - Get a client to picture their life 6 months from now 5:08 - The exact program prescribed for a client afraid of re-injury 6:55 - Handling the “this might hurt my back again” objection 7:27 - The scheduling flexibility test every busy client puts you through 9:35 - The moment he asks about price 10:36 - The cancellation question every gym owner dreads 12:41 - The “let me think about it” moment 13:55 - Why giving yourself permission to say no closes more sales
- Transcript
S4 · E66
August 24 · 10 min
How to Handle Every Sales Objection in Your Gym
Turn more consultations into memberships with our free Objection-Handling Scripts. "I need to think about it." "It's too expensive." "I need to talk to my spouse." Sound familiar? In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin and founder Chris Cooper role-play the most common sales objections gym owners hear. They show you how to uncover the real objection hiding underneath the surface-level one. The pair introduce the PULSE framework for handling objections: pause, understand, locate, solve and end with a decision. They walk through real scenarios one by one, including the "I need to think about it" smoke screen, the spousal objection, price pushback and the "I've been burnt before" objection, showing exactly how to respond without caving to a discount or letting a prospect walk away undecided. Tune in to hear exactly how to turn "I need to think about it" into a yes. Links State of the Industry Survey Objection-Handling Scripts Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why "I need to think about it" is never the real objection 1:01 - Why discounting and delaying is costing your gym 2:49 - The framework for turning any objection into a decision 3:56 - Uncovering what's really behind "I need to think about it" 4:17 - Handling the spousal objection 5:33 - Handling the price objection 7:02 - Why you should never guess a client's budget 7:34 - Handling the "I'm too busy" objection 8:40 - Handling the "I've tried everything and failed" objection
- Transcript
S4 · E65
August 17 · 17 min
Close More Gym Sales in 5 Steps
Fill out the State of the Industry survey and get a free report card showing how your gym stacks up. Most gym owners either avoid the sales conversation altogether or waste an hour giving a tour without ever asking for the sale. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin and founder Chris Cooper break down the No Sweat Intro: Two-Brain’s proven consultative sales framework. They walk through it step by step using the COACH method: connect, open, amplify, confirm and help. Chris shares what makes a good (and a genuinely bad) sales environment, and the pair role-play a full No Sweat Intro from start to finish. They show exactly how to uncover a prospect’s real goals, ask the right follow-up questions, and prescribe a solution with confidence. Tune in to see the entire consultative sales process in action, from the first hello to presenting the price. Use the link below to access the full Gym Sales Toolkit, including the No Sweat Intro script (word-for-word questions and phrasing for every step of the sales consultation). Links State of the Industry Survey Gym Sales Toolkit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why gym owners avoid asking for the sale 3:28 - The framework behind every high-converting gym consultation 4:16 - Set up your consultation area so prospects feel at ease 6:56 - The worst sales office mistakes we've seen at 3,500 gyms 7:46 - How to greet a prospect in the first 30 seconds 8:50 - The question that reveals why a prospect really walked in 11:08 - Why now matters more than what they want 14:07 - Confirm what you heard before you talk price 15:02 - Prescribe the plan and reveal the price 17:42 - What happens when they say no
- Transcript
S4 · E64
August 13 · 13 min
How to Sell Without Feeling Slimy (For Gym Owners)
Get the full resource kit for this series—the exact frameworks and scripts to help you sell gym memberships without feeling slimy. Ever avoided asking for the sale because it felt slimy? You're not alone, but it’s costing you clients who need your help. In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares the three mindset shifts that changed the way he sells. He explains why most gym owners struggle to ask for the sale, why great coaching alone won't grow your business, and why a "maybe" is more dangerous than a "no." Chris also shares the story of a client who nearly quit more than once and later sent him a card that changed how he sees his job. Sales, done right, is simply coaching before someone officially becomes your client. Tune in to learn how to sell gym memberships with confidence, without ever feeling pushy or manipulative. Links Gym Sales Toolkit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why gym owners avoid asking for the sale 1:21 - The client story that changed how Chris sells 2:37 - The real reason most gym owners can't close 4:51 - Free sales scripts and frameworks for gym owners 5:14 - The expensive belief that's costing you sign-ups 8:06 - Why "no" feels so personal 10:54 - Why selling is really an act of coaching 11:42 - The thank-you card that proves why this matters 13:00 - What's coming next in this sales series
- Transcript
S4 · E63
August 10 · 17 min
Why Your Gym Isn't Converting Leads Into Members
Steal our Lead Nurture Toolkit—the exact scripts and follow-up cadence to turn “maybe” into a booked consultation. Gym owners constantly say they need more leads. The data says otherwise. The average gym gets 420 leads a year, but only 84 of them ever book an appointment. Fix that gap, and you can add tens of thousands of dollars in revenue without spending another dollar on ads. Today, Two-Brain CEO John Franklin and founder Chris Cooper share proven tactics gym owners can use to transform their lead nurture process. John presents a simple four-C framework for lead nurture: Call, Consistency, Calendar and Confirm. He explains how to optimize each of these to ensure more prospects show up at your gym. Chris shares how he pushes himself to follow up more than feels comfortable, and why availability signals more to a prospect than price does. The pair also break down real gym examples showing what NOT to do. Tune in to learn how to turn the leads you already have into more paying members. Links Lead Nurture Toolkit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why more leads won’t fix your gym’s sales problem 0:56 - The real numbers behind why gyms lose booked appointments 2:37 - Why gym owners chase leads instead of conversations 3:05 - The four-part framework behind every booked appointment 4:19 - Free sales scripts for gym owners 4:37 - Why responding fast changes everything 7:09 - How many times you should actually follow up 8:41 - The calendar mistakes quietly costing you new members 13:37 - Why a text beats an automated confirmation email 17:20 - Putting the whole system together
- Transcript
S4 · E62
August 6 · 9 min
The 5 Biggest Sales DM Mistakes Gym Owners Make
Turn social media leads into paying members with our free sell-by-chat scripts. What if your gym doesn’t have a lead problem? What if the real issue is what you’re saying to the leads you already have? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin presents the five common mistakes gym owners make in lead-nurture conversations and the exact fix for each one. John explains why sounding scripted and robotic kills trust, and shares a simple rule: If your message could be sent to anyone, it wasn’t really sent to that person. He shows how a short, personalized opener outperforms a long, generic wall of text every time. He also covers why gym owners derail their own conversations with too much small talk, why giving free advice instead of an invitation can cost you the sale, and why response speed matters more than most owners realize. John shares his go-to method for reviving conversations that have gone cold, plus a simple reminder: A no right now isn’t a no forever. Tune in to start turning more of your existing gym leads into booked consultations. Links Sell-by-Chat Scripts Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why your leads problem might not be a leads problem 0:52 - The chat mistake that makes you sound like a robot 3:19 - The trap that kills momentum in every lead conversation 3:57 - Free scripts and messaging frameworks for gym sales 4:22 - Why giving free advice is costing you the sale 5:54 - Why speed matters more than you think in lead nurture 7:27 - What to do when a prospect goes quiet 8:42 - The real reason gym owners think they have a leads problem
- Transcript
S4 · E61
August 3 · 25 min
How to Turn Online Followers Into Paying Gym Members
Turn followers into paying members with our free sell-by-chat scripts. You don’t need a huge following to sell more gym memberships. You need better conversations. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper and CEO John Franklin break down how to turn Instagram followers, commenters, story repliers and even former members into paying clients using simple, word-for-word DM scripts—no pushy sales tactics required. John explains the “more conversations equals more conversions” philosophy and shares his personal non-negotiable: three conversations started every day, regardless of follower count. Chris shares how he does the same with fewer than 1,400 followers, proving you don’t need to be Instagram famous to sell effectively. The pair walk through the full conversation hierarchy step by step: the opener, qualifying questions that move people off “maybe,” and the exact language to use when inviting a prospect into the gym. Chris and John also break down the math behind the strategy, showing how even a low conversion rate on DMs translates into serious results once you factor in client lifetime value. This is the first episode in a four-part series on gym sales, so tune in and start filling your gym. Up next week: lead nurture. Links Sell-by-Chat Scripts Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why more followers won’t grow your gym 2:26 - Proof that small accounts can outsell big ones 6:37 - Free scripts and frameworks for gym sales 6:44 - The exact words that start a sales conversation 8:47 - Who to message first if you have a small following 13:01 - How to qualify someone before inviting them in 15:47 - Turning interest into a booked consultation 17:38 - What to do when someone says no or goes quiet 21:59 - The real math behind sell by chat 24:01 - The habit that will change your gym’s marketing
- Transcript
S4 · E60
July 29 · 10 min
The Gym Owner's Shortcut I Wish I Had 20 Years Ago
Get Chris Cooper's books free on Kindle this week: https://twobrain.co/4bitrbb Chris Cooper has written 10 books, and he says it's not because he loves writing. It's because he kept watching gym owners hit the same walls over and over, at every stage of ownership. In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris breaks down which book he'd hand you depending on exactly where you are in your journey. "Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief": for gym owners who feel stuck and need to know their single next step "Start a Gym": for those opening their first location or still in year one "Gym Owner's Handbook": for owners who've realized running a business is more than just being a great coach "Help First": for anyone who wants to grow without feeling slimy or salesy "Millionaire Gym Owner": for owners finally making consistent income who don't want to blow it "The Golden Hour": for gym owners who know what to do but can't get out of reaction mode long enough to do it Tune in to find out which book matches your exact stage of gym ownership right now. Links Free Books Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - The lesson I wish I had 20 years ago 1:33 - The one book every gym owner should start with 3:28 - Before you open your first gym 4:33 - When coaching isn't enough anymore 5:34 - The marketing book that changes everything 7:08 - What to do when your gym finally makes money 8:18 - The habit behind every successful gym owner 9:44 - The shortcut to building a profitable gym
- Transcript
S4 · E59
July 27 · 32 min
Why Your Gym Feels Stuck (And What to Do Next)
Get Chris Cooper’s book “Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief” free on Kindle this week (Jul. 27-31): https://twobrain.co/4gLvR5E If you’re a gym owner who feels stuck, you probably don’t need more information. You need focus. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper joins CEO John Franklin to break down the four distinct phases of the entrepreneurial journey, based on his book “Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief.” Chris explains why the Founder phase is about narrowing to one clear product and getting good at conversations and invitations—not diversifying or over-investing in space and staff. He shares the story of nearly running out of money and being told by his own mentor that he wasn’t ready for marketing yet. From there, Chris and John walk through the Farmer phase (buying back your time instead of hiring your clone), the high-risk Tinker phase (where entrepreneurs often blow up what’s working by chasing shiny new ideas), and the Chief phase, where the goal shifts from personal wealth to building a legacy that multiplies impact beyond any one person. Chris also shares real stories from his own journey, including the mentor who talked him out of opening a coffee shop and the moment that reshaped how he thinks about giving back. Tune in to figure out exactly which phase of entrepreneurship you’re in right now, and what to focus on to move forward. Several of Chris’ other books are also free on Kindle this week, including “Start a Gym” and “Millionaire Gym Owner.” Grab your copies via the link below. Links "Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief" More Free Books Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - The four stages every gym owner goes through 0:50 - Why Chris rewrote “Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief” 3:36 - How to escape the Founder phase 7:34 - Why more leads won’t fix your gym 10:50 - When you’ve officially become a Farmer 12:02 - The hiring mistake almost every gym owner makes 19:45 - Why successful gym owners get distracted 24:39 - How Tinker gym owners build lasting wealth 28:00 - What the Chief phase really looks like 31:13 - How to create a legacy beyond your gym
- Transcript
S4 · E58
July 22 · 35 min
Are the CrossFit Games Dead?
Want to run an in-gym event that brings in new members and keeps them around? Download our step-by-step Intramural Open guide. Are the CrossFit Games dead? And should gym owners even care? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper joins CEO John Franklin to discuss the state of the Games, as it heads into its 20th year. Chris has been on both sides of this conversation. He worked for CrossFit HQ, recently interviewed the brand’s new CEO Bruce Edwards, and made the decision to reaffiliate his own gym. He walks through how the Games shifted from a small community meetup into an expensive, sponsor-driven spectacle, and why that shift disconnected it from the everyday members who make up most affiliate gyms. John puts Chris through a four-question report card on whether the Games still market the brand, measure real fitness, bring new people into CrossFit and keep members in affiliates longer. Chris’ answers point to one consistent theme: Gyms don’t need to wait on HQ to fix this. The pair dig into what’s actually working elsewhere, including HYROX, Spartan Race and Street Parking meetups. They explain how gym owners can borrow those ideas to build their own intramural events, using the same repeatable workouts each year so members can track real progress and feel proud of what they’ve accomplished. Tune in to hear Chris’s take on where the Games went wrong, and how any affiliate can create that same “peak moment” feeling for members without needing CrossFit HQ to get it right first. Links Intramural Open Guide Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Are the CrossFit Games still helping gym owners? 0:51 - What the CrossFit Games were originally built for 3:11 - When the Games stopped helping affiliates 7:21 - What gym members are actually looking for 10:20 - How the Open lost its original purpose 14:42 - Chris Cooper grades the CrossFit Games 20:25 - What Chris would change at CrossFit HQ 25:12 - Why fitness festivals outperform competitions 29:09 - How to reinvent the CrossFit Open for your gym 34:23 - Why Chris re-affiliated with CrossFit
- Transcript
S4 · E57
July 20 · 30 min
How This Gym's Content System Generates 140 Leads a Month
Use our AI-powered Instagram audit to identify the biggest gaps in your gym’s social media and generate more leads: https://gymig.com/ Isaac Morgado’s gym content system generates 140+ leads per month. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin sits down with Isaac to break down his exact Monday-morning process for batching a full week of lead-generating content. Isaac explains why he shifted away from trend-chasing reels toward value-based, saveable content, and he reveals the main content buckets he rotates through. He also shares how his personal brand is starting to outperform the gym page, and how paid ads (including a surprisingly cheap Hyrox campaign) work alongside organic content to build trust before someone ever fills out a form. Tune in to get a simple framework for turning one piece of long-form content into a week’s worth of leads-generating posts. Links Gym Instagram Audit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - The content system behind 140 gym leads a month 0:59 - What a high-performing content system actually looks like 3:00 - Plan a full week of content in 90 minutes 6:29 - Create content people actually save and share 8:34 - Free AI Instagram audit for gym owners 8:50 - Why valuable content beats viral content 15:03 - Turn one podcast into weeks of content 20:21 - Which marketing channels deserve your time 24:10 - How paid ads and organic content work together 28:29 - Where struggling gym owners should start
- Transcript
S4 · E56
July 15 · 7 min
How to Know Exactly What to Charge at Your Gym
Calculate exactly what you should be charging with our Revenue Per Session (RPS) Calculator, linked below. Don’t set your prices by copying the gym down the street (and maybe knocking off $10). Instead, there’s a data-backed way to do it, using real numbers from thousands of gyms and one metric that tells you if your price is pulling its weight: revenue per session (RPS). In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin explains what revenue per session (RPS) is and why $200 is a healthy target to aim for. He walks through the math for calculating your session rate and RPS and shows two different ways to hit the $200 RPS benchmark—raising your prices or increasing class attendance. Pulling data from Two-Brain’s “State of the Industry” report (metrics from over 7,000 gyms), John analyzes large group and small group/semi-private models side by side, comparing lead volume, close rates, pricing and membership usage. Listen to learn how to set data-backed prices that let you pay coaches well and run a more profitable gym. Links Rate Per Session Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Stop copying your competitor’s prices 0:41 - The metric every gym owner should track 1:24 - What 7,000 gyms taught us about pricing 3:01 - Calculate your revenue per session 4:28 - The $200 rule for profitable gyms 5:58 - How to charge the right price 6:59 - What if you can’t raise your prices?
- Transcript

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