I thought more revenue streams were better. I had a group fitness program, so why not add open gym, programming for competitive athletes, nutrition services, kids programs, older adult programs, yoga classes, physiotherapy services, and weightlifting and gymnastics specialty sessions? I was certain more options would give me access to more people and the revenue would pour into the building like floodwater. Except it didn’t work like that at all. Here’s what actually happened: When I started adding more options to my service package, my clients got confused and I lost focus. Was my gym all ab ..read more

Mike Warkentin (00:02): Could you add a niche program to your gym and generate more revenue? The answer is yes, but only if you do it properly. We’re going to talk about that today. This is “Run a Profitable Gym.” I’m your host, Mike Warkentin, and today, we’re talking about 55+ programs that are also called Masters or Legends programs. In some parts of the world, an older adult program can be a huge win for a gym. Great clients get fitter and healthier. Trainers make more. Gym owners make more, but you have to do it right. My guest today is Brian Foley. He runs Activate in Kerry, Ireland. He ..read more

In one of my first books, I listed more than 30 different programs you can run at a gym. The problem: Some people thought it was a checklist. The truth: Our data shows that the top gyms in the world sell one or two things really, really well. It’s often group coaching and one-on-one coaching, but some Two-Brain gyms are having great success with other options, like just selling semi-private training (which is essentially personal training delivered by one coach to up to four clients at once). Whatever you decide on, you must have a cohesive offer you can sell. It must be something people want ..read more

“Her name is Amy.” Gym owner Ashley Kates has a name for her client avatar. In fact, she knows everything about Amy. “I know how old she is, how many kids she has, where she shops, where she vacations, how often she purchased stuff from Amazon. Does she decorate for holidays? What is her hair like? It’s very, very, very specific,” Kates said. Ashley runs a women’s-only gym in Lexington, South Carolina. StrongHER’s core services are PT, group coaching and nutrition coaching. Kates doesn’t want every single client in the gym. She wants the right clients, and she’s done everything she can to set ..read more

Mike Warkentin (00:02): What happens when you know your niche in the fitness industry? Well, you can serve more than a million athletes in more than 100 facilities around the world and help more than 130 NFL draft picks perform at an elite level. That’s possible. My guest today on “Run a Profitable Gym” is Bill Parisi. He’s one of the founding fathers of youth performance. Bill was an elite javelin thrower. He earned a finance degree, he worked as a strength and conditioning coach, and then he developed his own system and brand, Parisi Speed School. Now you want some big names. If you travel i ..read more

What if I said you could add a revenue stream that does this at your gym? Equals or exceeds the average revenue per member of your core program. Contributes 10 percent to your gross revenue. Reaches full capacity quickly. Attracts participants who have a higher length of engagement than members of other programs. Fulfills the coaches who run the sessions. Delivers on your gym’s mission of helping people live longer, better lives. That’s exactly what’s happening at Activate in Kerry, Ireland, where Brian Foley has created and filled a thriving 55-plus program. Don’t Do Everything! I’ve lon ..read more

What’s the fastest way to boost your marketing metrics? If I were a gambler—and every entrepreneur literally has money riding on the answer—I’d wager that this is the easiest, best way to sell more gym memberships: Contact leads sooner. I talk to a lot of top gym owners as one of the hosts of the “Run a Profitable Gym” podcast. Here’s what I’m hearing more and more often from the gym owners who are posting the best metrics: “I call leads as quickly as possible—within five minutes if I can.” One top gym owner takes it even further: 1. Call all leads once an hour until contact is made—try every ..read more

Mike Warkentin (00:02): We know a free consultation is the very best way to get clients into your gym. Two-Brain data shows that gyms that use free consultations, sell more and retain clients longer. Today, I’m going to give you exact sales stats from a gym in Europe. We’re going to look at the entire funnel and break it down: What’s good and why, what could be improved, and how? This is “Run a Profitable Gym.” And I’m your host, Mike Warkentin. Please hit “Subscribe” so you don’t miss a single episode. I want to help you grow your gym every single week. Now to start real sales stats, these ar ..read more

I’m not into sales courses. I’m not saying they don’t have any value. They can help. But mentorship has more value when it comes to sales and marketing. I want to offer clients the best results at the greatest speed, and I don’t like half measures. For example, I could ask all the marketing experts on the Two-Brain team to create an amazing, world-class, definitive advertising and sales course for gym owners. We could build it fast and market it to the public. I know it would sell. But would all that knowledge help you improve your gym? You’d get something out of the course for sure, but I ..read more

If you want to get people into your program, you need to get them to walk through your door first. Here are the three critical stages to transforming prospects into clients: First, they must set appointments to meet you. Second, they must show up for those appointments. Third, they must sign up for your program. This sounds like a simple progression. But most gyms bleed prospective clients—a lot of them—at every stage, and then the owners say, “I need more leads!” In a few cases, a gym owner needs more leads—and we can solve that problem. In most cases, the gym owner just needs to do a mu ..read more