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For more help, book a free call with the Two-Brain team. Four months ago, Jared Jordan was on a hotel balcony at the Two-Brain Summit, wondering if it was time to close his gym. It was losing $8,000 a month, and he’d put more than $60,000 on credit cards that year. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin talks with Jared, who owns Righteous Wellness in Alabama. Within 90 days of Summit, his gym’s monthly revenue went from under $15,000 to over $25,000. Jared shares how he got here: opening his first gym in 2013, selling it off during COVID, starting over in Alabama and rejoining Two-Brain. He explains the one piece of advice John gave him, what he changed in his schedule and offers, and where he’s taking the gym next. Tune in to learn what it takes to turn a struggling gym around. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - How this gym went from losing money to $25K a month 0:52 - Opening his first CrossFit gym in 2013 3:08 - Why Jared joined Two-Brain the first time 5:56 - Selling everything and leaving his gym during COVID 12:16 - Opening a new gym in small-town Alabama 15:34 - How a growing gym started losing money 18:06 - Rejoining Two-Brain and still struggling 24:56 - Going to Summit ready to pull the plug 27:01 - The one question that turned his gym around 34:40 - How he grew revenue the month after Summit 39:33 - His plan for a $32K month and a future wellness center

Grab our free tools to help you fix the most common problems gym owners face. If you’re only using AI to write your gym’s social media captions, you’re barely scratching the surface. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin and founder Chris Cooper share five AI workflows they use to cut admin, automate manual work and get more out of the software they already pay for. They cover how Chris turns one recording into a week of content, how the Claude browser extension can do tedious setup work for you and how gym management software is adding AI that answers questions about your own numbers. They also walk through Chris’ Meta Advantage+ ad experiment, how John turns call transcripts into a searchable database and how to delegate to AI without handing over your judgment. Tune in to learn how to put AI to work in your gym today. Links Free Tools for Gym Owners Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why you're only scratching the surface with AI 0:59 - How to make a week of content with AI 3:54 - Using the Claude browser extension 5:45 - Using MCP servers with your gym software 8:19 - Testing Meta Advantage+ ads on a small budget 13:22 - Turning sales call transcripts into usable data 16:31 - Setting up Profit First with AI 19:18 - Why you should check AI's work DISCLOSURE  Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. Hiring is scary. You’re taking on real financial risk, and you can’t know in advance whether it will pay off. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin shows you how to figure out how much you can afford to spend on staff, how much to pay your next hire and how to tell whether that hire is working. John walks through how to find the fair market value of your own work, what your gym’s real profit looks like once you account for it and how to calculate your salary cap. He also explains how to give a new hire a 90-day trial so you know whether the investment is paying off. Tune in to learn how to hire with a plan instead of a guess. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why staffing feels so risky 0:35 - Why burnout comes back to hiring 1:36 - What your own work is really worth 2:58 - Is your gym actually profitable? 3:28 - What to do if you’re not profitable yet 4:13 - How to calculate your salary cap 6:12 - How to raise your salary cap 7:54 - How to know if a hire is working 8:59 - How to hire with confidence

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. Matt Michaud grew his gym’s monthly revenue from about $12,000 to more than $80,000. He now has six full-time staff, with at least two coaches making six figures. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin talks with Two-Brain mentor Matt Michaud about how he broke through revenue plateaus at $20,000 and $30,000 a month. Matt explains how he moved from part-time coaches to full-time careers, and how “intrapreneurialism” lets coaches earn more by building their own programs inside his gym. Matt also shares the story that changed how he thinks about his work, and walks through his current project: a 20,000-square-foot commercial building that will house his gym and other tenants. Tune in to learn how to create real careers for your coaches and grow your gym with them. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Intro 1:06 - Where Matt's gym was when he joined Two-Brain 1:58 - The note that changed how Matt ran his gym 6:37 - Going from side hobby to professional gym 9:03 - Breaking through the first revenue plateau 15:44 - The second plateau and the coach who bought a house 20:04 - What coach intrapreneurialism looks like 23:26 - The math behind paying a coach six figures 28:55 - Why Matt is building his own commercial building 39:34 - Where to start if you want this for your gym

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. Every gym owner has looked at a staff member and thought, “I need to get rid of this person.” Chris Cooper says that instinct is usually wrong. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares the diagnostic he uses before he considers replacing anyone on his team: four questions that usually show the problem is the process, and three that tell you when it’s really a people problem. He explains how he once poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into staff before writing down the processes his gym should run on. Chris also covers what to do once you know which problem you have, and how to document your gym’s tasks and group them into clear roles so your team can succeed. Tune in to learn how to fix the process first and replace fewer people. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why your instinct to fire a staff member is usually wrong 1:03 - What unclear processes really cost a gym 1:44 - The cleaning mistake that wasn't the cleaner's fault 2:19 - Four questions to ask before you blame your staff 3:49 - How to know when it really is a people problem 5:29 - What to do once you’ve made the diagnosis 7:38 - The day in the life exercise for writing checklists 9:28 - Why stacking roles can cost you a great coach

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. The average coach at Corey’s gym stays more than eight years. He didn’t get there by accident. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin talks with Two-Brain mentor Corey Lewis, who has owned his gym for 15 years. Corey shares how he screens candidates with a three-minute video and a 60-minute walk, how he makes a new coach’s first week memorable and how he uses weekly check-ins and career roadmaps to keep staff engaged. He also covers how to celebrate your team without spending much money, how to have the hard conversations when a coach isn’t performing and what to do when a coach leaves. Corey shares the mistakes he made early on too. Tune in to learn how to hire the right people and keep them for the long haul. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - How Corey keeps staff for over eight years on average 6:28 - Why the first 90 days decide if a new coach stays 11:35 - The meeting cadence that keeps coaches around for years 14:25 - Using career roadmaps to talk pay with your coaches 19:46 - How to get part-time coaches to staff meetings 23:47 - The staff mistakes Corey made early on 28:14 - Low-cost ways to make your staff feel appreciated 31:54 - What to do when a coach isn't meeting the standard 35:22 - How to handle a coach leaving your gym 38:51 - Getting coach buy-in when you change your business model

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. Hiring a general manager won’t save a gym that isn’t paying its owner well yet. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper explains how to know when you’re ready to hire a GM, how to pay one without guessing and how to train them so they can run your gym at your standard. He shares what went wrong with the first GM he hired and why the role works best as one of the last hires you make. Chris also covers the questions to answer before you write the job ad and the mistakes that cause GM hires to fall apart in the first year. Tune in to learn how to hire a GM who buys back your time instead of creating more work. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why hiring a general manager can make your gym worse 0:57 - What went wrong with Chris’ first GM hire 1:45 - Why hiring a GM too early backfires 3:01 - Two questions to answer before you write the job ad 3:53 - How to pay a general manager without guessing 4:56 - Commission, profit share and bonuses for your GM 5:46 - How to train a GM to run your gym without you 6:39 - The GM training plan, step by step 8:23 - What a GM can’t fix in your gym 8:58 - The question to ask before you hire a GM

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. Hiring the wrong coach costs you money, and it costs you time you never get back. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin talks with Two-Brain mentor Brian Bott, who runs three gyms in New Jersey that bring in over $1.5 million a year in revenue, with coaches who have stayed for a decade or more. Brian explains what he screens for, how he onboards new coaches, how he pays them and what he does when a hire goes wrong. He also shares how to decide who to hire first, how to find candidates without relying on job boards and how to keep quality consistent across multiple locations. Tune in to learn how to hire right the first time and build a team that wants to stay. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why a bad hire makes gym owners afraid to hire again 0:53 - How a three-location gym structures its coaching team 4:17 - What to look for when hiring a coach 6:57 - How new coaches are onboarded on the floor 9:32 - Where to find great coaches for your gym 13:03 - How to post the job and structure coach pay 20:21 - What to do when a hire doesn’t work out 23:12 - How to keep great coaches for years 28:58 - Who to hire first and how to hand off clients 36:42 - How to keep coaching quality consistent across locations

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. Tres Kennedy charged $150 a month for personal training plus unlimited group classes. He thought no one in his small Alabama town would pay more. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin sits down with Two-Brain mentor Tres Kennedy to talk about packaging, pricing and handling objections. Tres explains how he moved from giving away his on-ramp to prescribing coaching at nearly double the price, and what happened to his gym’s close rate, staff pay and retention. Then John and Tres role-play a real consultation, working through the objections gym owners hear most: “I need to think about it,” price pushback and “I need to talk to my spouse.” Tune in to learn how to charge what you’re worth and keep the sale moving when a prospect hesitates. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - How he first priced and packaged his gym 2:37 - His offer today and the fear of charging more 5:41 - His average prospect and what changed after raising prices 10:04 - Building conviction and checking your pricing 13:10 - Objection-handling role-play 16:34 - Framing the solution and presenting the price 19:18 - Handling “I need to think about it” and price objections 25:00 - Standing firm when prospects want something cheaper 31:50 - Handling “I need to talk to my spouse” 34:25 - Advice for owners who struggle to charge what they're worth

Is your gym ready to hire a full-time coach? Use our free calculator to find out. Nearly 60% of gym owners say not earning enough is their biggest struggle, more than double the number who say staffing is the problem. According to Chris Cooper, the fix is hiring, but only if you hire in the right order. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris explains why the order of your hires matters more than how many people are on your payroll. He shares the story of the first hire that taught him how buying back your time actually works, and why the right hire isn’t the one that feels most urgent. Chris shows you how to figure out what you’re really paying yourself per hour, which task to hand off first and how to plan what you’ll do with your reclaimed time so each hire pays you back. Tune in to learn how to hire in a way that puts more money in your pocket. Links Full-Time Coach Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why hiring is really about your paycheck 0:59 - The cleaner story that taught buying back your time 2:30 - The one number every hire gets measured against 3:50 - Hire for the cheapest task you’re still doing yourself 5:22 - Where most hires quietly fail 5:43 - The 2.5x rule before you post the job ad

Get our free guide, "How to Make $100,000 a Year While Working Just 4 Hours a Day." Why do some gyms have members who bring friends and stay for years, while others struggle to keep the clients they have? Every gym has four types of members: champions, loyalists, wanderers and critics. In this episode, Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper explains how to spot each one. Each group needs something different from you, and treating them all the same means spending your time in the wrong places. Chris explains what each kind of member needs and how to move them up a level, from the coffee conversation that turns your best clients into recruiters to the way to handle members who complain about everything. He shares stories from his own gym along the way. Tune in to learn how to build a gym culture by design, not by luck. Links $100K Income Guide Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why some gym members become raving fans (and others don't) 1:20 - The client every gym should be built around 2:25 - Turn your best clients into your biggest recruiters 6:00 - Why the best coaches still need their own coach 7:10 - The quiet clients you're probably taking for granted 9:55 - The clients who showed up excited and then went quiet 12:24 - The member who complains about everything (and what it really means) 15:43 - The one move that fixes every client relationship

Book a free call and get outside eyes on your sales process. Every gym with coached classes says they sell coaching. But if everyone who joins gets the same unlimited membership, are they actually buying coaching, or just access to a class that happens to have a coach? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin breaks down how to prescribe real coaching in a sales consultation, and what to do when a prospect pushes back. He explains why most objections aren’t really about price or timing; they’re a sign that the prospect doesn’t believe your offer will actually solve their problem. John walks through the exact language for “prescribing up” instead of defaulting to the easiest thing to sell. He also introduces the PULSE framework and addresses the most common objections gym owners face, from “I need to think about it” to pricing and spousal pushback. Tune in to learn how to sell high-value coaching with confidence, without sounding pushy or salesy. Links Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Most objections aren’t really about price 1:14 - Why comparing yourself to Orange Theory is a trap 2:18 - What real coaching looks like 3:19 - The prescription framework (like a doctor, not a menu) 6:03 - The tools are the delivery, not the product 6:59 - How Darren Thornton built a 7-coach, $1M/year gym doing this 9:30 - Handling “I need to think about it” 10:48 - Handling the price objection 12:36 - Handling the spousal objection 13:37 - Handling the “I'm busy” objection 16:00 - Why the biggest objection is in your own head

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

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

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