Dana Fouche is busy.

In addition to running Reach Athletics, she’s a mother and the owner of a farm. To ensure she never lets her business falter—even when the cows escape again—Dana uses Chris Cooper’s Golden Hour concept: Every day, do one thing to grow your business before you do anything else.

To start her days, Dana goes to a quiet place, clears her head, works on simple but effective marketing tasks and then addresses larger projects. She ends after an hour and makes a plan for the next day. No matter what happens after that, her business has already received a great push forward.

To her, the Golden Hour provides the same accountability she provides to fitness clients. If she tells them they can find an hour to take care of themselves, she can find an hour to focus on her business.

Host Mike Warkentin has Dana run through her exact plan and provide tips for gym owners who are struggling to move their businesses forward. Dana is clear: One hour a day is more than enough to grow your gym if you focus on the right tasks.

To take part in Chris Cooper’s Golden Hour Challenge and build essential entrepreneurial habits, join Gym Owners United using the link below.

And to dig into the concept on your own and set up your own 60-minute plan, get “The Golden Hour," also linked below.

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"The Golden Hour"

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01:21 - Business momentum in one hour

04:24 - Rundown on Dana’s gym

07:09 - Dana’s Golden Hour

11:36 - Lead with marketing reps

17:21 - Tips for those who are struggling

Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper lays out three gym business models that actually work, using case studies from gym owners earning $100,000 per year. 

Chris walks through profit-and-loss statements, revealing all the nitty-gritty details, so you can see exactly what levers these gym owners pulled to reach $100,000.

The first gym owner ran big group classes with a decent headcount but had high overhead and struggled to scale. They focused on increasing total members and retention, while adding more classes.

In the second case study, the owner started with group classes but had high churn and low revenue. He introduced an on-ramp process and personal training to help clients hit their goals, and he added a third revenue stream: retail and supplements. 

The final gym owner started with one-woman personal training, but the workload was overwhelming and income was inconsistent. She hired a part-time coach and shifted to semi-private training. 

What's the business model that will help you reach your financial goals? A mentor can help you build it.

To download our “5 Ways to Make $100k From Your Gym” guide, join Gym Owners United using the link below.

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0:22 – Infinite business models

0:54 – P&L statements

3:53 – Big-group model

7:12 - Challenges of the group model

9:49 - Adding revenue streams

16:08 – First case study

22:35 – Second case study

28:45 – Third case study

Three years ago, gym owner Magnus Bjorsvik increased rates dramatically, and some of his clients were angry about it.

Today, Magnus is on Two-Brain’s Top 10 leaderboard for net owner benefit (NOB)—salary, dividends and anything else the gym pays its owner. He also won the coveted Clients’ Choice Award at this year’s Two-Brain Summit in Chicago.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Magnus, owner of CrossFit Uvaer in Norway, to learn how his gym has changed since his rate increase in 2021.

Magnus says the increase allowed him to get rid of members who didn’t fit, and his gym community has vastly improved. The higher price has also pushed the gym and its staff to provide better service, and happy members are getting better results.

Magnus now increases rates annually, and the lack of financial pressure has allowed him to stress less and vacation more.

Tune in to hear Magnus’ full story and his advice for other gym owners looking to fast-track growth.

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Magnus' Previous Appearance

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02:05 - The last three years

06:53 - Thrive with rate increases

10:21 - Success and peace of mind

14:23 - Struggles after opening a gym

17:18 - Mentors hold you responsible

The average fitness entrepreneur earns between $2,500 and $6,000 per month. The top earning gym owner on our leaderboard brings home six times the high end of that average.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO Chris Cooper presents the Top 10 leaders for net owner benefit (NOB)—profit, salary and anything else a gym owner earns from their business. Then, he shares how they got on our leaderboard.

Some focused heavily on retention and raising client value.

Others reinvested their profit to become even more profitable—increasing ad spend, developing staff or buying a building.

The common theme: All our top gym owners created clear, consistent plans with their mentors and then put them on repeat.

This requires focus and habit building. Starting Nov. 1, Chris will help gym owners develop these skills through the Golden Hour Challenge, based on his new book, “The Golden Hour.”

To join the free challenge, use the link below to join the Gym Owners United group, where Chris will post a prompt every single day and tell you exactly what to do to start building momentum and take charge of your business.

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“The Golden Hour” by Chris Cooper

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1:02 - Importance of being profitable

5:04 - August net owner benefit

8:12 - How did they get to the top?

11:05 - Quotes from the August leaders

18:01 - The Golden Hour

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Eric Conner shares how he measurably improved his gym in just 60 minutes a day using Chris Cooper’s Golden Hour framework:

• Go to a place where you can focus
• Open your mind
• Lead with marketing reps
• Do your big projects
• End after one hour
• Next steps 

Eric sets aside a Golden Hour every morning in which he focuses on high-value, CEO-level work. He puts in marketing reps, such as reaching out to former clients and unconverted leads. Then he works on larger projects, like improving his gym’s 90-day client journey. Finally, he outlines what he needs to do in his next Golden Hour.

Starting Nov. 1, Chris will lead you through the Golden Hour Challenge. He’ll tell you exactly what to do each day in simple, easy-to-follow steps. Then you’ll learn to stack habits and build momentum to produce measurable results in your gym.

To take part in the challenge, use the link below to join the Gym Owners United group. 

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“The Golden Hour” by Chris Cooper

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00:20 - The Golden Hour

05:59 - The Golden framework

13:13 - Stacking good habits

15:54 - An all-around improvement

17:49 - Eric’s tips for success

Gym owners with the fastest-growing businesses share one specific skill: focus.

They have access to the same tools, resources and mentors as everyone else. What sets them apart is their ability to consistently do the key things that are required to improve their gyms without second-guessing themselves or getting distracted.

You can learn how to build this entrepreneurial focus by reading “The Golden Hour,” the upcoming book from Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper.

In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris invites you to join in the Golden Hour Challenge, beginning Nov. 1.

This six-week challenge is designed to help you grow your gym in just one hour a day by developing habits and focusing on activities that measurably improve key metrics.

Each week of the challenge, Chris will introduce new essential habits for you to master. By Week 6, you’ll be a high-speed, ultra-efficient CEO who can push a fitness business forward in 60 minutes a day.

The challenge starts Nov. 1, and you can take part by joining Gym Owners United via the link below.

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Pre-order “The Golden Hour” by Chris Cooper

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0:55 - What top performers are doing

5:54 - Habits and the skill of focus

14:25 - The Golden Hour Challenge

22:01 - Mining for leads

31:27 - Avoiding slow growth

Gym owners in Two-Brain’s Tinker group have hit about $100,000 in net owner benefit and are working toward reaching $1 million net worth. In fact, the program has certified 54 millionaire gym owners—with seven earning that status in the last quarter alone.

Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin sits down with Joleen Bingham, one of the program’s leaders, to explain exactly how top gym owners use Tinker to level up. 

Tinkers focus on four pillars that strengthen their businesses and personal lives: wealth, leadership, lifestyle and scaling.

- Wealth: creating a legacy for your family.
- Leadership: fixing yourself so you can fix your business.
- Lifestyle: increasing happiness, health and freedom.
- Scaling: expanding your gym or making other investments.

Gym owners in the Tinker program attend four in-person meetups per year with workshops and expert speakers, and they meet weekly online to learn and solve problems together. They also have access to mentors and a huge pile of resources in a special toolkit.

Perhaps the most valuable part of the Tinker group is the relationships with like-minded gym owners who share similar goals. It's common to hear stuff like this at a Tinker meet-up: "I've done what you want to do. Here's exactly how I did it, and here's how you can avoid a few mistakes I made."

Whether you’re just getting started with your gym or you’re several years in, you don’t have to go it alone. A Two-Brain mentor can help you reach the next level of entrepreneurship.

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2:10 - Millionaires before and after

6:37 - Tinker program structure

9:35 - Weekly call and accountability

13:55 - Imposter syndrome

18:17 - Are you a future Tinker?

You have access to tons of information about growing your gym, so what’s keeping you from getting results on your own?

Just like the clients in your gym, you need a coach—someone to help you set a goal, build a plan to accomplish it and stick to that plan.

Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper outlines the phases of Two-Brain mentorship and explains exactly how they’re designed to help fitness entrepreneurs grow their businesses fast.

Two-Brain clients are set up for quick wins—such as more high-value clients—in the early phases, with a goal of reaching income of $100,000 a year (or more) in phase three. Along the way, a mentor helps the gym owner make informed decisions, stay focused and do the work.

By the time you reach the fourth phase of mentorship, you’ll be paying yourself a great wage and providing real careers for your staff. Then you’ll start focusing on investing in your future, whether that’s expanding your gym, buying your building, opening more gyms, starting another business or putting your money into low-risk investments.

Tune in to hear the full overview and learn how Two-Brain Business can help you build a better gym and change more lives in your community.

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Gym Owners United

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3:52 - Phase 1

7:57 - Phase 2

8:56 - Phase 3

13:41 - Phase 4

21:06 - Phase 5

Gyms are fragile businesses. Seasonal fluctuations, local competition, staff departures, economic changes and even pandemics can all reduce or eliminate profit. 

At a recent meetup for top gym owners, Two-Brain mentor Kenny Markwardt laid out a plan to help entrepreneurs prepare for a financial downturn.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Kenny walks through his four-stage plan with host Mike Warkentin.

Performing a stress test will help you see just how prepared your business is for a worst-case scenario.

Kenny—who owns Sandpoint Strength and Conditioning in Idaho—explains how you can strategize for revenue dips ranging from 10 to 40 percent. Some of the tactics include eliminating costs, putting off non-essential purchases, helping staff generate more revenue and negotiating with landlords.

Tune in to learn how to increase your ability to survive a financial downturn. You’ll sleep better knowing you have a plan.

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Read more on Affinity Marketing: The Prescriptive Model

Cutting tiny classes: How to Kill Poorly Attended Classes

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1:21 - Helping gym owners find clarity

6:29 - Plan for potential revenue loss

10:23 - The impact of larger revenue loss

18:57 - Hiking through Death Valley

28:56 - Plan now even if you’re doing great

Gym owners give their members reps to help them get results, and business experts do the same thing with their clients.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper presents several common scenarios gym owners face regularly. If you practice operating in these situations, you’ll be ultra-prepared when they come up in the real world. And your gym business will grow.

Chris gives you practice reps for selling, performing goal review sessions, using the Prescriptive Model, generating referrals through Affinity Marketing and having hard conversations (think firing staff or raising rates). Then he shares tips for navigating these situations like a true pro.

You don’t want to get your reps "when it's real." For example, it’s too expensive to fumble around and lose clients in the sales office while you gain experience. Instead, practice having these critical conversations with your coaches, your spouse or your dog. Or even talk to yourself in the mirror.

If you put in the reps as an entrepreneur every single week, you’ll soon have an A+ fitness business.

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Read more: The Prescriptive Model

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1:24 - Sales: sell to your dog first

2:57 - Practice the sales scenarios

8:29 - Getting referrals

12:04 - Hard conversations

15:10 - Build good habits: do your reps

“We've documented absolutely everything in our sales process,” says closing king Brian Foley, owner of Activate gym in Killarney, Ireland.

Brian and his team at Activate were on the July leaderboard for close rate, which ran from 22 to 34 new clients.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin grills Brian on his impressive sales funnel to find out how his gym closes so many new members.

For starters, Brian has processes for absolutely everything, from the moment a lead enters the funnel to handling objections in the sales office to onboarding and beyond.

Get this: Leads booked 27 appointments at Activate, 24 showed up for their meetings, and 22 of them purchased. Of the two who didn’t buy, one was referred out to a gym that would be a better fit for her.

Brian and his team are constantly auditing their sales system to see how they’re doing, and they make improvements whenever the metrics highlight an issue.

Activate has a dedicated client success manager (CSM) who handles 99 percent of sales, and she does so with a Help First mentality. There’s no slimy, pushy, buy-buy-buy pressure. She truly wants to help people become healthier and fitter through the gym, and this attitude shines through during the No Sweat Intro (NSI) process.

To her, it’s not “selling.” It’s “helping people solve their problems.” That mindset shift makes all the difference when you’re sitting in the sales office.

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Chris Cooper’s “Help First”

Read more: The Prescriptive Model

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1:02 - Having a tight sales funnel

5:24 - Simplifying the sales process and pricing sheets

11:25 - Solving problems by watching your numbers

18:05 - Help First and Help Best drive sales

26:33 - Closing tips