Staffing Nightmares: What One Gym Owner Did to Fix the Chaos
Staffing problems can destroy your gym’s momentum—and your sanity. But with the right systems and mindset, they’re solvable.In this episode of Run a Profitable Gym, host Mike Warkentin talks with gym owner Chris Williams about the staffing chaos he inherited when he bought his gym.Chris shares the HR disasters that nearly wrecked his business and lays out the steps he took to rebuild trust, create structure and increase professionalism. He explains how he turned a gym run by friends into a real business and gained the freedom to step away from day-to-day operations. He also breaks down his evaluation system, describes his pathways for staff advancement and explains how he approaches hard conversations with employees.Staffing problems aren't unavoidable, but they are fixable. Tune in to become a better leader for your team!For more help, use the link below to join Gym Owners United and get the free “7 Deadly Sins of Staffing” guide.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:37 - Staffing horror stories11:27 - Systemizing the business13:48 - Documenting roles and responsibilities20:24 - Preventing staffing issues28:20 - What gym owners can do today
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33:13
The 7 Deadly Sins of Staffing That Kill Gym Growth
Staffing is the biggest and most important investment you'll ever make in your gym. Get it right and your business grows. Get it wrong and everything stalls.Today, Chris Cooper unpacks the seven deadly staffing sins that create chaos, kill growth and keep gym owners chained to day-to-day operations.From hiring out of desperation to keeping people too long, each staffing mistake is pulled from real conversations with gym owners who’ve felt the consequences.You’ll probably recognize a few of these mistakes in your own business. You might even realize you’re committing all seven sins. Coop's got absolution and solutions for you. Tune in to hear how top-performing gyms build strong, reliable teams, then take action to do the same.To get the full guide, join Gym Owners United via the link below. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 2:22 - Lack of clarity and defined roles7:06 - Over-incentivizing and promoting13:08 - Hiring in desperation16:55 - Keeping people too long19:30 - Abdicating instead of delegating
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No More Summer Slumps! How to Fill the Gap With a Kids Program
What if your gym was fully booked and highly profitable all summer long?While many gym owners brace for a summer slump, Debbie Rosslan ramps up with youth programs such as jump training, volleyball development, and speed and agility, which keep her gym full and profitable. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with Debbie about how she uses kids camps to generate consistent revenue during the months of the year when many gym owners struggle. Debbie breaks down how she structures her camps, prices them for profitability and keeps kids coming back year after year. She also shares tips on low-cost marketing and explains why parents happily pay premium rates for her kids programs. Skip the summer slump this year. Instead, listen in as Debbie shares her playbook for a packed and profitable gym. Then take action today.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:35 - Summer opportunities for gym owners3:52 - Revenue from a kids program5:27 - Setting up a kids program10:20 - Filling and marketing a kids program15:18 - How to get started now
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Beat the Summer Revenue Dip: The Gym Owner's Action Plan
Summer is coming, and for many gym owners, that means holds, cancellations and a painful dip in revenue—but it doesn’t have to.The summer slump is natural if you don't take action: Clients go on vacation, they trade your programmed workouts for outdoor activities in the sunshine, and kids who are home from school force routine changes.But when clients stop coming to the gym consistently, they lose the momentum they’ve built, making it harder to get them to restart in the fall.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper gives you a tactical action plan for getting ahead of the summer slump in 2025.He breaks down practical strategies for improving summer retention and boosting revenue with seasonal programs, such as offseason athlete camps. You’ll also learn how to offer remote coaching and travel prescriptions so you can keep clients engaged even when they’re outside the gym.Tune in to hear a complete plan you can apply to your gym today and use every year to make summer a strong season.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 3:25 - Pre-sell fall engagement5:00 - Seasonal programs and events7:37 - Camps and programs for offseason athletes9:06 - Remote training programs12:29 - Vacation training plans
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He Added $200,000 in Semi-Private Training Revenue in Just 1 Year!
Gabriel Mayer-Bédard, owner of CrossFit St-Basile-le-Grand in Quebec, Canada, used semi-private training to generate over $200,000 in new revenue in just one year. Adding semi-private training also boosted his gym’s client retention, solved scheduling challenges, and produced higher pay and improved career paths for his coaches.In a semi-private model, about four clients train at the same time under one coach, and each client receives personalized programming and attention—making it a high-value service for both clients and gyms.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Gabriel outlines exactly how he launched the new service with the help of Two-Brain’s semi-private specialist, Brian Bott. Gabriel explains how he set pricing and coach pay, sold existing clients on the service, and shifted his onboarding process to funnel new clients into the program.Looking for a way to grow your gym without burning out? Gabriel’s story will show you what’s possible.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:54 - What is semi-private training?5:43 - Selling semi-private training10:27 - Session pricing and trainer pay14:48 - Onboarding into semi-private21:58 - Working with a specialist
Run a Profitable Gym is packed with business tools for gym owners and CrossFit affiliates. This is actionable, data-backed business advice for all gym owners, including those who own personal training studios, fitness franchises, and strength and conditioning gyms. Broke gym owner Chris Cooper turned a struggling gym into an asset, then built a multi-million-dollar mentoring company to help other fitness entrepreneurs do the same thing. Every week, Chris presents the top tactics for building a profitable gym, as well as real success stories from gym owners who have found incredible success through Two-Brain Business mentorship. Chris’s goal is to create millionaire gym owners. Subscribe to Run a Profitable Gym and you could be one of them.
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