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We don’t rise to our opportunities; we fall to the level of our preparation. Many entrepreneurs start the week with bold strides: they launch a new Facebook ad campaign or send a new product logo to their graphic designer. They do things that move the needle. By 2pm, they’ve completed their checklist and launched a brand new service… …and then their toilet gets clogged. The entrepreneur looks around and asks, “Who’s going to fix this toilet?” (a tumbleweed rolls through) And quickly realizes, “It’s me. I’m the only person willing and able to use a plunger.” So the entrepreneur spends the next three hours plunging a toilet. At five, he goes home and thinks, “What a crappy day.” The next day, the entrepreneur comes into work a bit earlier, and carries an extra coffee. Before the other staff arrives, the boss makes more solid moves: approving yesterday’s art, responding to a partnership offer, and scheduling two new clients. Then the staff arrives and says, “The copier is out of ink.” The entrepreneur disengages from the valuable work–work that generates $500 per hour–and drives to the ink store, texts back and forth with the office staff to figure out which ink cartridge to buy, and drives back. An hour later, the printer is working but the owner is not. On a grander scale, a Founder might launch an ad campaign that attracts 50 new clients. The clients sign up for a six-week makeover. The books show a huge uptick in revenue, and all signs point to growth. But six weeks later, all of those clients are gone. Retention was next to zero. And it’s all because the Founder has tried to build Step Three before solving Step One. Here’s an example: An entrepreneur who self-identifies as a “Farmer” tries to cut back her hours. But she hasn’t replaced herself in the Sales role, so when she takes time off, revenue plummets. ...

The most common complaint you used to hear about CrossFit? “I’ve been doing that all along. I just didn’t have a name for it.” You’d hear this from personal trainers (like me), wrestling coaches, army sergeants. We all kinda envied Greg’s success. But we all knew he deserved it, because there was a huge difference between what he did and what we were all doing. My clients deadlifted. They did little HIIT intervals–even some Tabata. We bought rings from elite rings.com and I was saving up to buy a Prowler from EliteFTS.com when I found CrossFit. But that didn’t mean I had a SYSTEM. I had some of the component parts. Greg had a SYSTEM. I had philosophies. I had ideas. I had articles in T-Nation and on my website. I had online chat groups and dozens of books. Greg had a SYSTEM. When I started mentoring gym owners in 2012, I brought a lot of ideas to the table. But it was clear right from the first client (thanks, Ginger!) that they needed a method; a step-by-step progression with a beginning, middle and end. I ran that model for years. And when I founded Two-Brain Business in 2016, I improved that model. The Incubator is that system now. Gym owners are now buried in ideas and opinions. Facebook groups are overwhelming for both. There’s some good advice, some great stories and even some actionable content. But the Incubator is the only SYSTEM. Good systems work by making it easy to start; by requiring some skin in the game in the form of investment; by providing early wins; and breaking down the big goal into small, manageable steps. In your gym, you have some systems (I hope). You’ve written down the starting process for new clients; you meet regularly with them to discuss their goals and alter their plan; you celebrate their wins every week; and you keep a focus ...