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Two weeks ago, I flew to Boston to meet gym owners. I shared a meal with a few of them, and sat at a boardroom table with others. My role was volunteer “broker”–an unbiased intermediary to help one gym purchase another in good faith. I wasn’t paid a dime; I just wanted to make sure everyone got the best possible outcome. A few good opportunities were presented: some gym owners could keep a share of their gym, remain on as a paid coach; and receive an upfront payment for the value of their gym. The offer was a real gift for many of them. They won, in the end. Many aren’t so lucky. Every day, I take at least one phone call–again, unpaid–from a gym owner who needs help. In almost every case, the owner is a coach. Usually they’re a great coach. It’s not just the bad coaches whose businesses are failing.Here are a few things the “triage” callers have in common: They have members, but not income. Strong gyms break even at 30-50 members. Weak gyms require more members to break even. Some of these poor folks are serving over 70 people and still not taking a paycheck. Their coaches don’t earn more than they’re paid. Either the gym has a smattering of volunteers trading for membership, or one salaried “main guy” earning more than the owner. But the coaches don’t generate revenue; they simply fulfill service obligations. They’re scared of losing members to a cheaper gym nearby. In many cases, this has already happened. They have good ideas, but no time to execute, and… They think 10 more clients will buy them that time. This is the crux: 10 more clients won’t buy you anything.Sitting on a park bench in 2009, I asked myself, “If I don’t change, will things get better on their own?” It didn’t seem likely. The next question that occurred to me was, ...

Some of you may have heard of our Banner Program – and I would like to take the opportunity to explain the details in order to help other CrossFit owners to be able to utilize this outreach to their communities. The Banner Program is simply that – soliciting outside companies to purchase banner space in the box that will provide exposure for them, and add some cash flow for you to bring on more programs/beautification or even hire a new helping hand! Why you should implement it in your gym today: – ROI is insanely high. We are looking at $10k profit from about 4 hours of ownership work.– Potential to gain members from the businesses purchasing banners.– Assists in legitimizing your business in the eyes of the community.– Yearly/monthly income that is renewable.– Able to reinvest the monies into other programs. (For us, we are beautifying our front and launching another program.)– Creates another paid role. Gotta love it when someone can pay their grocery bill due to something you created!Now that you’ve been properly motivated, let’s discuss the logistics: Space and Sizing: First, it’s best to measure your specific space and determine the feasible amount of banner space available—for us that worked out to roughly 20 banners that were 5 feet by 3 feet. This size was chosen as a standard to ensure all would be visible from every distance within the gym, and that they would all match. It’s important to make sure that there isn’t overcrowding of the banners – you want the space to be clean and organized to please the clients. Pricing: We thought best to do yearly pricing as most business owners don’t want to have to worry about a monthly bill. Knowing we had 20 slots for the banners, I thought about what it would be worth for me to have another dude’s name on my wall. I decided that price was ...