A cell-phone camera completely changed Ivan Racic’s business.
Ivan had limited cash reserves to cover the cost of mentorship and wasn’t sure he could afford help from a business expert.
“But we decided to go for it, kind like Hail Mary thing. And it started working really, really quick—which was great, which we needed,” Ivan said.
To improve their business, CrossFit XV in Croatia, Ivan and partner Daria Radman needed a shift in perspective, and the camera literally provided it.
In the gym, Ivan didn’t have a good space for free consultations with prospective members, so his mentor, Per Mattsson, asked him to walk around the place with a camera running.
“There in that corner—that’s a good spot,” Mattsson said.
He recommended a little fence and some plants for privacy, and suddenly Ivan had a spot to solve problems for potential members.
A New Revenue Stream
In that makeshift space, Ivan started selling personal training before entry to group classes. Per helped the entrepreneur hammer out a 90-day journey—first just one PT session before group training, then four sessions, then eight, then 16 high-value sessions.
“It was so scary for us to put that price and be like, ‘Oh my God, nobody’s gonna buy this.’ That was just our way of thinking at the time,” Ivan recalled. “And then when the first person that showed up bought it, we were like, ‘Oh my God. This actually is working. Somebody’s gonna pay for this.’ And it just kind of started to raise our confidence. The more times it happened, it was getting to be normal.”
In that makeshift “office,” Ivan went from selling zero PT sessions to closing on about 160 each month.
Then some of his new clients wanted to continue with PT. Today, Ivan sells about 200 sessions a month on average. The new revenue stream now provides 40 percent of his gross revenue.
As you can imagine, the gym’s finances improved fast with an influx of high-value clients. Here are the exact monthly revenue details:
- Before Two-Brain—€6,000 (approx. $6,300 US)
- First year with mentorship—€9,000 ($9,420)
- Second year with mentorship—€11,500 ($12,400)
- Current year—Approaching €14,000 ($14,600)
And Ivan’s net owner benefit is now €6,300—so he’s paying himself more every month than his gym grossed before mentorship.
That rapid progress changed the owners’ lives dramatically.
“When you’re struggling with money, it’s a bad, bad place to be mentally,” Ivan said. “It’s with you every day. You wake up and you’re constantly thinking about money. You’re constantly negative. You are under pressure. And from that state, it’s tough to make good decisions. As soon as you feel just a little bit of relief … life is different. Every day is different. Like, Daria and I are so much more relaxed.”
After having to use personal funds to cover the costs of mentorship in the early days, Ivan is seeing incredible ROI.
“Why would I stop paying for this when it’s obviously making me extra money?” Ivan said. “I switched my mindset. I was like, ‘Hey, this is working. The more I’m with mentor, I see all these little things that I could still improve on.’ And my goal now is not to ever quit mentorship because I always feel like those monthly meetings and that support that you get is super valuable.”
Now, Ivan is planning to open a second location nearby so he can focus on a new revenue stream: kids and teens. In that 3,200-square foot space, Ivan has more layout flexibility.
And he’ll be able to install a proper office for the free consultations that allow him to continue to solve problems for high-value clients.
CrossFit XV Profile
Brand: CrossFit
Model: Prescriptive Model
Location: Split, Croatia
Space (square feet): 3,200, with another 3,200 to come in a second location
Staff: 2 full-time owners, 1 full-time staff member, 5 part-timers
Client Count: 170
Average revenue per member: $90 USD
Schedule: 5-7 group classes a day
Previous Revenue Breakdown:
- 100 percent group
Approximate 2024 Revenue Breakdown
- 60 percent group
- 40 percent personal training (approx. 200 sessions every month)
Future Revenue Streams to Be Added
- Kids and teens
Ivan’s Coaching Responsibilities
- Before 2024: 30 classes per week
- Current: 9 classes per week
To hear more about how a mentor can help you generate more revenue fast, book a call here.
