Offer a Meal, Not A Menu

by Oskar Johed
Like everyone else that attended the TwoBrain Summit in Chicago a few weeks ago, my business partner Kalle’s and my mind were racing when we got home. The actionable ideas ready for implementation could definitely double any gym’s net profit. The participants’ wealth of wisdom, or knowledge by experience, was unprecedented. 
But before implementing anything, we decided to pause, reflect and more importantly discuss with our mentor. “All great ideas are equal but some are more equal than others…” We now know where to start.
However, the main thing I took away from the weekend was meeting all the caring, giving and passionate- with- a-purpose members of the TwoBrain family. The posts and discussions in our private Facebook group are pure gold, but conversations in real life tends to get more vivid and colorful. 
One of the topics I have continued discussing online with a few “family members” relates to the brilliant presentation that John and Mateo gave. (Talk about caring, giving and passionate with a purpose!) They run TwoBrain Marketing, and in their presentation they showed two slides with the offerings of two burger restaurants. One had EVERYTHING on it while the other had about a handful of items, including sides and drinks. The latter is far more successful by most conventional standards. 
John and Mateo offer personal training, nutrition and group CrossFit at their gyms. For marketing they pretty much run one continuous, successful offer. Their point is to “learn to crawl before you walk”. Master the basics first and do it really well.
Master Affinity marketing before Facebook marketing. 
Master FB marketing to women before FB marketing to everyone.
Master FB marketing (of CrossFit) to everyone before FB marketing your other services.
Being at Brian Alexander’s magnificent facility with his plethora of specialty programs, some saw their presentation as being in conflict with TwoBrain’s “The Stratified Model” and “The Prescriptive Model” or even building an anti-fragile business. Brian has, among other things, mastered the basics (personal training, group training and nutrition). He can therefore offer these speciality programs, but he could very well run a successful gym without them.
Specialty programs have their place both for business owners and members. They are, however, the seasoning, not the meat and potatoes.
In Chicago I stayed near the world-famous restaurant Alinea. It has, for many years, been a top 50 restaurant in the world. They offer “three distinct experiences”. You choose an option based on desired dining experience (and wallet size). That’s it. They make sure that their service matches your expectations.
 
Around the corner are multiple restaurants with over 50 different menu items. I ate at one of them and–being paralyzed by all the options–I asked what the waitress recommended. She ended up recommending 9 different dishes including fish, meat and pasta. I told the waitress to pick her favorite. Her favorite did not prove to be my new favorite.
Just because one can offer more doesn’t make it better. Relevant and applicable is better. 
The majority of people seeking to improve their health need functional movements and a basic understanding of what to eat. However, everyone is different, so how that is delivered will vary. 
Based on TwoBrain’s proven tactics, we have learned to offer a meal, not a menu. And not just any meal, but the best meal for each individual.
Do you offer a meal or a menu?
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One more thing!

Did you know gym owners can earn $100,000 a year with no more than 150 clients? We wrote a guide showing you exactly how.