I learned the hardest business lessons before 2012. The sleepless nights didn’t end there, but by late 2012, my business was no longer at constant risk of bankruptcy. I had multiple revenue streams, a more secure cash flow, and time with my kids. My first book, Two-Brain Business, was slowly gaining attention with other gym owners.
The book was popular because it was the first real book by a gym founder. It’s the bestselling book of all time in the fitness business niche, and over 100 people every month still get a copy. Most affiliates who book their free call with me have read it. Every word in it is still true.
So why write another word?
I produced my first business course videos in the winter of 2014. They covered some of the same topics as Two-Brain Business, but made the ideas more actionable. I got emails that said “You blew my mind” and “You fixed our business” every week. When I founded Two-Brain Business, I updated the videos and included everything new our gym was doing. I moved the videos to the background, because I believe mentorship is more important than knowledge.
So why shoot NEW videos every year?
Because things change.
Our 2018 Incubator program is better than our 2017 program, and that program changed lives. You can see the testimonials on this site: “You saved my gym, and probably my marriage.” There are dozens of them.
Four fitness entrepreneurs sign up for Incubation every three days. The Two-Brain mentoring team has grown to twelve. We’re changing the Movement for the better. And we can go further.
In 2012, I wrote about putting the best people in the best roles. That hasn’t changed. But no one was doing virtual OnRamps in 2012. No one was trying to cut through the maze of Facebook ads back then.
Two-Brain Business was a litany of my mistakes, and a few suggestions to avoid making the same ones. Somewhere along the line, I changed from “don’t do this” to “do this, and I’ll show you how.”
The Incubation process at TwoBrain takes 6-8 weeks. It’s mentor-led. After each call, gym owners are assigned homework that’s specific to their situation, and we have a vast platform of videos and templates to help. We make constant contact between gym owner and mentor part of the program. That’s not new.
What ARE we teaching in 2018?
- A more prescriptive model. After two years of guiding owners toward a consultative intake process and frequent goal reviews, strong data on both ARM and LEG metrics shows this WORKS. You just need a system to implement it with everyone.
- More emphasis on personal connections between the client and their family, friends and coworkers. Affinity Marketing is spelled out, step by step, because it’s far easier than trying to “sell” a cold lead.
- How to mentor your staff toward their “perfect day.” Knowing what to do is only half the solution to an amazing business; knowing how to DO it is equally important.
- Better “sales” conversations with clients. We use the “Help First” mindset to coach clients to the service they actually need; not a script to sell them something they don’t.
- More role-playing exercises between gym owner and their staff.
- More hybrid membership options, including pricing and how to present them to clients.
- More emphasis on peak moments (like “bright spots” on steroids.) Badge systems, clearer progressions, and structure to your retention strategy. You don’t make friends with automated emails.
- Love letters from the gym owner to his audience. Why “newsletters” no longer work; how to write them; and how to get started when you don’t know what to write (or film).
Here’s our progression:
- First, some internally-focused exercises to determine the founder’s values and “bedrock” non-negotiables. The same for the founder’s best clients.
- Second, a clear definition of “who does what”. Roles and tasks exercises, SOPs, and staff playbooks. We have templates for these–both written and video–but want the founder to tailor them to their gym.
- Third, a discussion on “gold standards” in the industry, and opportunities for at least one new revenue stream.
- Fourth, a plan for one staff member to start taking low-value roles away from the founder, freeing them up to work on high-value roles, like revenue growth.
- Fifth, a retention plan. Retention starts even BEFORE intake. Automated emails are a neat trick, but aren’t a replacement for human connection. We’ll give you a strategy to help your clients bond with your brand.
- Sixth, sales. Every affiliate has easy opportunities to increase revenue without spending a dime on “marketing”. Every gym has hundreds of people who are paying attention, but not paying money yet (or not anymore.) For many gyms, this is where ROI is realized and surpassed pretty easily.
- Seventh, marketing. After working through their clients’ “one degree of separation”, founders learn how to do the stuff that WORKS, instead of hearing about every option in the universe.
When I invite someone into the Incubator, I’m making a bet on them. I have to take them from their current state to earning $2499 in around 8 weeks–and the changes we make create recurring revenue. In some cases, we WILL use a six-week challenge to bridge a cash flow emergency. But that’s not a long-term solution for a 30-year business. All of the stuff in the Incubator is repeatable for life.
It’s a period of intense focus and hard work. It’s not always exciting. That’s why we’re a mentorship program instead of a bunch of low-rent videos.
The REAL reason we update every year? Because CrossFit is the world’s best exercise program, but it’s not a business plan. And the owners of CrossFit gyms have risked a LOT to save others; they deserve the business plan that will allow them to save more lives.
The Incubator is worth 18 CrossFit CEUs – the HIGHEST amount of CEUs awarded for any course–because every gym owner deserves success. And that’s why we dig, test and revise: because you deserve our best in 2018, not our best from 2015.
We update our Incubator AND Growth Stage modules every single year for that reason, and we give them to our current clients for free. Because “best” is a moving target, and we want them to be the best.
Let’s chat about it. Book a free call to see if you’re a good fit. In 2017, I invited 36% of those who applied to join the TwoBrain family. But I’m happy to help anyone dedicated to serving others.
