Podcast
Run a Profitable Gym
Hosted by Chris Cooper · EN
Run a Profitable Gym is packed with business tools for gym owners and CrossFit affiliates. This is actionable, data-backed business advice for all gym owners, including those who own personal training studios, fitness franchises, and strength and conditioning gyms. Broke gym owner Chris Cooper turned a struggling gym into an asset, then built a multi-million-dollar mentoring company to help other fitness entrepreneurs do the same thing. Every week, Chris presents the top tactics for building a profitable gym, as well as real success stories from gym owners who have found incredible success through Two-Brain Business mentorship. Chris’s goal is to create millionaire gym owners. Subscribe to Run a Profitable Gym and you could be one of them.
46episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Know Exactly What to Charge at Your Gym
2d ago00:07:56Tap to summarizeCalculate exactly what you should be charging with our Revenue Per Session (RPS) Calculator, linked below.Don’t set your prices by copying the gym down the street (and maybe knocking off $10).Instead, there’s a data-backed way to do it, using real numbers from thousands of gyms and one metric that tells you if your price is pulling its weight: revenue per session (RPS).In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin explains what revenue per session (RPS) is and why $200 is a healthy target to aim for. He walks through the math for calculating your session rate and RPS and shows two different ways to hit the $200 RPS benchmark—raising your prices or increasing class attendance.Pulling data from Two-Brain’s “State of the Industry” report (metrics from over 7,000 gyms), John analyzes large group and small group/semi-private models side by side, comparing lead volume, close rates, pricing and membership usage. Listen to learn how to set data-backed prices that let you pay coaches well and run a more profitable gym. LinksRate Per Session CalculatorGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - Stop copying your competitor’s prices0:41 - The metric every gym owner should track1:24 - What 7,000 gyms taught us about pricing3:01 - Calculate your revenue per session4:28 - The $200 rule for profitable gyms5:58 - How to charge the right price6:59 - What if you can’t raise your prices?
Transcribe →How to Add Small Group Training to a Large Group Gym
4d ago00:45:14Tap to summarizeSemi-private training is one of the most talked about revenue plays in the fitness industry, but there’s rarely a clear roadmap for adding it to an already packed group training schedule.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin sits down with Jamie Warren, CEO of Iron Tribe Fitness, who took his gyms from nearly 100% group training revenue to a 50/50 split with small group—without blowing up his schedule or losing his culture in the process.Jamie explains how he made the change: identifying which coaches and clients to beta test with, protecting the schedule with a “do no harm” approach, and using client demand to decide which class slots to convert.He also shares real stats, including how average revenue per member nearly doubled and why net margins ended up roughly twice as high even with a similarly-sized member base.Tune in to learn how to build a semi-private, small group training program that adds real value for clients and for your business.➖➖➖How much revenue does your gym generate per session? Measure your RPS against the healthy $200 benchmark and find out what to change if you’re not there yet: https://twobrain.co/4wv2VDk LinksRate Per Session Calculator Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - Why Iron Tribe added semi-private4:15 - Building the beta test with existing coaches9:40 - The webinar launch and first 100 members16:20 - Protecting the schedule during the transition22:05 - The revenue and margin results28:30 - Advice for gym owners on the fence
Transcribe →How HYROX Affiliates Actually Make Money
1w ago00:29:58Tap to summarizeSome gyms are struggling to break even on their HYROX affiliation. Others are generating 15X or even 89X return on their affiliation fees.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin sits down with Lisa Palmer, a Two-Brain mentor and HYROX affiliate in London.The U.K. is one of the most mature HYROX markets in the world, roughly three years ahead of North America.Lisa walks through how she layered HYROX onto her CrossFit schedule, replacing low-attendance classes instead of adding new ones, and how the move became an unexpected retention machine, dropping her gym’s churn from 14% to under 5%.She and John dig into the full playbook: building race-prep courses around official HYROX events, running simulations that pull in thousands of dollars, using HYROX to catch members who need a lower-impact option, and turning that same funnel into CrossFit upgrades.Lisa also shares what she’d do differently if she were starting over and how gyms of any size can find an entry point.Tune in to learn how to build a HYROX program that actually pays for itself many times over.Want to generate more revenue from HYROX? Check out our HYROX toolkit, linked below!LinksHYROX ToolkitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - Why some HYROX affiliates never make money1:12 - Should you add HYROX to your gym?3:20 - The unexpected benefit that changed everything5:58 - Free HYROX resource for gym owners6:16 - The HYROX growth strategy she'd use today10:25 - Turning HYROX into multiple revenue streams13:01 - How top gyms market their HYROX program19:08 - The hidden retention advantage of HYROX25:05 - Is HYROX right for every gym?
Transcribe →How to Run Your First HYROX Competition in Your Gym
2w ago00:20:04Tap to summarizeHYROX is everywhere right now, and your gym doesn’t necessarily have to become an affiliate to cash in on the trend.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin breaks down the “mini sim,” a scaled-down HYROX-style competition any gym can run without paying affiliation fees or buying new equipment.John walks through the exact blueprint: cutting the running volume, running it as a doubles event to build in referrals and setting a financial target (Two-Brain gyms have made $2,500-$6,000 from their first event). He covers the week-by-week promotion plan, including real examples of gym posts that sold out events fast. He also details race-day logistics (staffing, heats, avoiding bottlenecks) and how to turn one-time event revenue into new recurring members.Tune in to get a complete playbook for running your first HYROX-style event and building an ongoing program members love.Use the link below to access our complete HYROX toolkit for gym owners!LinksHYROX Toolkit Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - Why every gym should pay attention to HYROX1:02 - The low-risk way to test the HYROX trend2:09 - The hidden growth opportunity most gyms miss4:06 - Planning your first HYROX-style event5:46 - Where your first participants will come from7:00 - Real gym marketing examples that worked8:40 - The promotion mistake that kills event sales9:26 - Race day secrets for a smooth event13:35 - The email every gym owner should send17:02 - Turn one event into long-term members
Transcribe →How Smart Gym Owners Beat the Summer Slump
2w ago00:12:25Tap to summarizeSummer hits gym owners hard. Revenue drops, leads dry up and members cancel.In this episode, Chris Cooper shares five strategies gym owners can use to generate revenue during the slow summer months.Coop knows the pain firsthand. In 2009, he was juggling two locations and the summer slump almost put him out of business. He swore he’d never let that happen again. Now, after working with over 3,000 gym owners through Two-Brain Business, he knows exactly what works.The summer slump is predictable. But that means it’s beatable. Tune in to hear the plan smart gym owners follow to stay profitable all summer long.Want to earn $100,000 a year from your gym while working under 20 hours a week? Click the link below to access the free training. Links$100K Income TrainingGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - The summer slump that almost killed my gym1:13 - The September revenue strategy3:41 - A seasonal offer that brings in new clients5:22 - The most overlooked summer revenue source6:48 - Why members cancel in the summer8:57 - The vacation plan most gyms never offer11:05 - The real reason gyms don’t survive summer
Transcribe →From $300k in Debt to Millionaire Gym Owner
3w ago00:30:34Tap to summarizeBraeden Cordts bought a struggling gym with $300,000 in debt, no marketing knowledge and everyone telling him it wouldn’t work.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin sits down with Braeden, who was just certified as a net-worth millionaire.They talk about Braeden’s five-year journey from a 28-member gym losing money to a 230-member gym generating over $55,000 every month.Braden opens up about a rough stretch in college and how finding CrossFit—and eventually buying a gym—changed his trajectory. He breaks down the order of operations that got his gym to where it is today:- A year of consuming free content before he could afford mentorship- Putting real systems in place- Pouring into his team and promoting his first full-time coach- Building out personal training and semi-private as major revenue streamsHe also opens up about how mentorship gave him clarity on his finances outside the gym—turning two accidental rental properties into a real wealth-building strategy, diversifying into syndications and buying into another gym.If you’re a gym owner in the thick of it right now wondering if any of this is actually possible, Braeden’s story is proof that it is.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - They Told Him Not to Buy This Gym1:09 - From Train Wreck to Gym Owner5:37 - The Risk That Changed Everything8:18 - The First Breakthrough9:38 - The Difference a Mentor Made11:31 - The Systems That Fueled Growth13:21 - The Move That Changed the Business17:39 - The Revenue Stream Most Gym Owners Miss21:34 - How Gym Owners Build Real Wealth24:05 - The Growth Formula Most Owners Ignore27:26 - The Question Every Gym Owner Must Answer29:28 - His Message to Struggling Gym Owners
Transcribe →How to Turn Your Gym’s DMs Into a Client-Closing Machine
3w ago00:15:22Tap to summarizeLearn how to build all four marketing funnels with our Never-Ending Leads training for gym owners, linked below. Nearly 15% of gym owners don’t contact their leads at all. The interest is there. The hands are raised. But nobody sends the message.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper explains why your DMs might be the most underused sales channel your gym has, and how to use them without sounding pushy or salesy.He shares a real story of how a comment on an old photo turned into a member walking back through his doors, and one about a post that didn’t land as intended and how he fixed things with a simple conversation.Chris introduces a simple eight-step framework for turning casual DM conversations into booked consultation, and also gets into why the slowest leads sometimes become the most loyal clients and how to keep warm leads from going cold without a fancy system.Tune in to turn your next follower, like or comment into a real gym lead.LinksNever-Ending Leads TrainingGym Owners UnitedBook a Call00:00 - Why Your Gym’s Social Media Isn’t Turning Into Members01:06 - How One Instagram Comment Brought Back a Former Client03:28 - The Missing Link Between Social Media and New Members05:46 - The DM Framework That Builds Trust (Without Being Salesy)08:08 - The 8-Step Process for Turning Followers Into Clients10:01 - How to Nurture Warm Leads Who Aren’t Ready to Buy11:59 - The Post That Almost Cost Chris a Client
Transcribe →Steal These 8 Content Ideas From a Viral Gym Owner
4w ago00:43:31Tap to summarizeThis episode contains several visual examples. For the best experience, head to our YouTube channel "Run a Profitable Gym."Get a comprehensive, AI-powered audit of your gym’s Instagram at GymIG.com.Joe Strada just won Two-Brain Business Gym of the Year. Here’s exactly how he built one of the best content strategies in the gym industry.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin sits down with Joe Strada of Unleash’d Strength to break down his content playbook.They cover everything from his early TikTok trend-hopping days to the storytelling and conversion-focused content that’s growing his gym today.Joe walks through real examples from his own feed, including the meme-style video that got him five million views but zero followers and the carousel that finally broke his streak of flops and brought in nearly 200 new followers.He also shares his exact process for using AI to script and edit videos for his gym based on viral videos he admires.John and Joe dig into the difference between content that goes viral and content that actually converts, why getting your community involved in your videos pays off in ways views never will, and why finding the content style you genuinely enjoy making is the only sustainable way to stay consistent.Tune in, steal Joe’s best ideas and adapt them for your own gym.LinksAI Gym Instagram AuditGym Owners UnitedBook a Call00:00 - Why Most Gym Owners Never Post Content00:51 - Meet the Viral Gym Owner of the Year02:50 - How Joe Started Creating Content Before Opening His Gym05:08 - The Trend-Hopping Strategy That Got Millions of Views07:54 - Brand Positioning: Why "Strength Is for Everyone" Works09:14 - Top-of-Funnel Content vs. Content That Sells11:31 - Meme Content: Turning Members Into Creators12:47 - Viral Content: How to Repeat a Winning Format16:27 - Educational Content: Build Authority With Simple Tips18:22 - Community Content: Show the Personality Behind Your Gym21:18 - Content Planning: Never Run Out of Ideas Again24:23 - AI Content: Adapting Trends for Your Audience28:49 - Interview Content: Let Your Members Tell the Story31:20 - Conversion Content: The Carousel That Added 200 Followers36:44 - Storytelling Content: Create a Pin Post That Converts42:26 - How to Start Creating Content Consistently
Transcribe →How I Get More Leads From Facebook Than Paid Ads
4w ago00:11:22Tap to summarizeBefore you spend another dollar on ads, listen to this episode. Chris Cooper is getting more leads from free Facebook posts than almost any other marketing channel.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Coop shares how he writes Facebook posts that start real conversations, bring back lapsed members and attract new clients.The core idea is simple: Start capturing what’s already happening in your gym. The breakthroughs, the mistakes, the 6 a.m. class where only three people showed up and everyone crushed it anyway. Chris also challenges you to make your clients the star of your content—just a good photo and two to four sentences that make everyone who knows them stop scrolling. These posts cost nothing and don’t require a social media manager or a fancy content strategy.You’ll also hear about the posts that kill organic reach (like unfiltered rants) and why protecting your reach matters more than making a point.Your gym’s best Facebook content is already happening in front of you every day. It’s time to start capturing it.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - Intro0:50 - Why organic Facebook still works4:04 - Capture, don’t create5:57 - The posts that perform best6:45 - What kills your organic reach7:20 - Make your clients famous9:40 - How personal posts juice the algorithm
Transcribe →How to Make Your Gym Stand Out Online in 2026
Jun 1500:15:48Tap to summarizeThis episode contains several visual examples. For the best experience, head to our YouTube channel "Run a Profitable Gym."Is your gym’s Instagram converting members? Audit it with our custom AI tool: https://GymIG.com/If you stripped your gym’s name and logo from your website and social media, would anyone know what makes you different? For most gym owners, the honest answer is no.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin lays out the five steps gym owners need to take to become the obvious choice online in 2026 He walks through real-world examples of gyms that have nailed their online positioning, including a gym serving underrepresented women in fitness, a bodybuilding facility that hunts down and restores rare equipment, a performance center that built its reputation entirely around baseball players with shoulder injuries and a personal training gym that targets exclusively the 50-plus crowd.Each example illustrates the same core principle: a specific promise to a specific type of person beats generic messaging every time.John also explains why simplifying your service offering is just as important as clarifying who you serve, and he outlines how your Google Business Profile, website and Instagram should all tell the same consistent story to turn curious searchers into booked consultations.Tune in to learn how to make your gym impossible to ignore online.LinksAI Gym Instagram AuditGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:00 - Intro0:38 - Be the "obvious choice" online1:00 - Real gym example—underrepresented women2:19 - Real gym example—world-class equipment4:35 - Real gym example—baseball niche6:04 - Real gym example—personal training7:51 - Get clear on who you serve9:55 - Simplify your service offering11:50 - GBP, website and Instagram consistency13:49 - Show undeniable proof
Transcribe →