Podcast Summary

Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief with Cameron Herold

Episode 565: D1 Training COO Dan Murphy – How to Scale Smarter and Avoid Leadership Burnout
Date: March 26, 2026
Host: Savannah Brewer (for Cameron Herold)
Guest: Dan Murphy, COO of D1 Training

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep with Dan Murphy, the COO of D1 Training—a national fitness franchise focused on athletic-style training for youth and adults. Dan shares D1’s growth journey from a single facility in Nashville to a booming multimillion-dollar franchise, highlighting strategies for scaling, balancing culture with rapid expansion, and how leadership can maintain focus and avoid burnout. Dan also explores community-building, franchisee relations, operational metrics, and the COO role’s unique challenges.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. D1 Training’s Origin and Evolution

• Business Model:
  D1 Training was founded by Will Bartholomew, a Division 1 athlete who saw a gap in athletic rehab and training facilities post-NFL injury (03:04). Initially, D1 housed both sports training and physical therapy under one roof.
• Target Audience:
  While many assume the avatar is the aspiring college athlete, D1 targets youth from age 7+ (“rookies” 7–11, “developmental” 12–14, and “prep” 15–18) and adults wanting an athletic training atmosphere (07:00).
• Franchise Journey:
  The company pivoted to a franchise model around 2017–2018, scaling down facility size for speed and reach (14:53).

  "We are currently sitting over about 160 units open across probably 30, 35 states... That's just the beginning." (05:28)

2. Passion and “The Right Vehicle”

• Dan emphasized joining a company with values and a mission that resonate personally:

  "I knew I loved training... I was just super passionate about that and know that there’s people out there that, you know, I don’t feel the same way... I want to find that tribe." (13:01)

• Advice for COOs seeking the right company:
  “Find something you genuinely love and want to expand—mission is as important as profit.” (13:15)

3. Scaling: Outsource vs. In-House

• Early Growth:
  D1 outsourced development, real estate, and accounting to keep the core business lean and focused (17:39).
• Bringing Functions In-House:
  As scale increased, key areas like construction project management and equipment sourcing moved in-house, leading to cost savings, knowledge transfer, and operational control (18:46):

  “Just bringing our construction project management in house in the last year... you’re able to drop a considerable amount just in that management fee.” (17:39)

• Strategy:
  Outsource initially for quick scale, then internalize as volume and expertise allow for cost and quality improvements.

4. Leveraging Franchisee Wisdom and Advisory Councils

• Collaborative franchisee advisory processes foster innovation and rapid field learning.

  "We have a collaborative advisory council... The beauty of having 160 locations is you can test this over a broader data set and really understand, okay, let’s refine this." (21:42)

• D1’s model balances brand standards with franchisee input, particularly in community engagement and local marketing.

5. Data & Accountability Systems

• Systematic metrics drive operational accountability for every team member—including finance—via KPIs.
• Core Data Points:
  • New franchisee leads and speed to contact
  • Conversion, retention, and upsell ratios
  • Site selection analytics
  • Pre-sale performance and real estate metrics (24:58)

• “We’re very big on everyone on my team… We’ve got to be able to measure them to those specific KPIs.” (25:35)

6. Leadership, Conflict, and Culture

• Dan described balancing the CEO's visionary ideas with operational discipline:

  "It's about distilling those ideas and making sure they don't become distractions to the current mission that we're on." (29:46)

• Objectivity and data-driven discussions form the basis for consensus and correction, especially with a board’s oversight (31:01).
• Team meetings (weekly, 1.5 hours) maintain cross-departmental alignment and prevent harmful silos.

7. Hardest Parts of the COO Role

• Managing driven, youthful teams and “egos” to keep priorities straight without stifling agility (29:22).
• Potential isolation and lack of community for second-in-commands—a problem the COO Alliance aims to solve.

8. The Central Role of Community

• Community isn’t just client-facing; it's crucial internally for empathy, trust, and knowledge-sharing.

  "It develops that empathy muscle that we all have but don’t necessarily exercise on a daily basis." (38:03)

• External participation in supportive COO networks (like COO Alliance) can dramatically speed up exec learning and support personal/professional growth.

9. Looking Ahead: Relentless Execution

• Dan’s excitement centers on perfecting execution over chasing new ventures:

  “How do we execute each time? Better, right? Little 1% improvements." (40:23)

• The next 18 months are clear and focused—systematizing repeatability and improving every franchise opening’s process.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Picking the Right Company:

  "You have to find that tribe... If it’s done right, it can be both—great for my family and aligned with what I care about."
  —Dan Murphy (13:01)

• On Metrics and Accountability:

  "What's their number? That's going to be ultimately what we evaluate them on beyond our core values."
  —Dan Murphy (25:35)

• On Hard Conversations:

  "I always look at it as: everybody shows up wanting to do well... There’s not a single person that’s trying to get over."
  —Dan Murphy (28:19)

• On Distilling Vision into Action:

  "It’s about distilling those ideas and making sure they don't become distractions to the current mission that we're on."
  —Dan Murphy (29:46)

• On Community:

  "It develops that empathy muscle that we all have but don’t necessarily exercise on a daily basis."
  —Dan Murphy (38:03)

• On Execution vs. Ideation:

  “Ideas really are just a multiplier of execution. Nothing beats execution.”
  —Dan Murphy (40:23)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• D1’s Story & Model: 03:04–07:00
• Ideal Customer & Youth Focus: 07:00–09:00
• Dan’s Personal Background: 10:21–12:25
• Franchise Pivot & Outsourcing: 14:53–18:46
• Franchisee Collaboration: 21:42–23:13
• Key Metrics & Accountability: 24:58–27:04
• COO Leadership and Conflict: 29:14–33:13
• Community & Empathy: 38:03–39:05
• Looking Ahead / Execution: 40:23–41:48

Conclusion

Dan Murphy offers a masterclass in scaling a mission-driven franchise, building accountable teams, and blending entrepreneurial nimbleness with robust process. The episode is a rich source of practical insight for COOs and executives navigating growth, culture, and personal development—and illustrates why supportive peer communities for COOs (like COO Alliance) are invaluable for success and sanity.