Podcasts by Category

Gym Ops Radio

For gym owners, by gym owners. Hosted by Dave Thomas and Bryan Pritz of Performance360, these two lifelong friends and business partners candidly share how they’ve grown their gym from a single old outdoor boatyard to three locations and annual revenue of $1.2 million over the last decade. Completely independent and unfranchised, Dave and Bryan usher you behind the curtain of their operations and discuss strategies, ideas, successes, and failures that have enabled them to stand out in San Diego’s saturated market and become one of the most successful group fitness gyms in the world.

100 - #58: Good to Great - How to Level Up Post-Pandemic

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100 - #58: Good to Great - How to Level Up Post-Pandemic
We can see the light at the end of the tunnel right now, but that’s only the beginning. As more people are vaccinated and their desire for old routines returns, they are entering the market changed. Many haven’t been consistent with fitness and it’s no lock they will be again. How can you tell your story and provide an operation in a way that will secure your piece of this market? Those that are planning this and not letting it just happen to them are those who will see a boost in their business post-Covid.
Mon, 19 Apr 2021 - 47min
99 - #57: Selling Is Not a Dirty Word -- The New ABCs
A different kind of ABC. Whereas the old Wall Street Gordon Gekko model of Always Be Closing was popularized in the 80s, the modern day sales process is driven more around empathy than persuasion, and in that spirit we look towards Daniel Pink’s Attunement, Buoyancy, Clarity instead.

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 - 52min
98 - #56: Post Peak COVID - Is Now a Good Time to Grow?
It’s easy to knee jerk to a lot of things right now and say it’s a terrible time to grow. It’s also easy to be doing well and think, we’re in the clear. In order to decide what’s best for your business, the best approach is careful examination of your KPIs, the macro industry market and your micro local market. If you can chart all of those variables, you should arrive at a nice, objective decision on your viability to grow right now.
Mon, 05 Apr 2021 - 1h 01min
97 - #55: Coaching Development 101 - Where To Focus for a Better Bottom Line
Coaching development is a critical part of any successful gym. The key is understanding the balance between reinforcing technical skills + reinforcing cultural awareness. Both are important, so if a gym focuses only on one and not the other they will greatly lack in a particular part of the member experience and leave your business potential unfulfilled. Developing coaches is beneficial for all involved. Invest, spend time on it.
Mon, 29 Mar 2021 - 44min
96 - #54: Why A Volume Model Is Not Dead
While a high volume, competitively priced model often gets a bad rap in the industry, it actually provides a ton of opportunities to be successful and outperform higher priced gym models. In this episode we discuss some of the fallacies about a high volume model and break down how we've been successful using this approach.

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 - 47min
95 - #53: What we would have done differently if we started over
We’re very happy and fortunate to be where we are today and if we could change something about what we did, we wouldn’t. BUT...as we evaluate our growth moving forward, hindsight can be a helpful tool and in that spirit, there are some things we would do differently if we were opening a brand new concept today.
Mon, 15 Mar 2021 - 1h 16min
94 - #52: “Uh Oh”: What To Do When You Don’t Like Your Numbers
On episode 52, Dave and Bryan talk about numbers in their business they don’t like and what they are currently doing to address them. They will talk about strategy for increasing retention, how to handle a class waitlist if you’re in that position, and what to do when your profit margins don’t support the gym’s needs.
Mon, 08 Mar 2021 - 53min
93 - #51: COVID Gifts: 5 Things We’re Excited to Keep Long After the Pandemic
On episode 51, we talk all about the things you should be excited to keep long after the pandemic is over. If you’ve been a savvy gym owner over the last year, you’ve been scouting improvements to your gym, not biding your time until you can go back to an extinct service model. We have five major areas of improvement that we saw at Performance360 that aren’t going away anytime soon, by choice.
Mon, 01 Mar 2021 - 52min
92 - #50: What Should I Charge? 6 Steps to Determine Your Price Point
On episode 50, we take you through a six step process to determine what pricing model makes the most sense for your business. We’ll coach you on what questions you should be asking, as well as what considerations you need to be factoring into your decision of that all important question - WHAT AM I GOING TO CHARGE?
Class Profitability Equation: Revenue / Class Visits = Revenue per visit. Multiply this by avg. class size to determine revenue per class.
Mon, 22 Feb 2021 - 57min
91 - #49: How To Start Delegating - Where to Start and How to Afford It
On today’s episode, we talk about the massive need to fire yourself! If you are constantly doing everything at your gym, then you’re stifling growth, not driving it. We talk about how to take the first steps towards getting others involved, how you can budget accordingly, and why any money you spend will come back to you at least 2x.
Mon, 15 Feb 2021 - 1h 05min
90 - #48: Why You Need a Brand and How to Create One
On this episode we discuss what the difference is between your brand and your company (operations). We go over why it’s so important to have a brand, what it says about you, and the benefits that strong brand communication will bring your gym.
Tue, 09 Feb 2021 - 1h 04min
89 - #47: 3 Steps to Automate Communication for Improved Conversion, Retention, and Return Customers
Today, we discuss the four ways that we communicate with membership and why three of them are 100% automated. We talk all about why you should never shy from creating automated processes, and why in reality it will actually lead to more personal communication, improved conversion, longer client retention, and even more former clients returning to your business.

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 - 53min
88 - #46: 7 Questions You Must Be Asking In Your Next Interview
Today, we discuss the 7 most important interview questions you should be asking, why they are so important, and the alternative version of them to avoid. We’ll set you up with the ability to get better answers, set people up to be a better fit for your culture, and save time by making fewer hiring mistakes.
Mon, 11 Jan 2021 - 45min
87 - #45 6 Immediate Action Items to Get More People Interested In Your Gym
Now more than ever, brand attraction and trust matter. Here are six easy ways to create more interest in your brand right away.
The guys will talk specifics on how to get better imagery that is more emotionally appealing to prospects, why a ton of fluff on your website is a bad move, why you need a very clear and easy method to experience your gym for the first time, why disconnect with your COVID experience from what you promise can immediately kill trust, a reminder why member care matters, and the importance of creating and maintaining a daily "voice" for your brand.
LINKS:
Our COVID-19 member communication and safety plan
Our CALL TO ACTION example
Our daily blog aka "voice"
Simon Sinek's "Start With Why"
Mon, 04 Jan 2021 - 49min
86 - #44: 4 Data Points to Know During COVID
Data Point #1: Active Membership by Location
Why it’s important to differentiate between total membership, active membership, and paid membership to create an accurate financial forecast. SCENARIO 1: Active membership goes down, total membership remains the same (OKAY)SCENARIO 2: Active membership goes down, total membership goes down (PROBLEM)Why per location matters?Each one has unique selling points, is there a service failure at one but not the others?It helps to keep focused on the macro, ie. “we’re okay”
LISTENER TAKE AWAY: Start calculating your weekly and monthly holds percentage, can you identify intrinsic or extrinsic forces that cause a positive or negative swing?
Data Point #2: Micro Attendance Metrics
Average class size + total visits in a month. Each one per location and as a company following the same concept of macro vs. micro. Both are important. Many scenarios throughout this:ALL OUTDOORS, HALF INDOORS, ALL INDOORS. So we’ve needed to know exactly who is going where and why. Emergency Scenarios: Adjust programming

LISTENER TAKE AWAY: Start tracking and see where correlation arises, then use it to forecast when/if it happens again.
Data Point #3: Front End Interest (ie Leads)
Total number of names each week into our membership waitlist is indicative of two things.1. How we are doing as a company in our service offerings (referrals)2. How much trepidation does the marketplace have with COVID (state of industry)Conversion is important but it’s not the whole story, for example conversion is garbage right now because of the holidays and COVID, but interest is still there which means emotionally people are still very interested.

LISTENER TAKE AWAY: What metrics do you have in place to measure interest?
Data Point #4: Avg. Membership Value
Basic equation that tells you how much revenue you’re generating in each class, used to go hand in hand with data point #2.Why it matters especially in COVID, less people are able to come to the gym each day.For example, right now we have a problem. Our AMV is the same, yet our class capacity is cut by 40% which means our revenue opportunity is reduced by 40%.Prices have to go up with capacity going from a surplus to a premium. 18 x $113 = $2,034 per class 12 x $113 = $1,356 per class= $678 less per classThat’s 1-2 jobsVery similar to the revenue per table in the restaurant industry that’s so crucial to support operations. If we can get our AMV up over time, then it means we don’t need to rely on capacity, so knowing it is absolutely non-negotiable.

LISTENER TAKE AWAY: How can you increase your AMV without compromising experience?

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 - 55min
85 - #43: 3 Major Operational Pivots to Be Successful Post COVID-19
Why We’re Back
Gym industry is getting zero support, 0.4% yet we’re closed, we need information out there to help gyms rebuild. Not coming at this from a position of expertise, more “here’s what we’re doing, here’s how it’s going.” No one knows shit right now. Idea is for you to perhaps consider 1-2 things we say each episode, not mirror our entire operation.
Intro
A brief recap of financials from March to now. We’ll avoid the weeds here and instead focus on the end game numbers.
March 1: 904 activeJune 1: 625 active (-32%)Nov 1: 782 (-14%)Dec 1: 765 (-16%) mostly seasonal

What we did:rent equipment, moved online, home workouts, etc. Same thing we all did as an industry.
PIVOT #1: A garage gym in every station
Everyone did zones, we did mini gyms planted in them. More about experience than safety. We wanted people to come in and not only feel safe, but feel upgraded.
49 squat racks, sets of rings, boosted inventory of free weights.Emphasis on safety and distancing. Didn’t hide behind it, we broadcasted it.Downside: Major loss of availability, class waitlists, loss of potential revenue225 daily spots to 153 per location (in a full schedule). Down 32%We’ve trying to use it as a strength → more hands on coaching, personal connection, and from a business perspective we’ve owned it and turned it into a membership waitlist to drive scarcity.

TAKE AWAY: How can you not just be safe, but improve the experience that’s on brand for you?
PIVOT #2: Narrow Service Offerings
We paused all specialty classes, badly attended classes, open gym, nutrition coaching and everything else that wasn’t “Come to class and get fit.”
Do more with less, no convoluted messaging. All for one, one for all mentality. Addition by subtraction. Absolute clarity to our marketplace on what we offer and we can communicate unquestioned competence in that. Talk about why multiple offerings right now would convolute things: paradox of choice, increased staff tasks.

Result is a membership all on the exact same page, who want to be here, and will help you rebuild. No passive aggressive resentment. Huge if anyone wants to have a successful culture after all this.
TAKE AWAY:Where does addition by subtraction exist for you? What superfluous service are you still providing?
PIVOT #3: Being in an Open Relationship with Old Ways
Use some old, create some new. If you look at pre COVID expectations, you’ll chase the wrong rabbit.Old acquisition, churn, attendance, projections, etc. Be ready to add or do things you previously were against: ie. closed our Crown Point location, offered Remote Training, Price IncreasesIf your training style is pigeon-holed, I think it may be tough for you, ie. powerlifting gym, CrossFit traditionalist, etc. who rely on strict and specific tools and layout.

TAKE AWAY: What about your offering is inflexible? Can it be made flexible?
In All Of It -- Direct Communication
Consistent place for members to find what’s going on.Full honesty, no pulling punches or spins. No sugar coating if it was an answer people didn’t want to hear.Allowed problem members to leave without fighting for them. Rather than passive language stringing them along…”This is not coming back right now.”

The crazy thing is, I think we both feel like we like the gym more than we did one year ago.

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 - 57min
84 - #42: The Evolution of Our Churn & How We Reduced Churn Over 8 Years
In episode 42 of the Business of Lifting Weights Podcast we lay out the evolution of our churn % and what major events have caused both a reduction and an increase in our churn percentage. Churn % is the white elephant in the fitness industry that no one wants to talk about. We disclose it all in this episode.
Tue, 30 Apr 2019 - 56min
83 - #41: 8 Traits to Look for When Hiring Coaches
In episode 41 of the Business of Lifting Weights Podcast we take review our actual characteristic list we review our potential hires to determine if they are a good fit. While this initially started as the hiring process, it quickly developed into a discussion on how these traits ended up affecting how our entire business operates.
Sun, 14 Apr 2019 - 43min
82 - #40: Opening a New Gym. The Start to Finish Process with Our Ocean Beach Location
In episode 40 of the Business of Lifting Weights Podcast we take an in-depth look at the entire process of opening a new facility as we look back on our recent 3rd location addition. Whether you are a current gym owner or looking to open a new location, this will help you avoid mistakes along
Wed, 27 Mar 2019 - 47min
81 - #39: We’re Back! What We’ve Been Doing in the Last 18 Months & Why It’s Important
With an 18 month hiatus from the podcast, we’re back with some exciting new developments on the business front. We lay out what we’ve been doing over the past 18 months and why it’s important to your business. From opening our 3rd location to how long it took to become profitable.
Wed, 06 Mar 2019 - 46min
80 - #30: 6 Characteristics of Running a Successful Gym for 6 Years
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we reflect on 6 years running a successful gym in the highly competitive landscape of San Diego Gyms. We've been through a lot in those years, but ultimately our success comes down to 6 characteristics that have gone unchanged and allowed us to continue to grow year after year.

Characteristics:

1. Culture
2. People
3. Keeping Things Net Positive
4. Ability to Pivot
5. Strong Internal Compass
6. Multiple Lenses
Thu, 20 Apr 2017 - 49min
79 - #29: Pete Dupuis – Creating a Successful Niche Within the Fitness Industry
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we sit down with Pete Dupuis, Vice President and co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance to discuss finding and building a successful niche within the fitness industry.

Topics:

1. The background to how Pete and Eric started CSP.
2. How CSP didn’t start out to capture the baseball niche, but let it develop naturally based on their skill set and location.
3. How to ensure your employees love your business, so your clients love your business.
4. How utilizing high level athletes is important in promoting and leveraging your brand.
5. What Pete has seen to be effective at keeping long term clients at CSP.
6. Pete’s formal education as an MBA graduate in business and how it both helped him.
7. The importance of different skill sets among business partners.
8. Obstacles Pete & Eric faced as they started their training business.
9. A major pricing structure hurdle that caused a major headache through their development.
10. Common mistakes new gym owners make starting out.
11. The most important things to consider when looking for space and signing a lease.

Please make sure to email bryan@perform-360.com with any future topics, questions or feedback.
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 - 1h 03min
78 - #28: Jordan Syatt – Using the Internet to Build Relationships and Generate Clients
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we sit down with owner and founder of Syatt Fitness, Jordan Syatt to discuss how he was able to create a massive online training business using the internet to build relationships.

Topics:

1. The detailed, amazing story behind how Jordan was able to land the job of Gary Vee's personal coach through online content and leveraging his email list.
2. Content creation, the art of "infotainment" and how providing quality free content produces clients.
3. The difference between public content and private content, longer vs. shorter content based on platform.
4. Creating a sales funnel from generating attention to becoming a client and building trust.
5. Why content creation is so difficult and how it pays off.
6. Instagram strategy and creating a purpose of your posts.
7. The power of being truthful, authentic and positive.
8. How you can build human connections through an online space.
9. Techniques to always speak to the individual and not the group.
10. Jordan's best advice for fitness professionals and why most people are not successful online.
11. See Jordan roast Dave's Instagram posts.
12. Treat your posts as a conversation with someone.
13. Jordan's "Final Four" questions.

Please make sure to email bryan@perform-360.com with any future topics, questions or feedback.

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Wed, 15 Feb 2017 - 1h 01min
77 - #27: John Romaniello – Building a Following Through Creative Writing & a Whole Lotta Other Weird Shit
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we sit down with NY Times Bestselling Author and founder of Roman Fitness Systems, John Romaniello to deeply discuss creative writing techniques to make your content stand out and appeal to the right people. Warning, this is not your typical podcast conversation.

Topics:

1. Johns unique background in creative writing.
2. His transition from nerdy history and magic the gathering to being a leading author in the fitness industry.
3. Why proper writing strategy can outperform proper business strategies.
4. Why getting down the the "why" (as John see's it, "people just want to fuck") makes your writing relatable on a deeper level.
5. Why talking about what other writers don't want to will lead to deeper connections with your readers .
6. How to get people to read your articles against their will, because they just can't stop.
7. The relationship of novels to writing fitness articles.
8. How to be relatable and the importance of relatability to YOUR People and why you don't want to please everyone.
9. The art of storytelling and it's effectiveness in fitness writing. Why The Hero's Journey is so important to all writing industries.
10. Why the information you provide is not as important as how you present it.
11. The importance of tempo and varying word structure
12. Johns quick tips to writing
13. Why it's important to read everything including non-fitness and non-business related books. Click here to see John's Recommended reading list
14. John's attempt to get real personal with Dave and Pritz and why being real and personal is what builds a loyal following.

Please make sure to email bryan@perform-360.com with any future topics, questions or feedback.
Thu, 09 Feb 2017 - 1h 12min
76 - #26: Chad Wesley Smith – Growing an Online Training Business
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we sit down at Juggernaut Training Systems headquarters with owner and founder Chad Wesley Smith to discuss their organic growth as an online training business.

Topics:

(1) Chad's background and how he started Juggernaut Training Systems.
(2) Why authenticity is so important.
(3) Content creation - how to grow an online following.
(4) Why having "The Secret" usually means attention seeking and inauthenticity to readers.
(5) Progressions of content - Why reaching specific audiences with different content is critical.
(6) What type of content produces higher viewership.
(7) Why video content is a powerful tool.
(8) Why talking and reaching out to people is so important.
(9) What Chad would have done differently if he had to do it all over again.
(10) Why you don't need a perfect strategy when starting out to be successful. Learn as you go.
(11) Why answering the question "How can we help ______" will produce success.
(12) Get to know Chad with our "Final 4" personal questions.
Wed, 25 Jan 2017 - 57min
75 - #25: Jessica Estrada – Inside the Gym
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we sit down with Jessica Estrada, two-time CrossFit Games Athlete and owner of CrossFit Jääkarhu in Austin, TX to discuss their exploding growth and business operations.

Topics:

(1) Jessica's background and how she got started as a CrossFit athlete and gym owner
(2) When and how she made the transition from athlete to business owner
(3) What separates CrossFit Jääkarhu from other gyms and how that is translated through their DNA
(4) What their process is for new trials coming into the gym
(5) How community fits into the gym
(6) All about programming with 3 different programs in a large facility
(7) Continuing education and it's importance in relation to staff and owners
(8) What mistakes she made and what she would do differently if she had to do it all over again
(9) Final Four
---“Keep Austin Weird”...what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in Austin?
---If you could buy a drink for anyone in history, past or present, who would it be and what would you guys drink?
---What’s one thing that drives you absolutely crazy as gym owner?
---What’s an embarrassing story that happened to you recently or from your childhood?
(10) Lastly, what are your final parting words to gym owners that they can take away from this show and make their business better?
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 - 1h 03min
74 - #24: Creating a Website that Converts Members
#24: Creating a Website that Converts New Members

The goal of your website should be very straightforward. You want to utilize it as a tool that get's new members. Most websites in the gym/fitness industry confuse the potential new member to a point where they have decision paralysis and end up not coming in to check out the gym.

This week, we discuss how to set-up your website through copy and structure, along with tools that you should be utilizing to increase conversions on your site into new members.

Topics:

(1) What platform your website should be built on.
(2) Visual aesthetics vs. functional navigation, which is more important?
(3) The importance of a mobile friendly design, and how to make your site mobile friendly.
(4) What is google's new mobile indexing update about?
(5) How to set-up your free trial process on your website. Don't do what most people are doing....find out what that is.
(6) Should you have pricing listed on your site?
(7) Using google analytics with your site and tracking the data.
(8) Why SEO is so important and how to get started.
(9) Interactive and functional tools we use on our site.
- Platform: Wordpress
- Hosting: Siteground
- Plugins:
---- Fusion Core: drag & drop + extra customization
---- Google Analytics
---- Gravity Forms
---- Instagram Feed
---- Optin Monster
---- P3 (plugin performance enhancer)
---- Revolution Slider
---- SumoMe (social tools)
---- WP Google Maps
---- Yoast SEO

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 - 55min
73 - #23: Christmas Abbott – Inside the Gym
#23: Christmas Abbott - Inside the Gym

This week on The Business of Lifting Weights we sit down with one of the leading female fitness personalities, Christmas Abbott, to discuss gym ownership and creating a successful personal brand.

She let us in behind the curtain to her infrastructure and processes at both CrossFit Invoke and her personal brand, and we covered in a lot in one hour.
Some highlights include:

-What traits learned in Iraq make you successful today?
-What's the best decision you ever made?
-What's a decision you regret?
-How do you build a truly elite coaching staff?
-What is the DNA of your gym, and why?
-What can gym owners do to go from "paying the rent" to "making money"?
-What is your "3 step" rule?
-How do you build real community?
-Will you keep "CrossFit" in your name?
-What are your predictions for the market as fitness evolves?
-How do you approach your handling of your "elite" gym population?
-Do you like mixers in your cocktails?
-What person would you buy a drink and what would you buy them?
-Donuts or cupcakes?
-Who is someone in fitness you admire but doesn't know it?
Thu, 22 Dec 2016 - 58min
72 - #22: Social Media Strategy for Gyms
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights we get into the much debated Social Media world. We give real examples of how we use social media and the proper platforms to use to grow your business. We've seen tremendous success via social media marketing and it will only continue to grow as mobile expansion continues.

Topics:

(1) Our 4-Part Purpose of Social Media for Our Gym.
(2) How social media can be a major player in building your community.
(3) Why people care more than you think.
(4) What Not to Do.
(5) Why selling is dangerous waters.
(6) Be recognizable.
(7) What is Each Platform For?
(8) Why we are moving away from Facebook.
(9) The #1 thing to consider when posting on Instagram.
(10) Gyms We Love.
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 - 59min
71 - #21: Inside the Gym with Geo Rockwell
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights we sit down with Geo Rockwell, co-founder of CrossFit Mission Gorge (which he sold) and now owner of CrossFit Federal Hill and CrossFit Cove. In addition, Geo runs the 4th Pull Podcast, available on Itunes.

Geo is one of the few gym owners that has had the ability to take his businesses to another level of success and been able to replicate his success across different markets.

Topics:

(1) Geo's background and how he got started as a gym owner
(2) Benefits and disadvantages of becoming a CrossFit affiliate
(3) Challenges and getting over rejections as you start out
(4) The one print marketing method that worked for Geo in growing the gym from scratch
(5) The advice on how to grow your gym that you don't want to hear
(6) How Geo sold his first gym and moved cross-country and opened 2 other gyms
(7) The difficulty of a partnership with your business partner
(8) Geo finds a unique way of getting ideas from other gyms via a road trip
(9) What he learned makes a successful gym during his road trip
(10) What he learned are huge put-offs when stepping into a new gym
(11) What to look for in a coach when making hires
(12) What strategies in running a successful gym cary over from West Coast to East Coast
(13) What things did he do differently when opening a gym on the East Coast vs. his previous gym
(14) Results from Geo's "Foundations Membership" marketing method when opening a new gym
(15) Why marketing to the high level athlete is not the right strategy
(16) How Geo used A New You challenge to grow membership
(17) If he were to do it all over again, would Geo do anything differently this time around?
(18) Keeping the CrossFit name vs. dropping the affiliation
Thu, 17 Nov 2016 - 53min
70 - #20: Inside the Gym with Clifton Harski
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we sit down with Fitness Manager and Programmer for Fitwall's 6 US locations, Clifton Harski to discuss adaptability and success in the fitness industry.

Clifton has seen tremendous success in the fitness industry by diversifying his skills and offerings to adapt to any opportunity presented to him.

Topics:

(1) Adaptability - Why pigeonholing yourself into one aspect of fitness limits your opportunities

(2) Traits required to be successful in the fitness industry

(3) Relationships, networking and how they can advance your career

(4) The importance of advancement in your own terms

(5) Getting a free fitness education through learning from your surroundings

(6) Scaling your business - Right away or take your time?

(7) Challenges you face in your business

(8) Finding common ground through relatability
Mon, 17 Oct 2016 - 1h 01min
69 - #19: How to Think Big While Staying Local
The majority of gym's are stuck at a single location, local business. That will only get you so far, but how do you expand past that local gym and build a brand that reaches more than your current market? We sit down with Chris Lynch, owner of Everyday California, who has built his brand from a local kayak rental company to a global brand.

Topics:

(1) Starting small and thinking big. Why having a bigger outlook from the start is important.

(2) Does your business name give people a feeling about your brand and who you are?

(3) Diversifying and growing from your core business

(4) Why the little details matter so much

(5) Slow growth or fast growth?

(6) Success through simplicity

(7) Working with the right people

(8) Leading by example

(9) Mistakes small businesses make
Tue, 04 Oct 2016 - 59min
68 - #18: The Importance of Tracking your Business Data
While the concept is simple, most gym owners don't track data to the extent where it can improve the business. The amount of information you learn when you track and analyze certain business metrics is vital to growing your business.

Topics:

(1) Why tracking data is so important

(2) What data we track and why

(3) Data from the trial process

(4) Membership data

(5) Cancellation data

(6) What to look for in your numbers

(7) How to read the data to improve your business

(8) Measure your trial-to-member conversion rate to ours (we divulge our numbers)

(9) When to use numbers to make decisions and when to use the human element
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 - 58min
67 - #17: The Transition from Working IN the Gym to Working ON the Business
Every gym owner must go through The Transition.....the point in the business where you must step out of the day-to-day to work ON the business in order to grow you gym. Most gym owners fail at this transition for several reasons. In episode 17 of The Business of Lifting Weights, we talk you through that transition and how to successfully grow past this critical turning point.

Topics:

(1) Why being IN your business on a day-to-day basis is actually easy to grow to a certain point

(2) Why establishing trust from the beginning with your members allows your transition out of the day-to-day much easier

(3) The importance of hiring the right coaches through personality and not knowledge

(4) The role you should step into while transitioning out of the gym

(5) Transparency and communicating the growth of the business with your members

(6) How to effectively manage your coaches as you transition away from that role

(7) The hardest part about the transition
Mon, 19 Sep 2016 - 55min
66 - #16: Inside the Gym with Nicole Zapoli
Nicole is founder of Dynamis CrossFit in Carlsbad, California. Today we sit down with Nicole and discuss her "Why" for opening a gym, struggles she went through when opening a gym starting from scratch and how they grew into a successful gym.

Topics:

(1) Nicole's "Why" for opening a gym

(2) The transition away from coaching every single class

(3) Finding the right location

(4) Dealing with your surroundings

(5) Hiring coaches

(6) How to grow a great community
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 - 58min
65 - #15: Discounting – Yay or Nay?
It's very tempting to offer discounts to incentivize potential members to join your gym. However, there are some serious hidden costs associated with discounting that can actually harm your brand more than the revenue those new members bring.

Topics:

Discounting: The Good

(1) Helps to grow your gym

(2)Provides incentive for people who are on the fence about joining

(3) Can provide a quick increase in cash

Discounting: The Bad

(1) People don't look at your gym and what you do before they join

(2) Strain on your coaches and their in-class resources, which takes away from current members

(3) No emotional attachment to your brand

(4) People coming in off discounts are less coachable

(5) No loyalty to your brand

(6) Creates a membership bubble, which will burst

(7) Churn rates will increase

(8) Goals are based on "what" and not "why"

(9) Bad economics

(10) Devalues your brand |

Discounting can work in times of need for a specific outcome, however the long term damage created by offering discounts can be irreparable.
Thu, 25 Aug 2016 - 48min
64 - #14: How to Differentiate Your Gym on “Why”
Today we talk about differentiating your brand by finding your "Why" and creating a gym based around this ideal. No longer are you able to differentiate based on "what" you do, you must establish your why and make it the forefront of everything you do.

Topics:

Why it's important to differentiate

Why differentiating through "what" no longer produces buy-in from clients. Don't become a commodoty.

Our "Why" - What we founded the gym on and why it created a dedicated following

Focussing on simplicity of messaging

(1) Why your gym is not special based on what you do

(2) Why imperfection attracts people

(3) Why the gym should never be about you as the gym owner

(4) Why experienced coaches with fancy certifications might not be the most qualified for your gym.

(5) How to find your "Why"

(6) How to implement your "Why" into everything you do

Finding your why and creating a gym around those ideals will create a community that constantly raves about you and refers more members.
Mon, 15 Aug 2016 - 43min
63 - #12: How to Create an Efficient New Trial Process That Generates Trials and Converts Them to Members
Today we tackle what we believe to be the simgle most important process that makes a successful gym: The Trial Process. Most gyms have an inefficient process to get potential members to try out the gym which leaves them confused and ultimately causes them to never even try your gym. Those trials that do show up are often met with a range of different personalities and processes that leave the potential customer with a negative experience.

Topics:

(1) Website: Setting up our website properly so that trials follow a set process, commit to coming, know what to expect and creates a process where you can track your trials and conversions.

(2) Trial Clas: How to set-up and train your staff to deliver an experience that converts your trials to members, without compromising the quality of coaching to your current members. How to make this process repeatable for every trial that walks through the door.

(3) Follow-Up: Not every trial will join right away. Here's how to convert trials into members through the follow up process.

Setting up these processes to function properly is the difference between a struggling gym and a successful gym.
Mon, 08 Aug 2016 - 57min
62 - #11: How to Set-Up Your Programming to Grow Your Gym
One of the biggest mistakes most gyms make is programming the workouts in a way that limits possible growth. Today we go over ways to avoid one-dimensional programming that will allow you to attract more members and grow to be a successful gym.

Topics:

(1) Level Progressions - Why consistent progress is what keeps people coming back and why programming based on your advanced members is a bad idea.

(2) Why having physical requirements for progressive programming provides goals and motivation for people who might be lost.

(3) Why breaking workouts down by progress level increases retention, makes it easier on your coaching staff and builds trust among your membership base.

(4) How to enforce progress levels and ensure members follow the correct progressions

(5) Hard vs. Effective & Fun vs. Results - Why programming for the wrong purpose will kill your growth

(6) Why you should never have multiple coaches program your workouts

(7) Why your programming often alienates the majority of your members and potentially gets them injured.
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 - 55min
61 - #10: How to Create Better Partnerships with Your Clients
If you don't look at your customers as partners in your gym and don't treat them with the respect they deserve, you are not capitalizing on your full value as a gym or business.

In our 10th episode of The Business of Lifting Weights podcast we sit down with head Strength Coach Julianne Russell and show you how to create better relationships with your customers, the backbone that will fuel your growth.

Topics:

(1) Learning members goals vs. changing their goals to meet your needs

(2) How to recognize progress

(3) How to use the proper selling tactics to ensure a good relationship from the start

(4) The teacher mentality vs. the Drill Sergeant

(5) How to create trust from your initial interaction

(6) How to let customers co-author the process to make them feel involved
Thu, 21 Jul 2016 - 57min
56 - #31: Why Customer Service is the Easiest Way to Grow Your Gym
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we go into customer service and how it's a lost art among gym owners and small business owners. It's one of the easiest methods of increasing your revenue and growing your gym, yet most gyms either ignore it completely or are doing it all wrong.
Topics:

1. How most gyms screw up the customer service experience
2. Examples of poor customer service and how to fix it.
3. What areas are most important when dealing with customers and potential customers
4. Non-traditional methods of customer service
5. How customer service is actually the best marketing tool available and costs no money
6. How to handle difficult members
7. How to turn a negative situation into a positive one
To read in depth about these methods in addition to the podcast, check out the blog post on Growing Your Gym Through Positive Customer Service Interactions.
Mon, 08 May 2017 - 49min
55 - #38: How to Select a Good Gym Location
**Performance360 will be launching our FCC coaching certification to the public for the first time November 3rd – 5th in beautiful San Diego, CA. This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we talk about what you need to do to analyze possible locations and make the best decision on opening a successful gym. Topics: […]
Tue, 19 Sep 2017 - 38min
54 - #37: Training and Coaching vs. Business Development: Which is More Important?
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we talk about the importance of your in-gym experience of training and coaching vs. your business processes and development in terms of how to grow your gym. Needed some financing to your business check out loanscontrol.co.uk offer lower interest to invest your business. Topics: 1. Why you […]
Fri, 25 Aug 2017 - 40min
53 - #36: How to Deal with Competition
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we talk about strategies on combatting your competitors. If you aren't dealing with close competitors now, you will as you become more successful.

Topics:

What you should never do to your competitors.
Your mindset in looking at competition.
How to differentiate yourself from your competitors when the average person doesn't know what to look for.
When competition get's tough in your market, double down on this strategy.
Finding your story and building the intangibles.
Setting realistic expectations for members.
Should you position yourself against competitors?
Why focusing on your competitors reduces your vision and progress.
**Performance360 will be launching our FCC coaching certification to the public in November 2017 in San Diego, CA.

Please make sure to email Bryan@TheBusinessOfLiftingWeights.com with any future topics, questions or feedback.
Mon, 31 Jul 2017 - 34min
42 - #35: Are Referrals Still King?
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we discuss if the common thought holds true that referrals are the best way to grow your gym.

Topics:

1. Referrals - Are they the most efficient source of members to your gym?
2. Attracting the right people who are going to convert.
3. Why bringing in more trials is actually detrimental to your business.
4. What the data tells us about referrals.
5. Why scarcity and marketing psychology should influence how you set-up your processes.
6. Tips for improving each of the member generating sources.
7. Does Yelp Advertising work? Is it worth spending the money?
8. Why SEO is so important and the basics behind the best member generator our business has.
9. Mistakes commonly made on social media platforms.
Fri, 28 Jul 2017 - 34min
41 - #34: Common Programming Mistakes Limiting Your Gym’s Growth
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we talk about the most common programming mistakes we see around the industry and discuss how these mistakes are limiting their growth.

Topics:

Mistake #1: Being too strength focused.
Mistake #2: Programming is too random and not set-up for proper tracking.
Mistake #3: Not scaling workouts properly for both regressions and progressions.
Mistake #4: Focusing on Hard workouts instead of Effective workouts.
**Performance360 will be launching our FCC coaching certification to the public in November 2017 in San Diego, CA.

Please make sure to email Bryan@TheBusinessOfLiftingWeights.com with any future topics, questions or feedback.
Wed, 12 Jul 2017 - 47min
40 - #33: Building A Rockstar Staff in Your Gym
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we go through our process of building incredible coaches and kick the idea that you need to hire experienced staff in order to draw

Topics:

1. Culture Connection vs. Resume - Which is better to hire from?
2. Creating a unified education baseline with different backgrounds.
3. Share in the success of the gym.
4. How much autonomy should you give your staff?
5. Play your gut.
6. Providing continual training.
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 - 39min
39 - #32: How to Grow Your Gym to 300 Members
This week on The Business of Lifting Weights, we talk about 10 things you can focus on to get to the 300 member mark.

Topics:

1. Throw Your Hourly Out the Door
2. Core Competencies
3. Frequent Community Events
4. Recognition
5. Consistency
6. Pricing Flexibility
7. Find Ways to Say Yes
8. Make it Easy to Join Your Gym
9. Matching Expectations with Service
10. Customer Service & the 24 Hour Rule
Please make sure to email Bryan@TheBusinessOfLiftingWeights.com with any future topics, questions or feedback.
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 - 49min
9 - #9: From Pre-Launch to Open, Setting Up Your Gym or Business for Success
Episode 9: From Pre-Launch to Open, Setting Up Your Gym or Business for Success. learn the facts here now The post Episode 9: From Pre-Launch to Open, Setting Up Your Gym or Business for Success appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach. Checkout knightfinance co […]
Thu, 07 Jul 2016 - 44min
8 - #8: The Little Things that Make a Successful Gym
Episode 8: The Little Things that Make a Successful Gym The post Episode 8: The Little Things that Make a Successful Gym appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach.
Sun, 26 Jun 2016 - 46min
7 - #7: Major Mistakes We’ve Made in Our 5 Years of Running Performance360
Episode 7: Major Mistakes We’ve Made in Our 5 Years of Running Performance360 The post Episode 7: Major Mistakes We’ve Made in Our 5 Years of Running Performance360 appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach.
Mon, 06 Jun 2016 - 45min
6 - #6: Progressing as an Athlete
Episode 6: Progressing as an Athlete The post Episode 6: Progressing as an Athlete appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach.
Tue, 24 May 2016 - 1h 05min
5 - #5: The Mental Side of Training
Episode 5: The Mental Side of Training The post Episode 5: The Mental Side of Training appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach.
Mon, 16 May 2016 - 53min
4 - #4: Creating A Proper Gym Culture
Episode 4: Creating A Proper Gym Culture The post Episode 4: Creating A Proper Gym Culture appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach.
Sun, 08 May 2016 - 49min
3 - #3: What Makes a Complete Athlete?
Episode 3: What Makes a Complete Athlete? The post Episode 3: What Makes a Complete Athlete? appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach.
Sun, 24 Apr 2016 - 49min
2 - #2: The Worst Damn Fitness Advice Ever
Episode 2: The Worst Damn Fitness Advice Ever The post Episode 2: The Worst Damn Fitness Advice Ever appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach.
Tue, 19 Apr 2016 - 48min
1 - #1: 3 Operational Lessons We’ve Learned Running a Gym for 5 Years
Episode 1: 3 Operational Lessons We’ve Learned Running a Gym for 5 Years The post Episode 1: 3 Operational Lessons We’ve Learned Running a Gym for 5 Years appeared first on Performance360 | San Diego's Best Gym | 92109 | Pacific Beach | Mission Beach. Customers can get loans from knightfinance co uk.
Fri, 15 Apr 2016 - 49min

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