Gym World Worldwide

Kilo co-founder Mateo Lopez and CEO Kaleda Connell are joined by All Day Fit's Cassie Day, as they take listeners on a construction tour of Cassie's brand-new standalone gym space in Toronto — covering the lease negotiation that almost didn't happen, the front-desk debate every gym owner has, why she's building a member lounge instead of maximizing square footage, and how the All Day Fit brand is evolving as she moves out of a shared space for the first time in a decade.

P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here (https://usekilo.com/gym-world/) so you don't miss out.

📱 Socials:

Cassie Day (Website): https://alldayfit.com/about/cassie-day/

Cassie Day (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/cassiedayyy/

All Day Fit (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/alldayfit.co/

📺 Watch On:

https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide

🔥 Show Notes

• 0:00 — Welcome to the All Day Fit construction tour
• 1:39 — Negotiating the shared back space with the landlord
• 3:00 — The great front-desk debate: staffed vs. unstaffed
• 6:14 — Why the community lounge is worth the square footage
• 10:53 — Walking the main training floor and equipment setup
• 14:00 — What Cassie would do differently: lawyers, realtors, and lease red flags
• 15:56 — Why she left a shared space after a decade
• 17:39 — Space-hunting for two years and keeping rent at 20% of revenue
• 18:56 — Building sustainable coach careers with the "Strong Academy" model
• 20:04 — New hires and org structure
• 24:52 — Paternity leave in Canada and folding a partner into the business
• 26:32 — Rebranding from anti-diet-culture messaging toward "capability"
• 29:11 — The content strategy experiment: cutting all content for two years
• 30:29 — A Romania trip sparks the idea for parent-and-child classes
• 33:13 — Final thoughts and where to find Cassie and Kilo

🌎 Centr CEO Andrew Sugerman joins Mateo Lopez to talk about his jump from running Marvel comics and Disney's social channels to building the equipment behind Hyrox, why 92% of Hyrox finishers are already gym members, and what it actually takes to build a brand gym owners can be proud of.

P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here (https://usekilo.com/gym-world/) so you don't miss out.

For gym owners and operators interested in Centr x HYROX commercial opportunities

Try the Centr App (includes the only HYROX-certified digital training programs)

📱 Socials:
Centr (Website): https://shop.centr.com/
Centr (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/centrfit/

🎙️ Listen On:
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/gym-world-worldwide/id1659702465
Spotify - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/gymworld

📺 Watch On:
https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide

🔥Show Notes

• 0:37 — Mateo introduces Andrew Sugerman, CEO of Center
• 1:39 — Andrew's 12 years at Disney, running Marvel comics and digital/social
• 2:43 — Why he left Disney for health and fitness
• 7:11— Run a successful gym with Kilo (visit https://usekilo.com/gw)
• 9:16 — The identity and community hook that keeps Hyrox athletes coming back
• 13:37 — Center's equipment now inside 4,000+ gyms
• 15:04 — How the Hyrox partnership started at a 2023 race in Anaheim
• 18:43 — How gym owners can bring Hyrox in, even non-competitors
• 24:00 — The growth numbers: 2.5M athletes and US cities doubling in 2026
• 26:26 — What actually makes a brand partnership work
• 29:37 — Brand advice for gym owners without a Disney budget
• 33:19 — Where AI fits into coaching, and where it doesn't

🌎 Kilo co-founder Mateo Lopez and Kilo Chris, take listeners behind the scenes of Kilo while at the Two-Brain Business Summit, the customer-care culture that keeps gym owners coming back, and the people on the team who make it happen.

P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry.

Subscribe here so you don't miss out.

📱 Socials:

Kilo (Website): https://usekilo.com/gw/

Kilo (Instagram): https://usekilo.com/kilogyms/

Book a Demo: https://usekilo.com/book-call

📺 Watch On:

https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide\

🔥Show Notes

• 0:00 — Kilo's female-led company culture and team vibe
• 0:38 — Mateo Lopez introduces Kilo and the Summit
• 1:14 — First-time Summit impressions and gym-world perspectives
• 2:10 — Why Kilo's booth is so packed
• 3:37 — Customer care as Kilo's biggest differentiator
• 5:04 — Shout-outs to standout team members
• 6:03 — Chris on joining the Kilo team
• 7:29 — Elsie's impact on marketing and onboarding
• 8:55 — Team goal for the Summit
• 9:51 — Background in coaching, CrossFit, and gym ownership
• 12:02 — Listening to users and building better features
• 13:16 — Final messages to the team and the Kilo crew

🌎 Mark Fisher, former owner of Mark Fisher Fitness, now a gym business coach and partner at Business for Unicorns, joins Mateo to break down what separates today's top-performing gym owners from everyone else; covering vision setting, knowing your numbers, and building systems that scale.

P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry.

Subscribe here so you don't miss out.

📱 Socials:

• Mark Fisher (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/markfisherhumanbeing/

• Mark Fisher (Website): https://www.businessforunicorns.com

📺 Watch On:

https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide

🔥Show Notes

• 0:00 — Intro & meet Mark Fisher, former owner of Mark Fisher Fitness
• 3:08 — What's changed (and what hasn't) since coaching gym owners instead of being one
• 8:06 — Inside a room of 50 gym owners who collectively own 135 gyms
• 9:29 — Luck, timing, and why you shouldn't copy every successful gym owner
• 11:54 — Trait #1: successful gym owners have a clear vision
• 14:33 — The identity shift from "trainer" to "owner"
• 18:41 — Mark's "set it and forget it" approach to goal setting
• 22:40 — Run a successful gym with Kilo
• 23:18 — Trait #2: successful gym owners know and track their numbers
• 24:38 — The weekly and monthly numbers every gym owner should track
• 28:40 — Trait #3: successful gym owners are dialed in on systems
• 29:01 — The end of the "boiler room sales" era in gym marketing
• 31:46 — Leadership as the most important system of all
• 33:26 — Where to find Mark: his Perform Better talk and how to reach him
• 34:08 — Outro

🌎 Chris McMahon, Kilo's Content and Partnerships Specialist, joins Mateo for a rapid-fire tier-list episode ranking 15 of the most common gym growth strategies from S-tier to F-tier; covering everything from referral programs to six-week challenges.P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here so you don't miss out.📱 Socials:Chris McMahon (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/coach.chrismcmahon/Chris McMahon (Website): https://www.chris-mcmahon.com🔥Show Notes: - 0:00 — Intro & the tier-list concept- 0:28 — Meeting Kilo Chris AKA Chris McMahon- 1:59 — Defining "growth" for a gym business- 2:20 — Free clients for testimonials- 3:59 — Getting family to pay as proof of concept- 5:41 — Facebook groups and online communities- 7:35 — Six-week challenges as a front-end offer- 10:26 — Building an email list- 12:31 — Partnering with other creators and businesses- 14:16 — Paid ads on Facebook and Instagram- 16:43 — Organic social media posting- 18:06 — Referral programs- 18:59 — Hosting local events- 20:36 — Cold outreach, directories, and free consultations- 22:28 — Podcasting and YouTube- 24:14 — Discounted challenges and raising prices- 25:54 — Final thoughts- 26:47 — Outro

🌎 Greg Morrone , owner of The FIT Lab in Hoboken, NJ, joins Mateo to break down the "PT-first" onboarding model that converts 90-95% of leads, and the hospitality lessons from his years in nightlife that shaped a gym with a stellar community.

P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here so you don't miss out.

📱 Socials:

The FIT Lab(Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/thefitlabhoboken/

The FIT Lab (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/theFITLabInc/

The FIT Lab (Website): https://thefitlabhoboken.com/

📺 Watch On:

https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide

🔥Show Notes

• 0:00 — Intro & meet Greg Morrone of The FIT Lab
• 2:29 — Greg's backstory: nightlife, culinary school, and Danny Meyer's hospitality playbook
• 3:55 — Why hospitality lessons are hard to systemize in a gym setting
• 5:53 — Inside The FIT Lab's "PT-first" model
• 5:59 — Run a successful gym with Kilo
• 7:48 — The new fast-track offer: 6 one-on-one sessions for $400
• 8:17 — Results so far: 28 signups, 25 conversions, capacity by October
• 9:44 — Why pricing PT and small group dollar-for-dollar kills sales friction
• 10:13 — Meet coach Jason, and why Greg's staff sticks around for a decade-plus
• 11:12 — The trade-off: 6% rent factor, higher payroll, investing in people over space
• 13:36 — Greg's tagline: "high value personal training"
• 14:29 — The FIT Lab's 13-year anniversary and why community isn't a sales pitch
• 15:25 — Run clubs, Hyrox, and the rise of IRL connection as a selling point
• 16:20 — Designing around busy parents with limited time
• 17:16 — Fitting 180 members into a 2,300 sq ft (1,600-1,700 usable) odd-shaped space
• 17:45 — How members find The FIT Lab: paid ads, Google search, ~250 testimonials
• 20:03 — Advice for gym owners stuck in the same spot for years
• 23:38 — Outro

🌎 Erik Zeyher , owner of Warlock CrossFit in Poughkeepsie, NY, joins Mateo to break down how his semi-private program grew into a $20-25K/month revenue stream and the story behind Help First Fitness, the personal training studio he built inside a local tennis club's old squash court.

P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here so you don't miss out.

📱 Socials:

Erik Zeyher (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/growwitherik/

Warlock CrossFit (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/warlockathletics/

Help First Fitness (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/helpfirstfitness/

🎙️ Listen On:

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/gym-world-worldwide/id1659702465

Spotify - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/gymworld

📺 Watch On:

https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide

🔥 Show Notes

• 0:00 — Intro & meet Erik Zeyher of Warlock CrossFit
• 2:20 — Warlock's backstory and the secret to lasting 10+ years as an affiliate
• 4:11 — How the semi-private program got started
• 4:59 — Inside the 6,000 sq ft space: class vs. semi-private layout
• 5:59 — Run a successful gym with Kilo
• 6:31 — Launching semis internally: the "red rope method" and goal reviews
• 8:05 — Day one results and scaling to $20-25K/month
• 9:44 — Coach pay under the semi-private model
• 11:25 — Retention: injury referrals vs. class-to-semi upgrades
• 13:21 — Building Help First Fitness inside a tennis club's old squash court
• 14:52 — Funding the build-out with a 0% interest credit card
• 16:04 — Lessons from nightlife: why gym is a hospitality business
• 17:38 — The most common problem gym owners bring to sales calls
• 20:44 — Erik's own $23K/month wake-up call before finding Two-Brain
• 21:12 — Where to find Erik

🌎 Josh Maranian, owner of Regen Fitness Club in Fort Collins, Colorado, joins Mateo to break down how he built a semi-private training gym out of his garage and grew it into a 40-member facility in just one year. They get into his 4:1 semi-private model, why he splurged on a sauna and cold plunge while cutting costs elsewhere, how he prices and packages sessions, and his plan to roll out a belt-style pay structure for coaches.P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here, so you don't miss out.📱 Socials:Josh Maranian (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/josh.maranian/Regen Fitness Club (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/regenfitnessclub/📺 Watch On: https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide🔥 Show Notes- 0:00 — Intro & meet Josh Maranian of Regen Fitness Club- 1:22 — Inside the 4:1 semi-private model, sauna, and cold plunge- 3:00 — How sessions are run and customized within a small group- 3:39 — From a corporate burnout to getting a personal training cert- 4:54 — Getting let go and going all-in on training out of his garage- 6:20 — How template-based programming works for each member- 9:11 — Outgrowing the garage: pairing clients up and the birth of the 4:1 model- 10:42 — Run a successful gym with Kilo- 11:08 — Funding the build-out with an intra-family loan- 11:48 — What to spend big on (equipment) vs. cut aggressively on (design)- 13:00 — Why the sauna and cold plunge were non-negotiable- 14:12 — Growing from 10 to 40+ members in year one- 15:28 — Pricing, packaging, and four-week billing cycles- 16:26 — Why Josh started hiring coaches early instead of waiting- 17:38 — Coach pay, the path to a "belt"-style pay structure, and growth tracks- 19:54 — How on-ramp and the intro package set member expectations- 20:19 — Year one wins and what's next for year two- 20:36 — Why an operations manager matters more than another coach- 23:27 — Where to find Josh

🌎 Corey Lewis , owner of Extra Mile Fitness in St. Louis, Missouri and Two-Brain mentor, joins Mateo to break down how he hires, develops, and retains great coaches. They get into his walking interview process, how he onboards new staff before their first day, why past members are his best source of new leads, and the system he uses to bring canceled members back.P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here (https://usekilo.com/gym-world/) so you don't miss out.📱 Socials: Corey Lewis (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/corey_j_lewis/ Extra Mile Fitness (Instagram) - https://www.instagram.com/xtra.mile.fitness/Extra Mile Fitness(Website) - https://xm.fitness/ ---🔥 Show Notes- 0:00 — Intro & meet Corey Lewis of Extra Mile Fitness- 1:32 — The gym model and how it's evolved over 14 years- 2:00 — Why Corey diversified beyond group classes- 3:52 — How the hiring process has changed- 4:28 — Using a careers page and video submissions to filter candidates- 4:54 — Run a successful gym with Kilo- 7:00 — The walking interview and what it reveals- 8:19 — The second interview and what happens after an offer is made- 10:23 — Onboarding before the first day: gifts, welcome videos, and happy hours- 12:19 — What the first day actually looks like- 13:02 — The 3-month internship and coaching development program- 14:44 — The belt system and how it gives coaches a clear career roadmap- 15:52 — How Corey structures income so coaches can make a real living- 18:05 — Using past members as a lead source- 19:12 — The exit goal review and staying in touch after cancellation- 22:01 — Easy wins for gym owners looking to reactivate past members- 23:42 — Where to find Corey

🌎 Karen Stephenson, owner of Hammock Coast CrossFit on Pawleys Island , South Carolina, joins Mateo at the Two-Brain Business Summit to share how she sold her first gym, moved to the beach, and opened a second one in the middle of COVID. They get into what it really takes to start over, how she transitioned from hobby gym to real business, and why building a senior fitness program has become one of her biggest wins.

P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the possibilities of making money in the fitness industry. Subscribe here, so you don't miss out.

📱 Socials:

Hammock Coast CrossFit (Instagram) - https://www.instagram.com/hammockcoast_cf/

Hammock Coast CrossFit (Website) - https://hammockcoastcrossfit.com/

📺 Watch On:

https://www.youtube.com/@GymWorldWorldwide

🔥 Show Notes:

• 0:00 — Intro & meet Karen of Hammock Coast CrossFit
• 4:46 — Opening their first gym in Elkins, West Virginia
• 10:06 — Chris Cooper's "perfect day" exercise and deciding to move to the beach
• 14:03 — Starting over in South Carolina during COVID
• 16:50 — Run a successful gym with Kilo (visit https://usekilo.com/)
• 19:41 — Buying the building
• 21:44 — Going from hobby gym to real business
• 22:42 — Adding Senior Fit, kids, and semi-private training
• 27:10 — Karen's personal journey with fitness
• 29:23 — The 84-year-old member who went on safari