Buying a gym can be one of the best business decisions you’ll ever make or one of the most expensive mistakes of your life.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin and attorney Matthew Becker of Gym Lawyers PLLC walk you through exactly how to buy a gym without overpaying, buying a disaster or landing on legal landmines.

Matthew has handled over $50 million in gym transactions, and John has personally bought and sold five gyms in New York City.

In this step-by-step training, the pair break down:

• The formula for valuing a gym.
• Factors that impact the valuation.
• How to define and find the gym you’re looking for.
• The legal process for buying a gym.
• Options for financing a gym purchase.

Before you commit to a buy, check out this show and make sure you're setting yourself up for long-term success in the fitness industry.

Links

Free valuation calculator: "How to Buy a Gym"

"How to Value a Gym: SDE, Multiples and What a Gym Is Actually Worth"

Book a Call

Gym Lawyers Consultation

2:41 - How to value a gym

17:14 - Define your “buy box”

18:55 - The search

22:12 - Legal and financing

36:43 - The full playbook

If you burn out, your gym dies. That’s why taking care of your mental health is the best business decision you can make.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper explains why burnout happens to gym owners and how to prevent it.

If you pour your energy into clients all day, manage staff, call leads, clean bathrooms and run your business, then go home and scrape the bottom of the bowl for whatever’s left for your family, you'll eventually run out of gas.

Your clients will know exactly when that happens. And they'll walk out. 

Chris shares six practical strategies for improving your mental health before you burn out, including setting boundaries, finding someone to talk to and systemizing your business.

You can’t sell your clients energy if you don’t have it. Tune in to learn how to keep your cup full—and your gym alive.

Connect with gym owners just like you at the Two-Brain Summit. Get tickets via the link below!

Links

Two-Brain Summit Tickets

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

1:46 - What we’re really selling

6:18 - The money problem

9:29 - Mental health strategies 1-3

15:37 - Mental health strategies 4-6

21:35 - The Two-Brain Summit

Most gym owners stay stuck because of fear. Fear of failure. Fear of confrontation. Fear of making things worse.

But here’s what Chris Cooper learned after 15 years of mentoring gym owners: The only thing stronger than fear is love.

You have to love the local people who need your help more than you fear publishing that Instagram post. You have to love your family enough to fire that coach who’s hurting your gym.

Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris presents gym owners with a challenge: Expand your comfort zone.

Coop gives you 10 difficult scenarios to choose from and a simple four-day process for practicing them until they become easy:

• Day 1: Practice the uncomfortable task in a mirror
• Day 2: Practice with a supportive friend or spouse
• Day 3: Practice with your mentor
• Day 4: Do it for real

Your comfort zone is like a muscle. When you exercise it, it gets bigger—and you become more capable of making the changes your business needs.

To get the free Comfort Zone Challenge worksheet, DM Chris in Gym Owners United, linked below.

Links

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:01 - Intro

1:57 - How to change

3:27 - Do you care enough?

11:01 - Comfort Zone Challenge

15:09 - Which gym owners succeed?

The Two-Brain Summit is back for its 10th year this June in Chicago, and it’s bigger than ever before!

Get your tickets via the link below and make June 6-7 the most valuable weekend of your entire year.

Headlining the owners side, bestselling author Mike Michalowicz will teach you how to stand out and attract the right customers to your gym. You’ll also hear from fitness business experts such as:

- Matt Souza of “The Sevan Podcast” and “Souza’s Show”
- Street Parking co-founders Miranda and Julian Alcaraz
- Rick Mayo, founder of Alloy Personal Training (1992)

And while you’re leveling up as a gym owner, your coaches will be honing their skills with some of the best in the industry, including:

- HWPO’s Michele Letendre, CrossFit Games coach and former athlete
- Power Monkey’s Dave Durante (gymnastics) and Chad Vaughn (weightlifting), both former elite athletes
- Bill Parisi, fascia expert and founder of Parisi Speed School

Tune in as Chris Cooper presents the full lineup and shares exactly what gym owners and coaches will be working on at the world's biggest gym business conference. 

Then, use the link below to get your tickets before prices go up on Apr. 1.

Links

Two-Brain Summit Tickets

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:01 - Intro

2:16 - Saturday lineup: Owners

9:18 - Saturday lineup: Coaches

11:50 - Sunday lineup: Owners

18:30 - Sunday lineup: Coaches

For almost a decade, CrossFit affiliate owners followed a misguided mantra:

"CrossFit is done in big groups only."

In 2026, we know this is false. CrossFit is an incredible tool you can use to get clients fit, and you can deliver coaching one on one, in semi-private groups, in small groups and in big groups. The more individual attention a client receives, the higher the rate.

That's critical: High-value services such as PT help CrossFit gyms dramatically increase average revenue per member (ARM). Back in the day, ARM scores of $100-$150 were common, and many gym owners struggled to make a profit.

Now, with PT sales and group-plus-PT "hybrid packages," CrossFit gyms can push ARM north of $200.

Chris Vasseur of Bionic CrossFit is the proof: His ARM is $400+ on the strength of PT sales. 

The best part: Vasseur doesn't get slimy to sell PT. He just tells people exactly how to accomplish their goals.

"Want to be able to link 20 double-unders? I can teach you. Let's book a one-on-one slot next week."

It's that simple.

Tune in as host Mike Warkentin gets all the details from a CrossFit affiliate owner who uses real talk and a desire to help to sell lots of PT.

Links

"Help First" by Chris Cooper

Affinity Marketing: How to Get Clients Fast

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:01 - Intro

0:45 - Who needs more help?

5:29 - PT rates

7:56 - Selling PT

13:30 - New PT clients

16:31 - ARM boosters

What if every one of your clients paid $400 or more per month?

You probably wouldn't need more clients, staff, equipment or space, right?

In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shows exactly how 10 top gym owners have solved the "need more clients" problem by earning world-class revenue from existing clients.

In short, they price coaching services correctly and deliver monster value with premium services such as personal training, small group personal training, semi-private training and nutrition/habits coaching. 

These high-value members get results, so they stay longer and refer friends, creating a very profitable business model.

Coop's got key details from our leaders, plus expert perspective to help you drive up average revenue per member in your gym. 

Your first target: $205. If you hit that—use Coop's tips!—you can earn $100,000 per year with just 150 members.

Links

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:01 - Intro

4:03 - Leaderboard reveal

6:18 - How they increased ARM

7:50 - Focusing on high-value clients

9:50 - Starting a gym with Two-Brain

 In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," fitness entrepreneur Daniel Purington reveals the system that produced these world-class stats at Woodslawn Fitness in Oregon:

• 170 members
• $350 average revenue per member
• 36-month length of engagement

Daniel serves his members in just 2,000 square feet of space and has capped membership: He accepts just four new members per month.

To acquire the clients he needs to say at his cap, he doesn't run lead ads.

Instead, he uses a clever Affinity Marketing tactic to "replicate" his existing clients: Daniel hosts "retention events" for current members and encourages them to bring their friends and family to the barbecue.

Daniel and host Mike Warkentin dig deep into the affinity plan at Woodslawn to offer up tips to help you earn more hot leads and high-value clients without spending a dollar on ads.

Listen, then plan your own retention-boosting event infused with a clever dose of marketing.

Links

Two-Brain Summit

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:01 - Intro

2:51 - Affinity marketing process

6:40 - “Seeding” Google reviews

8:56 - Tracking and annual events plan

19:30 - Dan’s ARM and LEG

23:55 - What to do first

When gym owners need more clients, most jump straight to ads, social media or complicated marketing campaigns.

Another path will produce much better results faster.

In this episode, Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares the zero-cost strategy he used to fill a new program at his gym in less than a week: affinity marketing.

Instead of chasing cold leads, use affinity marketing to leverage your best clients' connections: their family, friends and coworkers.

Chris explains how to organize your outreach with an Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet, run goal reviews that naturally lead to referrals and follow up so conversations actually turn into clients.

Chris' personal results: One text produced 16 clients.

Don’t wait and hope members will refer their friends. Tune in and learn how to build a referral funnel that constantly produces hot leads and high-value clients.

Download the Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet and other free lead-generation resources via the link below.

Links

Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:01 - Intro

3:48 - The marketing bull’s-eye

6:37 - Affinity Marketing Cheat Sheet

8:49 - Goal review process

14:07 - Follow-up script

Many gym owners hire the wrong mentor for the wrong reasons.

They pick the cheapest option or someone who “really cares.” But "cheap" doesn't mean "effective" and caring isn’t enough.

You need results when you invest in mentorship.

Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through the Mentor Match exercise, a step-by-step process for identifying exactly the right mentor for you.

The exercise reveals which coaching styles have actually worked for you in the past: Some people respond to drill sergeants, while others need questioners or explainers.

The key is finding the style that matches your personality.

Chris also covers the three non-negotiables when choosing a mentor: They’ve done what you want to do, they’re objective (not just supportive), and the investment is uncomfortable enough to ensure you do the work.

Every coach needs a coach. Use the Mentor Match exercise to find the right fit.

Download the free Mentor Match worksheet in Gym Owners United, linked below.

Links

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

1:45 - Mentor Match exercise

13:01 - Find the expert

16:17 - Non-negotiables

19:48 - Do your due diligence

20:51 - A reality check

You have access to endless knowledge and resources, but you can’t seem to put it all together and fix your gym. Why?

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through the mind of a mentor—showing you exactly how they diagnose problems, prioritize solutions and guide gym owners step by step.

He reveals the three reasons gym owners need more money:

- Expenses are too high.
- Number of clients is too low.
- Average revenue per member (ARM) is too low.

Many gym owners say, “I need more leads,” but that’s rarely the real issue. Chris maps out the actual problem-solving process so you can identify your biggest priority.

He explains how to get more clients, increase retention and earn more per member.

You don’t need more knowledge to grow your gym; you need clarity and a step-by-step plan.

Links

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

3:24 - Earn more per member

8:44 - More clients, longer retention

16:51 - Understand your lead funnel

24:43 - The four marketing funnels

33:18 - Make time to grow your gym