The 2018 TwoBrain Summit is June 2-3 in Niles, IL! Book your spot here!

Episode 114 – Baltimore Crew 

Think about the other affiliates in your city. Do you know the owners? Do you know their their spouses or even their kids? 

Back in the day, we all had this rosy picture of CrossFit Gyms working together in their community, throwing fun competitions, having picnics together on the weekend. However, in reality, CrossFit gyms can be fierce competitors and regularly accuse each other of cutting prices and stealing members. 

However, there is one beacon of hope within the city of Baltimore. These gym owners get together every month to talk about what is working and collaborate to improve their gyms. They send members to each other’s gyms. If this sounds like it can’t be possible, then listen in! Today I talk to seven gym owners and learn where they came from and how this culture of helping each other came about. This is a shining example of where I hope CrossFit will be going forward.


The Baltimore Crew meets up about once a month near downtown Baltimore. At the meeting the crew talks about what went well and what people need help with over the past month. They do this by going around the table and then collaborating to deal with issues and problems. Occasionally a member will get “beat up” when they do something wrong or are avoiding a problem at their gym. But this is always constructive in nature, and it is meant to challenge a member and be sure they are growing as a business and gym owner.  After meeting as a group, the members of the crew can take the ideas and actions back to their gym to work on it with their team.. ‘

One way in which the Baltimore Crew has helped one another is by recommending new clients to other gyms. Many times a client will be moving to the other side of town and it just makes more sense to try a gym that is closer to their residence or work. By referring clients to people you know and trust you can ensure that they receive a good experience. The Baltimore crew knows that if they can make CrossFit popular and successful in the entire city than it will help everyone involved.

Want to build a stronger community of gym owners in your city? This episode has tips to get started. These owners are a living example of collaborative competition. 

Episode 113 - Working With Entrepreneurs, with Eden Watson of Two-Brain Workshop

Entrepreneurs are one of my Top 3 target audiences at Catalyst. I think entrepreneurs are perfect clients for CrossFit gyms, because they have:

 Time flexibility
 Financial flexibility
 A clear sense of priorities
 No time to waste "guessing" what workout to do.

In previous episodes, we've mentioned the Two-Brain Workshop, working with corporate groups, and even the best workouts for entrepreneurs. But today, Eden Watson, manager of the Workshop, sat down to spell out EXACTLY how we're tying founders to fitness.

In this episode, I'm going to help you figure out where your gym currently sits; who your target audience should be; how to zip ahead of your local competition; and what to do TODAY to focus your attention and grow your CrossFit family.

Episode 111 – Garner Tullis

Your business exists to serve you. And you, in turn, serve those closest to you first: your spouse, your kids, and your family.

But too often, your family is asked to sacrifice for the good of the business. At startup, this might be necessary--for awhile. But many gyms are still in making the sacrifices of startup after YEARS in business.

Today on the show I have invited Garner Tullis, of Our Greater Good, to talk about maintaining healthy family relationships, maintaining your values under stress, and just having a happy life. The balance between work and family is important and something we all need to continually be reminded of. 

The 2018 TwoBrain Summit is June 2-3 in Niles, IL! Book your spot here!

I've always believed that CrossFit gyms have a higher proportion of female ownership than almost any other small business. HQ doesn't have the data to support or refute that claim, but my empirical experience, when compared to industry data held elsewhere, says that more women own CrossFit gyms than any other type, and the success rate for female entrepreneurs in CrossFit is higher than almost any other option.

Today on the show we are joined by Danielle Brown and Anastasia Bennett. Both are longtime CrossFit box owners and mentors at Two-Brain. They both bring a wealth of business and CrossFit experience to the table as we discuss a range of topics on the show today. Be ready to take good notes and as always feel free to reach out to either mentor with any questions you may have!

Episode 109 – Greg Strauch

Today on the show we are joined by Greg Strauch of CrossFit Unkown Elements in Clovis, New Mexico. Greg joins us to talk about how he got his start with CrossFit after the Air Force, What it takes to build a successful gym, and his transition into becoming a mentor with Two-Brain. 

One of the most common questions I get from gym owner on our free call is, "How do I get more leads?"

The "magical" nature of online ads distracts many away from easier, more natural opportunities

The Affinity Marketing plan is made of concentric rings. Each ring or “loop” represents a new audience for your service.

The center ring ("Axial Clients") has very high affinity, because they're already buying your service and loving it. But it's the smallest possible audience.

As we radiate out from center, audience size increases but Affinity decreases. You'll have to do more work to "warm up" a potential client to get them to purchase, and even more work to keep them.

In this episode, I walk through some simple strategies we teach in the Incubator to leverage your relationships with your clients and future clients.