Two Brain Mentor Series Jeff Burlingame

At Two Brain we have over 20 mentors from around the world. In this episode I interview mentor Jeff Burlingame to hear how he got started in the gym business, and his path to becoming a mentor. 

Jeff knew he wanted to be mentor in his late teens after years of watching TV shows like Kitchen Nightmares, Hotel Hell and Bar Rescue. As he started frequenting gyms he realised he wanted to mentor gym owners. Hear about his journey to get there, which includes, working in sales, becoming the owner of a gym and being fired. He talks about how he tuned his gym around and why action was the thing that got him through.

Discussion Points

• What led to Jeff wanting to be a mentor (01:02)
• How he started his gym career as a personal trainer and how his career in gyms progressed (3:00)
• How having his daughter changed his attitude to working 15-hour days and led him back to the idea of mentorship (03:52)
• Finding the opportunity to open his own gym (05:52)
• Running his first CrossFit gym and how he ended up buying it (08:00)
• Working out how to make money from the gym and working with Two Brain (14:40)
• Turning his gym around (16:33)
• The importance of action and momentum (17:46)
• How Jeff became a mentor with Two Brain and the tough training he went through (20:35)
• That going through the tough times of running a business is what builds character (25:00)
• What Jeff has learned from being a mentor (27:11)
• Why authenticity and experience in the industry are important to look for in a mentor (30:20)
• The importance of talking to your potential mentor and seeing if you align (33:38)

Links

Two-Brain Business: Grow Your Gym by Chris Cooper