You probably know Jason Khalipa as a CrossFit Games legend. You might know him as the owner of NCFIT, formerly NorCal CrossFit. But did you know that he oversees more than 20 gyms and 150 employees worldwide under the NCFIT umbrella?

Jason began as many gym owners do. He opened his first gym in a 1,500-square-foot space with no credit and a shallow bank account. He coached classes, handed out flyers and did the books. Sometimes he spent the night on the gym couch.

At Two-Brain Business, we call that Founder Phase, and Jason didn't stay there long. By treating his gym as a business instead of a hobby—prioritizing sales and marketing, putting the right staff in the right seats and tapping into new markets—he turned his tiny gym into a global fitness empire.

In this episode, Jason is here with Two-Brain Business mentor Jay Williams to share how he did it and answer your questions, from payroll to whether or not to affiliate to how to start a corporate wellness program.

Links:

NCFIT
Free Tools

Contact:

Join the NCFIT Collective (Two-Brain Business customers get 50% off the first month!)

Timeline:

1:27 – How Jason got involved in the fitness industry.

2:14 – Opening his first gym.

4:13 – Getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

6:12 – Bridging coaching and community with sales and marketing.

7:10 – The secret to growth: Master the fundamentals (and pick up the phone).

9:10 – More is not always better.

10:50 – Overcoming the icon problem.

12:52 – On hiring: 1099 vs. W2.

14:11 – Focus on your strengths.

17:29 – Business success: It’s not about the Games.

19:55 – The biggest mistake gym owners are making today.

21:50 – What he’d do differently if he could start all over.

25:53 – When is it time to expand?

26:17 – The attitude that sets NCFIT apart.

27:50 – The one skill every gym owner must learn in order to level up. 

28:50 – All about the NCFIT Collective.

30:41 – Expansion and quality control.

32:00 – Triaging your time.

33:46 – Do you need outside funding to start a gym? 

37:44 – On offering 30- and 45-minute classes.

40:24 – How to serve both elite athletes and the general population. 

41:34 – Managing client relationships.

43:04 – Creating opportunities for staff.

44:11 – When to affiliate with CrossFit Inc. (and when not to).

45:02 – How to get into corporate wellness.

45:33 – Payroll and the big picture.

47:08 – The future of the fitness industry.

48:41 – The NCFIT Collective: how to join and why.