Just because you’ve eaten in a restaurant doesn’t mean you know how to run a restaurant. Most people will agree with that in general, but it’s harder to see the truth when looking at your own business. The same goes for working out or coaching in a gym versus running a gym.

This week, Garry Lineham talks to us about why it might be more important to grow in your business experience than in your technical knowledge when running your own gym (or any business for that matter.) The core reason is corporate intelligence: the attribute that you exercise and expand by working on a business as an entrepreneur rather than just working in the business as an employee.

Currently, Garry runs Human Garage, a health and wellness company in Venice, California that specializes in the connection between the body and the mind. On Barbell Business, Garry tells us how he applies his corporate intelligence daily to the tasks of leading and growing his team there and scaling his operation.

Garry explains a lot by breaking down what is and is not a real business.

• “It’s not a business if you have to be there; it’s a job.”
• “If you’re doing it just to make money, then you better get out of there. That’s not a business.”
• “If you can’t define your values and your beliefs, then it’s not a business and you shouldn’t be in business.”

For him, your skill starts off as a trade. Then you create a hobby out of it, even if you’re actually operating a gym, for example. A real business is when you can duplicate it, and that requires a certain amount of corporate intelligence in the owner.

When it comes to starting and continuing a gym, Garry believes that corporate intelligence is the key to making the right call: “Just because something is a good idea doesn’t mean it makes a good business.”

But even if you’re running a business that should work, your corporate intelligence will determine if you’re the right man for the job: “Just because it’s a good business and a good idea doesn’t mean I’m gonna be good at it.”

For those who are already successful at their business but are eager to learn more, Garry also has some wisdom to share.

• “The biggest killer of businesses is success. It’s not actually the challenges of getting started.”
• “What the brand really is is what people feel and say about you when you’re not there.”

So if you’ve been wondering why all these hours spent in your gym haven’t elevated you to a higher level of business success, or you already have corporate intelligence but want to gain more, check out this week’s episode of Barbell Business.