Run a Profitable Gym

Chris Cooper
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated twice weekly

Run a Profitable Gym is packed with business tools for gym owners and CrossFit affiliates. This is actionable, data-backed business advice for all gym owners, including those who own personal training studios, fitness franchises, and strength and conditioning gyms. Broke gym owner Chris Cooper turned a struggling gym into an asset, then built a multi-million-dollar mentoring company to help other fitness entrepreneurs do the same thing. Every week, Chris presents the top tactics for building a profitable gym, as well as real success stories from gym owners who have found incredible success through Two-Brain Business mentorship. Chris’s goal is to create millionaire gym owners. Subscribe to Run a Profitable Gym and you could be one of them.

  1. 16 hr ago

    Why Your Gym Feels Stuck (And What to Do Next)

    Get Chris Cooper’s book “Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief” free on Kindle this week (Jul. 27-31): https://twobrain.co/4gLvR5E If you’re a gym owner who feels stuck, you probably don’t need more information. You need focus. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper joins CEO John Franklin to break down the four distinct phases of the entrepreneurial journey, based on his book “Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief.” Chris explains why the Founder phase is about narrowing to one clear product and getting good at conversations and invitations—not diversifying or over-investing in space and staff. He shares the story of nearly running out of money and being told by his own mentor that he wasn’t ready for marketing yet. From there, Chris and John walk through the Farmer phase (buying back your time instead of hiring your clone), the high-risk Tinker phase (where entrepreneurs often blow up what’s working by chasing shiny new ideas), and the Chief phase, where the goal shifts from personal wealth to building a legacy that multiplies impact beyond any one person. Chris also shares real stories from his own journey, including the mentor who talked him out of opening a coffee shop and the moment that reshaped how he thinks about giving back. Tune in to figure out exactly which phase of entrepreneurship you’re in right now, and what to focus on to move forward. Several of Chris’ other books are also free on Kindle this week, including “Start a Gym” and “Millionaire Gym Owner.” Grab your copies via the link below. Links "Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief" More Free Books Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - The four stages every gym owner goes through 0:50 - Why Chris rewrote “Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Chief” 3:36 - How to escape the Founder phase 7:34 - Why more leads won’t fix your gym 10:50 - When you’ve officially become a Farmer 12:02 - The hiring mistake almost every gym owner makes 19:45 - Why successful gym owners get distracted 24:39 - How Tinker gym owners build lasting wealth 28:00 - What the Chief phase really looks like 31:13 - How to create a legacy beyond your gym

  2. 5 days ago

    Are the CrossFit Games Dead?

    Want to run an in-gym event that brings in new members and keeps them around? Download our step-by-step Intramural Open guide. Are the CrossFit Games dead? And should gym owners even care? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper joins CEO John Franklin to discuss the state of the Games, as it heads into its 20th year. Chris has been on both sides of this conversation. He worked for CrossFit HQ, recently interviewed the brand’s new CEO Bruce Edwards, and made the decision to reaffiliate his own gym. He walks through how the Games shifted from a small community meetup into an expensive, sponsor-driven spectacle, and why that shift disconnected it from the everyday members who make up most affiliate gyms. John puts Chris through a four-question report card on whether the Games still market the brand, measure real fitness, bring new people into CrossFit and keep members in affiliates longer. Chris’ answers point to one consistent theme: Gyms don’t need to wait on HQ to fix this. The pair dig into what’s actually working elsewhere, including HYROX, Spartan Race and Street Parking meetups. They explain how gym owners can borrow those ideas to build their own intramural events, using the same repeatable workouts each year so members can track real progress and feel proud of what they’ve accomplished. Tune in to hear Chris’s take on where the Games went wrong, and how any affiliate can create that same “peak moment” feeling for members without needing CrossFit HQ to get it right first. Links Intramural Open Guide Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Are the CrossFit Games still helping gym owners? 0:51 - What the CrossFit Games were originally built for 3:11 - When the Games stopped helping affiliates 7:21 - What gym members are actually looking for 10:20 - How the Open lost its original purpose 14:42 - Chris Cooper grades the CrossFit Games 20:25 - What Chris would change at CrossFit HQ 25:12 - Why fitness festivals outperform competitions 29:09 - How to reinvent the CrossFit Open for your gym 34:23 - Why Chris re-affiliated with CrossFit

  3. 20 Jul

    How This Gym's Content System Generates 140 Leads a Month

    Use our AI-powered Instagram audit to identify the biggest gaps in your gym’s social media and generate more leads: https://gymig.com/ Isaac Morgado’s gym content system generates 140+ leads per month. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin sits down with Isaac to break down his exact Monday-morning process for batching a full week of lead-generating content. Isaac explains why he shifted away from trend-chasing reels toward value-based, saveable content, and he reveals the main content buckets he rotates through. He also shares how his personal brand is starting to outperform the gym page, and how paid ads (including a surprisingly cheap Hyrox campaign) work alongside organic content to build trust before someone ever fills out a form. Tune in to get a simple framework for turning one piece of long-form content into a week’s worth of leads-generating posts. Links Gym Instagram Audit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - The content system behind 140 gym leads a month 0:59 - What a high-performing content system actually looks like 3:00 - Plan a full week of content in 90 minutes 6:29 - Create content people actually save and share 8:34 - Free AI Instagram audit for gym owners 8:50 - Why valuable content beats viral content 15:03 - Turn one podcast into weeks of content 20:21 - Which marketing channels deserve your time 24:10 - How paid ads and organic content work together 28:29 - Where struggling gym owners should start

  4. 15 Jul

    How to Know Exactly What to Charge at Your Gym

    Calculate exactly what you should be charging with our Revenue Per Session (RPS) Calculator, linked below. Don’t set your prices by copying the gym down the street (and maybe knocking off $10). Instead, there’s a data-backed way to do it, using real numbers from thousands of gyms and one metric that tells you if your price is pulling its weight: revenue per session (RPS). In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin explains what revenue per session (RPS) is and why $200 is a healthy target to aim for. He walks through the math for calculating your session rate and RPS and shows two different ways to hit the $200 RPS benchmark—raising your prices or increasing class attendance. Pulling data from Two-Brain’s “State of the Industry” report (metrics from over 7,000 gyms), John analyzes large group and small group/semi-private models side by side, comparing lead volume, close rates, pricing and membership usage. Listen to learn how to set data-backed prices that let you pay coaches well and run a more profitable gym. Links Rate Per Session Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Stop copying your competitor’s prices 0:41 - The metric every gym owner should track 1:24 - What 7,000 gyms taught us about pricing 3:01 - Calculate your revenue per session 4:28 - The $200 rule for profitable gyms 5:58 - How to charge the right price 6:59 - What if you can’t raise your prices?

  5. 13 Jul

    How to Add Small Group Training to a Large Group Gym

    Semi-private training is one of the most talked about revenue plays in the fitness industry, but there’s rarely a clear roadmap for adding it to an already packed group training schedule. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin sits down with Jamie Warren, CEO of Iron Tribe Fitness, who took his gyms from nearly 100% group training revenue to a 50/50 split with small group—without blowing up his schedule or losing his culture in the process. Jamie explains how he made the change: identifying which coaches and clients to beta test with, protecting the schedule with a “do no harm” approach, and using client demand to decide which class slots to convert. He also shares real stats, including how average revenue per member nearly doubled and why net margins ended up roughly twice as high even with a similarly-sized member base. Tune in to learn how to build a semi-private, small group training program that adds real value for clients and for your business. ➖➖➖ How much revenue does your gym generate per session? Measure your RPS against the healthy $200 benchmark and find out what to change if you’re not there yet: https://twobrain.co/4wv2VDk Links Rate Per Session Calculator Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why Iron Tribe added semi-private 4:15 - Building the beta test with existing coaches 9:40 - The webinar launch and first 100 members 16:20 - Protecting the schedule during the transition 22:05 - The revenue and margin results 28:30 - Advice for gym owners on the fence

  6. 9 Jul

    How HYROX Affiliates Actually Make Money

    Some gyms are struggling to break even on their HYROX affiliation. Others are generating 15X or even 89X return on their affiliation fees. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” John Franklin sits down with Lisa Palmer, a Two-Brain mentor and HYROX affiliate in London. The U.K. is one of the most mature HYROX markets in the world, roughly three years ahead of North America. Lisa walks through how she layered HYROX onto her CrossFit schedule, replacing low-attendance classes instead of adding new ones, and how the move became an unexpected retention machine, dropping her gym’s churn from 14% to under 5%. She and John dig into the full playbook: building race-prep courses around official HYROX events, running simulations that pull in thousands of dollars, using HYROX to catch members who need a lower-impact option, and turning that same funnel into CrossFit upgrades. Lisa also shares what she’d do differently if she were starting over and how gyms of any size can find an entry point. Tune in to learn how to build a HYROX program that actually pays for itself many times over. Want to generate more revenue from HYROX? Check out our HYROX toolkit, linked below! Links HYROX Toolkit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why some HYROX affiliates never make money 1:12 - Should you add HYROX to your gym? 3:20 - The unexpected benefit that changed everything 5:58 - Free HYROX resource for gym owners 6:16 - The HYROX growth strategy she'd use today 10:25 - Turning HYROX into multiple revenue streams 13:01 - How top gyms market their HYROX program 19:08 - The hidden retention advantage of HYROX 25:05 - Is HYROX right for every gym?

  7. 6 Jul

    How to Run Your First HYROX Competition in Your Gym

    HYROX is everywhere right now, and your gym doesn’t necessarily have to become an affiliate to cash in on the trend. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business CEO John Franklin breaks down the “mini sim,” a scaled-down HYROX-style competition any gym can run without paying affiliation fees or buying new equipment. John walks through the exact blueprint: cutting the running volume, running it as a doubles event to build in referrals and setting a financial target (Two-Brain gyms have made $2,500-$6,000 from their first event). He covers the week-by-week promotion plan, including real examples of gym posts that sold out events fast. He also details race-day logistics (staffing, heats, avoiding bottlenecks) and how to turn one-time event revenue into new recurring members. Tune in to get a complete playbook for running your first HYROX-style event and building an ongoing program members love. Use the link below to access our complete HYROX toolkit for gym owners! Links HYROX Toolkit Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - Why every gym should pay attention to HYROX 1:02 - The low-risk way to test the HYROX trend 2:09 - The hidden growth opportunity most gyms miss 4:06 - Planning your first HYROX-style event 5:46 - Where your first participants will come from 7:00 - Real gym marketing examples that worked 8:40 - The promotion mistake that kills event sales 9:26 - Race day secrets for a smooth event 13:35 - The email every gym owner should send 17:02 - Turn one event into long-term members

  8. 2 Jul

    How Smart Gym Owners Beat the Summer Slump

    Summer hits gym owners hard. Revenue drops, leads dry up and members cancel. In this episode, Chris Cooper shares five strategies gym owners can use to generate revenue during the slow summer months. Coop knows the pain firsthand. In 2009, he was juggling two locations and the summer slump almost put him out of business. He swore he’d never let that happen again. Now, after working with over 3,000 gym owners through Two-Brain Business, he knows exactly what works. The summer slump is predictable. But that means it’s beatable. Tune in to hear the plan smart gym owners follow to stay profitable all summer long. Want to earn $100,000 a year from your gym while working under 20 hours a week? Click the link below to access the free training.  Links $100K Income Training Gym Owners United Book a Call 0:00 - The summer slump that almost killed my gym 1:13 - The September revenue strategy 3:41 - A seasonal offer that brings in new clients 5:22 - The most overlooked summer revenue source 6:48 - Why members cancel in the summer 8:57 - The vacation plan most gyms never offer 11:05 - The real reason gyms don’t survive summer

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About

Run a Profitable Gym is packed with business tools for gym owners and CrossFit affiliates. This is actionable, data-backed business advice for all gym owners, including those who own personal training studios, fitness franchises, and strength and conditioning gyms. Broke gym owner Chris Cooper turned a struggling gym into an asset, then built a multi-million-dollar mentoring company to help other fitness entrepreneurs do the same thing. Every week, Chris presents the top tactics for building a profitable gym, as well as real success stories from gym owners who have found incredible success through Two-Brain Business mentorship. Chris’s goal is to create millionaire gym owners. Subscribe to Run a Profitable Gym and you could be one of them.

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Cooper
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.2k
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Run a Profitable Gym
  • Show Website
    Run a Profitable Gym

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