THE GYM OWNERS BLOG

We want to make sure that this place that we are trying to build, what we're trying to do is a resource for gym owners. And because of it, we've technically changed the name of the business. Originally our business was called Gym Hacking. And over the course of the last few weeks, we've gotten so many people who are finding the podcast by looking for gym owners in podcast apps, which is wild because it's so hard to find podcasts via search.

The thing we're going to talk about today is that you need to invest in skills that will actually make you money, not just the skills that are whatever your craft is, right? For example, if you're a carpenter becoming a good carpenter is important. But knowing how to balance your checkbook, making sure you can pay your bills and learning how to talk to people are skills that are going to make you more successful.

One of the things we've touched on lately with gym owners is that a lot of them get into this business in pursuit of what we call the American dream. That's the entrepreneurship thing, right. And it's not necessarily only the "American dream" but that the person wants to stand on their own two feet (for all our international audience out there)

Today we're gonna talk about the four things that you can do right now in order to get yourself more leads. The number one question you and I get from everyone that either we work with, or people that are in our community, which is, how do I get leads?

If you aren't using Google My Business I think you're making a huge mistake with the way social media trends are going. Because social media has shifted, especially in the fitness space! If you have not noticed this, you have not been paying attention. And if you have noticed this shift, and you're still doing things the way you think they should have been done years ago, or the way you've always done them or emulating whoever you thought that you liked on social media before, then we've got a big problem.

John and I have been working with social media for quite a few different brands and quite a few different spaces, primarily in the fitness space. We talked last week about social media posting and copywriting and the importance of getting your messaging aligned with who you are.

Something you guys should do is listen to other fitness business podcasts - there's a lot of great stuff out there. I think it's very important for you to just accumulate information so you understand trends and what works across the board. That being said, I want to give you a little bit of information before you go listening to other fitness podcasts.

One of the things that we're getting at with this episode today is that the impact that you have in your community, in your city, your town, your region, outside, just your gym community is far greater than just so and so losing a certain amount of pounds. While I still think that weight loss results are the thing that's going to attract a bunch of new people, but if you want to play the long game and start to build a true reputation in your community you have to build your gym into a movement.

Today we want to talk to you guys about some of the common pitfalls that gym owners run into. One of the most common issues that we see and hear from coaches and trainers is how can I make more money? This is usually followed by how can I get more people? How can I get more leads?

So we've been working hands on with a concept we announced on the podcast last week, which is, you should be selling your guarantee. And to recap that very quickly, it's the idea that you should stand behind your fucking work, no matter what your work is.

I am here today to talk to you about some concepts that we've been working on in regards to communicating what you do as a gym owner, as well as deciding what exactly it is that you do. So when people what to level up what they do in their business and make products that stand apart from the rest of the competition, one of the first things we ask them the following question: what is the highest level of service you could possibly offer somebody if money was not an object?

So today we're actually nerding out on the subject of the client experience. And we're going over parallels with other industries. And there's a lot of things that we do as business owners to try to craft like a high quality client experience or client journey, however you want to call it. Some even use the term value ladder. But I think in the fitness industry, it's a little bit different, and I'll kind of explain why.

Joining us in the gym owners podcast today we have another Tyler. Welcome Tyler Reiter, owner of Torque Strength and Conditioning in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tell us what is the hardest lesson you've had to learn as a gym owner to date? I would say probably be prepared for the unexpected.

This is one of the most interesting conundrums. As a guy that loves problem solving, this is one that I don't have a single answer for. There's a million right answers for this problem. Okay. So, if you're a functional fitness gym, what is most likely your biggest expense? The space you're renting, right?

A very important thing I think that gym owners and coaches need to know and need to understand is that your potential client is not interested in how much you know, or how much classes you've gone through or what your qualifications are. Truthfully they probably don't even care how long you've even been coaching. They just don't care, and it has almost no effect on what you can charge.