This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Bren Davis and dive into Facebook advertising. We discuss:

• How to understand the Facebook Advertising Process
• How to target your ideal type of client on Facebook
• Why you need to focus on educating your clients on Facebook
• How to test your ads with a small budget and scale big after

Also, if you are serious about using Facebook advertising for your gym business, Bren is offering a free 15 minute strategy lesson with his team. You can reach him at Bren@impactdigital.co 

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we dive into the art of the referral. We discuss:

• Why referrals are an important element to a service business
• How to target and motivate your best members to help you bring new members into your gym
• How to make it easy for your members to refer their friends to your gym
• How to make sure you are building in the key rules to a successful referral program

Also make sure to head over to Barbellbusiness.com/referral to get the free download we put together showing you all the steps to setting up a kickass referral program

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Ryan Bucciantini of KDA CrossFit. We discuss:

• How to build community into your box, and enhance the member experience
• Why you need to think of your gym as more than just a place for fitness
• Why you need to be humble and open to asking for help and finding mentors
• How to focus on growth in your business process, and open to change

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, the crew talks about Barbell Logic and how the service could help your business thrive. We discuss:

• What is included in the Barbell Logic software
• How to optimize, automate, and outsource your admin work
• How the cost structure is laid out to benefit you the most
• The difference between building a system on your own and using Logic

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss:

• How to strategically tap into your community to grow your membership
• How to set up your onboarding process to optimize the conversation rate of new members
• How to motivate your team to get onbaord with your passion
• How to set up a game plan to kill it in the new year spike

 This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview discuss:

• Why your mindset is the foundation for your success
• How to find clarity and unlimited motivation around your vision
• How to think with a growth mindset and understand your “Why”
• How to structure your conversations and interactions with your clients to show your true value

Also be sure to check out the Member Lifecycle Challenge. For 5 days, we will send you a video lesson which will guide you through the 7 phases of Member Experience (MX) which we call Member Lifecycle Marketing. Each video will also come with a bit of homework – and when you’ve conquered this challenge, you’ll have a cohesive, amplified, yet simplified approach to creating an awesome MX for your gym family.

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Jason Rule from Driven Nutrition. We discuss:

• Why providing supplements is an important added value for your clients
• How to sell supplements in your box with out acting "salesy"
• How to structure your ordering and sales process to optimize profit margins
• How to educate your athletes on the overwhelmingly confusing supplement industry 

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss:

• Why your website is the most important point of contact in your digital marketing plan
• How to optimize your website to convert online visitors into clients
• How to effectively tell your gym's story through imagery and video
• The most important things to include on your website including testimonials, CTAs, lead magnets, and more

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Rick DiCarlo at Aliso CrossFit. We Discuss:

• How to be the best with what you have and scale intelligently
• How to diversify and optimize your intake process
• Why you should think of your business as a system of systems
• How to save time with your admin work and scale your work towards what is most important in your business

Be sure to take the Ultimate Member Lifecycle Marketing Challenge, a 5-day video series of lessons and a worksheet which will teach you some best practices and practical tips for maximizing the effectiveness of your communications at each point in your member’s lifecycle. Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Max Shank. We discuss:

• How to make the right decision every time with a cost/benefit analysis
• How to outsource and automate parts of your gym business
• Why you should create defined roles for yourself, the partners, and employees in your business
• How to set up productivity hacks to be more effective in your workflow

Also be sure to check out our latest challenge. We’re challenging all gym owners to commit to our FREE Ultimate Member Lifecycle Challenge which will leave you a more capable, skilled, far less confused, and far more stoked business owner ready to crush the upcoming holiday slow season. You can learn more here

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss: 

• How you can utilize social media to get clients in the door during your slow season
• How to create a strategic social media plan to target your specific client demographic 
• Why you need to have a consistent, organized, and uniform social media posting plan
• How to use social media like a strategic marketer with CTA’s, story telling, and brand development. 

Make sure to check out the free download for this episode by going to barbellbusiness.com/socialmediatemplate

If you’re interested in joining us for the next Barbell Mastermind Retreat, that is going down on Nov 8-10 in San Diego,  learn more and apply to attend at BarbellMastermind.com. Space is extremely limited so don’t wait.

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss:

• How your retention rate is effected by the first interaction you have with your clients
• How you can manage the expectations of your clients so they understand the value of your service
• Why you should be tracking and benchmarking your retention rate numbers so you can make educated decisions
• How to use effective communication to stand out from other gyms, and provide the most value for your gym members

If you’re interested in joining us for the next Barbell Mastermind Retreat, that is going down on Nov 8-10 in San Diego,  learn more and apply to attend at BarbellMastermind.com. Space is extremely limited so don’t wait.

This Week On BARBELL BUSINESS we interview the founder of Barbells For Boobs, Zionna Hanson. In this episode we discuss:

• How to tap into a community and create social change.
• How to implement problem solving tactics into your business.
• Why you should be implementing more community events at your gym.
• How you can become a health care advocate for yourself and teach others to do the same.

Gym owners: Commit to the Ultimate Member Lifecycle Challenge here and learn how to run your business in an amplified yet simplified way. http://www.barbellbusiness.com/lifecycle

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Ben Greenfield and discuss:

• His business model which allowed him to charge the premium for a high end personal training concierge club
• How he became NSCA National Personal Trainer of the Year in 2008
• How he made 6-figures a year running 2 gyms and a few boot camp classes
• How he automated and scaled his business to get his life back

Be sure to check out Ben's website to see all of what we discussed in action. You can find him at https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Eric Amzalag at CrossFit Encino and talk about how you can differentiate your gym from "just another CrossFit box" in a flooded fitness market. We discuss:

• The benefits of differentiating your CrossFit box and the services you offer and how that set you apart in a flooded market.
• How to add more value propositions so you can charge more for your monthly service.
• Why you need to think of your fitness service as a product and how to create massive value specific to your target market.
• Why you need to delegate and create a automated structure as a owner of a gym so you can focus on leading.

Be sure to check out the next Barbell Mastermind, that is going down on Nov 8-10 in San Diego, California. Space is limited and you can learn more and apply to attend at BarbellMastermind.com

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss what the proper onboarding process looks like including:

• The different ways to structure your onramp 
• How to choose the best coach to run your onboarding experience
• How long your onboarding process should be
• How to transition your clients from onramp to regular classes 
• The Sales psychology to convert new clients into long term customers

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• How you can culture a culture of consistent learning in your gym
• How continuing education can impact your retention rates for both coaches and members
• Our favorite educational resources
• The class shadow scorecard we use to assess our coaching staff to help them improve their performance during class

Be sure to head to barbellbusiness.com/classshadow to download the free scorecard template.

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Lachy Rowston and Raph Freedman from The Mind Muscle Project and discuss:

• How to sell 100% of your gym memberships on the phone without ever having to do the free intro session
• How to close over 50% of those sales calls
• How to cultivate intentional and consistent culture at multiple gyms

To listen to The Mind Muscle Project, find them on:

• Instagram:@lachyroston and @raphfreedman
• Their website: www.themindmuscleproject.com/
• iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-mind-muscle-project/id934619356?mt=2

To learn more about their other businesses, visit:

• Peak Chocolate:www.peakchocolate.au
• CrossFit Creature: www.crossfitcreature.com/

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we're trying something new. We're sending you episode 100 from the #1 health and fitness podcast in Australia The Mind Muscle Project. In this show, we're the guests! And we discuss:

• The origin story of Barbell Shrugged
• The biggest business and life lessons we've learned along the way
• Where we're headed as a company and in our personal lives

If you enjoy the content at Barbell Shrugged, definitely subscribe to the Mind Muscle Project podcast on iTunes/Stitcher @TheMindMuscleProject You won't regret it. These guys are awesome.

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we're trying something new. We're sending you episode 100 from the #1 health and fitness podcast in Australia The Mind Muscle Project. In this show, we're the guests! And we discuss:

• The origin story of Barbell Shrugged
• The biggest business and life lessons we've learned along the way
• Where we're headed as a company and in our personal lives

If you enjoy the content at Barbell Shrugged, definitely subscribe to the Mind Muscle Project podcast on iTunes/Stitcher @TheMindMuscleProject You won't regret it. These guys are awesome.

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• The types of people who affect your outcome
• The categories of your life that are influenced by the company you keep
• The people (and companies) who may be in your blindspot
• How you can mindfully choose who to surround yourself with in business

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• The box owner as the backbone of the CrossFit industry
• The increase of quality fitness entrepreneurs over the years
• The risk and reward of being a box owner
• The level of appreciation the community owes gym owners
• The evolution of gym owner mentality and mindset

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• How to eliminate the mystery of running a business
• The new sustainable CrossFit business model
• How to finally take control of your destiny as a gym owner
• What next steps you should take. Either shit or get off the pot.

Enjoy the show!

Be sure to take the Ultimate Member Lifecycle Marketing Challenge at www.barbellbusiness.com/lifecycle

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• What a marketing/sales funnel is and why it’s important to understand the phases
• The symptoms of leaky funnel syndrome
• How to heal your leaky funnel
• How lifecycle marketing has replaced the traditional approach to marketing tactics
• How lifecycle marketing is a much more simplified yet amplified approach to growth and retention
• An introduction to the Ultimate Lifecycle Marketing Challenge (learn more here)

Be sure to check out the video version at www.barbellbusiness.com/noleakybox and commit to the Ultimate Member Lifecycle Challenge at www.barbellbusiness.com/lifecycle.

Enjoy the show!

This week, we chat marketing video expert Justin Ross. His specialty is in creating videos for health and fitness brands and helping you to get more clients in the door and retaining those you already have.

If you’re using great videos in your marketing you are probably experiencing more engagement with your brand. People want to connect with you and video is the best way to authentically connect from afar. 

In this episode we cover:

• How to shoot your own videos
• The equipment you need to pull it off
• The different types of videos you might want to use
• and how to name and treat your videos on youtube to make them as findable as possible, maximizing your SEO (search engine optimization)

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Mycal Anders of CrossFit PHX, a former Marine turned CrossFit box owner. We talk about his entrepreneurial journey and how he has become the successful gym owner we now as today.

During this episode you will hear about:

• How to select good coaches
• Internship programs
• How to sell and ask for money
• Mycal’s first Barbell Mastermind retreat and the changes he made to his business that have allowed him to reach his goals
• Entrepreneurship and personal relationships
• How to successfully get out of your own way and delegate
• How to manage your time more efficiently while running a gym - creating a routine - busy vs. productive
• Finding where the most productive hours exist
• How to fall asleep in any situation
• Creating a positive mindset
• 30 days of motivation e-book
• Mycal’s morning routine

Twitter: @mycanders

Youtube: the daily derz

All Social: CrossFitPHX

IG: CoachDerz

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Jesse Elder, a spectacular business coach who came from the martial arts world and where he ran several very successful studios. Give this show a listen front to back. I promise it’s full of many gems.

Find out:

• What is actually keeping you from achieving your goals
• How to upgrade your life across the board and be insanely productive
• How to add $6-$14k a month immediately 
• Defining success and how to not cannibalize success in one aspect of your life for another
• Why your gym is full and your bank account is empty
• Why it’s important to keep score for the game your playing
• How money gives you more ways to express love
• How you’re betting against your client’s success and how to flip the script and honoring their intention and goals, giving them the tools to change their lives
• The 3 ways any business makes more money
• How to close a sale
• Another reason you should be using contracts
• How to practice the art of receiving
• How to choose from a menu of perspectives

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• The difference between selling memberships and selling solutions
• The benefits of a premium pricing strategy
• How emotional connection > benefits > features
• How to increase your gym's perceived value

Get the free success story template discussed in this episode at http://go.barbelllogic.com/success-story

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Adee Zukier, the owner and founder of Working Against Gravity. She discusses:

• The evolution of their online nutrition program and business model
• Hiring virtual assistants and new employees
• Their new referral and social proof model
• Optimizing the user experience
• Keeping your clients accountable for long-term success and extreme ownership

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Craig Ballantyne, author of Early to Rise, creator of the Perfect Day Formula, a Strength & Conditioning coach, author of Turbulence Training, a contributing author to Men’s Health magazine, and a member of the Training Advisory Board for Maximum Fitness and Oxygen magazines. He discusses:

• Dealing with anxiety and the feeling of impending doom
• The real importance of daily meditation
• Taking care of your body before you take care of others'
• The 5 pillars of success which you can start today
• Finding a mentor

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Onnit Academy's Chief Fitness Operator John Wolf and Chief Fitness Enforcer Juan Leija on:

• The Onnit Culture, Vision, and Mentality
• How you can turn your gym into one of total human optimization
• The beauty behind effective loveable communication with your team and clients
• The power of a like-minded entrepreneurial community
• How to mix automation and personality for your business
• Juan's (aka Juannit1) Snapchat pro-tips 

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Andy Petranek, founder of the Whole Life Challenge and CrossFit LA, one of the first original 10 CrossFit gyms and one of the most respected CrossFit gyms in the world.

In this episode, Andy discusses:

• the story behind how he created one of the first CrossFit gyms in the world
• what he believes to be the best training model for the modern CrossFit box
• how contracted members and coaches will change the way you do business
• how he overcame the challenges that come with innovating a game that wasn't working anymore

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Angelo Sisco owner of the hugely successful O'Hare CrossFit and one of the members of the Barbell Mastermind. He discusses:

• How to have heart for more than just your members' fitness goals but for their success in life
• The single most important action that someone needs to take in order to improve the culture at your gym
• What a great culture does for your business and overall state of happiness in everyday life

Bottom line, whether you like it or not, your gym is going to have a culture. Why not make it one you really freakin' love?

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• The entrepreneurial emotional rollercoaster
• How to remind yourself you don't suck with the reverse gap
• Our favorite tricks to training yourself to also celebrate what you’ve accomplished in the past

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• Commonly distracting operations tasks that waste time and energy
• The high-level tasks a gym owner should not lose touch with
• Game-changing opportunities ALL gyms should put into place to 10x their efficiency

Remember, if it's not a hell yea, it's a hell no. 

Enjoy the show!

On this episode of BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• our predictions for the future of the box business
• how to tap into change and differentiators
• how to crush at delivering a value added service
• how to build a thriving box in a consolidating market

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• The importance of defining your gym's core values and how they can benefit almost ever aspect of your growth
• Pitfalls that come with poorly defined values - they run deeper than you might think
• Examples of core values that have inspired us 
• A deep dive into Barbell Shrugged's core values and how we live them daily

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Jace Treat, communications expert at ZipWhip and discuss:

• Why gyms need a multi-channel communication strategy

• What the most common forms of communication are and the appropriate roles they play

• How to integrate texting into your gym's communication strategy

You can contact Jace Treat to learn more about how you can enhance your gym's communication strategy through texting software to BARBELL to (206) 582-3725 or visit zipwhip.com 

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Blayne Smith of Team RWB and discuss:

• The impact of social entrepreneurship and non-profits in the fitness community and industry
• Key business principles you must master to run a successful non-profit or for-profit organization
• How financial and operational practices used in non-profits can help systemize and sustain a for-profit business
• How your box can benefit and even profit from teaming up with non-profit organizations

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• The differences between gyms which are built to survive and businesses that are planned to thrive
• The consequences that come with dreaming small and aiming too low
• How you can make the shift from survival mode to "thrivival" mode.

Resources mentioned on this episode:

• Barbell Business Workshop - www.barbellbusiness.com/toronto-workshop
• Barbell Business' Free Manifesto - www.barbellbusinessbook.com
• Barbell Business Academy - www.barbellbusiness.com/academy

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• The challenges that come with having a 200+ member gym
• Getting more revenue with fewer members
• How to increase your lifetime member value
• How to upsell your members the non-salesy way
• Things to consider when adding different sources of revenue

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we give our thoughts on

• Why so many successful people were bad students (including us)
• When we finally fell in love with learning
• Pros and cons of traditional education versus learning on your own
• The importance of teaching and discussing what you've learned to others
• Where gym owners can learn new skills online

Be sure to check out Barbell Business Academy, where gym owners learn new skills online. www.barbellbusiness.com/academy

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss the state of the gym industry in 2016:

• Why the future is bright for the small box industry
• The evolution of box & business partnerships
• Dangers of over/underestimating the power of the CrossFit brand
• The seasons of the gym business owner 
• The 9 foundational components that make up a well-rounded, truly healthy gym business 
• The importance of balancing your stakeholders

Be sure to download the free Barbell Business Manifesto: The Anatomy of a Healthy Gym at www.barbellbusinessbook.com 

To develop your skills in the 9 areas of a Healthy Gym, enroll in Barbell Business Academy here: www.barbellbusiness.com/academy  

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview our friend Austin Felton. He's on his 3rd successful business venture at 22-years-old so say he's learned a lot in the last several years is a massive understatement. We decided to focus in on a few lessons he's learned recently like:

• hiring freelancers overseas
• managing a remote workforce
• firing employees 
• navigating around toxic relationships

Enjoy the show! Remember to head on over to BarbellBusiness.com to sign up for the newsletter. We're going to be launching an awesome new online academy for gym owners (present and wannabes) very soon and our email list will be the first to know.

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Pat Barber, a CrossFit Games Athlete (since 2008), Co-owner of Warmup & Workout, and Head of Coaches Development at NorCal CrossFit. In this show, we discuss:

• How Pat got his career start in the fitness industry
• Innovatively making people better through effective coaching
• Hiring and coach training tips and methods
• What he looks for in awesome coaches
• The importance of a collective mission

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Charles Boyett, a recent graduate of the Barbell Business Workshop, Barbell Logic client, Barbell Masterminder, the new owner of Training Grounds Fitness and Orange Park CrossFit, and one of the most awesome guys you'll meet anywhere.

In this show, we'll discuss:

• Taking the leap from one career path to another
• Challenges that come with acquiring a failing gym
• Mending a broken and disconnected culture
• Charles' #1 piece of advice for others looking to purchase a gym

For more information on how Charles' growth strategy for Orange Park CrossFit came to be so dang effective, visit www.barbelllogic.com and schedule a discovery session.

In this week's episode of BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Bryan Franklin. Bryan is Mike's business coach, a co-author of "The Last Safe Investment," and a top Silicon Valley coach for first-time CEOs who has helped 7 of his clients grow their start-ups past the $1 Billion mark.

We'll cover several topics in their new book "The Last Safe Investment," once of them being:

Myth:  If you save for decades and invest in 401(k)s, IRAs, and a home, these investments will grow steadily, allowing twenty to thirty years of secure, peaceful retirement.

Reality:  Though this might have been true at some point in the last century, it is not true any longer. If you want to get ahead and enjoy a life of prosperity, you must invest in the last safe investment: yourself, and your own skills, value to others, relationships, and overall happiness.

For a copy of "The Last Safe Investment," visit SafePlan.org

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, Mike, Ashley Bledsoe, Doug and AJ discuss some of their biggest relationship pitfalls, several of their favorite resources, lessons learned, and why love is really the key to success.

Be sure to check out http://www.barbellbusiness.com/love for additional resources mentioned in this show.

Enjoy!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Matt Reynolds of Reynolds Strong. In this show, Matt discusses:

• How he built one of the largest strength gyms in the US 
• How he grew to over 1000 members
• The keys to their gym's on-going success
• Lessons learned from recently selling Strong Gym
• His top tips to operating as a high-performing entrepreneur

Today's episode is brought to you by FitAid. Be sure to check out their new product FitAid Fuel which just launched last weekend. If you’re a gym owner, you can get 4 free cans of FitAid at drinkfitaid.com/deat. If you’re just a regular guy wanting a free can - they got your back. You can get one free there too. 

Enjoy the show.

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss:

• Are you an amateur business owner? Or are you operating as a true entrepreneur?
• Incognito haters, false security, and other things holding you back from going all in.
• Old school marketing and sales tactics are dead. Evolve with the times and you might actually like it.
• The ratio for gym owner self education
• How to stop running from the stuff you've been ignoring

For more resources visit www.barbellbusiness.com

Enjoy the show!

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss:

• The difference between a hobby business and a real business
• Why the way we've run our gym in the past will not work today
• How to include purpose and connection into your daily SOPs
• What you can do to improve your client experience strategy

Enjoy the show!