“All in.” These two words separate the best fitness studio owners from everyone else and I explain why in my interview on the Fitness Business Asia Podcast with Jack Thomas.
I highly recommend checking out Jack’s Podcast HERE:
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#1: 3 Non-Negotiables To Running A Successful Fitness Studio
If you’re going to win, if your business is going to be successful, there’s a good chance that all 3 of these things are true about you:
- You’ve committed to it long-term
- You’re good at it
- You love what you do
The first two you can practice and improve, the third is just who you are.
I can’t tell you how many highly successful fitness studio owners started out by telling me I’m worried I won’t be successful because I’ve never been a personal trainer or in the fitness industry before but I’m passionate about this.
But because of that passion, they went all in and won.
In fact, I heard this on a podcast recently and I completely disagree with it. Some host said something about “you should never be coached by someone who hasn’t done what you do.”
That’s not true at all and I’ll prove it to you…
#2: Bring Out The Best In Your Team And Your Members
Arguably the greatest NFL coach of all-time is Bill Belichick. Bill has never played pro football. In fact, he hate it in High School.
What about the NBA? The best coach there is Gregg Popovich. Greg’s never played pro basketball and barely played in college.
In the NHL, Scotty Bowman is the most successful hockey coach… never played a game.
The list goes on…
Renee Grant-Williams is the greatest vocal coach in the world, just look at some of the high-profile singers she’s coached, never sang in concert.
Ever heard of Cus D’Amato? The only coach to reel Mike Tyson in. Once Cus left, Mike Tyson never reached the same level of success. Not bad for a coach who only had one amatuer fight his whole life.
Tony Robbins never did what he coaches people to do.
The point is, you don’t have to be the greatest anything in fitness to be a great fitness studio owner. You just have to know what it takes to bring out the best in other people.
There Are Great Players and Great Coaches… Both Are All In
Now let’s talk about the best players…
Michael Jordan, Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, some of the best players in their sports EVER, failed as coaches and managers.
They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t win. In fact, Wayne Gretzky is still considered one of the worst hockey coaches of all time.
Some people are born to be coaches, some people are born to be players.
I don’t think I was born to be a player. I think there are some remarkable people that I’m fortunate enough to work with that are phenomenal players.
But when it comes to coaching, I see angles that I really enjoy and I love building my team like good coaches do.
I enjoy finding great offensive and defensive players in a strategic way to grow my business over the long haul.
So, you don’t have to be a successful player to be an incredible leader.
You don’t have to be a fitness competitor or personal trainer to own and run a successful fitness studio.
So how do you do this? How do you bring out the best in others?
#3: Have A Mission That’s Not About You
Both employees and members will get behind a fitness studio that has a mission bigger than its owner.
When people know that it’s not about you but about the people your fitness studio helps, those are going to be great employees and loyal members.
For me, I don’t want to be the most successful anything… I don’t even know what that would be… but I do want to help create the most successful fitness studio owners.
That’s my mission.
So if you’re running a fitness studio, your goals should be centered around how you’re helping other people. That’s where your success will come from.
I want to sell this studio for way more than I put into it and retire on a beach isn’t as interesting to employees and members as I want my studio to help 100,000+ people feel happy and confident in their own skin.
THAT is a mission everyone can get on board with to drive your fitness studio forward.
With that and the help of everyone all in on your mission, retiring on a beach will be just a nice bonus compared to the mark you leave on your community and on people’s lives, right?
Speaking of that, one of my favorite stories is how successful Brandon Christ has become. Knowing that our coaching session helped him grow motivates me.
#4: Great Fitness Studio Owners Go All In On Knowing Their Scoreboard
Check out the interview at the 15:40 mark. I go into detail about what it means to know your scoreboard, and how you can set the right goals, track those goals, and achieve bigger goals.
The example I run through is for fitness studios that want to improve their referrals, but you can apply this strategy to any aspect of your business that’s struggling.
In fact, I did a free training on it here: https://youtu.be/ZxvYlkCAhJI
#5: Know What’s Not Working and Why
When you go all in as a fitness business owner, you know exactly what areas of your business are struggling and which ones aren’t.
A lot of studio owners struggle here because it could just about anything that’s causing the business to dip. But you’ll see the signs…
Do you have people showing up, coming in the door, but not purchasing a membership?
There’s a sales problem.
You have people booking but they’re not showing?
There’s a confirmation or setting an appointment problem.
Don’t have enough leads coming in?
Marketing problem.
Are people canceling their memberships?
You have a retention and possibly a customer service problem.
It’s important to find the weakest link and focus in on fixing that.
For example, if you have a ton of leads coming in but they’re not signing up, you don’t need to fix your marketing, you need to fix your sales process and maybe get better scripts.
#6: Know The 5 Keys To Getting The Most Out Of Your Marketing Agency
Too many business owners think that outsourcing Sales and Marketing will make their business successful. That’s not how it works.
You make your business successful. You make your people successful. And, you make your members successful. Because you’re passionate about all 3 of those things.
Great owners know these 5 keys to getting the most out of their Marketing Agency:
- Be coachable:
At Loud Rumor, we know what works and what doesn’t through experience. All-in fitness studios are open to being coached by experts and learning from it.
- Be patient:
Marketing isn’t like a burger shop where you hand over money and they hand over a burger. It’s a strategic and time-based exchange.
- Know the difference between Marketing and Sales:
Marketing doesn’t close Sales for you. It increases your opportunity to sell more, but you still have to do the selling.
- Understand The Quarterback vs. The Receiver:
Marketers are like Quarterbacks. They throw the ball to hit a target. Salespeople are like Receivers. Their job is to catch the ball and get it across the goal line.
- Focus On Being A Great Business Owner:
You shouldn’t rely on an agency for your success. Agencies don’t make you successful, they assist you in getting there.
The best fitness studio owners that I work with are the ones that go all in and want to work with the best to be the best.
BONUS: 5 Free Fitness Studio Resources
Here are 5 FREE resources I gave away in my interview on the Fitness Business Asia Podcast:
- 45 New Gym Members in 30 Days: The Ultimate Sales Transformation
- Matt Kafora: Build a 7-Figure Fitness Studio in 18 Months
- Corbyn May: How His Fitness Studios Turned $12 Into $43,000 Per Year
- [Download] The Membership Sales Guide
- [Join] The #2590 Challenge
Hope you get a lot out of this episode.
Let’s GSD!
