Built To Grow

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk goal setting in 2020 from a gym owner’s side of things. In January, everybody sets, tries to set, or at least aims at setting new year's resolutions, and gym owners are no exception when it comes to their fitness facilities. We all have a million things that we have great intentions around, especially at the beginning of a year, but it takes applying action and deliberately working on those things to be successful in achieving them. The same applies to the business-oriented goal setting for a gym business. The first thing a gym owner must look at is where they are at with their fitness facility, and then focus on what they desire to achieve. They have to determine everything they need to get from the business so they can come up with the steps they have to take to accomplish that. It’s only after that that they can start setting their priorities/goals and their intentions on a daily or monthly basis. It’s also important to set crazy big goals so one can push themse

In this episode, Tim and Randy will share their predictions of what's to come in the personal training industry for 2020. They asked a couple of their iron circle members what they thought would happen in the industry in 2020 and some of them shared the kind of topics they want to hear covered while the rest actually gave their predictions.Tim and Randy are so well informed and always updated on the on-goings in the industry from being in the industry for many years, managing their own successful fitness facility, and working with gym owners from all over the US. The predictions they will make are not their personal opinions. They are based on the conversations they’ve been hearing among gym owners and the entire marketplace, and thus they’re very confident in what they’re predicting for the new year. You’ll have to listen to this if you want to know what to expect this coming year so you can make the most informed business decisions for your gym. Stay tuned for more.Key Takeaways:The prediction that Tim

In this episode, Tim and Randy will recap the best of the Build to Grow Podcast by presenting the best ten episodes of 2019. They did their first episode in March 2019 and they’re now at episode 81 after nine months. When they started out they were really keen on consistency and have continuously ensured that they stick to it throughout despite the challenges of coming up with content, making sure they’re in the office together, and Tim having to come up with all the different names that he has for Randy in every episode.They will dive into the ten episodes that they enjoyed the most and which they felt delivered the most value so that every gym owner who’s looking to win in their business will know exactly which episodes they need to go listen to so they can learn how to successfully and sustainably grow their businesses. Listen in for more.Key Takeaways:How to open a gym and making a million dollars on day one (04:20)Re-branding makes people think it’s a new gym (05:53)The job or the product: What we’re rea

In this episode, Tim and Randy will discuss a trend they’ve been coming across of gym owners using other companies to set appointments for them at their gyms. Basically, how the service works is, a gym owner generates leads from their sources and the third party company works on setting appointments, nurtures them, gets them to show up at the gym, and then charges the gym owner a fee for every potential client that shows up.Depending on the kind of operation a gym owner is running, it may not make sense for them to manage their entire appointment setting process. Time is of the essence, and the best option may lie in outsourcing this function to a third party expert, because the expert ensures that a gym owner gets prospects hustle free. The gym owner still has to personally work on turning those prospects into memberships, and so that begs the question, is it really worth it to outsource the process in the first place?Well, Tim and Randy will answer that and by talking about whether or not a gym owner should

In this episode, Tim and Randy will discuss how gym owners can get the most out of their content. This is especially for the gym owners who have very little content, have no idea what content is, or how to create it. For gym owners, content can be very hard to figure out if they don’t have a game plan. And one of the best ways to go about it is to listen to what clients are asking out on the training floor because that can be the basis for their content creation.Creation of content is all about strategy and content comes in different forms including written, audio, and video. The biggest content creation problem for gym owners is always where to source the content, and one of the easiest ways to overcome that is by utilizing their personal training teams.Tim and Randy will share their content creation processes at Pulse Fitness in great detail to demonstrate exactly how any gym owner can create their own content regardless of whether they have a team or not, so they can continually grow their fitness facility

In this episode, Tim and Randy will discuss the power of gratitude in business as far as appreciating clients is concerned. It's much cheaper to keep clients than it is to find new ones, but a lot of times gym owners get their eye off the ball when they think that they don’t need to focus so much on their existing clients, and direct all their efforts into looking for new ones. That’s a really big mistake because existing clients are the ones a business generates its revenues from to keep the business running and growing, and so appreciating them is paramount. It keeps them happy and builds a culture where going to the gym is not just about getting the results they’re aiming for, but about the experience they get while at that gym.  Even when automating the business operations of a gym, there’s a need to ensure that the face to face conversations with clients still continue in order to always identify the unique needs of each client. Tim and Randy will talk about all the great ways that Tim uses to show g

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk about content, the trends that are coming up in the area, and how to properly go about it. There have been some done-for-you content services coming up, mostly social media-based, which offer to manage content for business owners, but they have some pros and cons that every gym owner should know in advance before they choose to procure the services.Tim and Randy will dive into those pros and cons in great detail, and share what they know about content so every gym owner who listens in will be well informed. They’ll start off by talking about the core principles that one needs to consider when creating their content strategy, namely the entertainment in the content and the value that the content will offer. They will then talk about direct marketing techniques in comparison to social media and email, and highlight just how much more effective social media and email can be in attracting clients rather than pursuing them. They will also have an in-depth discussion about w

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk about the number of ways that gym owners pay their coaches/personal trainers and staff. This is an area that is very important for the livelihood of a gym and it’s the one thing that every gym owner does differently.A gym owner can very easily bury their business if they pay their staff the wrong way, and this is something that is not talked about widely because it’s not considered necessary when in reality some gym owners take care of their staff so much that it hurts their business financially. That’s what Tim and Randy want to put an end to with this episode, and they will dive into how they believe gym owners should be paying their coaches/personal trainers and staff to avoid struggles with managing expenses and balancing cash flow so they can maximize the profitability of their business and scale successfully. So if you’re a gym owner looking to be a winner in the industry, you need to listen to this.Key Takeaways:The astronomical Black Friday numbers that are com

In this episode, Tim and Randy will be joined by a special guest, Evan Samurin of Fundamental Marketing. Evan is actually the guy that helps Tim with email deliverability and he is a guru, consultant and the go-to guy on the subject.People have plenty of misconceptions about email, like thinking that it’s a guaranteed service, meaning that once someone sends an email it will definitely get to the recipient, or thinking that using an email service like Ontraport means that one doesn’t have to worry about email deliverability. Evan will dive into all the facts about email marketing, the various technical processes needed to facilitate better email deliverability, and what gym owners can do overall to make sure that their emails are always reaching their target prospects. Email marketing is definitely not dead, and Evan is here to prove that. So stay tuned.Key Takeaways:The email delivery and coder guy that you want and need on your team (01:41)The importance of email authentication (03:51)80% of all cybercrime

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk about a trending issue right now that has been coming up on their calls with clients, and that is the issue of gym owners seeing the need to transition from a single service boot camp style team/large group training into small group training that has higher profits.Gym owners understand that small group training is beneficial for both their businesses and clients in the long run, but they struggle with how to take their clients from one on one personal training to a small group, how to price the classes, and how to implement it all facility-wide. Tim and Randy will share some very actionable tips on exactly how to do it successfully, so if you’re a gym owner looking to make that transition right now or in the near future, you’ll need to listen to this episode. Key Takeaways:The automation workshop at the Keap headquarters (00:23)Maximizing profitability and how to do it (01:58)Biting the bullet, doing it, pushing hard, and letting people know about the service (04:22)P

In this episode, Tim and Randy will discuss the industry-wide issue of when a gym owner should bring in a new service, product, piece of equipment, or other potential profit centers into their facility. This is something that challenges gym owners every single month of the year because they’re constantly being bombarded with all sorts of product/service offers by equipment companies, independent trainers, and even their own clients.Tim and Randy will dive into what a gym owner should do when making those kinds of decisions, and share the four specific questions they should ask themselves before making the decisions. If you’re a gym owner, you’re allowed to copy the four questions for yourself, because they’re the same ones Tim uses. Stay tuned for more! Key Takeaways:Hoping for that whiskey company sponsorship (01:49)Going back to the core values of your business as the compass of how you decide (02:38)The significance of knowing who you are and what your beliefs are (04:10)Changing the entire experience for

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk about Black Friday and how important it is for gym owners to go big in terms of offering huge discounts on their training packages not only as an appreciation of their existing clients, but also as a way of getting their past clients back. People are always looking for amazing deals during the holiday season and so it’s critical for the discounts one offers to be too good to ignore.They will also dive into holiday promotions in general, including Christmas and the new year, and share the best strategies for any gym to win this holiday season. Listen to learn more and go apply it in your gym to solidify your retention while growing your gym well into the new year.Key Takeaways:Throwing a massive sale in true black Friday fashion (01:06)The holiday letter campaign and how to leverage it in a way where people can gift your gym memberships to their friends and family (04:47)Highlighting your great achievements to solidify their decision to renew (08:16)Tapping into other p

In this episode, Tim and Randy will start off by talking about their plans for next year and share their four-quarter strategy. They’ll then dive into the dirty little secret in the fitness industry that nobody likes to talk about, and that’s the rash of membership cancellations that happen in January.The dip in memberships is caused by people reevaluating their fitness programs, finances, and everything else in January. Gym owners tend to focus more on getting new clients and end up losing a large number of their existing clients, and Tim and Randy will teach you how to shift your focus internally between November and December to keep them happy so they can stay. Listen in and learn!Key Takeaways:January’s dirty little secret in the fitness industry (01:52)Re-engaging your clients during the holidays and keeping them focused (04:27)Losing weight in November and maintaining it in December (06:03)Going big on the holiday party to show your clients you love them (10:29)Right now matters more than January (15:30

In this episode, Tim and Randy will be joined by Clate Mask, the founder, and CEO of Keap (Formerly Infusionsoft) to talk about what Keap is all about and how they help business owners get organized, follow up and automate to grow their businesses.They will also dive into the way communication has evolved and how Keap is integrating text messaging into their software to meet their users’ communication needs, why Russell Brunson waged war on Infusionsoft, how top-level gyms are utilizing automation to gain an advantage, and Keap’s future functionality and capabilities. It’s going to be a resourceful episode, so don’t miss it.Key Takeaways:Aiming at simplifying growth for 5 million small businesses worldwide (02:31)How text messaging has become one of the most important ways of communicating with customers (07:22)ClickFunnels hates Infusionsoft: The Inside Story (14:11)Keap’s landing page solution and its limited capabilities (20:50)Email deliverability, and focusing more engagement than list size (24:18)Puttin

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk about this interesting time in fitness that comes up every year, Black Friday. Black Friday is always great because a lot of people are kind of conditioned to purchase things at that time, and Tim and Randy will talk about how gym owners can leverage that in their businesses.They will also share the winning strategy that they’ve used for years to dominate Black Friday and add upwards of $50,000 to their business in a single weekend. Listen in to learn how you can implement this strategy this Black Friday!Key Takeaways:The importance of keeping your clients accountable during the holidays (02:40)The unspoken loss of clients that happens in January (04:11)Making $25K+ in just two days with great Black Friday deals (07:58)Real success story from using Tim and Randy’s Black Friday funnel (13:45)The problem with challenges and trials offered for gym clients (18:44)Stop coming up with the next gimmicky thing to get people in the door (21:34)Over-delivering on the content for

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk about how most gym owners use sessions to set up their personal training sales, and how it has become a huge problem for the gym businesses. Selling packages of sessions can rake in lots of upfront cash for a gym, but it causes way more problems than it’s worth, so if you as a gym owner and you’re still selling sessions rather than results/time, you have to listen to this episode!Key Takeaways:Selling sessions versus results is a no, no (01:57)Chasing the resell due to cash flow problems brought about by selling sessions (03:12)The short term fix that’s a long term problem (04:02)Putting your clients in the driver's seat to control their outcome (06:43)Never sell sessions on a weekly basis (10:48)Transparency and authenticity in business is going to win every time (16:46)Additional Resources:Marketing Talk with Fitness Professionals Facebook Group--If you are interested in a free audit for your gym, visit http://bit.ly/free_gym_audit--You can find out more about Ti

In this episode, Tim and Randy will talk about the need for every gym business to set up a quality automation process for some of their lead generation and touch-points in their client life cycle so as to increase the effectiveness of their communication with prospects and clients.They will also talk about the projects where they have helped different gyms in automating their processes and also share some of the cool things they've been doing with automation so you can get a feel of the real-life use cases which should hopefully make it easier for you to replicate the same in your gym. Key Takeaways:The best time to reach out to a lead (04:18)The show rate is where everybody is kind of struggling (07:49)The importance of nurturing every single lead (12:19)Creating a pattern with your email list through repetition (15:17)Save time, save money, and no more mistakes (18:39)Bringing everything into one place cost-effectively (21:31)Listening to your clients so you can be better (27:10)Additional Resources:Mar

In this episode, Tim and Randy will be joined by Frank Nash for a super special Whiskey Wednesday. Frank will share how he started out in the fitness business and all the valuable business lessons he learned over time.They will also dive into what client experience looks like from the consumer’s point of view so that we can learn what to focus more of our efforts on in our gyms to keep clients coming back for years. It’s gonna be an insightful one. Don’t miss outKey Takeaways:The Shaolin Temple of Fitness and Frank’s back story (01:29)It’s all a show, not about the fat loss or muscle gain (04:29)Low retention rates in the market (07:09)How clients get to the point of quitting (09:15)Don’t let clients quit: Using incentives as a retention strategy (12:32)The gyms that are currently crushing it in the industry (21:56)Getting clients into the next level on the value ladder (27:43)The profit centers on top of the cheapest membership (30:21)Nobody does it as good as the owner (33:48)The biggest problem right now w

In this episode, Tim and Randy will review their recent Fitpro Growth Summit that just came to a close. 46 gym owners, all doing $400,000+ a year, attended the event and they had a ton of good quality and purposeful conversations.The event also had some great speakers made up of experts in different areas relevant to the gym business including marketing, social media, and tax. Listen in as they share everything that went down and hopefully you’ll get some great takeaways.Key Takeaways:The great speakers at the summit and the growth focused networking that took place (02:03)Launching the Iron Circle Mastermind and what it’s all about (02:55)Reaching out to Tim with any questions via Voxer (05:20)2% of event participants actually go out and implement what they learn (07:14)The importance and impact of the clarity exercise (09:39)Building a tribe and crowd-sourcing problem solving (13:46)Additional Resources:Marketing Talk with Fitness Professionals Facebook Groupwww.TimLyonsJr.com--You can find out more about T

In this episode, Tim and Randy will be joined by Michael Gelfgot, one of the speakers at their previous Fitpro Growth Summit and a successful fitness business owner. The three will dive into the incredible story of how Michael and his partner scaled their Anytime Fitness locations to 21 locations and eventually sold 20 of them to an investor.Michael shares his insight into what it takes to own and operate 21 locations, as well as what you should be working on in order to be able to sell your business. Listen, learn and make sure you implement.Key Takeaways:Anytime Fitness’ transition from convenience to convenience plus coaching (01:46)How Michael got started in the fitness business (02:28)The importance of mentoring somebody as you are growing your business (06:12)The most basic way of calculating a gyms penetration rate (11:56)Creating opportunities for your team to move further faster (16:53)Operating a little bit more like a studio and a little bit less like a gym (26:56)Buying 12 clubs and purchasing 10: