Barbell Business - Podcast for gym owners by Barbell Shrugged

📲 🎧 Listen to the audio version on the Apple Podcast App or Stitcher for Android Here http://bit.ly/BarbellShruggedApple http://bit.ly/BarbellShruggedStitcher Barbell Shrugged helps people get better. Usually in the gym, but outside as well. In 2012 they posted their first podcast and have been putting out weekly free videos and podcasts ever since. Along the way we've created successful online coaching programs including The Shrugged Strength Challenge, The Muscle Gain Challenge, FLIGHT, Barbell Shredded, and Barbell Bikini. We're also dedicated to helping affiliate gym owners grow their businesses and better serve their members by providing owners tools and resources like the Barbell Business Podcast. Find Barbell Shrugged here: Website: http://www.BarbellShrugged.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/barbellshruggedpodcast Twitter: http://twitter.com/barbellshrugged Instagram: http://instagram.com/barbellshruggedpodcast Find Barbell Business Here: Website: http://www.BarbellBusiness.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/barbellbusiness Twitter: http://twitter.com/barbellbusiness Instagram: http://instagram.com/barbellbusinesspodcast

Some fear is great because it keeps us alive. Are you afraid of making a left turn out into traffic when there’s not an opening? Good. Don’t die. Other fears, while they feel exactly the same in our bodies, are less useful. Are you afraid of sales conversations with prospects? Or of public speaking? Or of raising your membership prices? Yeah? We need to talk about that. This week, we met up with Peter Scott of Fearless Life Experience to talk about the fears that stand in our way and how to conquer them. A former investment banker, Peter shares his personal story about how fear got him into a career that he found to be empty and unhealthy. Once he recognized that fear was his primary motivation and saw the ruinous path he was on, he changed course and transformed his life. Now he coaches other entrepreneurs on fearless living, which leads not only to a life that’s more fulfilling but a business that’s more profitable. By confronting fears head-on, Peter takes us through the small and big things we can do to transform our fears (which may manifest as stress, anxiety, or worry) into confidence. Listen in to discover what might be waiting for you on the other side of your fear breakthrough. On This Week’s Episode of Barbell Business, We Interview Peter Scott to Discuss: The difference between rational and irrational fearHow competence leads to confidenceThe personal and business benefits of a fearless lifeHow to confront fear and transform it into confidence

How do you make your gym stand out when every other gym in town offers the same services and specials? I mean, we know your gym is the best, but how will your prospects know? We asked killer marketer Jeff Sherman of Tech Sweat about how to make a connection with your clients before you even meet them. In this episode, we talk to him about what in the wide world of social media marketing is worth our time, what trends to let go of, and why it’s necessary in order to get our potential clients to know, like, and trust us before they become members. If you have some discomfort about putting yourself “out there” on Facebook Live, Instagram, and elsewhere on the World Wide Web, this episode is for you. Jeff walks us through the most effective and easiest ways to create and curate content for our audiences, so that when we make them an offer, they’re fully prepared to say “yes.” On This Week’s Episode of Barbell Business, We Interview Jeff Sherman to Discuss: How to get prospects to know, like, and trust youHow to create and curate contentHow to create an effective advertising funnelThe best tools for online marketing right now

This week, we met up with our friend Conner Moore at a box in Mission Viejo, California. To be clear, we said “a box,” not “his box.” That’s because Conner shut his box down. Ultimately, this is a story of Conner’s success, but we met with him today to talk about that particular phase of failure, what he learned, and how it can help the rest of us. “I am really excited to be a part of this and share the story, because I think one thing that we missed is the idea that we can grow from critical failure, and we attached the idea that something is a success or failure when it's really just another flow of experience that we can then leverage to create further experience down the road.” We talk to Conner about finding the “why” behind your business. In his case, his “why” ultimately took him to a better career fit. Listen in to hear his hard-won wisdom about making the most of your life.

This week, we took a trip to fabulous Las Vegas to meet up with old-school Barbell Business podcast host and two-time world-record-setting powerlifter AJ Roberts (Instagram: @ajroberts). He’s one of the few people in the industry with a very solid perspective on both business and training, and he’s one of our favorite speakers of all times. AJ breaks down what he considers to be the three pillars of running a successful gym: sales, marketing, and experience. If you’re like most box owners we know, crafting a great client experience comes naturally to you, but sales and marketing might feel like something gross that happens on the used-car lot. In this episode, AJ offers insight that helps gym owners better understand what we already know: At the end of the day, we’re selling people happiness. Tune in for an authentic, non-skeezy outlook that gets the best results not just for your clients, but for your business. No matter where your gym is on its path to awesomeness, this episode will help you solidify your thinking about what you want your gym to be. For info on books and additional resources mentioned in the show, go to http://www.barbellbusiness.com/172-aj-roberts/.

We haven’t been able to independently verify it, but we think MMA trainer and entrepreneur Mike Dolce, of Dolce Fitness and The Dolce Diet, might be the hero of an old-school novel. Hear us out. After his father suffered a massive stroke, Dolce got a job as a New Jersey dock worker at the age of eight. Eight years old. Scraping barnacles off of fishing boats for $2 a day, like a… well, like a character right out of a legend. Being a forward-looking youngster, Dolce knew that $2 in his pocket wasn’t just that: If he kept it up, in 100 days he’d have $200. And if he found other work, he would have even more money. Growing up in straight-up poverty, Dolce didn’t feel entitled to anything except the right to work. As a savvy eight-year-old, Dolce knew he had to work around the child labor laws in New Jersey. He stacked a paper route on top of his dock work and got a job with a printing shop at the age of 10. At this point, he had officially outpaced America’s classic self-made man, Benjamin Franklin, whose lazy bones didn’t start working at a printing shop until he was 12. (Benjamin Franklin obviously didn’t have Mike Dolce’s drive for excellence.) Franklin turned his print shop gig into his own newspaper operation, but Dolce had the good sense to go down to the 7-11 and buy muscle magazines with his hard-earned cash –– because that was an investment in the kind of future he wanted to have. Dolce opened up the first iteration of his current fitness enterprise when he was only 17, without going into any debt. Now the founder and owner of Dolce Fitness and Dolce Diet, as well as being the owner of a real estate company and the founder of a non-profit dedicated to eradicating childhood obesity and eating disorders, Dolce joins us on this week’s episode to talk about good old-fashioned bootstrappin’. Listen in as Mike Dolce gives us the real talk he’s become known for: no sugar-coating, no B.S., straight-up advice on how to rise up from the ashes like a [expletive] phoenix to make Benjamin Franklin jealous of your determination.

You may have heard the expression, “C students make the best teachers.” They remember the struggle of not getting it. They tend to give students the kind of support they wish they’d had themselves when they were struggling to learn algebra (or English, or chemistry, or whatever). The same can be said of functional fitness coaches. While natural-born athletes can certainly make great coaches too, the self-described “fat kids” have a natural empathy for their prospects that helps close the sale and keep clients coming back. And as perverse as it sounds, we’ve observed that true empathy is often the key to getting dollar bills to rain down from the ceiling. This week we went up to L.A. to meet with Fit Body Boot Camp’s Josh Carter, a fat kid turned swole, and one of the best in the business when it comes to marketing. From copywriting to group-closing, Josh takes us through the process that contributes to the astounding success of Fit Body Boot Camp. And it takes more than just remembering the feeling of wanting to get fit yourself. “Here's the first thing I would recommend people do, is know your audience,” says Josh. “That would mean poll your audience. Other than knowing them, ask them, ‘What do you want? What are your goals?'... And get them to tell you, and then use their words. When you use their words, you can better speak to them.” Listen in to hear about what a comprehensive marketing plan looks like for a gym, and get some good advice on how to close those sales. (ABC: A - Always. B - Be. C - Collecting email addresses. Always be collecting email addresses.) The good news for the many of us who don’t love the “sales” part of our job: Closing prospects at a gym should be mutually beneficial every time––otherwise we’re just crooks. We should believe in our product to the extent that if a potential client walks, we legit feel bad for them. As Josh explains, “When we’re selling, we’re literally selling health and happiness.” Take this knowledge to heart, and then get them to sign on the line that is dotted. Enjoy, Mike

We have a super-exciting guest this week. A big “get,” if you will. We’ve been wanting to feature him on the podcast for years, because we’re his biggest fans. That’s right, kids! This week we got to talk to Markus Gerszi, of Barbell Business fame! [Thunderous applause; confetti falls from the ceiling.] Joking aside, it was very cool to be in Markus’s old box in Orange County, CA, this week. Markus is a smart dude, which is why we keep him around. We’ve been wanting to get his best practices for accountability on the record, so that’s what this episode is all about. [Thunderous applause; even more confetti falls from the ceiling.] In this business, we tend to be very client-focused. We want the best for our clients, or we’d be doing something else for a living. We have a natural impulse to hold them accountable, with everything from documenting their workouts to journaling their meals to setting long-term goals (and occasionally standing in for their therapists). Join us as we talk about some common-sense, often-overlooked methods for reliable client accountability. And while we’re on the subject of accountability, let’s talk about you. It’s almost second-nature to keep our clients accountable. But who or what do you have in place to keep yourself consistently in-check? This includes your personal fitness goals as well as the daily operations of your business. Long-term goals, too. If you’re like most gym owners, your answer to this question is, “Mumble mumble clients busy mumble.” And unfortunately, “Mumble mumble clients busy mumble” isn’t a sustainable strategy. As Doug points out, “Holding yourself accountable is a totally different ballgame.” Most of us know we should do it, but don’t have a great idea about how. In this episode, we talk to Markus about the best strategies to hold your clients accountable, your team accountable, and yourself accountable. Listen in to learn commonsense strategies that you can implement right away for a stronger business.

Who do you learn from when you’re already at the top of your field? How do you get the motivation to grow when you’re already, frankly, pretty awesome? Maybe there are worse problems to have… Okay, there are definitely worse problems to have. But as entrepreneurs, this is the challenge that we all hope to face at some point. This week we travelled to Chino Hills, California to interview someone who knows a ton about the top tier of personal development: Bedros Keuilian, CEO and founder of the Fit Body Boot Camp empire. Bedros has one of the fastest-growing franchises on the planet, so when he thinks about improving his business and himself, he describes his current state as being like 211º degree water –– he just needs one more degree to make a monumental impact. While there’s a lot you can do at 211º, at 212º you have steam. It’s the difference between cooking an egg and powering a locomotive. As tempting as it might be to stand on top of that mountain and pat yourself on the back, there’s so much to be gained from continuing to improve yourself, even when you’re at the top of your field. He maintains the same mindset he had as the fat, broke foreigner he describes from his youth, even though he’s now an ultra-fit kajillionaire. Self-development is the highest priority not just for himself, but for his employees (who he describes as working at a “self-development company that happens to be in the fitness industry.”) But where do the Bedros Keuilians of the world plug in? Just as his clients plug in to him for advice and growth, he needs to learn and recharge somewhere. Listen this week to learn where to find your built-in mentors, why you want to be a fighter jet, and why Bedros would rather get attacked by a shark right now than go write the next chapter in his book. (And why he’s gonna go write the next chapter in his book right now anyway.) Enjoy the show, Mike

What would it take to get Casey Jenks functional fitness sainthood status? Is that a thing? If we just put his face on a medal and wear it around our gym, will that do the trick? Casey’s the creator of Fitbot, the software that keeps our personal training programs from being our personal nightmares. One thing we’ve found as gym owners is that people very rarely stumble upon a great opportunity without first encountering a world of pain. For Casey (and for us before he came along with Fitbot,) the pain was in the logistics of maintaining individualized fitness plans for personal training clients. To manage all the aspects of a program with remote, in-person, and hybrid clients, the whole digital circus would have to come to town: email, Excel, Google Docs, Evernote, Vimeo, copying, pasting, smartphones, desktops. When Casey would ask other coaches how they were keeping track of fitness plans, the same gigantic list of tools would come up. Luckily for all of us in fitness entrepreneurship, Casey already happened to be a software developer. “I got sick of it, and decided to fix it. And I’ve believed that I could do a better job than what was being done. And I believe that what coaches and trainers do is a super-important part of society, and the tools they had at the time were just complete shit. And I believe that they deserve better.” But let’s back up to why efficient individualized fitness plans are even necessary: A lot of coaches start with group fitness, and this is where they feel most comfortable. So this is sometimes where they want to stay. But personal training is what your gym needs in order to extend the lifecycle of your members. We see a ton of burnout after two years, but with a robust personal training program, you not only extend the interest and commitment of your clients, but you create a useful career path for your coaches. Join us as we talk to Casey about how well-managed personal training programs increase income, improve employee and client retention, and get the best athletic results.

Because gym owners almost always love coaching, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to do all the hands-on stuff yourself. You love your work, so why would you want to let anyone else take over? This week, we talk to Alwyn Cosgrove of Results Fitness to find the compelling answer to that question. We were thrilled to have the chance to sit down with Alwyn, because he was one of the first people to really convince us of the merits of systemizing our own business. Alwyn helped us explore some of the reasons we choose not to delegate our work or simplify it with systems. A lot of times we think of handing over a task as a form of ‘giving up.’ Alwyn’s response is that “It’s not about idleness. It’s not about stepping out to be lazy. It’s about what if you had to? Could you?” When Alwyn was diagnosed with stage-four cancer, he very quickly figured out how to get all the systems in place that were necessary for his gym to operate optimally in his absence. “I had to move in at UCLA to have a stem cell transplant, right? We had insurance because of the gym, but your bills at home… You still have to pay your rent or your mortgage. You still have to pay your car payment. You still have to pay for everything, right? How do you create a business that runs without you? That’s what you should be doing in the first place.” Alwyn’s gym underwent a thorough systemization under circumstances that were far from ideal. But it worked. In fact, he jokes that he must have been the jam in the system, because business boomed while he was gone. As a result of the groundwork he laid years ago, Alwyn is now able to focus on refining his systems and getting incredible results. Some of his members, for example, have been with his gym for 17 straight years, with the average membership running in the seven-to-ten-year range. Ideally, the only reason someone would chose not to renew their membership is that they’ve moved out of the area entirely. Otherwise, he wants to be the last gym his members will ever join.

It’s a tale as old as time: A Major League Baseball right-fielder starts selling deer-antler supplements to teammates during pitching changes. Word spreads until members of rival teams are making transactions on base, until finally, one day, he’s inadvertently made the career switch from pro-ball player to nutrition entrepreneur. Sound familiar? Okay. So maybe former Oakland A’s outfielder Danny Putnam’s specific story isn’t one we’ve heard before, but you’ve seen those basic elements over and over: A hobby or a side-gig ends up taking off, and before you know it, you’re in business. As the Founder and Managing Director of Lurong Living, Danny’s business literally started on the field during ballgames. It wasn’t anything he’d expected. The way he’s sustained the growth of his business is by putting the right systems in place at the right time. In this episode, we talk to Danny about how to know when to build a tool versus when to hire a person, the difficulty of putting up boundaries on your time when things start taking off, and how to create buy-in with your employees. We also use juggling as a metaphor a lot. It works. (Anyone who’s ever dropped the ball can back us up on this.) As entrepreneurs, we often don’t want to develop systems or automation, out of the fear that it will make our business impersonal. We talk about the ways that systems can actually make us more creative. When we can find a better way to take care of tasks that are outside of our wheelhouse, it frees up our time and our brain to work on the bigger picture of our mission. Whether you’re growing your business or you just want to hear more about the world of deer-antler side-hustles, we hope you enjoy the show!

As a Marine Corps lieutenant, and usually as the only woman in the room, Taylor Drescher anticipated the challenges she might face as a leader. In her case, she was able to identify that her strength as a leader was literally her physical strength -- so she played it as much as she could. “I'd carry more weight on purpose, just to, not to prove a point, but because I could and I loved it. I lived for that, you know? So, why not? Then, the guys would be complaining or falling down, I'd be like, ‘Do you want me to carry your pack for you?’” By the time Taylor decided to become a Marine, she was already deep into the functional fitness lifestyle and competing as an athlete. When she had to go on a five-mile, weighted endurance run through the mud for basic training, her reaction was, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this.” This attitude has helped her have an awesome career not just as a Marine, but now as a life coach. And it isn’t all about leaning on your strengths: Effective leadership requires an honest assessment of weaknesses and a plan to overcome them. In Taylor’s case, she was not good at taking standardized tests. That’s where she would ask for help studying. She knew that, just as her team would look to her for guidance in her strongest areas, she needed to be okay with sometimes saying “I don’t know this,” and seeking out help from someone who does. She now applies these principles of playing up strengths and identifying weaknesses with her clients who look to become more effective leaders themselves, in a variety of fields.

Just because you’ve eaten in a restaurant doesn’t mean you know how to run a restaurant. Most people will agree with that in general, but it’s harder to see the truth when looking at your own business. The same goes for working out or coaching in a gym versus running a gym. This week, Garry Lineham talks to us about why it might be more important to grow in your business experience than in your technical knowledge when running your own gym (or any business for that matter.) The core reason is corporate intelligence: the attribute that you exercise and expand by working on a business as an entrepreneur rather than just working in the business as an employee. Currently, Garry runs Human Garage, a health and wellness company in Venice, California that specializes in the connection between the body and the mind. On Barbell Business, Garry tells us how he applies his corporate intelligence daily to the tasks of leading and growing his team there and scaling his operation. Garry explains a lot by breaking down what is and is not a real business. “It’s not a business if you have to be there; it’s a job.”“If you’re doing it just to make money, then you better get out of there. That’s not a business.”“If you can’t define your values and your beliefs, then it’s not a business and you shouldn’t be in business.” For him, your skill starts off as a trade. Then you create a hobby out of it, even if you’re actually operating a gym, for example. A real business is when you can duplicate it, and that requires a certain amount of corporate intelligence in the owner. When it comes to starting and continuing a gym, Garry believes that corporate intelligence is the key to making the right call: “Just because something is a good idea doesn’t mean it makes a good business.” But even if you’re running a business that should work, your corporate intelligence will determine if you’re the right man for the job: “Just because it’s a good business and a good idea doesn’t mean I’m gonna be good at it.” For those who are already successful at their business but are eager to learn more, Garry also has some wisdom to share. “The biggest killer of businesses is success. It’s not actually the challenges of getting started.”“What the brand really is is what people feel and say about you when you’re not there.” So if you’ve been wondering why all these hours spent in your gym haven’t elevated you to a higher level of business success, or you already have corporate intelligence but want to gain more, check out this week’s episode of Barbell Business.

How do you know when your business is big enough? When can you stop raising capital? Can you get out of your building’s terrible lease terms? Mike Melby is a venture capitalist who works exclusively in sports and fitness. He’s overseen the inception and growth of a lot of businesses, and on this week’s episode, he shares some of the common traps owners fall into. As a functional fitness entrepreneur, you probably get a ton of unsolicited advice about how to grow your business. “You should get more investors!” “You shouldn’t franchise; you’ll only get a 5% royalty!” “Now that you have four gyms, you might as well open up a fifth!” And while it’s a good idea to listen to all the advice you get, it’s not a good idea to take all of it. This week, Mike talks about how to know when your gym is the right size for you. Sure, getting investors means more money, but it might also mean having to report to someone when you’re used to being your own boss. Franchising royalties that sound like small potatoes end can end up being big paychecks. And the difference between opening that fourth gym and opening that fifth gym might not mean 25% more work for your staff — depending on the scalability of your current model, that one location might bring 100% more work (and pain) for everyone involved. Let’s say you know you’re ready to start approaching investors. Listen in for great advice on who to ask, how to ask them, and how to deal with the inevitable rejection. Plan to ask 100 or more people for money, and don’t take it personally when they reject you. In fact, don’t even look at it as rejection. Mike has tips for getting through the pain of our own egos. You know you want to grow. Listen to this episode for insight on the right way to do it for your brand, your business, and your life. Want help creating and executing strategies and systems to grow your membership, dial in your analytics and strengthen your gym’s community? Learn more about our individualized business coaching program, Barbell ETHOS and get on our waitlist for the next opening. barbellbusiness.com/barbellethos

If you want to learn how to juggle, you don’t start with five balls. You become proficient with two and add from there. The same is true for gym owners. We often see gym owners take on multiple projects and attempt to create multiple revenue streams at the same time. This often leads to a lack of focus, frustration, and sub-par work as projects don’t get completed on time and additional revenue streams fail to materialize. The shotgun approach seldom works. Ask yourself this… …in moments of weakness, do you take on a project or a client that is outside your focus zone? In other words, do you say “Yes”, when you should be saying “No”? This is a common pitfall for business owners that have not defined their core competency and their unique genius. In this week’s episode, we are chatting with Ron Wilson of Hylete. Hylete is one of the top apparel companies in the fitness industry. Ron has built a multi-dimensional business with apparel, fitness accessories, and training apps. His vision is set on doing even more, but what made him successful is the fact he started with a singular focus, what he calls his Focus Zone. For 5-years Ron lived in his focus zone, to create the best performance shorts in the fitness industry. After building trust in the community, revolutionizing the way performance apparel is purchased, and delivering the quality a demanding marketplace required, and only then, did Ron began to expand the variety of his product line. Now, Hylete has one of the most loyal followings of any apparel line in the industry. Gym owners, small business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs can all learn what the Focus Zone is and how to identify it in this episode of @barbellbusinesspodcast. enjoy the show, Mike

Entrepreneurship is inherently lonely. Not to mention, it can be stressful. Being the only one in charge means you hold all the responsibility, which is why partnerships are often so appealing to experienced entrepreneurs. When executed correctly, partnerships can help bring a business to the next level. At the same time, they can cause more stress, and lead to failure of a business. Like any relationship, a healthy partnership is build on trust and communication. This week, we visited Athletics United to chat with Brian Arthur and Jake Sirokman to hear about how they are working together to build a kick ass gym. Jake and Brian, come from different backgrounds but have come together to build something bigger than they could have alone. In this episode we discuss: If you have a business partner or considering partnering with one, sit down and give this one a listen. Enjoy the show, Mike

We say it all the time- it is important to communicate to your clients that they are paying for coaching and not just a gym membership. On that note, it is important to charge a price for your service that matches the value you are providing. More often than not, gym owners are not charging what they are worth, and that is problem. Some say, it feels strange to charge a high price for something they are passionate about and others say they have to compete with the cheaper box down the street, but the truth is, you are setting the standard of your fitness service based on how much you are charging, and chances are, you are not charging what you are truly worth. In this week’s episode, we are talking to Aj Rivera. AJ runs a consulting business called PT Freedom where he teaches trainers and gym owners how to set up systems that provide the most value to clients, while at the same time creating more financial freedom for the trainer or gym owner. AJ also founded, operated, and sold two gyms in Chicago. We also dive into some his experience with setting up gyms to sell. If you are currently getting members in the door but still financially struggling to make what you deserve, this episode is a must watch. Enjoy the show, Mike

There is a big difference between working IN your business vs ON your business. No matter what industry you are in, there is a milestone that every entrepreneur needs to hit in order to take their business to the next level. That milestone is systemization. In this episode, we catch up with Angelo Sisco, our head business coach at Barbell Ethos, and Jason Dunbar, founder of Iron Fire Athletics & CrossFit Poway, to talk about the process of setting up systems in a gym business. model. If you are currently in a place with your gym where you are coaching classes, doing admin work, managing finances, and struggling to find time to even think about sales & marketing, you are very much in a survival state. It is common as entrepreneurs to assume that the answer is to just work harder. That is simply just not true. In my experience, and what holds true in all business, is creating an environment where the day to day tasks are outsourced, automated, and systematized. When this is achieved, there is a shift out of the the survival state into a state of clarity where you can focus on growth, and more importantly, create the time to focus on what you enjoy doing. Enjoy the show, Mike

As gym owners, we are in the business of showing people the value of coaching and investing in their health. As entrepreneurs, it only makes sense that investing in ourselves is equally as valuable. In this week’s show we interview Marci Lock. Marci is a very successful coach, and you can tell why as soon as you hear her speak in this episode. She works with some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, and charges 1 million dollars a year to work with her. She obviously did not start out that way, and in fact was a waitress at the Olive Garden when she got started with coaching. What elevated her success, was her willingness to invest in herself and make bold decisions even when others encouraged her to take the safe path. As entrepreneurs we can’t afford to take the safe path, and in this episode you will find some insight into how you can start on a path of growth in your entrepreneurial journey. Enjoy the show, Mike