Barbell Business

🔥 From Plateau to 350+ Members – How Zach Thew Scaled Catoctin CrossFit to a Thriving, Full-Time Team 🔥 When Zach Thew took over Catoctin CrossFit in 2013, he had no idea the battles ahead—including losing 35% of his members during the shutdowns. But instead of throwing in the towel, he doubled down, rebuilt, and grew. 📈 From 170 to 350+ members in just over 2 years 💰 Churn under 5% while scaling operations 💪 Built a team of 5 FULL-TIME coaches 🔑 Leveraged Big Little Gyms to refine strategy, scale, and systemize growth In this episode, Zach breaks down the exact steps he took to: ✅ Attract more members & dominate his local market ✅ Increase retention & keep members engaged long-term ✅ Transition from working IN the business to scaling it as an owner 🎧 If you’re a gym owner looking to grow, scale, and create a thriving business—this is a must-listen! 💬 Tag a gym owner who needs to hear this! 🔥 Ready to scale YOUR gym? Book a free strategy call at ⁠BigLittleGyms.com⁠.

Want To Grow Your Gym? Go Here: https://biglittlegyms.com/ I just did a deep dive into how to get your Gym to the TOP of Google in 2025. 🚀 If your gym isn’t ranking #1 or at least near the top of Google, you’re missing out on a steady stream of high-quality leads. Most gym owners are still relying on outdated SEO tactics that just don’t work anymore. Or they’re relying too much on paid traffic. Google has changed, and if you’re not adapting, you’re getting left behind. So I put together a step-by-step breakdown of what’s working NOW, including: ✅ The 5 key factors Google actually uses to rank gyms ✅ The biggest mistake that’s hurting your rankings (and how to fix it) ✅ Why your Google Business Profile matters more than ever ✅ How to turn website visitors into actual paying members ✅ The exact process I use to help gyms dominate local search You’d be wise, if you own a gym, to check it out and take action. Enjoy the full 49 minute video and leave a like and thumb up in the comments section! FREE Resources for Gym Owners: Free No-Sweat Intro Sales Guide: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-sell... Free Google Local Search Checklist: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-opti... Complete Facebook Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-fa... Complete Instagram Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-in... Instagram: / biglittlegyms Facebook: / biglittlegyms About us: If you're new to my channel, my name is Will Hurst. I'm the founder and owner of Big Little Gyms (https://biglittlegyms.com), a platform that helps gym owners scale their businesses with proven strategies and systems. Whether you're just starting or want to take your gym to the next level, we're here to provide the tools, coaching, and expertise you need to succeed. Over the past few years, we've helped 1000+ gym owners break free from the day-to-day grind and build businesses that run smoothly and profitably, with several hitting 6-figure profits and even 7-figure revenues. Here's how I got here... I started in the fitness industry with my own gym and successfully scaled it to $1M/year using the same systems and processes we now teach at Big Little Gyms. Big Little Gyms was recognized on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for our fast growth, which is proof that our methods work - not just for us, but for the hundreds of gym owners we've helped along the way. Today, we've built a community of over 700+ gym owners, all benefiting from our proven framework to build and scale profitable gyms, without being tied to the business 24/7. Timestamps: 0:00 - Why Your Gym Isn’t Ranking on Google 0:23 - The 4 Biggest Lead Generation Problems for Gyms 6:23 - How Google Ranks Local Businesses in 2025 9:03 - The Importance of Reviews & Reputation for SEO 12:40 - Google Business Profile: The #1 Ranking Factor 17:20 - Avoiding SEO Hacks & Black Hat Tricks 22:49 - Step-by-Step Guide to Ranking Your Gym #1 26:00 - Optimizing Your Website for Lead Generation 34:50 - Building Local Authority with Backlinks & PR 42:03 - Staying Consistent: Long-Term SEO Success 48:03 - How Big Little Gyms Can Help Your Gym Grow

Ready to grow your Gym? Book a free strategy call with Big Little Gyms at BigLittleGyms.com. For years, Jim Breuer, owner of Momentum Fitness in Eau Claire, WI, felt stuck—his gym was plateaued for nearly seven years. But instead of staying stuck, Jim made a game-changing decision—he joined Big Little Gyms. What happened next? 🚀 He shattered his growth ceiling, hitting a record $60K month 📈 Grew total revenue by over $80K year-over-year 💪 Expanded personal training revenue by over $30K 🔑 Discovered the key strategies to breaking free from stagnation Now, Jim is actively working on buying out his partners and fully taking ownership of his gym’s future. In this episode, we break down: ✅ The mistakes that kept him stuck for years ✅ The key shifts that finally unlocked growth ✅ How mentorship and systems made all the difference ✅ The next big steps for Momentum Fitness If you’re a gym owner struggling to break through a plateau, this episode is packed with real-world insights and strategies you can apply today. 🔗 Subscribe, listen, and learn how to scale your gym smarter! 🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! 🔥 Want to follow in Jim’s footsteps? Book a free strategy call with Big Little Gyms at BigLittleGyms.com.

In this episode of The Barbell Business Podcast, we sit down with Mycal Anders, a Marine Corps veteran, elite strength coach, keynote speaker, and the founder of Next Level Performance Consulting. Mycal has taken the leadership skills he developed in the military and applied them to the world of fitness, growing his gym, scaling his revenue, and creating a thriving community of high-performing individuals. 🔥 What you'll learn in this episode: ✅ How Mycal doubled his gym’s revenue while maintaining a strong community ✅ The leadership principles that helped him scale his business ✅ How mindset and strategy play a crucial role in gym growth ✅ The difference between performance consulting and traditional fitness coaching ✅ How Mycal transitioned from the battlefield to the barbell and built a lasting impact If you're a gym owner, entrepreneur, or leader looking for actionable strategies on scaling your business, improving leadership, and fostering a high-performing team, this episode is for you! Want To Grow Your Gym? Go Here: https://biglittlegyms.com/ FREE Resources for Gym Owners: Free No-Sweat Intro Sales Guide: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-sell-gym-memberships/ Free Google Local Search Checklist: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-optimize-your-gyms-google-local-search-and-attract-more-customers/ Complete Facebook Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-facebook-ads-for-more-gym-members-tutorial-2022/ Complete Instagram Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-instagram-ads-for-more-gym-members-tutorial/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biglittlegyms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biglittlegyms Youtube: https://youtu.be/D8Uy1QyMaRo

In this episode of The Barbell Business Podcast, we sit down with Mike Wilson, owner of CrossFit OYL in Rhome, Texas. Mike shares his incredible journey of leaving a high-paying engineering career to pursue his passion for fitness. Along the way, he grew his gym from 59 to 230 members, quadrupled revenue, navigated the challenges of buying out a business partner, and moved into a 10,000-square-foot facility. What you’ll learn in this episode: The risks and rewards of transitioning from corporate life to gym ownershipProven strategies for scaling a fitness businessInsights into navigating tough decisions like partner buyoutsThe mindset needed to achieve personal and professional growth If you’re a gym owner, entrepreneur, or someone seeking inspiration to take bold steps toward your dreams, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Tune in now! Want To Grow Your Gym? Go Here: https://biglittlegyms.com/ FREE Resources for Gym Owners: Free No-Sweat Intro Sales Guide: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-sell-gym-memberships/Free Google Local Search Checklist: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-optimize-your-gyms-google-local-search-and-attract-more-customers/Complete Facebook Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-facebook-ads-for-more-gym-members-tutorial-2022/Complete Instagram Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-instagram-ads-for-more-gym-members-tutorial/Follow us on social media👇 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@biglittlegyms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biglittlegyms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biglittlegyms

In this episode of Barbell Business, we sit down with Drew Girton, gym owner of Pendulum Fitness. Drew is a industry veteran, coach, and business owner, join us as we explore his incredible journey and the strategies behind his success. With over 20 year experience, Drew has helped countless individuals achieve their fitness goals while building a thriving business. Join us as we dive into: Drew’s origin story and how he got started in the fitness industry. The keys to growing and scaling his successful gym business. Insights into coaching methodologies, fitness trends, and what makes a great coach. The mindset shifts required to overcome challenges and achieve peak performance. How partnering with Big Little Gyms helped Drew take his business to the next level. Whether you’re a gym owner, coach, or fitness enthusiast, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiration. Tune in and get ready to level up your fitness business! Want To Grow Your Gym? Go Here: https://biglittlegyms.com/ FREE Resources for Gym Owners: - Free No-Sweat Intro Sales Guide: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-sell-gym-memberships/ - Free Google Local Search Checklist: https://biglittlegyms.com/how-to-optimize-your-gyms-google-local-search-and-attract-more-customers/ - Complete Facebook Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-facebook-ads-for-more-gym-members-tutorial-2022/ - Complete Instagram Ads For More Gym Members Tutorial: https://biglittlegyms.com/complete-instagram-ads-for-more-gym-members-tutorial/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@biglittlegyms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biglittlegyms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biglittlegyms

📲 🎧 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.