Staffing problems can destroy your gym’s momentum—and your sanity. But with the right systems and mindset, they’re solvable.

In this episode of Run a Profitable Gym, host Mike Warkentin talks with gym owner Chris Williams about the staffing chaos he inherited when he bought his gym.

Chris shares the HR disasters that nearly wrecked his business and lays out the steps he took to rebuild trust, create structure and increase professionalism.

He explains how he turned a gym run by friends into a real business and gained the freedom to step away from day-to-day operations.

He also breaks down his evaluation system, describes his pathways for staff advancement and explains how he approaches hard conversations with employees.

Staffing problems aren't unavoidable, but they are fixable. Tune in to become a better leader for your team!

For more help, use the link below to join Gym Owners United and get the free “7 Deadly Sins of Staffing” guide.

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0:37 - Staffing horror stories

11:27 - Systemizing the business

13:48 - Documenting roles and responsibilities

20:24 - Preventing staffing issues

28:20 - What gym owners can do today

Staffing is the biggest and most important investment you'll ever make in your gym. Get it right and your business grows. Get it wrong and everything stalls.

Today, Chris Cooper unpacks the seven deadly staffing sins that create chaos, kill growth and keep gym owners chained to day-to-day operations.

From hiring out of desperation to keeping people too long, each staffing mistake is pulled from real conversations with gym owners who’ve felt the consequences.

You’ll probably recognize a few of these mistakes in your own business. You might even realize you’re committing all seven sins.

Coop's got absolution and solutions for you. Tune in to hear how top-performing gyms build strong, reliable teams, then take action to do the same.

To get the full guide, join Gym Owners United via the link below.

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2:22 - Lack of clarity and defined roles

7:06 - Over-incentivizing and promoting

13:08 - Hiring in desperation

16:55 - Keeping people too long

19:30 - Abdicating instead of delegating

What if your gym was fully booked and highly profitable all summer long?

While many gym owners brace for a summer slump, Debbie Rosslan ramps up with youth programs such as jump training, volleyball development, and speed and agility, which keep her gym full and profitable.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with Debbie about how she uses kids camps to generate consistent revenue during the months of the year when many gym owners struggle.

Debbie breaks down how she structures her camps, prices them for profitability and keeps kids coming back year after year.

She also shares tips on low-cost marketing and explains why parents happily pay premium rates for her kids programs.

Skip the summer slump this year. Instead, listen in as Debbie shares her playbook for a packed and profitable gym. Then take action today.

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0:35 - Summer opportunities for gym owners

3:52 - Revenue from a kids program

5:27 - Setting up a kids program

10:20 - Filling and marketing a kids program

15:18 - How to get started now

Summer is coming, and for many gym owners, that means holds, cancellations and a painful dip in revenue—but it doesn’t have to.

The summer slump is natural if you don't take action: Clients go on vacation, they trade your programmed workouts for outdoor activities in the sunshine, and kids who are home from school force routine changes.

But when clients stop coming to the gym consistently, they lose the momentum they’ve built, making it harder to get them to restart in the fall.

Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper gives you a tactical action plan for getting ahead of the summer slump in 2025.

He breaks down practical strategies for improving summer retention and boosting revenue with seasonal programs, such as offseason athlete camps.

You’ll also learn how to offer remote coaching and travel prescriptions so you can keep clients engaged even when they’re outside the gym.

Tune in to hear a complete plan you can apply to your gym today and use every year to make summer a strong season.

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3:25 - Pre-sell fall engagement

5:00 - Seasonal programs and events

7:37 - Camps and programs for offseason athletes

9:06 - Remote training programs

12:29 - Vacation training plans

Gabriel Mayer-Bédard, owner of CrossFit St-Basile-le-Grand in Quebec, Canada, used semi-private training to generate over $200,000 in new revenue in just one year.

Adding semi-private training also boosted his gym’s client retention, solved scheduling challenges, and produced higher pay and improved career paths for his coaches.

In a semi-private model, about four clients train at the same time under one coach, and each client receives personalized programming and attention—making it a high-value service for both clients and gyms.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Gabriel outlines exactly how he launched the new service with the help of Two-Brain’s semi-private specialist, Brian Bott.

Gabriel explains how he set pricing and coach pay, sold existing clients on the service, and shifted his onboarding process to funnel new clients into the program.

Looking for a way to grow your gym without burning out? Gabriel’s story will show you what’s possible.

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0:54 - What is semi-private training?

5:43 - Selling semi-private training

10:27 - Session pricing and trainer pay

14:48 - Onboarding into semi-private

21:58 - Working with a specialist

Tired of answering the same questions, fixing the same mistakes and doing everything yourself?

In this episode, Corey Lewis, Two-Brain mentor and owner of Xtra Mile Fitness, shares how systemizing his gym with SOPs (standard operating procedures) has helped him save time, improve retention, onboard staff more efficiently and build a more profitable business.

Creating SOPs doesn’t have to be painful. Corey reveals his quick hack for writing them in minutes with help from AI, and he explains why systemizing even the smallest tasks—like opening the gym or cleaning equipment—can unlock massive growth.

He also walks through his process for presenting SOPs to staff to get their buy-in and create a better client experience.

Stop doing everything yourself. Tune in to learn how to buy back your time, reduce stress and run a more profitable gym.

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3:01 - How to create efficient SOPs

7:04 - Presenting SOPs to your staff

10:01 - When to review & update SOPs

14:41 - Examples from Corey’s mentees

17:52 - Buying back your time

Want to earn $100,000 a year from your gym? Passion alone won’t cut it. You need a clear plan.

Today, Chris Cooper introduces a proven, step-by-step guide: “The Gym Owner’s Checklist for Hitting $100K+ Annual Income.”

Based on data from thousands of gyms worldwide, this checklist outlines exactly what you need to do to build a profitable, sustainable business.

It’s broken down into six essential areas:

- Get More Clients
- Average Revenue Per Member (ARM)
- Length of Engagement (LEG)
- Effective Hourly Rate (EHR)
- Staff
- Finance

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the business side of gym ownership, this checklist will give you a clear path forward.

Join Chris for a live walkthrough and Q&A on April 29 at 12 p.m. EDT in Gym Owners United—linked below.

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0:01 - Intro

2:29 - Overview of the checklists

3:48 - Client headcount, value & retention

8:13 - Owner pay, staff & finance

9:50 - Your next step

At just five months old, Emilie Towns’ gym is already averaging more than $450 per member per month.

Instead of offering big group classes, Emilie built Ardent Fitness on a high-value foundation by focusing on semi-private and small-group training.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Emilie shares how her mentor helped her launch with clarity and confidence, and she lays out the systems that drive her success.

She breaks down her onboarding process and pricing strategy, and she explains how the Prescriptive Model has helped her retain clients, reinforce value and consistently deliver results. She also shares how she overcame early sales fears to find high-value clients.

If you've ever wondered how some gyms can charge so much more than others, dig into this episode!

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0:01 - $454 ARM in 5-month-old gym

3:32 - Small group vs. semi-private

11:24 - Running a semi-private program

14:27 - How to find high-value clients

22:18 - The Prescriptive Model