Fitness Business Advice that is Killing Owners

Find out what stage your gym is in and exactly what to focus on right now. Takes 5 minutes: https://www.fourstagesquiz.com/

Some of the advice killing gym owners sounds perfectly reasonable. Never raise your members’ rates. Open another location. Copy the model that’s working for somebody else.

Tom and I break down the advice owners need to stop following, and why even good advice can be wrong for your business right now.

Tom starts with one that a lot of trainers hear: you’re great at this, you should open your own gym. But loving coaching doesn’t mean you’ll love managing staff, handling schedules, learning marketing, and running a business. He lived that himself.

Then we get into the promise I’ve spent years helping owners unwind: “I’ll never raise your rates.” Your costs keep going up, but you’ve decided your prices can’t. A financially healthy gym can hire better people, deliver a better service, and stay open. That helps your members too.

We also talk about copying somebody else’s model. Just because someone is crushing it with 30-minute sessions or a six-week challenge doesn’t mean switching your entire business over will produce the same result. You need to understand why it works and whether it fits your business.

The biggest conversation is about opening a second location. I’ll own this: earlier in my consulting career, I pushed growth harder than I focused on the life somebody actually wanted. I look at that differently now.

I share the advice Seth Godin gave me when I was considering a second gym, and why that conversation led me to build this coaching business instead. Being able to expand doesn’t automatically mean it’s the right move for you.

We finish with two more traps: using AI to replace the relationships that make your gym valuable, and expecting one online funnel to handle all your marketing. Use the tools. But keep showing up in your community and give yourself more than one way to get customers.

The 5 Biggest Takeaways

1. Being a great trainer doesn’t mean you should own a gym. Coaching clients and running a business require different skills. Make sure you actually want the job you’re building for yourself.
2. Promising never to raise rates puts your business at risk. Your costs won’t stay the same forever. Your pricing needs to support a healthy business that takes care of its members, staff, and owner.
3. Someone else’s winning model might be wrong for your gym. Don’t overhaul your business because somebody is selling a new approach. The advice needs to fit your stage, your business, and the life you want.
4. Get better before you get bigger. Before opening a second location, make sure the first has healthy profits, consistent growth, clear leadership, repeatable systems, and reliable lead generation and retention.
5. Technology can’t replace relationships or a well-rounded marketing plan. Use AI as a tool, keep showing up in your community, and don’t depend on one funnel to bring in every customer.

The point is to build a business that gives you the life you want. Get clear on what that looks like, understand the stage you’re in, and focus on what actually moves you forward.

Find out what stage your gym is in and exactly what to focus on right now. Takes 5 minutes: https://www.fourstagesquiz.com/