? ? 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…

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 ne…

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 t…

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.…

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 brea…

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 fis…

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-bor…

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 Marku…

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 …

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 peopl…

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 d…

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? Ok…

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 p…

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 t…

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 ow…

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…

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…

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 fee…

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, an…

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 …

If you have been watching our show, you have heard us say it many times- We are in a relationship business. With the amount of gyms in the market, that is more more true than ever before. If you want to succeed in building a strong community, you need to focus on connecting with your clients and building an experience that they value. That experien…

Wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a process in life that could help you rapidly advance your progress? Well there is. It’s called mentorship. Just like a coach or a personal trainer, a mentor is someone who can guide you through the process and show you a clear path to your goals. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to do the work, it just means you…

If you are like most gym owners, you started a box because you are passionate about fitness. You wanted to turn your passion into a career, and you started a gym on the side in conjunction with your day job. Now if you are like most gym owners, you also noticed that running a gym and trying to work your day job was a lot harder than you expected. Y…

We are excited to share a special kind of show with you this week. We had Justin Ross of Monkey Reel Media come visit us to teach you about marketing with video. Justin creates high quality video content for gyms and in this episode we talk about why video is the most important type of content you need to have in your marketing strategy. This is a …

Hey Business Tribe, We are coming at you this week from Mesa, Arizona. Our journey takes us through the desert to catch up with one of our good friends, Aj Richards. AJ is the owner of CrossFit Mesa and the founder of Rush Club Nation. He treats his box as a well oiled machine, and has his sights set on changing the game in fitness entertainment wi…

Good morning tribe, We are sharing something unique on the podcast this week, and I think you are going to find a lot of value in this episode. Last week, we recorded a podcast of the crew and I doing live Q & A session on Facebook. Gym owners from around the world tuned in to ask questions about their business including what they are struggling wi…

This week on Barbell Business, we interview Mark England of Procabulary. In this episode, we dive into how our language effects our success in business, and in our personal lives. Mark provides practical tools to overcome challenges for both individuals and organizations. We discuss How to communicate more effectively as a coach and as a leader How…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we are bringing Guy Ferdman back on the show. In this week's show we discuss: How to treat your business as a game How to tap into consistent motivation and passion in your business Why relationships are the most important part of business How to adopt the process of mastery into your life If you haven't had a chance t…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we talk about the Barbell Mastermind. We discuss: The difference between a mastermind, a workshop, and a conference The value of being a contributing member of a mastermind Why Masterminding is one of the best ways to grow your network How we set up our experience at the Barbell Mastermind If you liked this episode and…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Guy Ferdman. Guy is one of the co founders of a Satori Prime, a company focused on empowering entrepreneurs. Guy runs his own podcast called the Performance Enhancing Podcast, and has worked with some of the top performing entrepreneurs in the game. We discuss: The psychology of change and habit developmen…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Drew Girton of CrossFit Pendulum. We discuss How to understand what type of entrepreneur you are When to learn more and when to take action on what you know The process of stepping out of coaching and admin to manage the business and grow How to grow your culture in group class…

This Week On BARBELL BUSINESS we interview David Newman of RX SmartGear. We discuss: How David built his business on the simple idea of wanting to make a better jumprope How to scale your business on top of what you are known best for Why you need to focus on customer service as the core of your business practices How to think with a reactionary mi…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Makena Sage from Online Marketing With Heart. We discuss: How to shift your marketing from feeling "salesy" to authentic Why good copywriting is essential for connecting with your clients How to strategically understand your potential clients needs and wants How to target the people you want to come in yo…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview the founder of PowerDot, Eric Glader and discuss the entrepreneurial journey. We dive into topics such as: How to strategically think about providing value to your customers The difference between a service and a product based business The purpose of obstacles in the entrepreneurial journey Why building a …

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Bren Davis and dive into Facebook advertising. We discuss: How to understand the Facebook Advertising Process How to target your ideal type of client on Facebook Why you need to focus on educating your clients on Facebook How to test your ads with a small budget and scale big after Also, if you are seriou…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we dive into the art of the referral. We discuss: Why referrals are an important element to a service business How to target and motivate your best members to help you bring new members into your gym How to make it easy for your members to refer their friends to your gym How to make sure you are building in the key rul…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Ryan Bucciantini of KDA CrossFit. We discuss: How to build community into your box, and enhance the member experience Why you need to think of your gym as more than just a place for fitness Why you need to be humble and open to asking for help and finding mentors How to focus on growth in your business pro…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, the crew talks about Barbell Logic and how the service could help your business thrive. We discuss: What is included in the Barbell Logic software How to optimize, automate, and outsource your admin work How the cost structure is laid out to benefit you the most The difference between building a system on your own and…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss: How to strategically tap into your community to grow your membership How to set up your onboarding process to optimize the conversation rate of new members How to motivate your team to get onbaord with your passion How to set up a game plan to kill it in the new year spike…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview discuss: Why your mindset is the foundation for your success How to find clarity and unlimited motivation around your vision How to think with a growth mindset and understand your “Why” How to structure your conversations and interactions with your clients to show your true value Also be sure to check out …

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Jason Rule from Driven Nutrition. We discuss: Why providing supplements is an important added value for your clients How to sell supplements in your box with out acting "salesy" How to structure your ordering and sales process to optimize profit margins How to educate your athletes on the overwhelmingly co…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss: Why your website is the most important point of contact in your digital marketing plan How to optimize your website to convert online visitors into clients How to effectively tell your gym's story through imagery and video The most important things to include on your website including testimonials, CTAs, le…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Rick DiCarlo at Aliso CrossFit. We Discuss: How to be the best with what you have and scale intelligently How to diversify and optimize your intake process Why you should think of your business as a system of systems How to save time with your admin work and scale your work towards what is most important i…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Max Shank. We discuss: How to make the right decision every time with a cost/benefit analysis How to outsource and automate parts of your gym business Why you should create defined roles for yourself, the partners, and employees in your business How to set up productivity hacks to be more effective in your…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we discuss: How you can utilize social media to get clients in the door during your slow season How to create a strategic social media plan to target your specific client demographic Why you need to have a consistent, organized, and uniform social media posting plan How to use social media like a strategic marketer wi…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss: How your retention rate is effected by the first interaction you have with your clients How you can manage the expectations of your clients so they understand the value of your service Why you should be tracking and benchmarking your retention rate numbers so you can make educated decisions How to use effec…

This Week On BARBELL BUSINESS we interview the founder of Barbells For Boobs, Zionna Hanson. In this episode we discuss: How to tap into a community and create social change. How to implement problem solving tactics into your business. Why you should be implementing more community events at your gym. How you can become a health care advocate for yo…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS, we interview Ben Greenfield and discuss: His business model which allowed him to charge the premium for a high end personal training concierge club How he became NSCA National Personal Trainer of the Year in 2008 How he made 6-figures a year running 2 gyms and a few boot camp classes How he automated and scaled his bu…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we interview Eric Amzalag at CrossFit Encino and talk about how you can differentiate your gym from "just another CrossFit box" in a flooded fitness market. We discuss: The benefits of differentiating your CrossFit box and the services you offer and how that set you apart in a flooded market. How to add more value prop…

This week on BARBELL BUSINESS we discuss what the proper onboarding process looks like including: The different ways to structure your onramp How to choose the best coach to run your onboarding experience How long your onboarding process should be How to transition your clients from onramp to regular classes The Sales psychology to convert new clie…