Episode 108: Raise Your Rates with Confidence with Andy Fernandez and Renee Metivier
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
Episode 107: Michael and Mark Share Productivity Tips for 2022
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
What Kind of Help do You Need?
Welcome to a brand spankin’ New Year. 🙂 As we think about the year ahead, I wanted to drop you a short note and invite you to get crystal clear on what kind of help you need. You see, sometimes, we know the root of a given issue and we know how to solve it. We just...
5 Top Posts of the Year
Have some extra time this weekend to catch up on some reading? Here are some of our most popular posts from over the last year. They’ll help you hit the ground running in 2022! Why MFF Closed a Location [$500k Lesson] - My scars are your lessons! Haha. All kidding —...
Episode 106: Using Virtual Assistants with VA’s for Gyms and Scott Rammage
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
Episode 105: Developing Entrepreneurship Among Your Team with Molly Kieland
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
Don’t Drive Angry
Quick thought for you today... If you run a business, I bet that sometimes you have feelings. This is normal. It means you care! And feelings can be helpful signals. We don’t want to dismiss them or attempt to block them out and repress them. That never works anyway....
Episode 104: The Power of Delegating with Megan Hanna & Chris Perry
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
You May Unsubscribe…
You can usually trust this missive for a weekly heapin’ of actionable fitness business know-how. But long time readers know your friendly author’s commitment to a never-ending liberal arts education. You see, if you want to win at your business — and be the best human...
Episode 103: Charlie Deist on Building Culture
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
How Can I Sell Without Feeling Sleezy?
Today we’re going to cover how to sell your services without feeling sleezy. First point: if you’re concerned about this, you probably don’t need to worry. At the end of the day, those of us that are concerned about turning people off or being too pushy usually don’t...
Episode 102: Mark and Pete on Identifying Where You Need Help in Your Business
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
Episode 101: Michael, Mark & Pete Share the Most Common Mistakes Gym Owners Make
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
2022
Seems hard to believe. But we’re a stone’s throw from 2022. If you don’t already have a dedicated 2022 planning session in the books, now would be a great time to pencil one in. The Unicorn Society is gathering in Nashville this weekend to prepare for the new year. In...
Episode 100: Michael and Mark on the Importance of Mentorship and Peer-Learning for Entrepreneurs
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
I Was Feeling Pretty Low. And Kinda Disgusted. But This Really Helped.
I want to share a powerful framing that encapsulates why I’m so passionate about the Unicorn Society. But first, lemme tell you a quick story. Your ol’ pal Mark has had some ups and downs over the past 18 months. I suspect I’m not alone and maybe you can relate. When...
Episode 99: Kelly Edwards Explains How to Run a Successful Youth Athlete Program
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
15 Traits of Successful Training Gym Owners
As we chat with training gym owners for the January enrollment of the Unicorn Society, I’ve been reflecting on the differences between those who just get by and those who thrive. (Want to learn more about the Unicorn Society? Go HERE.) Listen, this can be tough biz....
Episode 98: Michael and Mark on “Non-Social Media” Marketing Strategies
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
How To Learn Faster
If you’re a long-time reader you know I’m pretty aggressive about my education.BEHOLD. *Cue the Majestic Trumpets of Angels” In all honesty, I can’t think of anything more fun than learning. In fact, if there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s this: Mark Growing/...
Episode 97: Chris Burgess Shares How Customers Are Behaving Differently Post-COVID
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
36 hours Of Pain
One of the hardest parts of running a business is “ripping off band-aids.” The band-aid in question can be any number of situations demanding a change: A pricing model that won’t allow for profitability A long term employee that’s no longer working out A new hire that...
Episode 96: Bonus Episode Michael and Mark Reflect on the Importance of Stepping “Out” of the Business
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
Simple Marketing Calendar For a Training Gym [Easy]
I hope this missive finds you well and drinking something seasonal including but not limited to a pumpkin spice latte, apple cider, or a pumpkin ale. #basic If you haven’t already put some thought into leveraging Black Friday/ Cyber Monday, now’s the time to get...
Should You Bill Weekly or Monthly?
You know, it’s very rare that I speak in absolutes when it comes to success as a training gym owner. But this is one of those moments. Virtually all members of the Unicorn Society have made or are making this change. I promise you, this is a move you need to make...
Does Offering Discounts (or free trials) Devalue Your Services?
No, offering discounts or free trials does NOT devalue your services. In fact, they can be a powerful tool to grow your business. But it’s not always wise to hurt your revenues by reducing prices. And if you’re looking to create an incentive to inspire action by a...
Episode 95: Mark and Pete Discuss All Things Facility
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
I Changed My Mind
In today’s missive, we’re going to cover five topics where I’ve changed my mind over the past 10 years of running MFF. But first, I wanted to remind you we’ve got a truly awesome virtual event coming up. If you’ve ever wanted to peel back the curtain and go behind...
Episode 94: Michael and Mark Announce Inside the Unicorn
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
What Are The Best Business Finance Books For A Training Gym Owner?
In that particular missive, I made an important point: once you’re making money with your training gym, you need to know how to leverage it over time. And I stand by that logic! BUT To make money in your training gym, you need to have a basic understanding of business...
Thank you
Keeping today short because I hope you’re enjoying your last week of summer. Long time readers know I’m usually in the desert this time of year at Burning Man. I’m skipping this year’s “Rogue Burn,” so no desert for me, alas. But I’m nonetheless semi-off grid. And I’m...
What Are the Best Books on Money for a Training Gym Owner?
Having a successful training gym means you have a comfortable margin of profit after expenses. This means you receive an appropriate take home income for your efforts.
Episode 93: Mark and Pete Talk Recruitment and Onboarding
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
Episode 92: Pete and Mark Answer Rapid Fire Questions Part Two
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
I Messed This One Up…
Let’s discuss something I could have done better during MFF’s first 9+ years. You see, I will forever identify as an artist. I want MFF to be the most human business possible. I don’t want to overly constrict our operations by forcing people into the straight jack of...
Episode 91: Pete and Mark Answer Grab Bag Rapid Fire Questions
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
![Why MFF Closed a Location [$500k Lesson]](https://www.businessforunicorns.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tim-mossholder-C8jNJslQM3A-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Why MFF Closed a Location [$500k Lesson]
Got a personal story today with some takeaways for your training gym… As a lot of you know, MFF was shot out of a cannon from the moment we hit the ground running. We hit $1m in our very first year in business. And by year four, we broke $4m in a single location. We...
Should You Name Your Business After Yourself?
Great question. The answer is a strong maybe with a side of “Probably not!” Obvious context: my name is Mark Fisher, and I own a gym named Mark Fisher Fitness, hi, it’s very nice to meet you, thrilled to be visiting you here in your inbox. A question that comes up...
How Many Services Should Your Training Gym Offer?
2. Maybe 3. Ok, great talk, happy Thursday {Contact}! .... I kid, I kid. Well, I’m sort of kidding. I actually do think “2-3” is usually a good answer in many situations. But you know how I roll; I shan’t leave you hanging without context! Let’s start by analyzing...
Best Market for a Training Gym? (NOT What You Think)
And it’s totally upside down from conventional wisdom. (I’d sincerely love for you to give this a read and respond one way or the other ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO CONFIRM I’M CORRECT jkjkjk.) Ya ready? “The easiest market to build a sustainable and high-margin...
Why Your Marketing Sucks (And How to Fix It)
It’s ok. Don’t beat yourself up! Not all of us had the good fortune to receive a BFA in musical theater, the widely accepted gold standard for education in fitness business excellence. *Mark humbly bows to you with a flourish of his top hat* Furthermore, the confusion...
Should You Offer a Free Trial?
Let’s dive head first into this hornet’s nest and answer another of the most common questions in all of Training Gymdom… Should you offer a free trial? Here’s how I suggest thinking about this… First off, we need to appreciate that unless you have some low barrier way...
Should You Increase Rates for Long Time Members?
Yes. Yes, you should! Listen, I’m all about loyalty; at times, to a fault. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned (the hard way), it’s this: When you prioritize individuals over the group, the group suffers, and then it’s still a bad outcome for individuals. This is a...
Should You Have Your Prices on Your Website?
Let’s talk about prices and websites. The Fitness Business Thought Leader Industrial Complex has many strong — and conflicting — opinions on this topic. Here my personal take. In a vacuum, your best bet is often something like this: “Prices start at X, but depend on...
Number One Missing System…
Today I want to highlight the most common missing system I see in training gyms and micro gyms… And that’s the follow-up. Let’s assume you’ve got... A compelling low barrier offer that makes it easy to get started and removes all risk Communication channels to make...
How Much Should You Charge for Your Services?
If you’re in a market where the other options are low priced, volume gyms where people rent access to equipment. Now we know that’s not a fair comparison; you’re not selling equipment access, you’re selling coaching and accountability
Episode 90: Bonus Episode Pete and Mark on Being Effective with Public Speaking
What if you were friends with a bunch badass business leaders and entrepreneurs and could ask them about their successes, challenges, and most valuable advice? That’s exactly what Business for Unicorns delivers. Join business coach and entrepreneur Michael Keeler as...
How Can I Make Sure My Team Follows Our Systems?
Want to cover a pretty common challenge for training gyms (and frankly, all businesses)… Whether you’ve got a larger facility with 10+ staff, or just hired a part time trainer and/or admin, the only way for you to have true peace of mind is with a well-trained team....
![Fitness Business Coaches [The Truth]](https://www.businessforunicorns.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/element5-digital-7QYd1VxLRbM-unsplash-400x250.jpg)
Fitness Business Coaches [The Truth]
Here’s a common point of debate in the Fitness Business Guru Industrial Complex: Do fitness business coaches need to be running their own training gym? (Longer one today… get a cup o’ joe to sip on…) One side of the issue says: “Yes. If you’re not (currently) running...
BOCTAOE
BOCTAOE.
This is an acronym popularized by Scott Adams that stands for “but of course there are obvious exceptions.”