Latest News and blogs
Easy Actionable Tip [Quick]
Wanted to hit you up with one of my FAVORITE easy-ass tips to improve your business results. Sometimes members terminate their agreement. And most of the time, they’re not runnin’ out of the joint cursing you off. (At least I hope.) The next time you have a member...
Distinct Lack of Shortcuts
Nobody opens a gym and says to themselves: “I hope to take this place from zero clients to fully booked in a slow and deliberate manner.” We crave success, and we want it yesterday. Problem is, there isn’t a shortcut in the fitness game. We spend our days telling...
Mastering Marketing and Managing Distractions
First off, this is your early warning that we start official enrollment for the Unicorn Society on Sunday. It’s one of two times per year that we do open enrollment, so if you fancy more personal coaching from Keeler, Pete, Ben, and yours truly, now would be a great...
Disproportionate Returns
Fostering loyalty with clients and employees is about maintaining habits that deliver effects that are disproportionate to your effort. Imagine the next year in your new favorite client’s life… Let’s say that you throw him a free tee shirt in the weight room as a...
Values AND Profit
First off, if you haven’t booked your tickets to Perform Better’s 3-Day-Summits… what are you waiting for?? BFU Coach Pete Dupuis is speaking in Orlando, and yours truly will be in Long Beach and Chicago. It’s one of the hands-down best events in the industry. I’ll be...
Didja get it yet? Didja???
Ok ok, I’m not gonna pressure you. But I reeeeally do think you’ll dig my new(ish) book… We’ve been getting awesome feedback, and I think you’ll find it chockful of actionable stuff and hard-won lessons from life as a gym owner. Speaking of feedback… Please enjoy this...
MFF NYC Mentorship [New Date Added]
For the first time ever, I’m offering a full day of personal mentorship at Mark Fisher Fitness for a small handful of gym owners. It will have a hard cap of 4 gyms max to ensure tons of individual attention. We’ve recently added a new date and will be hosting on May...
Become a Learning Machine
Long time readers know your author REEEEALLY likes education. Books, audiobooks, podcasts, courses, conferences: learning is my hobby and my passion. And it’s been the key to my success. So it’s with great excitement that I bring you the updated version of my personal...
If I Could Go Back in Time [Aging Gym Owners]
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time in the industry, it’s a confirmation of a well-known psychological principle: Humans are bad at anticipating what will actually make us happy. The fancy term for this is “affective forecasting.” Here’s how it shows up with...
I Hate This Offer. 🙁
Today I shall toss my hat into one of the perennial debates of the Gym Guru Industrial Thought Leader Complex: To offer year-long pre-paids or NOT to offer year-long pre-paids, that is the question, Hamlet! My take: I don’t love pre-paids. Let me share my thinking....
New [FREE] Resource
First off, if you missed the big announcement on Sunday, we’ve just opened up enrollment for our next Business for Unicorns course. One of the biggest challenges gym owners face is finding, hiring, and developing a team of ass-kickers who will do great work day-in and...
Step-by-Step Plan to Immediately Boost Revenue [Easy!]
Keeping today super quick, cuz I’m FLYING TO VEGAS TO HAVE ALL THE FUN AT THE UNICORN SOCIETY RETREAT. (sorry for the caps. just very excited.) But before we dig into today’s content… Remember, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I’m offering a full day of Mentorship with yours...
BFU’s “Secret Weapon” Speaks!
It’s no secret that Cressey Sports Performance and Mark Fisher Fitness have had some unusual success. CSP is pretty much the premier baseball training facility in the entire world. MFF has made well over $30 million dollars in one of the world’s most...
Spend the Day with MF in NYC?
For the first time ever, I’m offering a full day of personal mentorship at Mark Fisher Fitness for a small handful of gym owners. It will have a hard cap of 4 gyms max to ensure tons of individual attention. This will be a truly game-changing opportunity to spend an...
Is AI taking your job? Maybe…?
Below are some bold predictions about how artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT3 and DALL-E are going to impact your work as a gym owner. You and your staff will still play the most important role. The “human stuff” will be hard and probably impossible to...
Want to See How Other Gyms Are Run?
Do you ever wonder how other gym owners pay their trainers? Are you ever curious about how other gyms are generating leads? Would you like to know how other gym owners are paying themselves? If so, you’re invited to participate in our first EVER Business for Unicorns...
MF on Leadership
First off, if you haven’t signed up to join us in Vegas on March 24th-25th, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING WITH YOUR LIFE. Ok, ok. I understand you may need to ask your spouse first. But we only have a handful of spots for non-Unicorn Society members. And it’s going to be an...
Do You Have To Pay For Digital Marketing?
Before I give you today’s heapin’ of gym business knowledge, I want to tell you about an event I have coming up. Join me in Alexandria, VA, at the 2023 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute for my session, “Time Management for Fitness Professionals.” You’ll get early-bird...
#1 New Gym Owner Mistake
Let’s talk about the most common mistake I see new gym owners make… REAL TALK: This one is a DOOZY. It comes from a wonderful place. And it’s hard as hell to back your way out of. You see, many-a-new gym owner are excited for the chance to right the wrongs visited...
Seen My *Newest* Project? [Gym World Worldwide]
Keeping it brief today, but wanted to be sure you saw my newest project. That’s right… MOAR MF CONTENT! My pals John Franklin and Mateo Lopez from Kilo have joined forces with yours truly to start a new kind of fitness industry YouTube show: Gym World Worldwide! We...
My Birfday!
But Monday was my birthday. I’ve cheated death. Yet again!! Between my birthday and the time management workshop I did a few weeks back, I’ve got time on the brain. To that end, I wanted to share a resource with you that can help you use your time more effectively....
MF’s *Book* (!!!) Is HERE
I’ve completed the book! It’s done! Huzzah! CLAIM YOUR COPY Now as a loyal subscriber, here’s a warning: this book is a compilation of BFU emails written over a two year period. This means if you luuuurve this here weekly email, you may have already read all these...
Happy New Year [FREE Resource]
First things first, it’s not too late to grab a spot for my time management workshop. I’ll be making the magic this coming Saturday, Jan 7th from 10am to 5pm est virtually on Zoom. Although live attendance is strongly encouraged, all registrants will get the recording...
MF’s Fave Books Of 2022 (And Complete Reading List And Year End Notes)
As we come to the end of the year, I always reflect on which books had the biggest impact on me over the previous twelve months. So with that in mind, here’s my final “best of” email for 2022, where I share my favorite books of the year. First off, I can’t honestly...
Most Popular Podcasts
I hope you’re getting some extra downtime with your family as 2022 winds down. Since I know you may have a bit more free time on your hands over the holidays, I wanted to share some of our most popular BFU podcasts of 2022 (as determined by downloads). For your...
Baby Tiger [Painful Lesson]
*** Long one today. But there’s a huge takeaway here and almost no one talks about this issue. Grab a cup of coffee *** There I was, Standing in front of the entire team of MFF trainers. And crying. Now, I’m an emotional guy. I tear up a lot. (Just like Steve Jobs....
Did You Catch This?
In today’s Missive of Love, I wanted to share some of my most popular fitness business YouTube videos to date. In the grand scheme of things, my lil’ YouTube channel venture is still a glistening lil’ newborn content-making baby. But I’m really proud of how it’s...
Sharing Finances With Your Team?
In today’s missive, I shall cover a common question for gym owners AND a model for thinking about the answer. “Should I share financial numbers with my team?” The super short answer is “Yep!” But you have to provide some context. Here are points that need to be...
A (Counter-Intuitive) Facilities Tip…
Here’s a quickie pro–tip to best nurture your facility. When making improvements, don’t do everything all at once. If you’re anything like me, you like to get THINGS DONE. FAST. (I have many lovely qualities. Patience is not among them.) So when I’m thinking about...
“It Worked So Well, I Stopped Doing It!”
First up, want to give you a gentle reminder, you have until tomorrow to sign up for my upcoming time management workshop and save $200. I’ll be hosting it over Zoom on January 7th from 10am est to 5pm est. Although live attendance is strongly encouraged, we will be...
Who We Are
We’re just a few days away from the closing of the Early Bird window for the Unicorn Society’s 2023 enrollment… So I want to shamelessly talk about the humans who provide the BFU coaching magic. If you’re looking for support in growing your training gym, you have one...
Exactly What I Track (Personal, Financial, Business)
First off, reminder: this is one of your only chances of the year to join a crew of some of the fitness industry’s most successful gyms AND get personal coaching from Michael Keeler, Pete Dupuis, Ben “the Secret Weapon” Pickard, and yours truly. To learn more about...
Top Lessons From A Unicorn Society Member Turned COO
Today we have a guest post from BFU coach (and now COO!), Ben “The Secret Weapon” Pickard. Ben was a client for many years. Since we just opened up enrollment for the 2023 Unicorn Society, I’ve asked him to share a bit about his experience. He also includes one super...
3 Takeaways From My #1 Tool [I Legit Cried To My Wife]
I had a pretty intense experience recently… For the first time in years –– possibly since I wrote them –– I went into old journals and reviewed my planned 5-year goals from ten years ago. The years described were 2017- 2020 (written in 2012-2015). As I flipped through...
Best Writing Resources
If you run a training gym, sometimes you’re going to have to put the proverbial pen to paper. As long time readers know, your beloved author suggests consistent email marketing to your community of current and future clients. These emails need to build value by being...
Should You Have Your Prices On Your Website?
We’re having our biggest Unicorn Society retreat EVER this weekend in Boston. If you’re interested in attending future ones, we’re almost ready to unveil our 2023 calendar so our Unicorn Society members can make plans. We go to awesome cities, have great meals and...
On Aging and Leadership
Students of the human brain are aware that different cognitive abilities peak at different times in life. Younger brains are more agile. They have more of what’s called “fluid intelligence.” Younger brains have lots of youthful vigor and energy. They have an easier...
EXACTLY What MFF Spends Money On [Breakdown]
For today’s missive, I wanted to share a video I did recently for my YouTube channel. Have you ever wondered exactly how a multimillion dollar training gym allocates its budget? Click the thumbnail below to find out how MFF spends every dollar that comes in the door!
Make Me Feel Welcomed
Michael here. It’s been a while. Happy September! Let’s chat about first impressions. Have you ever been to a traditional Japanese restaurant? Their front door almost always has a bell or buzzer to announce that someone has entered. Then you are ALWAYS greeted by...
How To Actually Get SOPs To Work For Your Gym
This week we’ve got BFU’s “Secret Weapon” Ben Pickard sharing some actionable tips on create clear standard operating procedures. Ben is one of the greatest “systems minds” I’ve ever met in the fitness industry. Give this a read and go take action! Do you ever feel...
31 Ways to Get More Leads
If you’re looking for more leads, there are three ways: Add more lead-generating activities Add more lead-nurturing activities Improve the execution of your current activities Our focus today is the first two pieces. Below is a relatively comprehensive tour of your...
The Thing I Don’t Say Enough
I get stuck in a bubble sometimes. You see, some things that are taken for granted in the fitness business circles I move in. These principles seem obvious to me. But that’s the Curse of Knowledge for ya. It lulls me into assuming we’re all on the same page about how...
3 Tips To Level Up Your Sales Process
,,Today we have a guest email from BFU coach Ben “The Secret Weapon” Pickard. Ben recently had the dreaded “Key Hire Loss.” But because he’s a bad-ass, he leveraged this opportunity to actually improve his sales process before getting a replacement to take the role...
Can’t Afford a Sales Team?
Michael, your friendly substitute teacher here, taking over Mark’s email this week. Instead of rolling out the a/v cart to play a VHS tape, let’s talk about sales. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be alright. I promise. Here’s what I hear all the time from gym...
Biggest branding mistake
Got a quick thought for you on visual branding. Most training gym owners are not passionate about design. I totally get that. But there’s still no reason to make the most common mistake I see in branding. Good branding, above all else, should be CONSISTENT. Pick a...
Time Management, Culture, and More
Yours truly is still adjusting to NewDadlandia, so for today’s email, I wanted to direct you to the most recent video from my YouTube Channel. You see, all of time management really just boils down to five steps. And WOW, am I gonna get a chance to finetune my time...
Email For My Friend Mark Fisher
Since yours truly is busy with New Dad Life, we’ve got a guest email from my pal John Franklin of Gym Lead Machine. Fun fact: John has been a pal of mine and Keeler’s for many years. Before his current business, John ran several highly successful Crossfit gyms in the...
Bad News Coming Down The Pike…
There are some economic headwinds a-blowin’. It would be unwise to completely ignore them. And even sillier to not be prepared if things keep going south. The good news is most training gyms can buffet macroeconomic storms pretty well. If you’ve been doing the right...
MF’s Latest Keynote Takeaways
We are now two weeks away from baby MFF’s due date. Yowza! With a baby on the way, now’s not a great time for me to be on the road. So it’s pretty awesome that I can now do virtual keynotes from the comfort of my own home. Today I have the good fortune of delivering...
Writing Emails People *actually* Want To Read [5 Tips]
This weekend is our Unicorn Society retreat in Portland, OR. Our team and Unicorn Society members are spending the weekend working on their businesses, drinking amazing coffee and craft beer, and enjoying summer in one of my favorite cities. And I’m not gonna be...