Management & Leadership

False Influence

Sometimes, when faced with an important decision that impacts my entire team, I come to a conclusion on the direction I intend to go with it. That is, after all, my right as a business owner -- to make difficult decisions on behalf of the staff. In the past, when...

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...

Physiological Leadership

First off, a quick note to say that I’m SO excited to return to my old stomping grounds and speak at the Perform Better Summit in Orlando, FL on June 3rd-5th. Even before I was a speaker on the tour, this was always one of my can’t-miss educational events every single...

Does Your Facility Look Like sh*t?

Maybe that’s the issue  Now I don’t actually know, of course. I’ve not been to most of your facilities. But some fitness facilities do look like doodoo. As the oft-quoted, possibly made-up, but still reasonable-to- believe stat goes, the number one reason people leave...

5 Key Traits of Modern Leaders (with links to TED Talks)

I’ve been thinking and reading about leadership a ton over the last few months while creating the Leadership Society. To be fair, leadership is a topic I’ve been fascinated by for most of my life.     It’s become clear to me that the recipe for great leadership...

240 Words on Building a Business

Building a business is not for everyone. It takes guts, vision, and persistence.    If you want to build a business...   You’ve got to have a vision for the value you can bring to the world and be willing to fight like hell to make it happen.    You...

What Can You Learn From 2019?

We’d all like to believe that we’re the kind of person who learns from our past to improve our future. That is exactly what my article will help you do today. As 2019 comes to a close, give yourself the gift of self-reflection to consider all the highs and lows of the...

The New Must-Have Skillset for Business Leaders

(Disclaimer: Hey Fitness People! To avoid any confusion, when I use the word coach in this context I’m talking about the umbrella term for any professional who guides and instructs and not specifically a personal trainer or fitness coach. Cool? Disclaimer over.)...

3 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Pro

We often focus on improving our ability as managers and leaders to give feedback, but we should also spend time becoming better at receiving feedback. Receiving feedback can be difficult for two main reasons: it is unexpected or it is emotionally triggering. In this...

5 Quick(ish) Thoughts On Luck, Survival, and Success

Behold! Some useful and provocative business musings to make your life and business better. ************************ Beware Of Advice From Successful, Lucky Idiots A strong operator can handle a crappy market. An amazing market can prop up a sloppy operator. The right...

What’s Cash Flow And Why Should You Give A Sh*t?

You have heard the expression cash is king, right? Well, in business that couldn't be more true. Let's start with the basics.   What is cash flow?   Cash flow is the total amount of money being transferred into and out of your business on a regular basis....

10 Quick Tips for Building Community

In the past year, I’ve worked with over one hundred business leaders. And in all of those interactions, there was one topic that arose the most frequently. Every business owner wants to know how to build community. It’s not enough these days to just have a solid...

Want to Manage Your Time Better? Start Here.

You know what’s crazy? Time. It’s your only completely non-renewable resource. You can get more energy by resting. And you can always earn more money. But once time is gone… that’s it. If you’re serious about using your time well, it’s important to start by analyzing...

5 Phrases That Will Make You A Better Leader

As a leader, you have an outsized impact on those around you. That impact can be a positive one in which you help others be more productive, empowered and inspired. Or your impact can be a negative one leaving those you lead feeling confused, frustrated or worse of...

All Models Are Wrong, Some Are Useful

All models are wrong but some are useful. I’ve used this phrase a million times when talking about business models because it sounds super smart. But I wasn’t sure where it came from. So so I did a little digging. Turns out, this axiom was made popular by British...

How to Completely Change Your Relationship to Feedback

I am an education junkie. Show me a workshop, book or conference that could help me expand my thinking or help me make a better impact on the world and I am all in. Recently I went to the best conference I’ve attended to date -- the 2018 WorkHuman Conference, created...

3 Questions to Ask When Hiring Your First Team Member

One of the most important decisions you will make when you are starting or growing your business is who to hire as your first team member. While hiring the right people for your team is always important, making your first hire as a new business is uniquely critical....

How to Define Your Company’s Values and Make Them Stick

Let’s start at the very beginning. (I hear it’s a very good place to start. #musicaljokes) What the heck are values? Values are our standards of behavior, our judgment of what is important in life. If I were to ask you about the things you value most in your personal...

How to Set Boundaries with Clients

Video Cliffs Notes The Core IssueIn a high-touch, customer-centric business it is essential to cultivate intimate relationships with your customers.When you have a strong personal connection with your clients you:Have a deeper understanding of their needs and...

The Salt Shaker Theory: 3 Principles of Effective Management

If you’re looking for insight into successfully managing a team, you’re not going to do much better than famed NYC restaurateur Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group. His book Setting the Table is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about what...

The 5 Minute Mission Statement

Your company’s mission statement answers the simple question, why do you exist? Having a good answer to that question isn’t trivial. Having a good answer to that question will influence every decision you make about your business. It defines your purpose. Without a...

Four Apps That Improve My Business and Lower My Stress

The promise of technology is that it helps to improve the quality of our lives, making us more organized, connected, and efficient. But most days I feel like technology makes me less productive. From the daily avalanche of emails to our growing addiction to social...

HOW TO CREATE POWERFUL SYSTEMS THAT GROW YOUR BUSINESS

We recently surveyed all of you — our list of Business for Unicorns subscribers — and nearly 100 of you replied. Thank you so much! Y’all are the friggin’ best! Overwhelmingly this was the #1 questioned asked: How do I create systems to help my business grow and run...

DEAR FITNESS INDUSTRY

[Originally Posted October 2016, Updated June 2018]   Dear Fitness Industry, Am I invisible? Every day I see your ads online, on TV, and in the street, but none of them seem to be for me. I can see you, can you see me? I know you are a big industry with lots of...

3 SIGNS YOU’RE A CRAPPY LEADER

The first significant opportunity I ever had to flex my leadership muscles was when I was hired to run the concierge team for a luxury hospitality brand in Hawaii. I know, relocated to Hawaii, sucks to be me, right? I managed a team of about fifteen people spread over...

4 WAYS GREAT LEADERS COMMUNICATE

The takeaways in this post will allow you to go on vacation and actually take time away from your business, physically and emotionally. Doesn’t that sound nice? If you really want freedom and a business that doesn’t rely on you personally, you need to build a culture...

SERVANTS AND LEADERS

Viktor Frankl is a smart motherfucker. If you’ve never read Man’s Search for Meaning, that would be worthwhile. Frankl’s book is a classic with brilliant  insights into the human experience. One of the premises Frankl karate chops in the throat is that happiness can...