two brain

When it comes to running a successful business, Brian Alexander has learned that it doesn’t matter how good your systems and processes are if you don’t have the right people doing the job. After mentoring for Two Brain for the previous 3 years, and learning from the Kolbe Index, he discovered that most individuals have the wrong idea about what their role and capabilities are within a business.

As the creator of the consulting and talent optimization company Expressing The Genius Within, Brian is a leader in coaching how to strategically hire employees, reduce turn-over rate, and increase profit. Not only that, he is top in sales for a medical laser company and passionate about his family’s mental, and physical, well-being. 

On this episode of The Tactical Empire, Jeff and Brian discuss Brians’ core values and deliberate actions that drive him towards success in business and in his personal life. He shares: “I think you learn what you want by a whole lot of what you don’t want.” Tune in, and get ready to soak in knowledge from two high-level entrepreneurs!  

What You Will Learn:

• How Brian exited the brick-and-mortar gym business and moved after living in Chicago for over 40 years.
• What the Kolbe and Predictive Index’s are, and how they have changed his career.
• That there are three questions one can ask in order to better define their role in a business.
• And so much more!

Favorite Quote:

“You have to stop and slow down to create the vision of the life you want… and don’t stop until you get there.”

• Brian Alexander

Connect With Brian:

Expressingthegeniuswithin.com

Brian@expressingthegeniuswithin.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrianalexander

How To Get Involved:

If what you heard resonated with you, you can find Jeff on Instagram, Facebook, or his Website. 

If what you heard resonated with you, you can find Jeff on Instagram, Facebook.

If you're interested you can visit The Tactical Empire's website https://www.thetacticalempire.com/home-4169.

And don’t forget to visit us on Apple Podcasts to leave a review and let us know what you think! Your feedback keeps us going. Thanks for helping us spread the word! 

Episode 166: Protecting Yourself From Lawsuits with Rachel Brenke

You just got THE LETTER.

You found a great picture on Google and used it on your website. And now you're getting sued.

Or maybe you're the one who wants to litigate: a coach left your box, she's emailing all your members, and you want to drop the hammer.

What's your first step? Rachel has the answers in this episode.

Don’t forget about the 2019 Two-Brain Summit, June 8-9 in Chicago! This year we have some amazing topics and guests for both yourself and your coaches. Click here to register and sign up now!

Contact:

https://rachelbrenke.com/

https://fitlegally.com/

https://connorsandbrenke.com/

Timeline:

3:00 – Introduction to Rachel Brenke.

7:44 – How Rachel manages life, business, and fitness.

9:20 – The legal specialties that fitness professionals need help with. 

11:24 – How can business owners protect their CrossFit gym’s brand?

19:44 – Should you be trademarking everything you make?

29:22 – How to handle with other employees and clients taking photos.

35:10 – Dealing with copyright transfers within your business.

37:20 – Using pictures from the internet on your website and in your business.

41:50 – How to handle someone pursuing legal action against you?

45:10 – What to do if a former employee steals your intellectual property?

54:40 – How to reach Rachel?

 Two Brain Marketing Episode 6: Oskar Johed

Today we are joined by Oskar Johed of CrossFit Medis. While growing up in Sweden, Oskar was very involved in sports and soon after graduating from college, entered the corporate world. It wasn’t until tearing his ACL that he came in contact with CrossFit and was instantly hooked! While recovering from his injury, the CrossFit Journal was all he had access to for killing time and keeping him going. It was soon after that he decided to quit his job as a banker and open his own CrossFit Gym. Today Oksar splits his time between his gym and traveling the work as a member of the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff. 

Today we dive into a range of topics including how Oskar spent around $15,000 last year which generated over $200,000 dollars in front end sales!  

Don’t Forget about the 2019 Two Brain Summit, June 8-9 in Chicago! This year we have some amazing topics and guests for both yourself and your coaches. Click here to register and sign up now!

Contact Oskar:

http://www.crossfitmedis.se/

https://www.facebook.com/people/Oskar-Johed/100005979647357

https://www.linkedin.com/in/oskar-johed-5768892/?originalSubdomain=se

oskar@twobrainbusiness.com

Timeline:

1:32 – Introduction to Oskar Johed 

4:21 – Changes in Oskar’s Gym before and after Two Brain Mentorship

8:44 – What originally prompted Oskar to sign up for mentorship

12:13 – The immediate changes as a result of the Two Brain Mentorship Program

14:22 – Holding a commitment with your Client and Staff

18:22 – How to retain Quality Control with your coaches

20:21 – Spending $15,000 on ads in one year!

23:49 – How to ensure successful conversion of leads

27:52 – The Key to Success for Oskar’s Gym

Two-Brain Radio Episode 163: Two-Brain Media With Mike Warkentin

On this episode, we are joined by Mike Warkentin. Mike is the owner of CrossFit 204 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the new co-owner of Two-Brain Media. Mike has been involved in sports for his entire life. After eight years in the media industry, he was able to make his hobby into a career by becoming the managing editor of the CrossFit Journal. When he left the Journal, Mike founded Two-Brain Media with Chris Cooper.

Be on the lookout for Chris' new book coming out on May 7: "Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief"!

Don’t forget about the 2019 Two-Brain Summit, June 8-9 in Chicago! This year we have some amazing topics and guests for both yourself and your coaches. Click here to register and sign up now!

Links:

https://twobrainmedia.com/

https://www.crossfit204.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owZdkAL2a6c

Timeline:

4:06 – Introduction to Two-Brain Media and Mike Warkentin

7:49 – Mike’s experience working at the CrossFit Journal

11:15 – Opening a gym while still working for the CrossFit Journal

18:20 – The launch of Two-Brain Media

27:18 – The ways that Two-Brain Media will be helping gym owners in the future

32:20 – The different types of content and avenues that Two-Brain Media can offer

36:11 – Creating relatable content for your target audience

40:06 – Contacting Mike to book a consultation call

Episode 162: Healthy Steps Nutrition with Nicole Aucoin 

Today we are joined by Nicole Aucoin! Nicole owns Health Steps Nutrition which helps gyms offer nutrition services to their clients. After realizing how important nutrition was at a young age, Nicole studied to become a nutritionist while in college. She now boasts over 10 years of experience helping thousands of clients reach their nutrition goals and her programs are currently run at hundreds of gyms and nutrition practices worldwide. 

Be on the lookout for my new book coming out in just a few weeks: Founder Farmer, Tinker Thief! 

Don’t forget about the 2019 Two-Brain Summit, June 8-9 in Chicago! This year we have some amazing topics and guests for both yourself and your coaches. Click here to register and sign up now! 

Links:

https://growyournutritionbusiness.com/

Timeline:

4:03 – Introduction to HSN with Nicole Aucoin

8:36 – The importance of having a nutrition certification at your gym

10:38 – Streamlining your nutrition program at your gym

12:52 – What are the best nutrition programs doing to succeed

17:30 – Using case studies to promote nutrition at your gym

21:15 – The importance of developing coaches within your gym and program

22:35 – Ways that technology can be leveraged to grow your clientele

25:15 – What is the roadmap for training a nutrition coach?

30:28 – Overcoming hurdles while starting a nutrition program

Episode 162: Building a Measuring Stick

On this episode, we are joined by Chris Cooper to talk about building a measuring stick for ideas! All of us are surrounded by a million great ideas. The challenge we have on a daily basis is dealing with sorting through all these ideas and choosing the right tasks to focus on. The biggest job we have as mentors is to help you filter these ideas, take action on them and execute them until they are done. Today we talk about the process to do this and how we recommend you do it at Two Brain!

Be on the lookout for my new book coming out in just a few weeks: Founder Farmer, Tinker Thief!

Don’t Forget about the 2019 Two Brain Summit, June 8-9 in Chicago! This year we have some amazing topics and guests for both yourself and your coaches. Click here to register and sign up now!

Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Anything-You-Want-Lessons-Entrepreneur/dp/1511366079

Timeline:

2:34 – Introduction to Building a Measuring Stick

3:48 – How does Two Brain grow from user input?

5:35 – You can do anything but you can’t do everything

7:53 – The importance of the roles and tasks exercise

12:02 – The best way to approach new ideas in your business

15:55 – Overloading your business with too much software

18:00 – The hierarchy of questions to ask yourself when choosing between ideas

23:06 – Testing your idea for an appropriate amount of time

29:30 – Some examples of important metrics within your affiliate

Episode 158: Strategic Advantages with Josh Martin

How do we celebrate our strategic advantages? In this episode we talk with Josh Martin, a mentor on the Two Brain Team, about the three most common strategic advantages to a CrossFit Gym: Coaching, Programming, and Community. Many gyms claim to have the best coaches, the best programming, and best community but do they in reality? Learn how you can actually market these items correctly and truly bring them out as strategic advantages. 

Josh Martin is not only a Two Brain mentor but also owns his own CrossFit gym in Lithia Florida, CrossFit for Glory. Josh has always been big into fitness growing up playing baseball, basketball, and even speed skating! At the University of Florida he got his degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology before stumbling upon CrossFit and opening up his own gym. Josh enjoys helping other people reach their health and fitness potential and CrossFit has provided the perfect platform to do so. 

Don’t Forget! Find out what stage of entrepreneurship you are in by taking the exclusive Two Brain test here: https://twobrainbusiness.com/test/ or schedule your free mentoring call by clicking here!


2019 Two Brain Summit in Chicago! Register here!

Links:

https://twobrainbusiness.com/mentor-item/josh-martin/

https://crossfitforglory.com/

Contact Josh:

josh@twobrainbusiness.com

https://www.facebook.com/crossfitforglory/

https://twitter.com/crossfit4glory

https://www.instagram.com/crossfitforglory/

Timeline:

3:00 – Introduction to Strategic Advantages. 

4:46 – What are the top 3 strategic advantages for CrossFit Gyms

10:25 – Making an impact in your community by giving back as an advantage

13:17 – How to use programming as a strategic advantage

17:27 – I have the best coaches! The strategic advantage of coaching.

20:10 – The best ways to market strategic advantages to new clients

Episode 156- Youth CrossFit with Gretchen Bredemeier

Today we talk about CrossFit youth programs! If you are like me, you were very enthusiastic to start one but didn’t realize just how much work CrossFit Kids can be! On this episode, we talk with Gretchen Bredemeier who has started a really excellent program for CrossFit Kids. We dive into what sort of challenges a gym owner will face with a youth program, customizing the youth program to meet the needs of your gym, and we talk about the ROI you can expect. Gretchen does a fantastic job mentoring other gyms on how to start a kids program so be sure to book a Youth CrossFit Intro Call today!

Don’t Forget! Find out what stage of entrepreneurship you are in by taking the exclusive Two Brain test here: https://twobrainbusiness.com/test/ or schedule your free mentoring call by clicking here!

Links: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/twobrainkids/

https://www.instagram.com/coach2kid/

https://www.lococrossfit.com/youth-photo-gallery/

https://kids.crossfit.com/

Contact Gretchen:

gretchen@twobrainbusiness.com

Timeline:

2:20 – Introduction to Youth CrossFit with Gretchen Bredemeier

8:25 – How the CrossFit Youth program was created and designed

11:04 – What attributes do a gym need to foster a CrossFit Kids program

14:59 – What does the CrossFit Youth program bring to the table and build on top of other programs within your gym

19:02 – The marketing skills required to jump-start a Youth CrossFit Program

25:51 – Other benefits besides just improving your business

28:09 – The process required to get started with the Youth CrossFit program

Announcer:                            00:02                       Welcome everyone to to brain radio. It is our mission at TwoBrain is to provide 1 million entrepreneurs the freedom to live the life that they choose. Join us every week as we discover the very best practices to achieve perfect day and move you closer to wealth.

Announcer:                            00:26                       This episode is brought to you by ForTime Design. The real focus of this episode is talking about the value of your time. Is it worth it to outsource your programming and what I started to bring business.com to bring coaching.com I built these sites myself from scratch because I wasn't satisfied with what else was out there. It's important to know how to build a website yourself. It's important to know how to change your own oil. It's important to know how to rotate your own tires, but the value of your time is what's most important. I'm not a graphic designer, I'm not a website designer and so I trust liquid state design to take care of all this stuff for me. Check them out. Toxic Teresa, they do some pretty amazing work and a lot of two brain gyms are already using them. To huge advantage in their local market.

Greg Strauch:                        01:10                       All right. I'm here with Jason Rule, owner of Driven nutrition. Jason, how are you?

Jason Rule:                             01:15                       I'm good. Thanks for having me on Greg. I appreciate it.

Greg Strauch:                        01:18                       Happy to. I know personally within my gym, I love the products that Driven nutrition has been able to offer us. I would say as a business owner, I love the profit margins as well. Uh, before we get into all that, let's kind of start with your story. Let's start with kind of what led you up to open driven nutrition and uh, Kinda expand and we'll go from there.

Jason Rule:                             01:37                       All right. Right on. We'll dive into it. So about 20 years ago, I bought my first supplement store and then shortly after that, about a year after that, about

Episode 153 – UpLaunch with Matt Verlaque and Jake Johnson

If you were building the perfect software tool for gyms from SCRATCH, where would you start?

I would start with a CRM. The most important work we do is the work that helps our clients. That doesn't mean a scoreboard; that means a way to help them get started seamlessly, stay excited and engaged, and reward them for great behavior.

The second most important work we do is the work that helps our coaches. That doesn't mean easier payment processing; that means a way to see clients' goals and progress, reminders to contact them, and a way to share their authority-building content.

Finally, you need software that will help you increase sales. Payment software solved that problem in 2006, but hasn't really improved much since. And that software doesn't increase sales; it just automates the sales you've already made.

Nurturing future clients means talking to people who are paying attention...but not yet paying you money. While I wish every gym owner would write 500 words every day, or send a caring video to every person who said, "Talk to me more!" on their site...the reality is that it's not going to happen. You just don't have time.

Now, your website doesn't do any of this stuff. Does your booking/billing/scorekeeping software? I doubt it.

Really, scorekeeping is one of the least important things you do in your gym. This other stuff is mandatory. And that's what a CRM does.

Enter UpLaunch: a CRM for the gym industry. 

Jake Johnson and Matt Verlaque were actually two of my first guests on this podcast back in 2016. The idea was so solid, and their offer to "Help First" was so great that we "helped fast": we gave away some free emails for people to automate. Then they spent over two years refining the product. Now it's finally ready.

 Join us today as we discuss how this tool can be used in your gym and how to get started with an exclusive offer for the Two Brain Family. 

UpLaunch was launched by Matt and Jake who are both former firefighters are also CrossFit gym owners. The company was originally born within the walls of CrossFit Gettysburg, PA. As Matt and Jake began to grow their fitness business they soon realized that there was no software platform available that made it easy to deploy advanced marketing automation strategies and tactics without setting up third party tools. Ever tool that already existed was either expensive or extremely complicated and that was just not good enough. Originally a mix up of third party tools, today UpLaunch provides a customer software solution for box owners that is unparalleled. Listen in on today’s episode to learn more about how powerful this platform is and the extensive capabilities it offers gym owners worldwide. 

Don’t Forget! Find out what stage of entrepreneurship you are in by taking the exclusive Two Brain test here: https://twobrain.com/test/or schedule your free mentoring call by clicking here!

Links:

https://www.uplaunch.com/twobrain

http://joeycoleman.com/book/

matt@uplaunch.com

jake@uplaunch.com

Timeline:

1:30 – What is UpLaunch?

3:00 – How UpLaunch was started by two former firemen?

7:05 – The early beginnings of UpLaunch and how it became to be

13:02 – Developing today’s version of software and going back to school

18:58 – Leaving the firefighting profession an

Episode 151 – Two Brain For Clinics

This week we have a special episode introducing a new service being offered by Two-Brain Business called Two Brain For Clinics. Dr. Brian Strump, a practicing chiropractor joins us to discuss exactly what is Two Brain For Clinics and how this new service can be leveraged along with a CrossFit gym or simply on its own to help chiropractors push their practice to the next level.

Brian is the owner of Live Active Charlotte, home of both CrossFit Steele Creek and Premier Health and Rehab Solutions. Brian’s passion for health and fitness led him to Chiropractic School and later to become a certified CrossFit coach. Since diving into the world of CrossFit, Brian has combined these two services together and is doing better than ever. Join us as we discuss these two businesses and much more!

Don’t Forget! Find out what stage of entrepreneurship you are in by taking the exclusive Two Brain test here: https://twobrain.com/test/or schedule your free mentoring call by clicking here!

Contact Brian:

Brian.strump@twobrainbusiness.com

Timeline:

1:42 – Introduction to Two-Brain for Clinics

3:18 – What are the differences and similarities between a gym and a clinic?

5:40 – The unique problems faced by practicing chiropractors

9:05 – What is Two-Brain For Clinics

13:21 – Marketing for chiropractor clinics

14:20 – How it can be helpful for a chiropractor clinic to partner with a local gym

19:05 – Ways that a chiropractor can level up their business

22:10 – How to contact Brian

For years, I've been surprised at how quickly CrossFit gyms have embraced yoga but ignored Pilates. Mobility is a virtue, true; but stability is a necessity. Mobility and stability are the yin and yang of every joint's function. Getting really, really bendy might put you in better positions...but won't help you hold weight there. Pilates can.

Yoga is great. But it's hard to introduce into a CrossFit gym, as hundreds have discovered. Doing yoga requires more than a soft mat on your black rubber flooring; it requires an environment that's very different from the "just get it done" setup of a typical box. At least in my own gyms, yoga and mobility programs are usually met with excitement when introduced, but fade to zero within two months.

But Pilates was built from the misfit mindset, like CrossFit. You don't have to embrace a 3,000-year-old culture or religion to do Pilates. And you can teach the basics very quickly.

Today’s guest is Sara Benson of BoxPilates.com and CrossFit Reanimated. She has been a Pilates instructor for years, but only when her husband Dan got a back injury did he start incorporating Pilates into his CrossFit routine. Now they are starting a course online to teach you how to incorporate Pilates into your own CrossFit gym, how to put together a specialty group, and how to incorporate Pilates into regular stability work. 

Sarah will be presenting at the TwoBrain Summit on June 3-4, but if you can’t make it,  reach out to her with any questions you may have!

In this Interview:


 What it’s like to quit your corporate job and start a CrossFit gym
 Comparing and contrasting CrossFit with Pilates
 The importance of pelvic control and how Pilates can help with this issue


Plus:

 Finding the right balance between Stability and Mobility
 Integrating BoxPilates into your own gym
 Gaining control and stability within the transverse abdominal region

 

About Sara:

Athletics, health and fitness have always been a major part of Sara’s life. Prior to becoming a CrossFit level one trainer, Sara pursued her passion for fitness and helping people improve strength and stability through Pilates. After injuring herself in 2008, discovering Pilates became a blessing and enabled her to return to her chosen sports and make drastic improvements in performance. It was soon after that she discovered CrossFit and the many similarities between the two that complemented each other.

It is now Sara’s passion to help people become more active and live healthier lifestyles. She teaches both CrossFit and Pilates and is helping other gyms integrate Pilates into their workout routines and programs. 


Timeline:


2:45 – Box Pilates Introduction

6:09 – Sarah Benson’s story and how she got her start with Pilates and CrossFit

9:10 – Opening CrossFit reanimated along with a Pilates studio

10:29 – Quitting a corporate job to start a CrossFit gym

11:07 – The difference between mat Pilates and Pilates with equipment

12:49 – What is the difference between Yoga and Pilates?

15:01 – Joseph Pilates and the founding of Pilates

18:24 – Working through full range of motion with CrossFit and Pilates

19:49 – Comparing and contrasting CrossFit and Pilates

22:16 – How does on ramp work for an integrated gym that includes CrossFit and Pilates

25:11 – Stability versus Mobility

27:16 – Lack of stability and how to address it

30:33 – Gaining control and stability within the transverse abdominal region 

34:45 – What is the point of improving stability and posture?

36:40 – The importance of pelvic control and how Pilates can help

38:04 – Success stories from Pilates

44:43 – What are the biggest challenges that clients face within the gym

47:10 – How can you star

It is very easy to open a CrossFit gym, but it’s hard to keep one running. CrossFit gym owners must learn fast and develop their skills in areas like Facebook marketing and email lists. But what's MORE important is developing in-person relationships with the people around you, including other businesses with overlapping target markets.

Many entrepreneurs don't possess the skills or mindset to develop a solid cross-referral program. But Tammy and Kaleda do, and in this episode they'll share how to approach other businesses, how to use the "help first" mindset to start a referral program, and even how to mentor others to be more successful.

Tammy and Kaleda are provide many actionable steps you can take starting today. I also hope that you realize how much you know and how great of a position you are in to help those in your community do better. Entrepreneurship is the lynchpin of our economy and it is necessary to save not only my local economy but yours too!


The 2017 Two Brian Summit is coming this June 3rd and 4th. Be sure to register here for this event!


In this Interview:


 What does forming partnerships with a local business look like?
 How to form a business group within your CrossFit gym
 What knowledge are other businesses missing out on?

Plus:

 The "help first"principle and how to implement it
 Being rewarded for helping other businesses in your community
 Going out of the way to help a competitor

About Kaleda:

Kaleda is from Palmerston, Ontario where she grew up on her family’s farm.  She has been training using the CrossFit method since 2012 and before that was an avid hockey and soccer player. After realizing there was nowhere to work out within in her town, she started Degree CrossFit Seaforth. She began by working out of her own garage but now she owns her own affiliate and is a successful box owner!

About Tammy:

Tammy is an experienced coach having trained others in spinning, kickboxing, metabolic conditioning, boot camps, and yoga. After participating in her first WOD she was instantly hooked to CrossFit. She now own CrossFit TPA near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is focused on helping her clients get healthier and obtain the results that they desire!

Timeline:

2:49 – Thinking Outside the Box introduction

6:17 – Kaleda’s story and how she got her start with CrossFit

8:53 – Tammy’s story and how she got hers tart with CrossFit

13:06 – What does forming partnerships with local businesses look like? - Kaleda

14:30 – Starting a conversation with a local business and forming partnerships - Kaleda

16:32 – Forming a business group within your CrossFit gym - Tammy 

21:21 – What are the lessons you have learned that you can teach other business owners - Kaleda

25:00 – What knowledge is passed on most often to other business owners - Tammy

30:47 – How often do tech related problems come up when helping other businesses - Kaleda

32:53 – Why videos are more impactful than a regular post on social media -Tammy

36:31 – Revitalizing old machines by creating posts on Facebook

37:13 – How has implementing the help first principle come back to you -Kaleda

39:18 – Are other businesses providing active referrals for helping them first? - Kaleda

40:42 – What rewards have you seen from partnering with other businesses?  -Tammy

44:46 – Taking time to help another gym owner within your community - Kaleda

47:02 – Going out of your way to help someone open a nearby CrossFit gym -Tammy

It's 8am in Rochester, NY. Brian Lelli sits and waits for the moving van to arrive at his house.

On Thursday, Brian said goodbye to his CrossFit community. He's moving his young family to Florida and leaving his gym in the capable hands of his GM.

I talk a LOT on this podcast about the ability to walk away from your business for days, weeks or months. Maybe you just need a few hours each day to work ON the business instead of IN the business. Or maybe you're like me, and have other businesses to group. Maybe you just need a damn nap. Brian is an outlier, running his gym completely remotely. But his experience shows us what's REALLY possible.

The people who I want to talk to on this podcast are the gym owners pushing the limits. The guy netting a million dollars is interesting. So is the guy who can leave his gym, move five states away, still own it, and still make a profit.

Listen and play close attention to the infrastructure and systems Brian discusses to run his box smooth and efficiently - they're the SAME systems, with the same feedback loop, you'll need to take ANY time off from your business.

The 2017 Two Brian Summit is coming this June 3rd and 4th. Be sure to register here for this event!

In this Interview:

Which systems are necessary for a gym to run independently
How much communication is necessary when running a gym from afar
How to grow staff from low levels of responsibility to FULL responsibility
The icon problem with small business owners, and how to beat it

Plus:

How much money will Brian be making while working remotely
Key characteristics of a general manager
Implementing feedback loops and accountability amongst staff

About Brian:

Brian first got into fitness back in college while at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he started a weightlifting club with some friends. This was Brian’s first chance to learn coaching from others. For the next decade Brian trained and competed as a power lifter until in 2011 he decided to create a better healthier body for himself. At first a CrossFit denier, he quickly found his home training CrossFit and opened his own box in his garage. Brian is super helpful and a very experienced coach who is always available for questions!

Timeline:

3:29 – Brian Lelli Introduction
5:11 – Brian’s story of how he got into CrossFit
7:34 – Does training or working at another CrossFit gym help before starting your own?
8:39 – Moving to Florida and leaving the CrossFit gym behind independently
11:47 – What systems are necessary for a gym to run independently
13:52 – Implementing feedback loops and accountability within a CrossFit gym
15:02 – How much communication is necessary when running a gym from afar?
16:37 – When hiring someone what to look for first
17:36 – More on the key characteristics of a general manager
20:26 – The advantages of having a hard date set for accomplishing your goal
21:03 – How can other gyms be run independently through a proficient general manager
22:23 – The role of a joy girl in a CrossFit gym
24:24 – Adding more and more roles to the general manager position
25:27 – How much decision-making power does the general manager have?
26:35 – Announcing a large change to members of your gym
28:51 – The icon problem with small business owners
30:18 – How will Brian be spending his extra time in Florida?
31:50 – Will Brian’s box still be profitable while he is away and how much will he be making?

 Episode 69 – Raphael Paulin-Daigle

Today’s guest is Raphael Paulin-Daigle of SplitBase.com. He is a conversions expert who is extremely passionate about helping businesses grow. He'll teach us not just about website and Facebook marketing conversions, but also about the first impressions clients receive when they come through the door and how to follow up with people. 

With Facebook ads in particular, many business owners boost a post or build an ad, hoping for an immediate payback. What they SHOULD do is plan the result they want to get, create a solid offer, target the exact people they can help MOST, then build the ad. And then test, test, and test again.

For example, a common problem many people report is a high response rate (lots of views, shares and comments) with no action. This is conversion: Do your "leads" from your ads take action, or not? You can have a fantastic ad leading to a very poor landing page, and get zero results. If so, you're not bad at marketing; you're bad at converting. Raphael is very, very GOOD at converting.

Marketing is all about helping people and building a relationship. Be sure to follow along and take good notes on all the strategies presented today!

The 2017 Two-Brain Summit is coming this June 3rd and 4th. Be sure to register here for this event!

In this Interview:

• The process behind improving your business marketing
• The hidden roadblocks that are losing you sales
• How often should you be surveying your customers
• The importance of placing testimonials on your landing page

Plus:

• How many questions should be on a customer survey
• Applying data to your business to help it grow
• How to use persuasive copy to overcome and avoid objections

About Raphael:

Raphael became involved in digital marketing through his first startup about seven years ago. It is no surprise conversion optimization was the first thing to catch his attention. His creativity and admiration for good design, combined with his interest in psychology, human behaviors and growth made conversion optimization the perfect match. 

It was at this moment that SplitBase was born. Raphael assembled a team of conversion analysis, copywriters, and designers to deploy and execute his full conversion methodology within his client’s promises. A methodology that has continually produced millions of dollars of growth for SplitBase clients. 

Raphael has given keynotes and workshops to marketers, bank executives, and CMOs of Fortune 500 companies around the world. He now oversees conversion strategy and operations as the CEO of SplitBase.

Episode 65 – Mindset

I am always fascinated by the mechanics and emotions of the entrepreneurial brain. There are a lot of highs and lows that you need to buffer against.  I am also really into the tools that we can use to be better at it by avoiding shiny objects; dealing with stressors, lawsuits, copy cats; how we can meet people with confidence; and avoid feeling like a salesman. Instead of just one guest, we have four for this episode! 

We talk to Sherman Merricks of CrossFit Dynasty, Tommy Hackebruck of Ute CrossFit, Craig Hysell of Conviction Training, and Josh Price of Loco CrossFit all about the entrepreneurial mindset and the tools and skills they use keep their eyes on the prize, keep from being derailed, and avoid stress.   Join us for this action packed interview and be sure to take notes!
Reminder the 2017 Two-Brain Summit is coming this June 3rd and 4th in Chicago. Be sure to register now!

In this Interview:

 The importance of Focus and its role in the entrepreneurial mindset
 Why you should have an emotional reason to succeed
 Moving on from anger and focusing on what you can control

Plus:

 When to bypass diplomacy and put your foot down
 Achieving success by avoiding cognitive overload 
 The importance of discipline for the entrepreneurial mindset
 What IS success?

Today's Guests:

Sherman Merricks of Dynasty CrossFit

Tommy Hackenbruck of Ute CrossFit

Craig Hysell of Conviction Training

Josh Price of Loco CrossFit

Timeline:

1:31 – An introduction to the entrepreneurial mindset

4:24 – The first component of the entrepreneurial mindset is focus

6:46 – How to deal with too many opportunities to choose from

7:39 – Having an emotional reason to succeed

9:07 – Sherman Merricks on setting goals and staying focused

10:31 – An example of an emotional goal to keep you on track and keep you motivated

12:45 – What to do next after hitting an emotional goal?

13:52 – Achieving success with cognitive overload

15:34 – Learning to focus on what’s important the hard way

18:08 – Tommy Hackebruck on focus and obsession despite the circumstances

20:24 – Channeling the inherit skill of focus in the right direction

23:02 – The importance of discipline for the entrepreneurial mindset

26:44 – Dealing with the extraordinary stress of copiers

31:38 – Being pissed for five minutes and then moving on

34:59 – Spending $170,000 training coaches before learning how to filter

36:18 – Josh Price of Loco CrossFit introduction

40:37 – Is help more powerful than anger?

44:11 – A practical way to get into a steady mindset from a state of anger

47:43 – The art of practicing not to be your first thought

48:39 – Having success is necessary for motivation

51:22 – Can motivation occur after being discouraged?

52:24 – Flipping the tables on success

56:46 – Being at rock bottom is a huge advantage

57:51 – The romantic notion of the entrepreneurial grind is false

58:27 – Craig Hysell on how people should define success in the CrossFit industry

59:53 – What are the steps to determine what success is

62:01 – Ineffective leadership by asking the wrong questions

64:04 – When to bypass diplomacy and put your foot down.

65:10 – The best favor you can do for people is to tell them what you want them to do

70:14 – How to choose which ideas to focus on as an entrepreneur

72:44 – The process of saying hell yes or no

Books mentioned during this episode:

Extreme Ownership - U.S. Navy Seals by Jocko Willink

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Turni