I’m going to say something you might not like to hear: your clients don’t come to your gym for your programming. Okay, after you pick up your computer that you immediately spiked into the floor after reading that, let me provide a little more context. Whether you’re training gen pop adults looking to lose weight, athletes who are looking to shave tenths of seconds off of their 40-yard time, or high school baseball players - they probably don’t care if you use an APRE protocol with a density set finisher to increase hypertrophy and improve metabolic efficiency. At least, that’s not why they came in the door. They may like your workouts, but that probably has more to do with your coaching style and your personality. 

So if you don’t need to be a programming wizard to have a successful business, where should you look as a gym owner to level up your skills? I wanted to pass along some resources I got a lot out of when it comes to marketing & sales, customer experience & retention, and operations. Let’s dive in!

Marketing & Sales

If you’re like I was as a gym owner, you probably are wary of sales tactics and marketing schemes. You instantly think of FaceBook Business and hype-up sales conventions, cringe internally, then immediately move on to something else. While that is definitely present in the typical marketing and sales strategy videos you can find on youtube, these two books helped me flip my perspective on this topic and distill a complicated area of my business.

$100 Million Offers by Alex Hormozi
You may know Hormozi from his days with GymLaunch, but he has a keen ability to simplify complex topics. This book helped me craft offers for my marketing materials and get a better grasp of the customer's desires.

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
Miller has been prolific in the business and marketing category over the last few years, and this book has a clear blueprint for creating your funnel and understanding how to speak directly to your desired audience.

Customer Experience & Retention

The next logical step after getting members in is keeping them, right? These two books are outside of the typical fitness/gym ownership sphere, but I would argue that’s a positive. If you’re losing members after the initial excitement of starting something new wears off, give these books a read.

Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman
Coleman breaks down the process of creating lifelong clients in this book starting from the very beginning of their customer journey. Learn how to create an unforgettable experience when someone uses your service or product.

Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
Meyer cut his teeth in the restaurant business by opening several world-class restaurants in New York City. Meyer lays out how he has replicated his success in, arguably, the toughest industry to replicate a customer experience in one of the most competitive cities in the world.

Operations

Running a business can be a lonely endeavor. There isn’t always someone to turn to when you have a pressing question: do I need to fire an employee, should I raise my prices, should I lease or buy my facility building? If you don’t have a mentor or group to turn to, these books answer some of those questions and will continue to be a resource for you when times get tough.

Profit First for Microgyms by John Briggs
If you run a business of any kind, Profit First should be in your collection. This series has been adapted to dozens of different industries, with the Microgym edition catering to gym owners that are running their own shops. This opened my eyes to the fallacies of traditional accounting that we all fall prey to and helped me support myself and my business at a much higher level. 

GymLaunch Secrets by Alex Hormozi
At the risk of seeming like a Hormozi fan-boy, this was another deeply insightful book that breaks down some of the common issues seen in the fitness industry. Everything from pricing strategies, staff training, and class/session structure, to marketing strategies are covered in this book.