Today’s guest, Joleen Bingham, has developed an ascension model to help you retain staff by creating careers for them. Since implementing the model, Joleen’s staff retention has improved, and she has multiple team members earning over $100,000 a year.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Joleen, a multi-gym owner and the leader of Two-Brain’s Tinker program for upper-level gym owners.

Joleen’s model begins with a consistent, structured hiring process that eliminates many staffing problems before they appear.

The onboarding stage features a clear checklist and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that document expectations, and the owner's values and vision for the gym are communicated.

Once a staff member has been onboarded, the model focuses on development, moving from basic to more complex skills. Owners also mentor team members to help them work in areas of passion.

The next step is growth and retention. Career Roadmaps are a huge focus here: They help staff members become leaders and stick around long term.

The final component is the exit: ensuring you have a strategy for when staff members eventually leave.

Tune in to hear Joleen’s full staff ascension plan and to get an exclusive look into Two-Brain’s resources for clients.

Links

Mentorship: Tinker/Stage 3

Gym Owners United

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1:55 - Mistakes and how to fix them

4:44 - Staff ascension template

19:16 - Growth and retention

25:51 - Decrease your turnover

31:41 - Take action with staffing

A link is missing between credentials and careers in the fitness industry—and it’s costing gym owners a lot of great people.

Common story: A trainer starts making $20 per class and works up to coaching 40 sessions a week. But the trainer isn’t making enough money and can’t see a way to make more without burning out. So the coach leaves the fitness industry to “get a real job.” The gym owner shrugs and tosses another coach into the cycle.

Sound familiar? If so, this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym" is for you.

Host Mike Warkentin and gym-owning mentor Karl Solberg discuss the detailed coach ascension program used at CrossFit Medis and CrossFit Sickla in Sweden.

The model allows trainers to level up as they develop and add the skills that bring more value. Clients get better results and pay more, the gym earns more, and the coach earns more and creates a career. Everyone wins.

The first step: Create an evaluation for your coaches and then review their performance regularly to ensure they’re improving.

To go further, review Karl’s system and consider building something similar to create careers for coaches at your gym.

Links

Gym Owners United

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1:43 - Ascension plans increase value

3:35 - Levels increase value

6:48 - The coach ascension plan

10:48 - A detailed look at the plan

32:53 - Creating and implementing

It’s Worst-Case Scenario Week on “Run a Profitable Gym.”

Today, host Mike Warkentin is joined by Matthew Becker, owner of GymLaywers.com, who shares stories of partnerships from hell and explains how to avoid them.

Partnerships in gyms can go wrong fast and create living nightmares for entrepreneurs. Partners might have very different views on topics such as dating members, day-to-day operations and finances, and sometimes a partner might even be involved in illegal activities. Or maybe one partner just isn't pulling their weight.

Without solid agreements in place, these situations can spiral quickly.

For example, gym owners in need of money might sell paid-in-full memberships, then have a disagreement and close the gym abruptly, leaving members out of pocket. In the worst cases, the money is long gone, and the owners can find themselves facing criminal charges.

Matthew, former gym owner, shares tips for avoiding these situations and getting out of them as quickly as possible if you run into partner trouble. It boils down to proper business setup, management and documentation.

To ensure your business will protect you legally and financially, get a lawyer to create or review a partnership agreement. You can reach Matthew at Gymlaywers.com.

Links

"Your LLC Isn't Protecting You if You Do These 5 Things"

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1:41 - Potential legal problems with partners

10:24 - Preparing for the snowball

19:32 - Partners leaving and presales

29:26 - It keeps getting worse?

38:39 - Stopping the daisy chain from hell