Chris Cooper's Blog, page 117

How to Make Sure You Do That Thing You Promised to Do for the Business

By Kenny Markwardt, Certified Two-Brain Business Mentor

Have you ever spent an entire Sunday cleaning your house? 

At the end of the day, everything is organized and labeled, the laundry is all done, and your house actually resembles a place you’d invite the public into. 

You vow to never let it go backwards. You might even hold a family meeting to say, “That can never happen again. Here’s where all your stuff goes, and that’s where it shall live forever. No excuses.”

Less than a week later, you’re embarrassed and angry because all the work was quickly undone.

In case you didn’t know, that’s the reality for all of us.  

And business ownership is no different.  

Three Steps to Reduce Backsliding

If you’ve gone through our RampUp program or dedicated yourself to working on your business for any period of time, you’ve done a substantial amount of “house cleaning.”

It’s a lot of work, but after you’re finished you think to yourself, “This is fantastic! I’ll never go back to frantically running the gym like a house on fire!”  

Sure enough, you’ve slid backward just six months later. Old habits are hard to break. 

Those three-month contracts never got renewed. Coach evaluation meetings were amazing in the first and second rounds, but you never scheduled a third. Goal reviews were a huge hit, but this quarter you’ve only done three. People are abusing your kind-hearted nature with regard to your cancellation policy. You might have even given someone a discount. Oh my!

I’m here to tell you this is normal. We’re all guilty of backsliding—and it’s only a failure if you don’t address it. So here’s what to do:

1. Tell your mentor you’ve slid back. Don’t be embarrassed: We know that it happens. In fact, it happens to us, too!  It’s easy to think everyone else is running perfect gyms and you’re the only one with skeletons in the closet. This couldn’t be further from the truth. So just be open with your mentor. Send an email right now and say, “Hey, I’ve slid backward a bit with X. I need help getting back on track.” Your mentor will be happy to provide a plan.

2. Go through your Roadmap Milestones, starting from the very beginning—yes, again! Most of us did the things we were supposed to do when they were assigned—but then we forgot about them. By going through every single milestone you’ve passed, you’ll find all the important things that have been neglected or were never done in the first place. Again, don’t be embarrassed: This is normal and to be expected.  

3. Build in systems to prevent you from messing up in the future. Most of us went through RampUp and implemented things that were supposed to be done quarterly—goal reviews, staff evaluations, Career Roadmap sessions, etc. But if you’re like most people, those things eventually faded away. This usually happens because an owner said the tasks were going to be done quarterly but never scheduled the subsequent tasks.

Put your tasks on the calendar! Book ahead, even if three months seems like an eternity. With the task on the schedule, you’ll have built-in accountability. And if your schedule changes over time, the task will still be there as a reminder, and you can reschedule or even delegate. Put important tasks in your planner, and when the time comes, make sure they’re done! Follow this plan with everything—but especially with things you have a hard time remembering to do. 

Stop Sliding and Push Forward

You’re always going to have periods of greatness in terms of progress. You’re also always going to have times when you slide backward. By taking the steps above, you’ll slide backward a little less each time. 

And a few years from now, you’ll be much, much further ahead.

The post How to Make Sure You Do That Thing You Promised to Do for the Business appeared first on Two-Brain Business.

“Friendployees”: You Hired Them and Now You Have to Manage Them

By Amber Cooper, Management and Human Resources

I was recently talking to the chief operations officer of a growing company about the biggest challenge in the business:

“We have all these original team members who aren’t doing the job we need done anymore, and the CEO won’t address the issues because he hired all his friends.” 

Sound familiar?

This situation is common in gyms. Often, coaches and other staff members are hired from your inner circle of friends, acquaintances and clients. You know them, you like them, they are available—“You’re hired!”

I’ve done this myself. At the time, I saw the upside and didn’t think through what could go wrong. In the end, my friend didn’t like the job or the structure of the company. I felt guilty and pulled in two directions. On one side, I wanted to support my friend, and on the other side I needed to support the company into which I had brought someone who wasn’t a good fit. 

Though friendship and business can go together at times, entrepreneurs who bring in a friend without following a hiring process can grow to have regrets and feel handcuffed to the person.  

Maybe the job simply needs someone with more capability now that your company has grown.  

Maybe you’re avoiding dealing with your friend on performance issues because you don’t want to have that uncomfortable conversation. 

Or maybe you’ve realized your friend is a great person to hang out with on the weekend but work ethic and commitment to your business aren’t up to the standards you’ve set for others on your team.

What now?

The Friendployee Fix

If you are in this situation, here are several things you can do now to preserve the relationship and set the company, and the relationship, up for success.

1. Professionalize your work relationship: Whether your friend is just starting or has been with you awhile, it’s time to set the ground rules. Tell them you want to hit the “reset” button: You didn’t make your expectations clear from the start, so you’d like to do that now. Talk about boundaries and expectations including:

Your leadership style and what it’s like to work for you (invite them to speak to others on your team if they are just joining).Work life and personal life and how you would like to keep them separate.The dealbreakers. For example, poor work ethic isn’t OK, speaking negatively about clients is an automatic goodbye, etc.How you will handle it if you have to provide feedback on something.

Be sure to check in to see if there are any areas they are “worried about” in this relationship. Ask, “Do you think this relationship will (continue to) work for you now that you know these things about me and how I run my company?”

2. Create an “eject” button: Come to an agreement on how you can part ways if you need to, and ensure either party can say “I’m done” with no hard feelings. Yes, it’s hard to stick to this one. But some short-term discomfort due to the eject button is better than allowing resentment to build and permanently destroy the relationship.  

3. Hold them to the standards of the job. This might seem obvious, but we can get stuck in the trap of making more allowances for our friends. This creates a bigger issue and can ruin your friendship: You will let things go until you blow up. Talk to your friend early and often about issues as they arise. Bonus: Doing so will also mitigate the perception of favoritism among your other team members.

Strong friendships can make work a great place to be. But setting the right tone from the start can help prevent situations where a new work dynamic creates unexpected conflicts or places strain on relationships.

The post “Friendployees”: You Hired Them and Now You Have to Manage Them appeared first on Two-Brain Business.

Gym Profitable? Here’s Exactly What to Do Next

Chris (00:00):

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Chris (01:10):

Hey everybody, Chris Cooper here. And today, we’re going to be talking about building the next level.

Chris (01:16):

After a pretty rough year in the fitness industry, a lot of microgyms are rebounding faster than the big chains, faster than the franchisees, faster than anybody else. You’re making some money now and that’s awesome. You’re not scared of shutdowns anymore. Good. You’ve lived through the worst thing that can really happen to your business. You’ve got decent retention and you’ve got a solid client headcount. That’s awesome. And in fact, maybe you did our diagnostic to figure out which phase of business you’re in and you see an opportunity to move to the next phase of entrepreneurship. And that’s great. And you’re wondering what now, what do I do next? When you have a successful gym business, it’s easy to look around and feel alone. Very few microgym owners make it to the point where you are now, where you’re thinking about the next gym, the next big idea or whatever. The number is growing.

Chris (02:08):

Thanks to things like our growth program. Very few models exist to help gym owners scale beyond one gym. So what are your options? Do you buy a second location? Do you buy out a competitor? Do you double the size of your current gym? Do you sell a new service to your existing audience? Do you buy your building or another building like a rental property? Do you buy Bitcoin? Do you invest in something else? What do you do? There are dozens of options. So today I’m going to talk to you about the next steps in your entrepreneurial journey, because if I know you and I think I do, you’re not done yet. You’re an entrepreneur now and entrepreneurs build. So let’s get started before I get into some of the options. I want to talk about the phases of the entrepreneurial journey. These are from my book, “Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief,” and those are the names of the four phases in the founder phase.

Chris (03:01):

You’ve bought yourself a job and you’re just trying to make a living. You’re really self-employed more than a business owner. You’re maybe doing a personal trainer job out of your own studio, or even working as a subcontractor for somebody else, but you’re really responsible for generating your own income. In the farmer phase, you scale to the point where you need help. You need a team. And so now you have to level up from being a practitioner to being a leader and a manager and guiding other people and creating opportunities for them and growing the pie in the tinker phase. What you’ve done now is you’ve created a solid income. So you’re earning a hundred thousand dollars a year, at least. And you’re thinking about what’s next for me? How do I scale this business from giving me a hundred thousand dollars a year to a million, up to a million?

Chris (03:52):

Do I open multiple locations, et cetera. And then the fourth phase is the thief phase. When you’re really concerned about your legacy and creating impact in your local community mostly or maybe worldwide. But that’s really where you’re the kind of Robin Hood figure where you are moving wealth into something that benefits everybody around you. OK. So today, most of our talk is going to be focused on people who are in the farmer phase entering the tinker phase, or who are already finding themselves in the tinker phase now facing a lot of choices with money and time that they maybe didn’t have before and they have money or time to spend, but they don’t have money or time to waste. And so instead of thinking like, wow, I can do all these things and then trying to do them all, I’m going to help you stop from sliding backward first.

Chris (04:41):

Then we’re going to talk about some of these big opportunities and how to build the next level. So the first thing is you want to make sure that you’re not going to slide backward, that your current success isn’t short-lived. There is a surge happening right now. People are joining gyms who have never joined gyms before, and COVID has created this sense of urgency that’s resulted in a revenue spike between eight and 30% in the first few months after a gym reopens, following a shutdown. But the biggest mistake gym owners can make is thinking that this is going to be a winner forever, or that their current strategy is going to work forever. The key to long-term success as an entrepreneur isn’t just constant forward motion. The key is to stop backward motion, go forward, and then don’t slip backward. All business is cyclical. Sometimes you’ll grow.

Chris (05:32):

Sometimes you’ll shrink. The key is to grow as much as possible when you’re in a growth phase and then to minimize shrinkage when you aren’t. So two steps forward, one step back and then three steps forward, one step back, and then five steps forward. And then one step back. For example, it was pretty hard to grow during COVID shutdowns. So we had gym owners focus on minimizing shrinkage. They cut costs, they renegotiated their rent, and they kept as many clients as possible by adjusting their services. When their gyms reopened, they were ready for growth. And the average gym saw an immediate surge of eight to 30%. Most entrepreneurs, especially in the fitness industry, can find a bit of success pretty easily. Every few years or so, one great idea emerges that can get you some new clients fast, and we’ve reported on some of them on this podcast.

Chris (06:25):

For example, if you dig back far enough, you’ll find a new you challenge which was successful for a while. Before that there was like check-ins for charity. And that did help a little bit with people who are unfamiliar with advertising and then six week challenges followed that. And then Facebook ads and then Instagram ads. And now Tik Tok, et cetera. All of these marketing strategies can be successful, but not forever. And who they’re successful for depends on your stage of entrepreneurship. There are always new ideas appearing on the horizon, like high-ticket coaching. And most of them work for a while, but the key is to take the progress you make and then keep that progress and then find the next thing instead of slipping backward when your current strategy begins to fail. Many gym owners started running one of these promotions that I just mentioned. They saw some quick wins, and then they got over confident in the long-term viability of their gyms.

Chris (07:20):

Some went all in on one strategy and it actually killed their gyms. So here’s how to stop sliding backward. Before we talk about how to build forward, number one, re-invest your wins. Why do the most successful people in the world have mentors? Because they’re always looking for the next level. They want to talk with people who have been there already. Number two, watch your data. The first time you use a new marketing strategy, record everything you can, your set rate, your show, rate, your close rate, your conversion rate, and your length of engagement for new members. The second time you use this strategy, compare all those numbers. Are you getting fewer leads the second time around? Are the leads colder? Is it harder to sell them? Are you paying more to acquire a client the second time around? Is your retention dropping the second time or not?

Chris (08:12):

If any of these numbers are going down, then you’re using a short-term strategy. Use it while it works, milk it for all it’s worth, but then be ready to replace it. Third, press the save game button. Capture this moment in time, record all of your processes, standard operating procedures, prices, et cetera, get it all on paper. Replace yourself with an operations manual, make your business turnkey. In times of crisis, we fall to our level of preparation. Get your business out of your head. And it’s like pressing save game on your gym. And you’ll also buy yourself the time to determine what the next strategy is going to be. Number four, hire a manager. You need someone else to oversee daily gym operations so you’re free to build the next phase. You can’t open a second location if you’re still coaching classes at the first a second location. It doesn’t just double your workload.

Chris (09:07):

It actually quadruples your workload. Number five, don’t repeat mistakes. The manager that you hire to run your first location is going to make a few mistakes and that’s OK. As long as the manager doesn’t repeat them. So audit your processes and plans every six months, record what worked and what didn’t. And when somebody screws up, including you, document the error so it’s not repeated. Number six, mentor your staff. It took you years of making mistakes and reading books and listening to podcasts like this, and probably getting some coaching or mentorship to grow as a leader. All of that experience and knowledge doesn’t automatically pass to the next person in line. If you don’t mentor people, you’ll be pulled back into gym problems over and over again. You have to teach them everything that you know. Number seven, make yourself antifragile. Adopt systems that will allow you to pivot in the event of another business closure.

Chris (10:08):

Keep your online programs ready, move to a prescriptive model and make sure nutritionc oaching is a big part of your service. Number eight finally, and I’m waving my hands over my head as I say this, you need to keep your hands out of the machine. I’m a product guy. So I get it. It’s very tempting and easy to keep tweaking your training product, micro-managing your staff and finding mistakes and fixing them. This is the triage trap of business and it stops you from growing. You can’t drive the car with your hood open. Now, if you follow these steps, you’ll stop that two steps forward, two steps back dance that prevents most entrepreneurs from succeeding at a higher level. Instead you’ll create a ratchet effect of forward progress long term.

Chris (10:53):

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Chris (11:19):

So let’s talk about now what assets you can use to grow. When you’re deciding, what do I want to do now? I’ve got a little bit of freedom of money. I’ve got more than I need, and I’ve got a little bit of time and I feel successful. What do I take? Let’s talk about making that decision based on the levers that you have to pull to grow toward the next step. Now, I just told you that the first key to climbing the mountain was to minimize slippage. Rock climbers use the three points of contact rule. They put their left hand and both feet on a stable ground before they reach out with their right arm.

Chris (11:54):

OK? So we’re ready to talk about moving up, but as we do this, as you’re testing new things, you need to test only one thing at a time. If you try to open a new location while you’re trying to launch this new soft drink, while you’re trying to buy an air B and B over in the mountains, while you’re trying to write a book, none of those four things will happen. You have to test one thing at a time and go all in. This is why our tinker program at Two-Brain is arranged in 90-day sprints. Tinkers can stay focused without distraction on one thing for 90 days. If you go longer than 90 days, people tend to get tempted by all these other big ideas. And if you go shorter than 90 days, well, you won’t have enough time to accomplish a goal.

Chris (12:38):

The best thing that you can do is to decide, I’m going to focus on this one venture for the next 90 days. I’m going to go all in. I’m going to push everything back on my calendar to just focus on this one thing and we’ll see how it goes. After 90 days, I’ll evaluate, maybe I keep going on this same thing. Maybe I scrap it and move to something else, but you cannot build multiple things at one time. So let’s talk about your assets. What will you leverage to build the next phase of your business? You have three, you have your audience, the people who know you like you and trust you. You have your cash, your reserves, and you have your time. All of these things can be reinvested into the next level of entrepreneurship. So the first thing you want to do is look for activities that generate cash with the least possible effort.

Chris (13:28):

You don’t want to start from scratch with a brand-new idea. Leverage the audience you already have, or the cash that’s currently at your disposal. These are the easy ones. So let’s start with your audience. How do you leverage your audience? Which is your greatest asset, by the way. My mentor, Todd Herman, once told me that if you know how to build an audience, you’ll never go hungry. And I’ll add to that. If your audience is high affinity, meaning you love them and they love you back, you have a lot of trust and you know what they need, and you can offer that to them. And it’s a win for everybody when you do. So. Here’s how to leverage your existing audience. Number one, help people solve a larger problem or a different problem. So if everyone at your gym also needs nutrition help, launch a nutrition business.

Chris (14:17):

This is a tiny example. A larger one might be childcare or health insurance, or coffee. Solve the problem that the greatest number of people in your gym have, not necessarily the problem you want them to have, not necessarily the problem that you have, but the problem that they have, and you need to ask them so that you’re sure. For example, you might think I’m just going to add a coffee bar to my gym. Well, maybe buying coffee isn’t the biggest problem that your people have. And so you’ll wind up hiring some part-time staff, paying a wage for them to sit behind the coffee desk all morning and losing money on it. This really does happen. It happens quite a bit. Smoothie bars. Don’t get me started smoothie bars in most gyms, unless you have a couple of thousand clients and you’re seeing a few hundred of those clients a day, a smoothie bar is probably going to lose you money and cost you a ton of time.

Chris (15:12):

The second way to leverage your audience is to look for the option or the idea that takes the least amount of your time. So for example, adding a rentable asset, like a float tank or an infrared sauna requires cash investment, but it doesn’t require time. You just set it up once and then you charge for its use. Conversely, a coffee bar requires a lot of time for a very, very small return. Third, help someone from your team open a second location. Create an investor, maybe that’s you, license your brand and then mentor them to success. So for example, instead of losing a coach and they go open their own gym and they become a competitor, you can say, I’d like you to open up my second location. Maybe you’re going to give them a share of the business. Maybe you’re just going to pay them a wage.

Chris (16:02):

It depends if they’re an intrapreneur or an entrepreneur, and you know, that’s what’s going to do it for them. You become the investor basically. And the fourth way to leverage your audience is to invest in a client who wants to open a business. Now be very careful with this one. The client probably doesn’t see the hard parts of entrepreneurship. And if the venture fails, you will lose a friend. I’ve had to learn this lesson many times and each time it’s been very painful, but I’ve also seen it work. And there are mentors on our team who have invested in their clients’ businesses through their gym. There are other gym owners in Two-Brain who have done it, too. And what they do is they take their business experience and knowledge and they mentor the business owner. Maybe they invest some cash too, but they take a share of that business and that’s how they become an investor.

Chris (16:49):

And that’s how they leverage their audience. Now, your second greatest asset behind your audience is your cash. Here’s how you leverage your cash. Number one, invest in long-term cashflow like buying buildings and then renting them to others. Instead of flipping them, these could be commercial buildings for your business, or they could be other businesses, or it could be rental properties like Airbnb. They could even be residential. And there’s a great podcast with Jeff Smith where he talks about why he invested in residential properties, but a lot of tinkers buy Airbnb. They use it three months of the year for themselves, and they rent it out the rest of the time. The other way to leverage your cash is to invest in other people’s businesses like through the stock market or buying index funds or, you know, investing in a life insurance fund that buys shares of other people’s businesses, OK.

Chris (17:40):

To invest in other people’s businesses, you don’t necessarily have to go buy a share of their business and take an ownership control. Buying stocks is really investing in other people’s businesses. You’re buying a tiny share. Right? One thing that I will know here though, is that people tend to see the stock market and particularly index funds as like a safer investment. But if you look at the return on, you know, my own business versus the stock market, I mean, the ROI on investing in Catalyst has been like 12,000x what I originally put into it, where if I had made that same investment, $16,000 in 2005 in the stock market right now, I might have about $40,000. So don’t be scared to invest in yourself, but know what investing in yourself actually means. Investing in yourself as an entrepreneur means getting a mentor and a coach and becoming a better entrepreneur, investing in your business

Chris (18:36):

a lot of the time, doesn’t see the big ROI that you saw from start-up. The third asset that you have is time. Now this time can be your greatest asset. If you’re a great entrepreneur, you’ve been mentored and you’ve had coaches and you know exactly what to do, and you’ve developed your CEO skills, time can be your greatest asset because with time you can build an audience and with time you can generate cash. But for most entrepreneurs, time is actually not their biggest asset because they’re busy all the time. They’re not growing their business. They’re working in their business instead of on their business. And they just haven’t matured into that tinker phase yet. And that’s OK. That’s all of us. So here’s how to maximally leverage your time. Number one, do the effective hourly rate calculation. So add up all the hours

Chris (19:26):

you work in a month and divide that by what you’re paid. We call that net owner benefit. But what you’ll get here is your effective hourly rate, which is like how much your business pays you to be its owner or the CEO. So if you’re in Two-Brain, you can work through this exercise step by step in the value ladder exercise on the roadmap. There’s a workbook for it. The second thing that you can do to maximize your leverage with time is to buy yourself time. You can hire somebody to replace you in the lowest value role. If you hire a front desk person for $11 per hour, you can’t tell me that you can’t create $11 per hour in new revenue for your business with that hour that you just bought yourself. Right? The third thing you can do is set up a 90 day sprint to work solely in a higher value role.

Chris (20:15):

How many new clients can you gain in 90 days, if you only work on marketing, well, your guess is as good as mine, but it should be at least five, right? If you didn’t have all these other distractions and you knew what to do, and you had a process to follow, could you get five new clients in the next 90 days? I think you could. The fourth way to leverage your time is to stay focused on this new project until it can run without you. So you do the marketing, you do the marketing, you do the marketing. Then you write down what you did and you teach it to somebody else. And then you teach them, teach them, teach. And then you mentor them until they’re doing it as well as you do. And then finally, leave deep tracks that a staff person can take it over.

Chris (20:55):

Now, before I get into how to level up your staff, I want to tell you about our Two-Brain tinker program. The tinker program is for entrepreneurs who have made their first business successful. And they’re starting to think about the next phase of their ascension. So in our tinker program, we bring in speakers to help you optimize your time, teach you to lead better, help you mentor your team, build cashflow assets, duplicate your first business, and serve more people. We have specialists who come into the group, Jeff Smith and I are the mentors in the group. We have coaches in the group to hold you accountable. For example, Chris Voss came in last week and taught us negotiation. The week before that, we had a sales expert giving us some new instructions on how to upgrade our no sweat intros. Before that we had an organic Facebook marketing specialist, but we also have scaling specialists and legacy specialists and CFOs come in and talk.

Chris (21:46):

It’s an amazing program. We work in groups with other high-level entrepreneurs who are at the same stage, and sometimes they’re already at the multi-million dollar mark. We meet in person and we meet online and we travel to do interesting stuff. So you have levers that can produce growth. They are your audience, your money and your time, but the fulcrum on which all of these levers pivot is your people. It’s your team. You have to be around the right people, also in your mentorship practice. And you have to follow the right people. And I mean, receiving mentorship, not just reading books. So when you get to this phase, knowledge is not enough anymore. You have to immerse yourself in success to get further. Now let’s talk about how to level up your staff and fire them up instead of firing them out of your business.

Chris (22:35):

Because if you want to climb higher, you have to assemble a team, right? Nobody soloes Mount Everest. So you’ve done the hard labor of leadership by this point. You’ve taken big risks. You’ve missed your paychecks. You’ve read a book every two weeks for the last five years. You’ve been at work before the sun rose and after the sunset too many times to count, but your staff hasn’t. You have fired clients. You’ve fired friends. You’ve interviewed people and said no to opportunities. You set your rates and you stuck by them. You wrote a playbook and you made rules for a reason and everything that you do has a reason and you’ve enforced it. But your staff hasn’t done that. When you hire people to replace you in any roles, you have to remember that they are beginners. Now they’ll learn faster than you did because you’ll teach them, but they still have to learn them.

Chris (23:25):

You do not get to pass off your knowledge and experience just mentally without thinking about it by osmosis, that doesn’t happen. It’s a hard lesson to remember, but if you fail to leave deep tracks for your staff to follow, you’ll always be their supervisor. They won’t like it. And neither will you. So here’s how to mentor your staff to grow your business without you there. Number one, give them a paint by numbers picture, not a blank canvas. You don’t want them to tear things down or try to like reinvent your business. That’s not their job. They’re not the inventor. You are. So give them a staff playbook, a set of standard operating procedures, a sales binder, a dress code. In other words, give them guidelines. Number two, give them a north star. Write out your vision for the gym. When staff encounter this, a new challenge or something for which there is no standard operating procedure, they can look at this north star and say, yep, here’s what Chris would do or here’s what Sally would do.

Chris (24:27):

Now you have point A, your standard operating procedures and point B your vision and your job is to mentor them, to get from point A to point B. So here are the steps to mentoring your staff. Number one, teach them. Here’s why we do it this way. And the why is really important. They need to understand that you’re doing things this way for a reason, you didn’t just make it up and now you’re just being rigid. Number two, isolate problems. So dig deep and get to the root of each barrier to growth. For example, if somebody is supposed to be replacing you in the sales role and their close rate is really low, you need to ask them why. And it could be that maybe they couldn’t afford your rates themselves, or maybe they think that you’re overcharging or maybe they think that you should be giving away your service for free, but you have to dig deep and get to the root of each barrier.

Chris (25:18):

If you want to grow each individual on your staff. Third, you can ask them how they would solve the problem. So you can ask them for three alternatives. Now, if all three are different from your way, gently steer them toward the right answer, but make sure you’re encouraging them enough to make suggestions next time. So for example, we got this problem. People are leaving at eight o’clock and they’re not putting their stuff away. And then the nine o’clock group comes in and we have to waste the first five minutes setting up again. How would you solve the problem? Ask for three alternatives, you know, pick the best one. There’s a great idea. And guide them to choose that one. Fourth. If the problem that the staff person is bringing up is a people problem, and it almost always is, role-play the solution with them.

Chris (26:05):

So, Hey, Chris, man, I talk to people. They don’t want to refer their friends. We’re doing goal reviews. I say, how can I help your spouse? How can I help your coworkers? How can I help the other parents on the hockey team? And they always say, no, I’m good. You need to role play the solution with them. So you be the client, let them be the coach and you practice. And then you switch roles and you practice. Then you switch back and you practice again. Just as you need to get reps on the air squat, you need to get reps in every situation in your business. Number five, give them a deadline and ask for a report. So instead of just saying, OK, it’s your job to this business. You need to say, we need five clients. Here are our strategies. Here is where you go to find the tactics.

Chris (26:51):

You know, the step-by-step guides that will get us these five clients. In 30 days, we will have another meeting and we will talk about the five clients. And did we get them, or did we not? Number six, run through an after action report. If the problem was solved, well, record the solution in your playbook for next time. If it wasn’t, ask how it could have been approached better. So, Hey, Jimmy, when we were running that event last weekend, you know, we had this problem where somebody fainted, I’ve never seen that before. Never even thought of it, but I love the way that you handled it. Can you write down exactly what you did so that I can add it to our playbook and everybody will do it that way from now on. Mentorship isn’t all about solving problems. It’s really about growth, but it almost always starts with solving some current problems.

Chris (27:37):

Eventually every good mentor moves clients from fighting fires to feeling on fire. And that’s what I want you to do with your staff. So here’s how to light the match. Number one, issue one growth challenge. Jimmy, I want you to get three clients a 10-pound deadlift PR in the next month. OK. Second. Isolate solutions. Ask your staff for three ways that they could do that. How can you get people? How can you get these three people to get a 10 pound deadlift PR in August? Number three, role-play the solution. If it’s a people solution. And again, it’s almost always a people solution. Coach me through it, coach me through my deadlift, find some ways that you could improve it and get me a 10 pound PR. Number for a give them the tools that they need to be successful and a deadline as well as a clear metric for success.

Chris (28:26):

Three people, 10 pounds in their deadlift is a great metric. Improve fitness through constantly very functional movement at high intensity is not a clear metric. Number five, create an after action report. If the strategy worked, celebrate, then record the solution in your playbook and plan to repeat it monthly, quarterly or annually, put it on your calendar to start slowly, building a plan for growth. Mentoring your staff is a lot like mentoring gym owners. You have to start with a triage, but as they gain confidence, move quickly to growth strategies. Gather these little wins together, set clear targets, hold them accountable. Celebrate wins every time you meet and record lessons too. Watch your metrics improve. Reaching tinker phase, capitalizing on your new opportunities. It requires delegation. That doesn’t mean abdication. Your gym still exists. Someone else can run it autonomously, but only with mentorship. The GM of my gym has a Two-Brain mentor, not me.

Chris (29:26):

My staff is in the Two-Brain team training program. They all have mentors because when they grow, so does my gym. And when my gym is growing, I’m not tempted to stick my fingers in the machine. And I can focus on these bigger opportunities in front of me. Congratulations on making it this far. Most entrepreneurs never do. Most entrepreneurs buy themselves a job and they stick in that self-employed status for 30 years, they try to sell it. They find out that they haven’t created an asset worth selling and they just kind of retire, completely exhausted, wiped out in the worst shape of their lives. And maybe with not enough money to retire on. You’re different. You have opportunities. Congratulations. Your next step is it feels easier, but it’s a really critical one. What will you do with this opportunity? That’s what will happen to you in the future. Thanks for listening.

 

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What to Do When You Really Mess Up as a Gym Owner

By Kenny Markwardt, Certified Two-Brain Business Mentor

Here’s a list of things I’ve done as a gym owner:

I’ve made people do burpees for every minute they were late to class.I’ve had multiple people get rhabdo.I’ve gotten in public arguments online.I’ve gone on wild rants on our public Facebook page.I’ve charged $80 a month for memberships.I’ve had mass exoduses of members who were upset with changes.I’ve had people tell me I’m an asshole.I’ve had people write negative reviews.I’ve had people write long, detailed emails about why my gym sucks.I’ve told people to f*ck off.

And yet, here I am, owning and operating a very successful microgym. 

The point is that no matter what you’ve messed up or are currently messing up, it’s all repairable. And none of it is worth losing a ton of sleep over. (Yes, I’ve also lost an ungodly amount of sleep.)

Prepare to Fail, Then Succeed

As a gym owner, you are undoubtedly going to make mistakes. Many, many mistakes. It’s unavoidable. In fact, I’d say that if you don’t think you’re making any mistakes, or if you think that you haven’t made any mistakes, you’re either completely oblivious or you’re just setting yourself up for some colossal errors in the future.

So, when you realize you’ve made a mistake, instead of lamenting what you’ve done or what you could have done differently, here’s what to do:

1. Admit when you’re wrong and make it right according to your mission, vision and values. Be careful here. It’s easy to fall on your sword and profusely apologize for things that don’t deserve that much weight. Most of the time it’s better to just make a change quietly and move on, letting your actions speak for themselves. The people you want in your gym will be cool and won’t rub your nose in it.  

2. Turn your mistakes into a great story you can tell in the future. All my errors on the list above are pretty funny to me now. Am I proud of them? Not really. But as the current owner of a gym that’s consistently on Two-Brain’s leaderboards every month, I can say confidently that I find those flaws of an immature gym owner amusing and part of the process of growing into a better entrepreneur.  

3. Learn from your mistakes and use them to refine your business, process and decision making. At the time I made many of the mistakes listed above, I thought I wanted to run a hardcore, athletes-only gym. I thought I wanted a gym where you’d check your shirt at the door, chalk the f*ck up and crank Rage Against the Machine as loud as humanly possible so you could make sure you’d crush your previous Fran time. Turns out that vision wasn’t exactly what I hoped it would be. By refining my vision, I was able to make clearer decisions in the future.  

4. Help your staff develop by explaining what happened, why you’re correcting your course and what you hope to do in the future. The best gifts we can give our teams? Clarity and an understanding of the “whys” behind our decisions. This info will help them make their own decisions according to your vision when challenges arise.  

5. Talk to your mentor. They’ll help talk you through it and figure out exactly what to do next. They’ll also probably regale you with all the screwups they’ve had over the years. It’ll be good to get everything off your chest, to know that you aren’t alone and to know exactly how to move forward.

Cool Down and Level Up

So next time you mess up, don’t panic. It happens to all of us. 

In fact, I can almost guarantee I know someone who has messed up a similar situation much worse but came out better on the other side. You’ll fare the same. 

Remember that if you’re planning on owning your gym for the next 20 or 30 years, anything you do now is just a small blip in the lifespan of your business. Most of us cringe at the stuff we did as people 10 years ago. We were younger and dumber. Same goes for your gym.  

Errors might sting a little now, but I promise you’ll be fine in the long run.

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Don’t Blame Simone Biles—or the World of Sports

I understand and fully support Simone Biles’s decision to withdraw from the Olympics—but I’m not about to demonize sports for causing it.

In case you missed it, Biles—a four-time gold medalist in Rio who is roundly regarded as the greatest gymnast ever—withdrew from the team and all-around competitions at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental well-being.

That took a huge amount of courage, and I respect her decision.

But I’d argue with people who are currently saying the pressure placed upon top athletes is unfair.

Don’t be mistaken: Mental health should always be placed above a shiny piece of metal hanging around a neck. Athletes should be allowed to withdraw and retire as they see fit. And it’s good that mental-health issues are being discussed more often. Doing so will save lives and improve quality of life for a host of people.

That said, elite athletics are as much a mental competition as a physical test.

We’ve seen it time and again: Some athletes overcome fear and doubt to do incredible things. Others who might be more physically gifted than their peers never achieve their true potential due to internal struggles with confidence, fear and pressure.

Two examples:

Michael Jordan’s famous “flu game,” in which he overcame extreme physical issues to score 38 points in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals.NHL player Patrik Laine’s candid assertion that his confidence level was “closer to zero” during an extended slump earlier this year.

You can find hundreds of examples on either side of the coin. Biles’s withdrawal is simply the latest and most prominent example of the incredible pressures on athletes.

It follows tennis star Naomi Osaka’s decision to “skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health.”

So are sport, its fans and the sporting press placing undue pressure on the world’s best athletes?

I don’t think so—but I know this likely isn’t a popular opinion these days.

The Price of Fame and Adoration

Sporting success—and the many rewards that come with it—have a price, and the cost goes up as the rewards increase.

The greatest athletes of all time are willing to pay that price. Others are not.

I think that’s OK.

Those who want to stand on the top of the podium are going to have to battle their minds and other competitors at the same time, and they’re likely prepared to give more than anyone else. I like that about sports. I enjoy watching people of focus, commitment and sheer effing will, to lift a line from the “John Wick” series.

Few have those qualities. It’s what makes the greatest the greatest.

I admire athletes who train six hours a day, give up time with their families to be the best at a particular sport or travel the world on a hectic, stressful competition schedule. I wouldn’t do those things, so I can’t help but marvel at those who choose to take that path to accomplish their goals. They do what I won’t to earn something I can’t.

But when athletes publicly pursue greatness, I can’t help but place expectations on them—especially when they are well compensated financially, as the world’s best usually are. If our collective expectations are ever too much, any athlete need only bow out gracefully. We should accept that and thank them for inspiring us for so many years. They get to choose how to live and how to be happy.

Sensitive and Sensible

The current criticism of Biles by some people is beyond stupid, and I’m happy she’s being held up as a role model for doing what she needed to do to be healthy.

In the new era of sensitivity, I think we need to praise athletes who are honest and open about their struggles. Biles could have faked a physical injury or used any excuse to save face. Instead, she was open and honest, and that should raise her status even further.

When athletes falter or step back, we should support them, and we should call out the idiots who suggest their failures are “national disgraces,” “unpatriotic” or whatever. We shouldn’t treat them like raw meat to be fed into a gladiatorial arena for our national pride and entertainment.

But we also don’t need to bear responsibility for burdening them with the weight of our expectations. If people want to be the best and compete on the world stage, pressure is part of the deal. Sport is and always will be a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately affair that comes with rich reward and incredible pressure. It’s not for everyone. But that’s always been the case—even if we didn’t talk about it enough.

So I deeply respect Simone Biles. She’s a champion. I hope she finds peace and happiness, and I hope people give her the respect she deserves.

But I’m still reserving admiration for those Olympians who manage the incredible pressure and rise to the occasion. Not because Biles is flawed, but because we’re all flawed and life is challenging. I’m regularly stressed out, and I know you are, too. So I’m inspired and motivated most by those who find ways to accept their fears and accomplish impressive goals in spite of them—at the Olympics or in the real world.

Here’s someone who did exactly that, and I’d put him on a podium without a second thought: Two-Brain Comeback of the Year Award.

The post Don’t Blame Simone Biles—or the World of Sports appeared first on Two-Brain Business.

By the Numbers: Signing up More Leads

Every month, we showcase one or two metrics that are important to gym owners. We highlight the best Two-Brain gyms in those categories and share their tips with you.

This month, we’re focusing on getting more clients. Three metrics help us diagnose problems and improve lead flow in a gym:

Set rate—how many leads book a No Sweat Intro.
Show rate—how many of those who book actually show up.
Close rate—how many of those who show up sign up for memberships.

Here are the top closers in Two-Brain last month:

Here are the top tips on improving your close rate from our leaders:

“I started using an iPad as part of our sales presentation.” (Read more about this strategy here.)

“Affinity marketing brought in 3 new members. So those are always 100% close rate.”

“I do a lot of sales role playing with our CSM, challenging her to approach every conversation differently, using the (Two-Brain) sales YouTube videos. I translate them for my team. Mentoring my team this way has helped me become better at sales too.”

“One of my new clients said that I’m crushing it and doing what every other gym (5 in the area) is not doing; i.e., creating helpful content. I learned this from Chris. I thought, ‘If he’s giving this stuff away, I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a part of Two-Brain.'”

“Level Method is really helpful for our close rate.”

“I ask them, ‘What is it in life that you’re lacking and has got you looking for something new?’ If they’ve tried other things, they’ve obviously been unsuccessful elsewhere. I ask them why they came … for something new, what hasn’t worked for them in the past that has caused them to look for something else. I get them to reflect on what they didn’t like, so then I can touch on how we are different.”

“The NSI does come naturally to me as I’ve been in real estate for 21 years. The consultative approach is a universal sales skill, and I’ve already had lots of practice going into the gym business.”

“The sooner you get the lead to lead the conversation, (the) sooner you have it sold.”

“When a prospect comes in for (an) NSI, we’re very hands off. We sit back and listen to the client to hear what they’re looking for. Irish culture doesn’t want to be sold to. We lay on the value and benefits to their health, but we do not pressure.”

“I’m confident, because I know our product can add 5 years to their life.”

“We ask, ‘Imagine where you’ll be in 30 days.'”

“Zoom NSIs don’t work here. People will wait to do them in person. It’s a cultural thing.”

You might have noticed that some of these answers contradict each other. That’s why we’re a mentorship practice instead of a system that prescribes one method for everyone.

Your gym is different; you are different. The strategies you use should be carefully curated for your preferences, culture and style. A mentor can guide you to the strategies that will work for you.

The post By the Numbers: Signing up More Leads appeared first on Two-Brain Business.

By the Numbers: More Appointments, More Consultations

Every month, we showcase one or two metrics that are important to gym owners. We highlight the best Two-Brain gyms in those categories and share their tips with you.

This month, we’re focusing on getting more clients. Three metrics help us diagnose problems and improve lead flow in a gym:

Set rate—how many people book a No Sweat Intro (NSI).
Show rate—how many of those who book actually show up.
Close rate—how many of those who show up sign up for memberships.

Here are the top performers in Two-Brain last month:

Here are the top tips on improving set and show rates from our leaders:

“We send them a video message after they book an NSI. This has correlated into a higher show rate.”

“We publish a ton of free content on our social media platforms now, like ‘How to Use a Foam Roller.'”

“We spend $840 / mo. on Google ads with both images and text, and another $1,350 on Facebook ads.”

“We get most of our new NSIs from referrals—always invitations to bring a friend, no direct asking for referrals.”

“We used the lead nurture script from (Two-Brain)—but instead of email, we used it in WhatsApp.”

“We just turned up our ad spend!”

“Whatever channel they come in, we use consistent follow-ups and nudging to show up. There’s no appreciable difference between text or emails for booking rates, and we make slight tweaks to the (Two-Brain) templates to make the messaging personal to each person.”

“New prospects have said, ‘We know you have a strong community because we’ve seen it!'”

“When we get a pricing inquiry, I just send an email introducing myself, asking their goals & biggest current struggles, and then I suggest a couple of available time spots for an NSI.”

“Gym Lead Machine has really been essential to our lead generation strategy. I let it do 99% of the heavy lifting.”

“I use Facebook ads exactly as they’re written in the Two-Brain marketing course and let them run.”

“We switched to a virtual NSI. People seem to find it more convenient and comfortable. After they book, I send them our gym guide—it shows them some pictures of the lifts we teach, which reinforces why we need the intro sessions.”

All of these are wonderful ideas. Which should you adopt? Ask your mentor.

In the next post in this series, I’ll share how the top gyms in Two-Brain sign up more people than gyms anywhere else.

The post By the Numbers: More Appointments, More Consultations appeared first on Two-Brain Business.

Fat-Shaming and Gyms: Are Your Ads Triggers?

Mike (00:03):

Newsflash: Pinterest recently banned all ads with weight-loss imagery and language. What does that mean for fitness and nutrition coaches who just want to give clients what they want? Psychologist Bonnie Skinner looks at the gap between nutrition coaches and diet culture. Right after this.

Chris (00:17):

Chris Cooper here with a word about O2. Your gym members will love O2’s hydrating, non-carbonated beverages after a tough workout. Even better, O2 is a community-based brand that wants to give back to gyms. If you sell O2 at your gym, you get a free sponsored event every year. Gym owners who wholesale O2 also get their first order for a dollar. Visit wholesale.drinko2.com to apply for an account today.

Mike (00:44):

This is Two-Brain Radio and I’m your host Mike Warkentin. Be sure to subscribe for more episodes. Today, clients often come to gym owners for help losing weight. And these owners have nutrition and exercise programs that work. But if they try to advertise them on Pinterest, now they can’t, due to a recent weight loss ban by the popular platform. That means no weight loss testimonials or products, no mention of body mass index, no before and after pictures. Here’s a quote from a press release. “It’s an expansion of our ad policies that have long prohibited body shaming and dangerous weight loss products or claims.” That’s from a July 1st Pinterest press release, also out quote, unquote, “language or imagery that idealizes or denigrates certain body types.” We can all agree that attacking people is wrong. But what happens when you’re trying to advertise a legitimate service to someone who might need, want and benefit from that service? Sault St. Marie psychotherapist, Bonnie Skinner, is here to help us dig into fat-shaming, shame, triggers, guilt, and identity. Bonnie, welcome to the show.

Bonnie (01:42):

Thank you so much for having me. It’s great to be back.

Mike (01:45):

I am excited. So I’m going to jump in. I’m going to give you a scenario. I’m scrolling through Pinterest, which I do all the time, actually like the platform a lot. And I see a before and after picture of a backyard, the first picture shows a complete disaster. The second shows an urban Oasis. Post is linked to a landscaping company, selling a service. I feel like the before picture kind of looks like my yard and I want to hear more about after. So I called the company and away we go, why is this sort of thing not problematic, but the exact same situation has all sorts of triggers when it comes to weight loss. What’s going on here?

Bonnie (02:17):

Wow. That’s such a good question. You know, I think really what is happening is there’s been kind of morphing over time about in terms of how media targets and to be fair, like some of it is, like you said, you know, like here’s my lawn before, here’s my lawn after. Nobody’s making any assumptions about the kind of person that keeps the lawn like that, or, you know, whether or not a person that keeps a lawn like that is worthy. It’s just, here’s a lawn before. Here’s a lawn after. You move on with your life. But I think when we start to talk about things that are integral to the person, it can be very easy to trigger shame or guilt, right? So I think a lot of the messaging, especially in terms of what, you know, Pinterest is trying to push back against is this idea that somehow if you need the help, there’s already something quote, unquote, wrong with you. But not just in terms of, you know, am I looking to go from one size to another, but it’s, there’s a generalization, I think, that they’re trying to avoid that says, oh, well, if you are of this body type, if you are of this number on the scale, then there’s something wrong with you as a person versus, Hey, there’s a series of scientific evidence that says you’re at risk for these things.

Mike (03:30):

You know, what’s funny, I chose the lawn care thing because I often look at Pinterest for like home, you know, garden, renovations, decorating, all that stuff. Cause I’m kind of into that. I actually look at my lawn and when it looks crappy, I feel shame. And that’s super funny. I just grew up always thinking that like a nice lawn relates to like, you know, having my stuff together and being, you know, like up to date and having my stuff organized. So it’s kind of a funny one for me. Right? So, but it’s interesting how, when you get into weight loss and others, you know, physical things, there is a whole element of shame attached. And like we talked a little bit before the show about internal psychology, psychological conflict and how media can trigger that. But I think you said it doesn’t, the media doesn’t really create that conflict necessarily. It just stokes the fire, like are the weight loss ads the problem, or is something else going on here?

Bonnie (04:19):

Well, that’s multifaceted. So I think, yeah, that’s OK. I think, you know, like it’s, you don’t have to go very far to see that one of the things that media does really well, and by media, I’m talking about marketing, advertising, that their goal is to exploit the fear. OK. Like that is the goal of marketing. It is I am either going to explain and try to get you to purchase something based on the fact that you’re afraid to be something, look something, look a certain way or whatever, or I want to give you that really positive feeling of achieving, right? So there’s two sides. But when we’re talking about generalizations that are being made from viewing an image, right? So I think one of the things that we’re talking about was, you know, if I have an image, two images of a female in front of me, you know, one is the abs girl and the girl is, you know, obviously working out in the gym, very fit, very whatever.

Bonnie (05:11):

I have another, you know, somebody that maybe, you know, we consider clinically obese or morbidly obese, you know, am I making a general generalization? Am I saying smaller is better? And what happens is we go from, OK, well, smaller is better if we’re looking at that in terms of the scientific comparison. Yeah. There’s risk factors go along with one body type that don’t necessarily go along with another to the same degree. But what happens, the problem that gets created is we start making these internal generalizations about other things. So this is when people, when they’re talking about people getting triggered is they go, oh, I don’t look like that. Therefore. And the next sentence is something derogatory about ourselves. So if we look at an ad and we go, oh God, you know what? I don’t look like that.

Bonnie (05:54):

I gained weight over COVID or you know what? I’ve got that 20 pounds, you know, that I haven’t lost since I had the baby. And we jump from that, maybe that fat, to the generalization, which ends up being a judgment of ourselves. And that’s the problem. So when I say like, you know, there’s internal psychological conflict going on, the question is really what’s stopping me from seeing something and just leaving it alone, just saying, oh, well, what they’re doing is they’re comparing, they’re trying to sell me a weight loss pill, a program, or whatever the case may be and not allowing that to attach to my self-worth.

Mike (06:28):

Yeah. So what happens there? How do people get into that and just give up their self worth? What happens?

Bonnie (06:33):

Usually it’s all, there’s already a crack there. Right? And in fairness to companies like Pinterest, marketers know this, right. They know there’s a crack there. And so, because we’re not, we may not always necessarily be aware of that fact. Right? I’ll give you a prime example. I have a lot of clients that come in and they’ll say things to me, like, you know, so-and-so made me feel XYZ. And if any of my clients listen to this, they’ll know, I don’t ever let that slide because I’ll go, well, what do you mean? Well, they made me feel like this. I’m like, no, that’s impossible. Nobody can make you feel anything. That is not a possibility. Because think of this for a second. So if I come into the building in the morning, if it was true that an external event could by just by happening, make me feel something, then here’s what should happen.

Bonnie (07:24):

One, everybody should have the same response to any external event. And two, I would be up and down all day. So if I walked into the building in the morning and Mary’s in a happy mood and she’s happy with me, then I’m going to feel good. I’ll come down the hall. And you know, Kyle has just encountered or a difficult situation. And she’s feeling really stressed and overwhelmed and coming to me and I may be stressed and overwhelmed. If I get down the hall further, Chris is upset or stressed or whatever. Right. So, what happens then if that was true, is my mental state will be bouncing all over the place and that’s just not sustainable for biological organism like us. So our brain actually has a protective mechanism that we don’t realize happens in probably what is the hundreds of milliseconds is that we need to interpret something before we have an emotional response to it.

Bonnie (08:12):

So I have to look at that picture of, you know, the lady with the abs and the tank top on, and I have to go, oh, I don’t look like her. I’m not good enough. Or, oh, I don’t look like her. Nobody’s ever going to want me or whatever. Whatever the negative reflection of the self is. I actually have to tell myself that first, before I have an emotional response and I may not do it consciously, which means it may happen so fast, I actually think it is the picture that upset me.

Mike (08:41):

So there’s two steps going on there, but we often miss, we don’t realize there are two steps because it happens so quickly. It’s just a reaction.

Bonnie (08:49):

Absolutely. Most people only ever think there’s one and you’ll hear it because people will say, you made me feel like this. That made me feel like this. I remember it was a conversation with Demi Lovato being upset because she had gone into a fro-yo store. And I think there was like diet ice cream or low-calorie ice cream or something. And they talk about, you know, she was quite upset with the store owners for even just having it. And so that’s a trigger, but it means that there’s already something there. So I saw it a couple of weeks ago, if I see you and I talk to you and I’m like, Hey, Mike, how you doing? No big deal. But if you break that arm and I do the exact same thing, you are much more likely to flinch.

Mike (09:25):

Yeah. OK. So this is an interesting one. And this is, I’ve been waiting to ask you this question all week. So how does self-efficacy figure into all this? Because when you look at it objectively, fitness and nutrition, at least the legitimate parts that don’t involve, like gimmicks and shams and so forth, all of the legitimate parts of fitness and nutrition, they’re based on the idea that people can make lasting positive changes and take control of their lives through action. That doesn’t, we’re not even talking about aesthetics here, they are involved, but they can make changes. This is as much mental as physical. I’ve seen incredible stuff in the gym. When someone says I can, and it’s like, they’ll do things you never thought. And they never thought they could do. But when someone says I can’t, or, you know, going the next step, that ad made me feel shame. I wonder about how giving that control away affects a person. So like, what is the psychology here behind self-efficacy and self-improvement, as it relates to bodies, nutrition, and fitness?

Bonnie (10:15):

It can be catastrophic. Or it can be absolutely liberating because here’s what happens. OK. Remember I said, we whether or not we realize it or not, we cue our brain into certain things, right? So if I say, oh my God, it’s Monday. I hate Mondays. Mondays are going to be crappy. Guarantee you, you aske me six o’clock on a Monday. What happens? Oh my God. It was the worst thing in the world because I’ve already told my brain that’s what to expect. So if I am preconditioned and my precondition, you know, we have a certain way of seeing the world that comes from, you know, our experiences and how we grew up. If we’re preconditioned to see the world in a way where we are helpless, we are victim of what’s happening now.

Bonnie (10:59):

And that’s not to say that some stuff has happened to us that was outside of our control. But if our message to ourselves is and I can do nothing about it. And that’ll never change. Then what happens is your brain goes, OK, no problem to work on here. I guess we’ll just sit back because this is never going to get better. It’s not going to go looking to solve a problem. And now if I, you know, if I say, I want a lawn like that, or I want abs like that, or I want a flashy car like that. Then my brain starts to go, oh, oh, well, how do I do that? How do I get that? And what it does is it starts problem-solving. This is the reason hope is so important. And we see it in study after study, hope and optimism, aren’t just feelings. It’s actually a process that starts to engage our cognitive abilities.

Mike (11:49):

So by giving up that control or, and saying that makes me feel, or X makes me feel Y or whatever it is by giving that up, you’re almost removing control and hope from the equation.

Bonnie (11:59):

That’s exactly what you do. Because if the only way I can feel good about my body is for everybody to only ever say positive things, for me to only ever see positive images, for me to only have ever have positive feedback, then that means I am powerless when it comes to the one person that’s not going to conform, or the one company that’s not going to conform, and you never want to be powerless. You always want your power to be inside you.

Mike (12:28):

So in the current climate kind of, you know, we’ll call it. There is like a lot of angry people running around right now. And it’s a high stress time. We’ve got the pandemic, we’ve got, you know, social justice issues. We’ve got all these just very, very important, but also incendiary things going on, you know, how do gym owners kind of navigate this? Like where does the morality sit in the sense that let’s say, and, you know, I honestly believe this as a gym owner and a nutrition coach, you have the ability to make dramatic health changes. And I think science would back back me up on that. You have this ability and you can do it. We’re not selling gimmicks. We’re not selling, you know, shrink wraps and different, you know, pills and things that don’t necessarily work. So we’re looking to help people. How do you connect with someone and be helpful without triggering shame or without being part of the problem an, or even getting the ear of people who maybe have given up some control and are just looking to lash out, like, how do we do that?

Bonnie (13:19):

That’s why I’m a big proponent of education. I think the best way to do is education. Most people don’t know what triggers it. They don’t know why they got triggered. They just walk away and go that guy was a jerk or that, you know, that girl hurt my feelings or whatever. But when you, you know, if somebody is walking into your gym and they may, you always ask them, what’s their goals. Maybe they say weight loss. At some point, wherever it ends up. And whoever the person ends up being that’s in front of the client or the potential member, incorporating a conversation about there’s a difference between whether or not you’re worthy and whether or not you’re overweight. That one has nothing to do with the other. We’re going to give you some skills that are going to get your body to where your body wants you to be.

Bonnie (14:00):

But that has nothing to do with whether or not you’re capable and valuable as a human being. You already are here. And you’ll see that the gyms that do well, they talk about their community. They talk about the cohesion of the community. And I would bet my bottom dollar, that if I walked into any one of those gyms, they would tell me that they feel valued in that space, in that environment. And so this is really just adding one more conversation to the way in which you make your members feel valued, because they may not know, they may not actually have language, right? They’ll say, oh, I want to, you know, I want to lose weight. That may be the only language they have to talk about the transformation that they’re looking for. So if gym owners and their staff can start to provide context and to provide language around it, then all of a sudden the shame no longer necessarily has to be a thing, because you say, you know what? I’m going to help you fix your body, you know, get you where you need to be, but we’re going to value you as of today, because your weight has nothing to do with your worthiness.

Chris (15:07):

Chris Cooper here to talk about Level Method. When it comes to owning a gym, it can be really tough to show your members their progress and keep them engaged long term. Level Method provides experienced gym owners with a visual step-by-step fitness progression system that’s fun, engaging and easy to use. With Level Method, your clients can reach their fitness goals faster and safer than ever before and become raving fans of your gym. Go to levelmethod.com to find out more. I use this product in my gym, it helped with my conversion from my on-ramp program into ongoing group coaching, and it’s also boosted my retention over time.

Mike (15:42):

Something that we always try to do, we don’t have a physical space anymore, but something we always tried to do was value effort and character. And we always try to like make that a big deal because we had all shapes and sizes and all colors and ethnicities and sexual orientations. And we really just tried to boil it down to, did you show up and try hard? Good. hat’s all we’re asking for. And the interesting thing we’ve talked about, Two-Brain Coaching has brought this up a lot. And Chris has as well. Motivational interviewing. So if you ask someone what’s your goal, they say they want to lose weight. You know, you and I both know that’s not the real, that’s not what they’re really after. Right? That that’s just a thing. There’s always another step. And it’s like, I want to lose weight.

Mike (16:18):

Well, why do you want to lose weight? And it’s always something else. Whether it’s like, I want to fit into that dress or suit for my high school reunion, or I want to be more attractive to my partner, or I want to find a partner or whatever. And then let’s be even more clear. There are some quote, unquote skinny or ideal body sized people who are very metabolically unhealthy. So it’s not necessarily just a quote unquote fat person problem, right? It’s such a nuanced sort of thing. So it’s like in the advertising, is there a way that we can use, I’ll use this for lack of a better term, like safe language, or is there something that we can say to advertise weight loss that’s going to be the kindest way we can do it if people are need that and want that in their life?

Bonnie (16:57):

I think it’s really about, you know, figuring out what it is that you’re selling. Like, I mean, and what it is that the person wants. So when we’re talking about weight loss. Really what we’re actually talking about is dropping the number on the scale. Like that what a weight loss program is going to measure. If you are 168 pounds in the beginning, can you get to 130 or wherever it is you’re trying to go. The second you move and generalize what that means? Now you open yourself up to all kinds of different interpretations and the possibility of offending somebody and the possibility of upsetting somebody and people look at for refunds and you get into this really mucky place. So if you’re clear with your members, here’s what this is going to change. Here’s what this is going to fix.

Bonnie (17:47):

And I don’t know how much freedom you guys have to do it in your interviews. But I mean, for me, I’m very clear with my therapy clients, my mental health clients that, you know, when they say things to me like, you know, if I could just get this weight off or just, I tell them, like, that’s not going to work. I’m not saying that the issue isn’t going to change how much you weigh. I’m saying that if we’re already at a place where we can’t get to self-acceptance where you are, now, I’m not saying justification. I’m saying, if you can’t say, OK, I’m worthy as a human being in this role and still acknowledge that there are things you want to change, then changing those things isn’t isn’t going to help that.

Mike (18:23):

There truly is no quick fix in weight loss or, you know, psychology.

Bonnie (18:29):

No, no, no. I think that is the problem that created, or I shouldn’t say, that’s the problem that created the need. But I think as the populist turns and what they’re really pushing is, and quite rightly so, they’re pushing back against this assumption that they feel the public is making that if I’m not a certain size then I’m not worthy, but what the actual goal is, I think is just not well-defined. So what exactly is the thing that, so, OK, sorry. I digress a little bit. Let’s say for example, I’ve got a magic diet pill that we all know doesn’t exist. OK. And I put that on Pinterest, Facebook, whatever the case may be, is that harmful, right? I got a group of people that are going to say yes, absolutely. You are convincing people that they can take a pill and lose weight.

Bonnie (19:24):

If I put on a diet and nutrition program, here’s the 12 weeks, 12 weeks where I’m going to teach you all of these things about how to eat, right. People will say, oh no, that’s OK because that’s teaching you something positive, but they’re both the same thing. They’re both an offer, right? It’s an offer. Bu if I’m coming in with lenses that say whatever I see outside in my world is how I’m going to judge myself. Now, I’m going to start making opinions about those offers. I’m going to start saying what the company should and shouldn’t do and all this kind of stuff. Instead of saying, when I put myself on social media, when put myself into the world, I am going to be subject to messages that other people are going to have about me. And that is going to impact me if I allow it to. And you’ll see that the people it impacts are those that are already struggling, whether it’s with their identity, whether it’s with their mental health, whether it’s with their sense of self. I’m not saying to be clear, I’m not saying that media has no influence, but I’m saying that the struggle, that the real problem is the vulnerability that already lies.

Mike (20:31):

How would you address, or would you address, let’s say, you know, a gym puts up an ad and they mentioned weight loss and not on Pinterest, of course, cause you couldn’t get it through anymore, but, or mentions transformation or whatever changes they can help a person make. And someone runs at them and says, this is, you know, you’re fat shaming. This is negative. I feel bad. How would you handle that? Or would you?

Bonnie (20:53):

I would literally look, I always answer it. Right. But I think it’s, you know, what are we looking at? If I said something like, you know, oh, you know, fat people don’t care about themselves or this, that, and the other thing, you know, that is fat shaming. Yeah. I’m drawing conclusions that I have no way of knowing. Right. That’s a dumb thing to do. And I think that deserves to be called out. But what we’re typically talking about is an interpretation. And if somebody says, when I look at that, I see this, I can’t control that. I can’t control that. So when I say things now it’s different. I mean, you know, a lot of companies will, you know, they’ll for example, not target their ads or their weight loss ads or whatever the case may be towards minors. I think that is incredibly appropriate. Because minors do not have the neurological development always to be in a more firm place where they can understand and critique and think for themselves.

Mike (21:47):

Yeah. Joe Camel needed to go, the cigarette-smoking camel needed to go.

Bonnie (21:52):

That’s right. You know, but I think, I think sometimes we need to have the backlash for these kinds of things because they open up a conversation that says, well, what exactly is happening? What exactly is happening is we’re looking at things we’re going, oh, that’s one more message about me. And I guarantee you that the person that put up that ad is not thinking about Bonnie. They’re not thinking about what Bonnie’s been through or thought about or her history. They’re just trying to get to a certain goal. It’s what I’m going to make of what I see that’s going to determine how I feel about it. And that’s the part we need to help people understand that if they’re getting triggered by ads and by all of that stuff, we have to say, OK, let’s think more critically, let’s go in and shore up what we need to in ourselves so that we’re not bouncing all over the place just because somebody else thinks differently or wants to sell us something they think we need.

Mike (22:42):

So let me ask you this, because this is a huge one. In the gym industry and in the nutrition industry before and after pictures do really, really well. Like my wife put one up, hesitantly of course, because she’s nervous about stuff like this and thinks about it, we had a client who lost a hundred pounds and it was just epic. And this woman, she wanted to do this and she wrote a testimonial for us and she’s just like living her best life. And we celebrated that and her picture got a huge reaction. And then stepping back from that story, in advertising before and after pictures always do really well, they just do. It’s just one of those things that people are always interested in. So what are your views on those kinds of pictures? Like how do, how did gym owners use them responsibly? Or can they?

Bonnie (23:26):

I think it really goes back. That for me is such a great question. I think it really goes back to what is the message that accompanies the picture? Now if you, because what’s going to happen when everybody, if it’s just the picture, everybody’s gonna look at the picture, they’re all gonna see something different. Right? So you can’t control that. However, if you are putting text with pictures, let’s, let’s say you had, you know, before and after, you know, lose weight, be happy. That’s a problem. That’s the problem because now you’re equating size with happiness, right? In a very direct and intentional manner. That is manipulation. Because whether or not, you know, like, OK, fat people can’t be happy or larger people can’t be happy.

Bonnie (24:15):

Yeah. Like, I mean, so in my own weight loss journey, when I was almost 300 pounds, 298 pounds, I’ll tell you right now, you couldn’t encounter somebody with more confidence than I had, you know, and I think it’s, so you have to be very careful about the generalization, not only that we’re making about ourselves, but also what others. So if you’re selling a nutrition program, what our nutrition program gives you is information about nutrition. It gives you habits. It gives you tips. It gives you strategies. That’s what you’re selling, sell that, but be careful not to make the jump to, oh, this will give you happiness. No, this is information. If you apply it, you’ll get a certain outcome.

Mike (24:57):

So now we’re getting somewhere. So what we’re really talking about here is that gym owners who are going to advertise or use these stories and testimonials. They need to really be cautious about their language and consider what they say and do. And I’ll give you an example. This was someone old CrossFit Journal article that someone wrote and he was talking about. It was a very good coach talking about the reaction when a client says something and a client comes up and says, puts a number on the whiteboard and says, I deadlifted 150 pounds. And the coach goes OK, really? Wow. That’s kind of a reaction that happens a lot of the time. But what that reaction is actually saying to the client in some cases is, oh, I didn’t think you were capable of that, or I don’t believe you. There is some room for interpretation there.

Mike (25:36):

Right? And I thought it was so interesting that that coach said, that’s not the reaction you want to give at a whiteboard. Great work. I’m so proud of you. That’s a huge accomplishment. You know, things like that, that don’t allow that room for like that gray area. So I guess what we’re talking about here is like, if you start putting up ads and testimonials and start implying that, you know, this person is happy because the weight was lost, maybe that’s, you know, and that might be true, but maybe that’s a negative step. Whereas, you know, you could probably frame that in the instance of goals accomplished this client came and had this goal. We taught her how to do it or him. We taught him how to do it. That person has had success. Like, would that be more appropriate?

Bonnie (26:16):

I think definitely moving in the right direction. Because the, because you know, let’s say you got somebody that comes into a fitness or nutrition program that dropped 30 pounds, 50 pounds, and they give a testimonial. I’m so much happier. I’m so much this, so much that. Right. And now they attribute it to going through that process. But here’s the question that I have, like, if you think critically about these things, you go, OK. Which part was it? Was it the education? I learned things that I didn’t know, which meant I could then do things that I didn’t know I could do. Was it the encouragement? Was it working with somebody for three months or however long that, you know, they, they never judged me. They always gave me positive feedback. They encouraged me to think about myself differently.

Bonnie (27:01):

Right. So what part of that is the actual thing that makes the change, right? So, so when we say, oh, no, it’s the losing weight. It’s because she lost 30 pounds. She feels so much better. And it’s like, well, you know, that is directly attributing the weight to the mental health change. It’s a very fine line. And I think when we say what the product is capable of achieving, right. You know, any product that we’re talking both in weight loss, nutrition, it’s going to give more information. You’re going to work with people that are going to encourage you. They’re going to actually model how you should, how you should encourage yourself and reward yourself and care about yourself and take care of yourself.

Bonnie (27:51):

That’s what you’re also going to get. And so moving, you know, if we’re talking about, OK, well, how does that show up for our advertising? It means promote what you’re selling. Right. If you’re having testimonials, have your client talk about the different parts, right? Like I, you know what I got here and I really worried, and I was feeling really insecure, but there was just so much optimism. There was so much encouragement. I learned things that I didn’t even know I could apply versus one ad that says, eat healthy, be happy.

Mike (28:23):

I’m so happy I lost a hundred pounds versus I’m so happy I had a supportive environment and a caring coach who helped me accomplish my goals.

Bonnie (28:34):

Yeah. And I think even if you didn’t necessarily get that far down the psychological end of it, right. It may be something as small as you know, it was a chance for me to learn what my body needs. I had no idea what my body needed. Like I said that to my coach all the time, like I had no idea, I’ve no idea. So where we, I guess if I was to kind of summarize it is one is that we cannot control the projection of people make about things. We cannot control the assumptions they’re going to make. When they see an image, we can try our best to create ads, create images that tell a bit more of a story. But, you know, you got one glance or you got one, two minute video. When you have somebody in front of you, I actually would encourage not to shy away from that conversation because in this, in today’s society, mental health and media is so intertwined that people will make an assumption that you you need to be careful when you’re talking to me or you need to be careful when you’re advertising to me.

Bonnie (29:41):

Cause, you know, I don’t want to be upset by something you put out. And my answer is always, well, if you get upset by something somebody puts out, explore that, talk about that. Don’t just get offended and shut it down and cancel it. Let’s talk about what’s happening because what’s happening is we’re not sure how to solidify our own identity. So when all these other things come up, making suggestions one way or the other, we get confused, we get upset, we feel shame. And then we lash out.

Mike (30:11):

I love that because it’s such an interesting issue where you have some people that very clearly believe that advertising weight loss, or even, you know, supplying weight loss techniques is a bad thing. And I’ve seen the debates online. It’s very aggressive, but then the other side of it, you have out entire industry, the fitness nutrition industry that can help people if they want to make changes. And so I’ve always been very curious about when those two things collide because there are like we’ve had clients come to us regularly and every gym has had this and they say something like this, which is just, you know, undebatable. My knees hurt a lot. And my doctor told me that I need to take some weight off just to relieve that pressure on my knees. And that’s the gym owner has and quote the Chris Cooper helped first strategy.

Mike (30:59):

The gym owner can help with that. You know, the strategies exists, the positivity exists, and it’s nothing about shaming. It’s actually giving the client what he or she wants, but there are elements that said that, you know, that you do not have to change. You should not be forced to change. You’re not responsible for your conditions and so forth. And that’s why I wanted to ask you so much about that self-efficacy because in the gym that power that people create when they say I can, or when they try and make changes in the kitchen, in the gym, whatever changes they want to make, I’m so inspired by that. And by giving that away and saying, you know, it makes me feel, or I can’t, it seems so almost inhuman because then you just become this boat on the sea, right. Without a rudder. And you’re just drifting, you know. In your practice do you have success in moving people from that, you know, sort of victim mentality to a more proactive self-efficacy? Is that something that takes like years or months? Or how does that work?

Bonnie (31:54):

You know, surprisingly enough, if we took away the belief that if we took away for our clients, the belief that they weren’t good enough, or they didn’t measure up in some way, we would probably eliminate at least 70% of our caseload. It’s that pervasive. The struggle is that people don’t know it’s that pervasive. They think they’re the only ones. So by having this underlying thread, if you will, of insecurity beneath the surface that we don’t know is there, then what happens is we get triggered into something. We have these emotional responses. And we think about the outside world simply because we don’t understand that this is what’s going on underneath. And you’ve got, you know, you’ve got a whole society full of people that that’s happening with. So if what we actually want is to give people the most effective tools for change, we can’t not tell them about the landmines.

Bonnie (32:59):

You know, like we, can’t not tell them that when they come in and they, they look at the board and there’s, you know an AMRAP and an EMOM and we can’t not tell them that, Hey, listen. And if you look at the board and you’re confused, totally. OK. Cause that’s normal. We’ll walk you through that. Exactly. Right. And that, I mean, we do it in the therapeutic context. We do it in terms of their friends. It’s simply reframing it saying, Hey, you see it that way. No problem. Hey, that’s common. Think about it like this. And now what you’re doing. And that’s what I mean, when I say we start to give people language, we start to help normalize some of the insecurities. And if the people that are, you know, that you’re working with as coaches, if they start to hear you talk about some of the struggles that people have with shame and self-worth in the gym and you say, yeah, it’s totally normal.

Bonnie (33:51):

Right. But we got to remember that, you know, like our body, yes, our bodies are valuable and we want to learn how to take care of them. But the number on the scale says nothing about how valuable you are to a person. You want to know how valuable you are to a person, go home and sit with your family for an hour. Right? So it’s just about introducing a different way of seeing things. Because as human beings, we’re so locked into our own worldview, our own perspective that we don’t necessarily always know that there’s something else out there and the feeling of being offended will travel so much quicker than empowerment will. But the second you tell somebody, no, the world actually has to be different in order for you to feel good about yourself. You disempower people in a way that can be absolutely catastrophic in the long term.

Mike (34:39):

Bonnie, this has been so insightful, you know, as a gym owner, but also as a marketing person and also as just a human being. It’s so interesting to look at this and I appreciate your perspective. So listeners, I hope that you’ve found some ideas in here, do some thinking, see how you can connect with people in a positive way. And like Bonnie said, have discussions and talk things out rather than react. I love that, Bonnie. Thank you so much for being here today.

Bonnie (35:03):

No problem. My pleasure.

Mike (35:05):

That was the always insightful Bonnie Skinner. And I’m your host, Mike Warkentin. Be sure to subscribe for more episodes. After all that psychology talk, I’ll hit you with a tiny dose of FOMO. Be sure to join the Gym Owners United group on Facebook so you don’t miss any of the helpful strategies from Chris Cooper, other gym owners and our very talented Two-Brain business mentors. We need you in there. That’s Gym Owners United on Facebook. Join it today. And I’ll see you next time on Two-Brain Radio. [inaudible].

 

The post Fat-Shaming and Gyms: Are Your Ads Triggers? appeared first on Two-Brain Business.

Tracking Financial Metrics: The 5-Color Stress-Free System

By Certified Two-Brain Fitness Business Mentor Shawn Rider

So you’re not a “numbers person.” I understand.

Maybe you’ve outsourced your bookkeeping to a professional but the person either gets your numbers to you 30-90 days late or doesn’t quite understand why your Two-Brain mentor needs certain numbers this way or that way.

Or maybe you find finances to be intimidating and scary, so it’s just easier to avoid dealing with numbers and default to bank-balance accounting.

The problem is that you’re a business owner.

You should know what your numbers are this month—not in 90 days.

Notice I didn’t say you need to understand these numbers. You’re not a financial analyst. It’s a mentor’s job to help you analyze your numbers. It’s your job to get them to us every month—even if you have a bookkeeper.

Below is a step-by-step guide to get your financial metrics into the Two-Brain Dashboard faster so your mentor can help you better on each and every call.

The goal of this post is to get you started on a reporting rhythm that makes collecting and entering data easier and less scary. When kids are anxious, nervous or scared, few things beat a coloring book and some markers. Let’s use the same plan here for ourselves. 

Step 1

Establish a “reporting rhythm.” On the fifth or 10th of every month, your bank should have your online statement available for download. Don’t wait on snail mail. Figure out which day your statement is available (it should be the same each month). On that day each month, set aside 30 minutes to follow the steps below. 

Step 2

Print your monthly bank statements. 

Step 3

Take a green highlighter and highlight all sales deposited into your bank account. This should be easy because your statement shows you the totals for all the money coming in and all the money going out for the month, with beginning and ending balances. (If you’re personally adding money to the bank account as an owner contribution, exclude that amount.)

Add those green lines together—that is your revenue. Put that number into your Two-Brain Dashboard for your mentor in the appropriate spot.

Note: If you made a sale in the last few days of the month, it might not be reflected on the current month’s statement if the money doesn’t arrive in the account before the calendar turns. You can either update your total with the amount that’s inbound or just add a note in your Dashboard.

Step 4

Take a yellow highlighter and highlight all recurring expenses (do not highlight staff costs or anything that benefits the owner). If part of your personal pay is included in the bank statement payroll transaction, just ignore that number for now.

Add the yellow lines together—those are your recurring expenses. Put that number into your Two-Brain Dashboard for your mentor in the appropriate spot.

Step 5

Take a red highlighter and highlight all one-time expenses. These are things that do not show up on your bank statement each month—equipment purchases, renovation costs and so on. I hope you have fewer red lines than yellow lines!

Add the red lines together—those are your one-time expenses. Put that number into your Two-Brain Dashboard for your mentor in the appropriate spot.

Step 6

Take a purple highlighter and highlight all expenses that are related to staff pay.

Add those purple lines together—those are your staff expenses. Put that number into your Two-Brain Dashboard for your mentor in the appropriate spot.

Step 7

Take a blue highlighter and highlight all expenses that are related to owner benefit: your pay, profit distributions and so on. 

Add the blue lines together—that is your net owner benefit. Put that number into your Two-Brain Dashboard for your mentor in the appropriate spot.

Step 8

Look at your bank statement’s final balance for the month. That number is your cash reserve at the end of the month. Put that number into your Two-Brain Dashboard for your mentor in the appropriate spot.

Got It?

Let’s review:

Pick a day. Print statements. Use five highlighters to highlight sales, recurring expenses, one-time expenses, staff pay and owner benefits. Add the numbers on the green lines together, then do the same for all the yellow, red, purple and blue lines.Put the totals in the appropriate spots in the Two-Brain Dashboard for your mentor. 

Most of us aren’t running million-dollar gyms. Nor do most of us have 100-plus separate transactions each month. The volume should be relatively manageable—you can do this!

It’s simple: Color your statement. Input your metrics. Talk with your mentor. Make progress. 

The post Tracking Financial Metrics: The 5-Color Stress-Free System appeared first on Two-Brain Business.

Fat Shaming, Diet Culture and Gym Owners

Are gym owners perpetuating “diet culture” by trying to help clients lose weight?

In 2021, it’s an interesting question as everyone works to be more inclusive and sensitive.

The 411: “Diet culture” is a term that is used to describe the idea that thinner is better—among other things. It’s also related to fat shaming, a lack of acceptance of people who don’t fit “the ideal,” demonization of food, and unhealthy and unsustainable weight-loss practices. Click here for a more exhaustive definition.

So what does this concept mean to gym owners and nutrition coaches who are striving to help clients accomplish their goals through sustainable, ethical and effective practices?

Two Realities

Diet culture became top of mind again when Pinterest banned a host of ads on July 1. No longer allowed on the popular platform:

Language or imagery related to weight loss.Testimonials about weight-loss products and services.Idealization or denigration of body types in language or imagery.References to body mass index (BMI).Products that suggest weight loss will occur if they’re worn or put on the skin.

Before-and-after imagery was already banned, as well as body shaming and unrealistic results attributed to cosmetics.

Let’s be clear: Sales of snake oil, body shaming and false advertising are unethical.

But what about fitness and nutrition businesses that truly want to help people? And what if they have incontrovertible evidence that their services can help people make sustainable, positive changes related to their own personal goals?

It’s a very difficult issue, and some will jump to one conclusion or the other and see things as black and white. Let’s hold off on knee-jerk reactions in either direction.

The reality: Ads—even ads for legitimate businesses—definitely have a psychological element that pokes at “pain points” to motivate people to purchase. Example: “Is your car waking up the neighbors? Get a new muffler!” You can see how shame, fear of missing out (FOMO) and other triggers are closely linked to ads.

Another reality: Some people legitimately want to lose weight for any number of positive reasons. While those who oppose diet culture will question the roots of those reasons, gym owners have heard stuff like this all the time: “My knees ache and I can’t do the things I want to do. Can you help me lose weight so I can be more active and reduce pain?”

Responsible, ethical gym owners have solutions and are duty bound to help these people solve their problems—not through stupid gimmicks or dangerous diets but through safe activity and healthy, sustainable eating habits.

Who Makes Whom Feel What?

As a person in the fitness industry, I obviously believe in the effects of working out and eating the foods that support personal goals. I’ve seen the effects of these practices thousands of times.

I also believe in self-efficacy and the ability to grow, evolve and change for the better. It’s essential to life, in my opinion. I won’t say exactly what I think is “better” or why. I’ll just say that I believe everything—people, businesses, homes, relationships—is dynamic: Everything is either becoming better or worse. Nothing stays the same. I’d prefer to take action to pursue my personal definition of better than do nothing and risk becoming worse.

My position doesn’t match up with that of writer Kate Bernyk—which is totally fine. She presents data suggesting diets don’t work. And some certainly don’t. But I think coaching people to develop healthy habits in the gym and kitchen can change lives dramatically in a positive way.

“Weight loss ads and manipulated social media images send the message that you must be thin—or at least striving to be—or you are a failure,” Bernyk wrote in the NBCnews.com article “Pinterest Bans Weight-Loss Ads. That Won’t End Anti-Fat Messaging, but It’s a Good Start.”

I’m not sure that’s true of all ads. It’s true of some, but what about those that respectfully present prospective clients with the information they need to accomplish personal goals?

Another quote from the article: “Diet companies are incredibly effective at making people—especially their target audience of young women—feel so terrible about themselves that they’re inclined to throw their money at whatever is being sold to them.”

I found the idea that ads “make” people feel anything to be questionable, so I asked psychotherapist Bonnie Skinner to discuss the issue on Two-Brain Radio. The episode will air July 26, and I’d encourage you to listen to it.

Bonnie told me only one thing actually makes you feel anything.

Your Mind, Your Choice

“Only you can make you feel bad,” Skinner wrote in this great blog about our conversation.

You must choose to feel a certain way—but most people don’t realize that. Instead, they see something and choose to react, but they attribute the reaction to the thing—not a split-second personal decision to view something a certain way. The decision happens so quickly it doesn’t appear to be happening, hence the many “it made me feel bad about myself” comments.

According to Bonnie, ads inflame issues that are already present. They don’t create the issues. So no ad can actually “make” you feel anything if you don’t give it power over your feelings.

That said, Bonnie also told me that responsible gym owners would do well to educate their clients and review their language to make sure they’re not accidentally triggering people or, worse, shaming them by mistake.

For example, it’s not wise to equate weight loss with happiness: “This client lost 20 pounds and is so much happier now!” It would be much better to talk about how that same client accomplished an important personal goal in a supportive, accepting environment where every step forward was celebrated.

This isn’t about “bowing to pressure,” avoiding real talk or changing the message. Gym owners believe in long-term health and are committed to helping people achieve it. It would be a shame to turn off a potential client with insensitive language or imagery.

Instead, gym owners need to work hard to understand and educate the members of their audience, and they need to be ready to answer questions and enter discussions.

Tune in for More!

Don’t miss Monday’s show: Be sure to subscribe to Two-Brain Radio wherever you get your podcasts.

In the meantime, review your advertising and ask yourself a question:

“How can I connect with the greatest number of people who need my expert help solving their fitness and nutrition problems?”

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