Up to 2025 every Two-Brain client built an annual plan with a mentor — often over multiple calls. Too many of those plans were never used. In this episode Chris explains why we moved annual planning into the Tinker stage: Growth clients are firefighting and don’t have the bandwidth to build or use long-term plans. He explains who should still do an annual plan, what we’re doing instead (daily access, weekly specialist calls, group coaching, and habit-building challenges), and gives mentors concrete scripts and rules for when to plan — and when not to. The bottom line: planning only matters when the owner can execute and delegate.

Toolkit Tour - Improving LEG

Summary

Importance of Client Retention in Gyms 0:01

Keeping clients in a gym for an additional three months can earn the owner an extra $40,000 annually.

Retention is crucial because it multiplies the value of other gym activities, such as marketing and client engagement.

But we need to understand what actually improves retention, as many current ideas lack data to support them.

The toolkit's LEG section focuses on the five pillars of retention, which are essential for improving client retention.

Understanding Retention and Its Measurement 0:34

We measure retention as the length of engagement, aiming for clients to stay for at least two years to see significant life changes.

While many people are now talking about retention, the concept was less discussed 15 years ago, and current ideas often lack data.

The toolkit differentiates between essential retention strategies (the five pillars) and nice-to-have perks like t-shirts and clubs.

Gym owners should focus on the five pillars first before adding extra perks to improve retention.

The Five Pillars of Retention 1:31

Start with the five pillars of retention, which are crucial for improving client retention in gyms.

Gym owners should ensure these pillars are in place and consistently implemented to see significant improvements in retention.

Retention is just sales over time, requiring ongoing marketing and engagement with current clients to keep them.

The five pillars will take gym owners 99% of the way to achieving great retention, while additional perks can be added later.

Addressing Client Drop-Offs 2:47

I can't overstate the importance of identifying when clients are dropping off to address the underlying issues.

Software companies often focus on churn rate, which doesn't provide specific insights into when clients are leaving.

Gym owners should track when clients are leaving to solve the actual problems rather than adding unnecessary measures.

Strategies for Different Retention Stages 3:16

The toolkit breaks down strategies for addressing clients who leave within the first 90 days, between 90 days and the end of the first year, and after the first year.

For clients leaving within the first 90 days, we recommend building an on-ramp and mapping out their first 90 days to create daily touchpoints.

For clients leaving between 90 days and the end of the first year, we recommend setting up goal reviews, events like golden habits challenges, and building a belt system.

For clients staying longer than a year, we advise doubling down on goal reviews and using the Pumpkin Plan exercise to focus on keeping these clients.

Recapturing Former Clients 4:24

Recapturing former clients is essential to repeat, because they are the next most likely group to return to the gym.

Former clients often leave due to falling off their exercise habit or...

Summary

Improving Effective Hourly Rate (EHR) in Growth Phase 0:00

During the growth phase, entrepreneurs should prioritize client acquisition, retention, and profit over their effective hourly rate (EHR).

The perfect day income is the first solve, followed by time, but entrepreneurs often focus too much on EHR, leading to business instability.

Examples are given of gym owners living their perfect day while their business goes bankrupt due to insufficient income.

The value ladder concept is introduced, emphasizing the importance of buying back time at low-value roles and reinvesting it at high-value roles.

Upgrading the Team for Higher Value Roles 1:14

The benefits of upgrading the team, including moving to higher value roles and the importance of the value ladder.

The upgrade team section addresses common client questions about hiring good staff, creating careers, and freeing up time.

The concept of making the gym run without the owner is introduced, typically addressed in the Tinker program but included in the growth toolkit for gym growth.

The first section focuses on hiring new staff, with a four-step process: looking internally first, leveraging local talent, leveraging local knowledge, and advertising on paid services like Indeed.

Finding and Training Good Staff 2:26

The importance of having a hiring pipeline, especially in high-turnover cities, and the need for a continuous flow of talent.

The toolkit includes job descriptions, contracts, and job postings, but the most important module is training new staff.

The coach basic training course and the coach basic training teachers course are highlighted as essential for training new coaches.

The course is described as a major project that, once set up, can create an amazing coach pipeline, reducing the need for job postings on Indeed.

Creating Careers for Staff and Systemizing the Gym 6:28

The next section focuses on creating careers for staff, emphasizing intrapreneurship and the four nights model.

The importance of assigning dollar values to different roles and ascending the gym owner and coaches is discussed.

Career roadmaps and evaluations are introduced as part of goal reviews for staff.

Systemizing the gym is critical for consistent delivery, and staff meetings are important for communication and alignment.

Freeing Up Time and Leading Effectively 9:07

The final section addresses how to free up time, starting with the concept of leading oneself before leading a team.

The importance of journaling, recording thoughts, and organizing oneself is emphasized.

The value ladder is revisited, focusing on buying back time at low-value roles and investing it in higher-value roles like sales and marketing.

The golden hour challenge is introduced as a way to build the habit of doing work and achieving results, even if imperfectly.