On this episode of FitBiz Talk, we sit down with Chris Marhefka.  He is the founder of The B3 Gym in Gainesville, FL and co-founder of Eat The 80, a nationwide meal delivery service. I met Chris while I was at the Spartan World Championships in Tahoe.  Chris was not on my list of guests to have on the show until I met him at the event.  Chris graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Finance and minor in Entrepreneurship. Ironically, we both graduated at the same time, at the same school, with the same degrees. Chris has his shit together when it comes to running a gym and ultimately a business.  Having a background in finance has truly allowed him to thrive in creating a profitable and sustainable business.  From the get-go, Chris established a strong base for running his gym.  He has his gym running like a well-oiled machine to the point where it allows him to travel and focus on other ventures.  With this, he was able to co-find Eat The 80.  In this episode, Chris gives us the ins and outs of practices he put into place that have allowed him to thrice in 2 highly competitive markets within the fitness industry. He also talks about lessons he learned along the way and the advice he has for gyms owners who are looking to also take their business to the next level. 

FitBiz Talk

Episode #13: Running a Well-Oiled Machine with Chris Marhefka

In this episode of FitBiz talk, we sit down with Mike Salemi to talk about the transition from working in the family business to starting a business of his own.  I personally watched Mike move on from working in his family business to starting a business of his own. This episode dives deep to talk about the lessons Mike learned along the way and those he continues to learn today. Mike takes some time to talk about things he would have done differently and things that helped him learn the most. During his journey of going full-time in fitness, Mike talks about identifying the need to hire individuals for help and offload responsibilities to focus on the thing he loves most, coaching. If you are on the outside looking in or just got into the fitness industry, this episode is full of knowledge that you can use to help get yourself on the right path.  Mike has been there through the tough times, but his persistence and ability to align himself with the right individuals, has him growing and succeeding on the right path. Visit www.MikeSalemi.io to learn more about what Mike is up to and to learn more about his Master The Kettlebell Program.  You will not find another program out there as extensive and deep on Kettlebells like this one. Leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to if you love this listening to the show. 

Episode #12: Going all in with Mike Salemi

In this episode of FitBiz Talk, we chat with Patrick Sweeney, "The Fear Guru." I had the please of meeting Patrick at the Spartan World Media Fest sponsored by ATP Science at the Spartan World Championship is in Tahoe. Patrick founded, funded, and has sold a number of companies across many industries.  He also remains a venture capitalist for a number of start-ups.  We deviate a bit from the weeds of business and speak about something I notice alot of entrepreneurs in the fitness space face, FEAR.  Is it fear of the unknown? Is it fear of failing? Is if fear of commitment? Patrick and I talk in depth about what he believes stops most entrepreneurs in their path to greatest not only in their business but in their life. If you are interested more into what Patrick is working on, visit thefearguru.com or search "Fear is Fuel" on Amazon to pre-order his book that is being released in February. 

Episode #11: Overcoming Fear in Entrepreneurship with Patrick Sweeney, "The Fear Guru"

In this episode of FitBiz Talk, we sit down with Anders Varner. He originally founded Crossfit Pacific Beach and has gone on to be the face and the voice of the Barbell Shrugged Podcast.  He is also one of the main individuals behind the Shrugged Collective.  Shrugged Collective is a network of fitness, health and performance shows that help people achieve their physical and mental health goals. He also is the mastermind behind the fitness industries latest craze with the One Ton Challenge. Anders talks about the lessons he learned as a Crossfit gym owner and all the intricacies involved with having a partner in the process.  One of Anders members, John Cena, YES, that John Cena, flew Anders out on his private jet to his personal gym.  It was there that John pitched the idea behind The One Ton Challenge.  The rest is absolute history and while this challenge is in its infancy, it continues to even surprise Anders with how pipular this new sport has become. If you want to learn more about everything Anders is working on, visit the inks below:www.andersvarner.comwww.onetonchallenge.comwww.shruggedcollective.comIf you love the show, please leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast.  Visit www.fitbiztalk.com and check out our site. We have a number of resources available that we believe will help all professionals in the fitness industry.  

Episode #10: Starting a new sport, The One Ton Challenge, with Anders Varner

In this episode of FitBiz Talk, we talk with AJ Richards.  AJ was the founder of Crossfit Mesa and Rush Club Nation.  Rush Club Nation was a UFC style head to head fitness competition under the lights in front of a large crowd that was streamed live to over a half a million viewers. Unfortunately, Crossfit Mesa and Rush Club Nation met their demise and AJ had to file for bankruptcy.  AJ speaks in depth about the lessons he learned building a Crossfit gym and a widely successful competition and most importantly what their failures taught him.  AJ is now the founder of Dream Big Play Bigger and is not only a fitness coach for individuals looking to lose weight but also helping with mental and emotional issues.  There is a lot to learn from this episode as AJ has seen both sides of being very successful and the failures that may arise if you don’t have your business running effectively.  As AJ looks back upon his past, he passes on recommendation on how you can set yourself and your business up for long term success.  

Episode #9: Overcoming Business Failures with AJ Richards

In this Episode of FitBiz Talk, we sit down with Scott Howell of Red Dot Fitness. Scott brings over two decades of experience in the fitness industry. He began his career in 1996 as a fitness trainer and focused mainly on boutique and intimate gyms.  He worked his way into the corporate side of big box gyms and served as the National Director of Personal Training for a brand with over 400 gyms worldwide. In 2010, Scott made the decision to leave his role and open his open his own gym with his partner in the Bay Area.Scott brought a breadth of knowledge from the big box gym industry into successfully creating a brand of his own that continues to thrive almost a decade later.  While the lifecycle of gyms remain constrained and they have come and gone over time, some right down the street from Scott, he continues to create an atmosphere for his employees and clients to thrive. If you live in the Bay Area or are simply visiting, I highly recommend you stop by Red Dot Fitness and get a workout in.Visit www.RedDotFitness.net to visit their site. Checkout the video footage of this interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iuP1aTNt-4.

Episode #8: Micro Gym Mastery with Scott Howell of Red Dot Fitness

On this episode of FitBiz Talk we chat with AJ Roberts.  AJ Roberts was a product of the infamous Westside Barbell Gym under Louie Simmons where he went on to be a world record powerlifter.  AJ now serves as the Chief Revenue Office for Genesis Digital, the creators of Webinar Jam and Kartra.  AJ is also one of the most sought-after speakers in the Fitness Business space who attends multiple events each year to pass on his knowledge to owners and coaches in the industry to help them create successful businesses. During our conversation, AJ speaks about the lessons he learned from being an elite powerlifter and how that translated to the business world. AJ also like to breakdown a person’s business into the three pillars when consulting their business: Sales, Marketing and Customer Experience.  These are the first areas of a business that he focuses on to make sure a business owner is on the right path.  Genesis Digital, the digital software company that AJ serves as an executive for has created some amazing products.  I have personal used the Kartra platform to help a fitness coach create an online platform for his Kettlebell programming.  Kartra provides an all-in-one platform to help you with every facet to launching a successful online course.  From powerful automated email marketing, done for you sales and marketing sales funnel campaigns, dedicated video hosting, a full help desk with live chat, full-feature product carts, opt-in forms builder, complete affiliate management system, and more. It really does provide every resource you need under one umbrella.  You can find AJ on Instagram @AJRoberts or at www.ajroberts.comFree 14 Day Trial to Kartra: https://fitbiztalk.krtra.com/t/rYvn7IU82BrK or visit www.fitbiztalk.com/resources

Episode #7: World Record Powerlifting to Executive of a Digital Software Company with AJ Roberts

On this episode of FitBiz Talk we talk with none other than Adam Schafer of the Mind Pump Media team.  Adam is the co-founder of Mind Pump Media with Sal, Justin, and Doug.  He is also the co-host of the Mind Pump Podcast, the #1 rated fitness podcast on Apple Podcasts.Adam became a part of the fitness industry at the age of 14.  He has been an IFBB Physique Pro and manager of many big box gyms.  After years of managing gyms, Adam met Sal, Doug, and Justin to form what has now become the leading voice of the fitness industry with Mind Pump Media.  The Mind Pump podcast is commonly referenced as the Howard Stern show of the Fitness industry and has quickly became the top fitness podcast around.  While establishing a great base with the use of the podcast, the Mind Pump Crew has gone on to continue growing their media empire. They are constantly traveling throughout the U.S. for speaking engagement and essentially blowing up the mastermind space as Adam references in this episode. The crew also has gone on to create a programming library for just about any goal someone may have in mind. Titled MAPs, they have programming to serve Aesthetics, Obstacle Course Racing, Powerlifting, Anabolic, HIIT, Anywhere, and the list goes on. So if you are stuck looking for your next programming or need some great content to soak up, please head over to www.mindpumpmedia.com. Make sure you set aside a good amount of time to do this because the resources available from the team is will take you days to go through. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review and subscribe to the show.  Next week we will be talking with Adam from the Mind Pump crew which has become the #1 podcast for fitness on all of iTunes. 

Episode #6: Creating a Fitness Media Empire with Adam Schafer of Mind Pump Media

On this episode of FitBiz Talk we chat with Danny Lehr, the co-founder of Caffeine and Kilos.  Danny started his career as a physical education teacher and wrestling coach at the age of 21.  He went on to become a season weightlifter while him and his 2 partners founded Crossfit Excel.While planning a Weightlifting Event, they decided to create apparel and offer coffee at the event. The rest is history as the idea took off and has become what we know today as Caffeine and Kilos.  Caffeine and Kilos exploded onto the Crossfit scene during its growth and has continued to be a staple for apparel in all of fitness.  They also make one hell of a coffee. Danny talks about many of his mentors along the way and explains why he believe most fitness professionals are scared to dive all in to the entrepreneurship game and start businesses of their own. I recommend you to head over to their site at www.caffeineandkilos.com to buy yourself a badass shirt and grab a bag of some amazing coffee.  Also, use code "FITBIZ10" to receive 10% off your order. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review and subscribe to the show.  Next week we will be talking with Adam from the Mind Pump crew which has become the #1 podcast for fitness on all of iTunes.  

Episode #5: Weightlifting Event turned Apparel and Coffee Powerhouse with Caffeine and Kilos Co-Founder Danny Lehr

On this episode of FitBiz Talk we talk to the CEO of OPEX Fitness, Jim Crowell.  Jim graduated from Penn State University with a double major in Finance and Economics.  He went on to work for a Hedge Fund for a number of years while starting his fitness journey in Crossfit.  Jim eventually got together with a partner and opened a couple of Crossfit gyms in the Pittsburgh area. Jim eventually sold those businesses to his partner and linked up with James Fitzgerald of OPT which has gone on to become OPEX Fitness. Jim started as a coach under James but immediately began tinkering with the business side of OPEX. One thing has led to another and Jim in now the CEO of the company.  For those of you that don’t know about OPEX, they have focused on a niche known as personalized fitness.  It is obvious that the market is favoring a more personalized approach. Coaching under or opening an OPEX location is not an easy task.  There is a very robust coaching program that you must go through in order to be able to practice under the OPEX name.  It doesn’t stop there though.  There is also a very intense program that focuses on the business side for every individual.  OPEX will provide these individuals with all the knowledge and tools necessary to create a sustainable and profitable business.  That still doesn’t mean it’s easy because you have to put it all in practice from a coaching and business standpoint.   If there is one thing that is obvious, it’s that when you come out of the training as a coach and a businessperson, you will have everything you will possibly need to succeed.  OPEX has been structured to create an environment that will allow coaches to thrive.   I hope you enjoyed the show.  If you did, please leave us a review and subscribe to the show. On next week’s show, we will be speaking with Danny Lehr of Caffeine and Kilos to talk about the apparel and consumables side of the fitness industry 

Episode #4: From Hedge Funds to CEO of OPEX Fitness with Jim Crowell

We are bringing you some of the biggest names and brightest minds in fitness to give you behind the scene access to how they created some of the most profitable and sustainable businesses the industry has ever seen. We are willing to dive deep and talk about most of the stuff that fitness entrepreneurs are scared to talk about, but have to, in order to create a business that thrives for years to come. We will be dropping the knowledge and tools necessary to help you follow in their footsteps and create an empire of your own.

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