Want a fresh set of eyes on your business? Get ahead of the chaos—book your call now: https://calendly.com/spf-leo/spf-mastermind-discovery-call

What’s up, guys—Uncle Vinny here.

I’m back behind the mic after some travel and life stuff… but this one’s important.

We’re diving into two big topics today: tariffs and retention—and how both are about to smack gym owners right in the face if you're not paying attention. I break down what I’ve learned from some seriously smart finance people (not from watching the news), and explain how this stuff could affect your clients and your business.

But most importantly—I’m sharing exactly what we did at Gabriele Fitness to drop our attrition rate to 1.5%. That’s the lowest it’s ever been. I’m talking real strategies, real results—no fluff. If you’re trying to keep your members happy, showing up, and not canceling, you’ll want to hear this one.

Focus on What You Can Actually Control
You can’t control the economy, politics, or what China does. But you can control your fitness, your food, your time, your team—and how hard you work. Do that.

Fear is in the Air—That Affects Spending
Tariffs are creating uncertainty, and uncertainty makes people think twice before spending money. If your clients feel unsure, your gym could end up on the chopping block—unless you show them you’re worth every penny.

Keep What You’ve Got
When it gets harder to bring in new leads, your best bet is to double down on the clients you already have. Our motto: Operation: Don’t Lose Anybody. That’s how we cut attrition to 1.5%.

Add Real Value (Not More Sessions)
Personalization, connection, and community win. Automated birthday emails don’t cut it. We did stuff like personalized holiday videos and ran an epic March Madness event just for members. That’s what people actually care about.

Don’t Be Afraid to Lead Hard
When someone tries to cancel or go on hold, challenge them. Remind them why they started. People are secretly begging to be led—especially in times like these. Be the leader they’re looking for.

Want a fresh set of eyes on your business? Get ahead of the chaos—book your call now: https://calendly.com/spf-leo/spf-mastermind-discovery-call

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

Ready to stay ahead in this shifting, tariff-driven climate? Book your complimentary strategy call today and let’s map out a game plan for growth: https://calendly.com/spf-leo/spf-mastermind-discovery-call

In this raw and unfiltered episode of Ask Vince, Vince Gabriele fires straight from the hip on how gym owners can (and must) prepare for a shaky economy. With tariffs looming, prices rising, and fear thick in the air, Vince delivers a wake-up call: this isn’t the time to coast—this is wartime CEO season.

The episode kicks off with a preview of the upcoming July Mastermind event, featuring one of Vince’s biggest gets ever—Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman’s. From there, Vince dives deep into the power of his Elite Consulting Days, showing how a fresh perspective can expose profit leaks, mindset issues, and operational inefficiencies that are keeping gym owners stuck.

The theme? Leadership, discipline, and decisiveness. Vince shows you how to hold the line, protect your business, and come out ahead—because “this too shall pass,” but only if you do the work.

Vince’s Elite Consulting Days give gym owners a full-day deep dive into their business. These sessions uncover things owners are blind to—from bloated payroll to underpriced services—and give them a clear plan of action. Spoiler: you’re probably undercharging, overworking, and bleeding cash without knowing it.

Tariffs are triggering fear, and fear changes behavior. Clients start cutting non-essentials (like gyms). Vince warns: you don’t need to be an economist, but you must understand how economic perception affects your clients' decisions.

Hold onto what you’ve got. Vince shares how GFP slashed attrition to 1.5% by tracking attendance patterns, improving service, and doing more with less. His advice? Double down on delivering massive value and keep clients delighted, not just satisfied.

Now’s the time to act like a wartime CEO: raise your standards, get disciplined, audit everything, and trim the fat—especially B-players on your team. Vince’s favorite wartime move? Audit your billing and slash waste like your business depends on it—because it does.

When uncertainty hits, owners need to rewire their thinking. Vince lays out a wartime mindset playbook: think long-term, take massive ownership, and tighten up every aspect of life—from fitness to finances. As he says, “You gotta do more and better for less… and still win.”

Ready to stay ahead in this shifting, tariff-driven climate? Book your complimentary strategy call today and let’s map out a game plan for growth: https://calendly.com/spf-leo/spf-mastermind-discovery-call

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

Click below to join us May 2–3, 2025 at Perform Better Headquarters in Rhode Island for an exclusive 2-day event:
https://www.performbetter.com/2025-Business-Secrets-for-Gym-Owners-May-2-3-2025/

In this lively and real-talk episode of Ask Vince, Leo and Vince dive deep into the nitty gritty of business ownership, culture-building, and personal growth—with some solid laughs and stories along the way (including breaking into Fenway Park!). From hiring the right team to dealing with burnout, Vince brings candid advice gym owners need to hear—especially when excuses like “the economy” creep in.

This one’s packed with practical mindset shifts and reminders that if your gym’s struggling…it might just be you. And that’s actually good news—because you can fix you.

Key Topics Discussed

Culture Starts With You
Your gym’s culture reflects your personal development. Improve yourself, and you’ll see the culture follow.

Hiring Based on Values, Not Just Skills
Vince shares how hiring for relationships and cultural fit beats resumes and degrees every time.

The Myth of Work-Life Balance
Especially in the early years, balance is earned—not given. Stop pretending you can build something great working part-time.

Excuses Like the Economy Are Crutches
Blaming external factors is easy. Ownership, accountability, and adaptability are what create success.

Family, Kids, and the Legacy of Work
Vince reflects on raising kids while growing businesses and the importance of showing your children what hard work looks like—through both presence and persistence.

Click below to join us May 2–3, 2025 at Perform Better Headquarters in Rhode Island for an exclusive 2-day event:
https://www.performbetter.com/2025-Business-Secrets-for-Gym-Owners-May-2-3-2025/

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

To get the details for our July Mastermind Meeting with Zingerman's Founder Ari Weinzweig, email Tom@vincegabriele.com.

In this episode of The Business Secrets for Gym Owners podcast, Uncle Vinny shares game-changing insights from his longtime mentor and friend, Ari Weinzweig, the founder of Zingerman's Deli. Ari took a small Jewish deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew it into an $80 million empire spanning multiple businesses — and his lessons are directly applicable to running a successful gym. Vinny dives deep into three of the most valuable business lessons he learned from Ari: the four stages of business growth, the recipe for outstanding customer service, and the power of creating a clear vision for your business. This episode is packed with actionable insights that will help you take your gym to the next level.

Key Points Covered:

The Four Stages of Business Growth – Vinny outlines the four stages that every business goes through: Creating, Building, Prime, and Scale. He explains the challenges and opportunities at each stage and what it takes to level up.

The Recipe for Great Customer Service – Learn Zingerman’s simple but powerful three-step system for providing exceptional customer service: Find out what the customer wants, get it for them, and exceed their expectations.

How to Write a Powerful Vision – Discover the difference between a mission and a vision, and why creating a clear, compelling vision for your gym’s future is crucial for long-term success.

The Importance of Leadership and Delegation – Transitioning from working in your business to working on your business requires building a strong team and elevating leaders within your organization.

Lessons from a Multi-Million Dollar Business – Vinny explains how the principles that built Zingerman's into an $80 million business can be applied to growing and scaling your gym.

To get the details for our July Mastermind Meeting with Zingerman's Founder Ari Weinzweig, email Tom@vincegabriele.com.

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

👉 To get the info for our July Mastermind, email tom@vincegabriele.com

In this episode of Business Secrets for Gym Owners with Uncle Vinny, Vince reflects on the incredible success of the SPF Mastermind event and the key lessons that came out of it. From mindset shifts to business growth strategies, Vince dives deep into the tools that gym owners need to thrive. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from the event, including how a legal challenge forced a last-minute rebrand and how that challenge became a valuable learning opportunity. This episode is packed with actionable advice and motivation to help gym owners tackle their biggest business challenges head-on.

Immunity to Criticism – Vince explains why the higher you climb, the more criticism you face—and how to build mental toughness to keep moving forward despite negative feedback.

The Four Key Business Numbers – The four metrics that drive business growth: lead generation, conversion rate, client sign-ups, and retention. Focusing on these ensures consistent, scalable success.

Deconstruction of a Million-Dollar Gym Owner – Vince breaks down the habits, mindset, and business practices of the 28 gym owners in his group who have crossed the seven-figure mark.

Creating Playbooks for Success – Carly from Synergy teaches how to create detailed playbooks for marketing and retention campaigns to simplify execution and ensure consistency.

Turning Setbacks into Opportunities – How Vince turned a last-minute legal challenge over the event name into a marketing win—and how gym owners can use setbacks as fuel for growth.

👉 To get the info for our July Mastermind, email tom@vincegabriele.com

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

Book a free strategy call now and discover the exact steps to generate more leads, convert more members, and scale your gym faster.

Click Here: https://calendly.com/spf-leo/spf-mastermind-discovery-call

In this episode, Vince discusses the four essential components to focus on when growing a gym. He emphasizes that consistent, incremental growth (even just +1 or +2 members a month) can lead to massive long-term success. Vince identifies the common mistakes gym owners make, such as wasting time on "fake work" that doesn’t drive new memberships or retention. He breaks down growth into four critical "buckets" and explains why knowing your key metrics in each bucket is essential for success. Vince encourages gym owners to focus on strategic rather than tactical solutions and to own their numbers to make informed business decisions.

Top 5 Key Points:

Get Enough Leads

• Lead generation is the foundation of growth.
• Gym owners often mistake a tactical problem (like needing better Facebook ads) for a strategic issue.
• The key is figuring out who owns the marketing and whether they understand, want, and have the capacity to handle it.

Improve Lead-to-Consultation Conversion

• Conversion from lead to consultation should be between 20% and 30%.
• If you have 100 leads and only 5 consultations, it’s a process issue, not a lead issue.
• Gym owners often misdiagnose this problem due to lack of data tracking.

Boost Consultation-to-Membership Conversion

• To convert consultations into paying members, get clarity on their current situation and their desired future.
• Ask the game-changing question: "Why don’t you have that now?"
• Understanding their gap allows you to position your offer as the solution.

Retention is Key

• Retention should be below 5% attrition; anything higher signals a problem.
• An 8% attrition rate creates a "leaky bucket" situation, making it hard to sustain growth.
• Fixing retention without even increasing leads or conversion can transform a business.

Know Your Numbers and Stay Focused

• Tracking leads, conversion rates, and retention creates a simple but effective business plan.
• Focus on improving these core metrics instead of getting distracted by side projects (like juice bars or merchandise).
• If you're under 100 members, the priority is always on increasing members and retaining them.

Book a free strategy call now and discover the exact steps to generate more leads, convert more members, and scale your gym faster.

Click Here: https://calendly.com/spf-leo/spf-mastermind-discovery-call

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

Click the link below to see the Agenda for Gym Business Raw

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1noqfvY46-dtmLWd1_u65N3U4ckTVLBxH/view?usp=sharing

and then Click here to get your virtual seats now!

In this episode of the FBU Podcast, Vince sits down with Dr. Wood, founder of the Inspired Performance Institute, to discuss how unresolved trauma impacts performance, business success, and overall well-being. Dr. Wood explains how trauma—both major and minor emotional concussions—creates inflammation, disrupts the nervous system, and holds people back from reaching their true potential. He shares groundbreaking insights on how rewiring the brain can help business owners, athletes, and high performers break through self-imposed limitations. Using real-life case studies, including professional athletes and entrepreneurs, Dr. Wood demonstrates how his methods have led to record-breaking performances and financial success.

The Hidden Impact of Trauma on Performance

• Trauma, even in subtle forms like childhood criticism or self-doubt, keeps the brain in a fight-or-flight state. This unresolved stress affects decision-making, business success, and physical health.

Brainwave Optimization for High Performance

• Dr. Wood explains the four brainwave states—Beta (high stress), Alpha (relaxed focus), Theta (processing state), and Delta (deep recovery). Rewiring the brain to operate in Alpha can unlock peak performance in business and athletics.

The Mind-Body Connection in Business and Fitness

• Many gym owners and personal trainers unknowingly mask their own trauma through physical training. Dr. Wood emphasizes how trauma resolution can lead to better business decisions, improved client results, and personal breakthroughs.

Real-Life Transformations Through Trauma Work

• Stories include a marathon runner breaking world records post-treatment, a high-level banker overcoming financial self-sabotage, and Dr. Wood’s own daughter eliminating autoimmune diseases after addressing childhood trauma.

Breaking Limiting Beliefs to Unlock the Next Level of Success

• Entrepreneurs often hit ceilings due to deep-seated fears and limiting beliefs from past experiences. Addressing these mental roadblocks allows for business growth, financial success, and personal fulfillment.

Click the link below to see the Agenda for Gym Business Raw

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1noqfvY46-dtmLWd1_u65N3U4ckTVLBxH/view?usp=sharing

and then Click here to get your virtual seats now!

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

Can’t make it in person? No problem! Join our Mastermind Event Virtually and get all the game-changing insights from anywhere. Secure your virtual seat now!

Click here to register: https://buy.stripe.com/fZe3eP33taew0uI8xy

This episode is a must-listen for any business owner who’s struggling with their team dynamics. If you’ve got people problems, this framework will help you diagnose and fix them before they take your business down with them.

If you’ve ever felt like most of your business headaches come down to people, you’re not alone. In this episode, we dive into the idea that 80-90% of business problems are really people problems. Drawing from years of mentorship under Mark McDonald and the principles of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), we break down the four categories every team member falls into—and what to do about it. From hiring mistakes to tough calls on employees who don’t fit, this episode gives gym owners and business leaders a no-nonsense framework for evaluating their staff and making the right moves to protect their culture and success.

The Four People Issues: Every team member falls into one of these categories:

• Right person, right seat (ideal scenario).
• Right person, wrong seat (misplaced talent).
• Wrong person, right seat (high performer, bad culture fit).
• Wrong person, wrong seat (big mistake, needs to go).

Right People Need Growth Too: Don’t neglect your best employees—help them see their future in your company by aligning their goals with business growth.

Misplaced Employees Can Be Saved (Sometimes): A team member who fits your culture but struggles in their role might just need a different seat. Moving them can be tough, but it’s often worth it.

Toxic High Performers Will Kill Your Culture: A top performer who doesn’t align with your values is a ticking time bomb. No matter how talented they are, they will erode trust and teamwork if left unchecked.

Hiring is a Skill You Must Master: Many people problems stem from hiring mistakes. Learn to ask better questions, check references thoroughly, and trust your gut when making staffing decisions.

Can’t make it in person? No problem! Join our Mastermind Event Virtually and get all the game-changing insights from anywhere. Secure your virtual seat now!

Click here to register: https://buy.stripe.com/fZe3eP33taew0uI8xy

If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!