👋🏻 Hello Visionaries,

The way you run your fitness business isn't just about workouts—it’s about the culture you create. A huge shoutout to Mike Arce and the incredible Loud Rumor community for putting on GSDCON, where the Frisella brothers from 1st Phorm dropped serious knowledge on leadership, accountability, and building a winning team. If you want a gym that thrives, not just survives, these principles are non-negotiable.

What separates a gym that struggles from one that dominates? Culture, leadership, and setting unbreakable standards. The Frisella brothers have built a billion-dollar empire at 1st Phorm, and their philosophy applies to any gym or fitness studio looking to build a team that actually cares about the mission.

Today, we’re discussing their powerful leadership lessons and how you can immediately apply them to your fitness business.

🎧 Prefer to Listen? Catch all these insights and more on the FitVision podcast—perfect for your commute or between client sessions!

🔥 The Three Core Responsibilities of a Fitness Business Leader

1️⃣ Paint the Vision – Your team can’t follow if they don’t know where you’re leading them. What’s the ultimate goal of your gym? More members? Deeper community? A culture of excellence? Your job is to make this crystal clear to every single person on your team.

2️⃣ Set & Enforce the Standard – At 1st Phorm, there are no janitors—every employee is responsible for keeping the facility spotless. This level of ownership means the standard is upheld by everyone. In your gym, that could mean ensuring equipment is re-racked, locker rooms are pristine, and customer interactions are always top-tier. No exceptions.

3️⃣ Accountability is Everything – Most gym owners struggle with confrontation, but holding people accountable is the key to culture. If a trainer isn’t following the system or a front desk employee isn’t engaging members properly, correcting that behavior immediately protects your brand and long-term success.

📊 The Ability/Willingness Grid: Identifying Your Team’s Potential

One of the most valuable insights from the Frisella brothers was understanding how to categorize your team using the Ability/Willingness Grid. This simple but powerful framework helps you identify who contributes to your gym’s success and who might be holding it back.

🔹 CAN / WILL (Top Performers) – These are the employees who are capable and motivated. They execute at a high level, take initiative, and push your gym’s vision forward. Your goal? Keep them engaged, reward them, and develop them into future leaders.

🔹 CAN / WON’T (Underachievers) – These employees have the ability but lack the drive. They might be great trainers, but they don’t want to go the extra mile. Your job as a leader is to find out why they’re disengaged. If they refuse to align with your culture, it may be time to let them go.

🔹 CAN’T / WILL (Potential Players) – They may not have the skill yet, but they have the right attitude. These are the people who show up early, work hard, and want to improve. Invest in their growth with proper training and mentorship.

🔹 CAN’T / WON’T (Culture Killers) – This is the dead weight of your organization. They don’t have the skills, and they don’t want to improve. Keeping these people around will poison your culture. Cut ties immediately before they drag the rest of your team down.

🚀 How to Use This Grid: Regularly assess your team and move people up or out based on their willingness and ability. The more “CAN / WILL” people you have, the stronger your gym’s culture and success will be.

🔥 Leadership, Culture, and Resilience – Lessons from Benji, CEO of Supafitgrow

Benji’s talk at GSDCON was an emotional and raw testament to overcoming adversity, leading with heart, and building an unshakable culture.

Key Takeaways from His Journey:

✔ Adversity Fuels Growth – Challenges don’t define you, they build you. From a tough childhood to major career setbacks, Benji embraced failure as fuel for success. Gym owners must adopt the same growth mindset—seeing struggles as stepping stones rather than roadblocks.

✔ Leadership is About Values, Not Just Rules – A culture thrives when people buy into values rather than being forced to follow rules. Your gym’s core values should be the foundation of every decision you and your team make.

✔ Mindset Drives Success – If your gym operates with a fixed mindset, you will stagnate. If you foster a growth mindset, your team will innovate, push boundaries, and evolve. Always ask: How can we be better today than yesterday?

✔ Building Strong Relationships is Key – Business isn’t just about marketing and sales—it’s about relationships. Are you actively networking in your local area? Partnerships and strong community engagement will drive long-term success.

✔ Ownership & Innovation – Empower your team to take responsibility and make decisions. If they make a mistake, coach them through it rather than punishing them. When employees feel trusted, they step up rather than just clocking in.

🔥 Biggest Lesson: Failure isn’t failure—it’s feedback. Every setback is an opportunity to improve, pivot, and grow.

🎯 META MASTERCLASS FOR STUDIO OWNERS

💰 FREE MASTERCLASS: The Proven Meta Ads System That’s Helping Gym Owners Cut Lead Costs by 47% While Attracting Better Members

Join Michael Friedman, Founder of Supafitgrow, as he reveals how 650+ gym owners are getting 2X more quality leads—without wasting money on dead-end prospects.

📆 Live session details:

• 🇦🇺 Australia (AEST): Mar 19, 2025 - 8:00 AM

• 🇺🇸 US Eastern (ET): Mar 18, 2025 - 4:00 PM

• 🇺🇸 US Central (CT): Mar 18, 2025 - 3:00 PM

• 🇺🇸 US Pacific (PT): Mar 18, 2025 - 1:00 PM

🎟 REGISTER NOW – FREE

🔍 What you’ll discover: ✅ The exact strategy that took one gym’s lead cost from $25 to $8 in just 14 days
✅ How to write ad copy that attracts serious prospects (not tire-kickers)
✅ The secret to creating scroll-stopping creatives that double engagement
✅ Real case studies of gyms generating $34,000+ in 12 weeks
✅ Why generic "free class" offers are killing your conversion rates

🚀 Don’t miss this—lock in your spot today!

🤖 AI TOOL OF THE WEEK: NOTEBOOKLM

AI isn’t just for ads—it can revolutionize your studio’s operations. NotebookLM is a game-changer for organizing insights, planning content, and strategizing growth. Here’s how:

✅ Organized Knowledge: Upload client data, notes, or training guides, and let AI create summaries & action plans for you.
✅ AI-Powered Strategy: Use it to analyze past marketing campaigns and predict what’s most likely to work next.
✅ Effortless Content Creation: Quickly generate social media posts, email campaigns, or sales scripts based on past performance.

🚀 How Gym Owners Can Use It: 

1️⃣ Create a 90-day content plan in minutes using AI-generated insights.
2️⃣ Develop client retention strategies by analyzing membership trends.
3️⃣ Optimize staff training & onboarding with AI-summarized best practices.

🎯 FREE BUSINESS GROWTH SCORECARD

💡 Plan for 2025 Success: Free Business Growth Scorecard

Not sure where your gym stands heading into the new year? The Business Growth Scorecard evaluates your strengths and highlights areas to improve so you can maximize revenue & retention in 2025.

👉 Take the Scorecard Now

🔑 Takeaway: Get clarity and start the year with a winning strategy.

👂🏻 Let’s Hear from You!

What’s your top goal for 2025? Reply to this email and let us know—we might feature your story in next week’s FitVision!

Join the conversation on social media with #MoreGrowthLessGrind and connect with fitness pros in our exclusive Facebook group.

Here’s to more growth and less grind,
Michael Friedman - Chief Editor