The Fitness Business School with Pat Rigsby

Hosted by Pat Rigsby

Business Entrepreneurship Health Fitness

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769

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Pat Rigsby is a serial entrepreneur and business coach helping others build their Ideal Business. The Fitness Business School is here to share stories of successful entrepreneurs who have built successful, lifestyle friendly businesses and teach you to do the same. Find out more at www.PatRigsby.com

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60 recent

June 15, 202610 min

The Winning Coach - 03 - Standards Beat Motivation

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Stop Relying on Motivation — Build a Culture of Standards Instead Are you tired of hoping your team shows up fired up every day? The most successful coaches and leaders don't leave performance to chance — they build standards that drive results even when motivation runs low. In this episode of The Winning Coach, Pat Rigsby shares a powerful leadership principle he's developed over 30+ years of coaching and 20+ years leading businesses: standards beat motivation every time. You'll discover: ✅ Why motivation is a feeling — and feelings are fleeting ✅ How high-performing teams "fall back to their standards" under pressure ✅ The #1 mistake leaders make when onboarding new team members ✅ What a 6-year college baseball dynasty teaches us about building a winning culture ✅ How to stop micromanaging by creating an environment that polices itself Whether you're leading a team of 2 or 200, the secret to sustainable success isn't a better pep talk — it's establishing the non-negotiables that define who you are every single day. The best leaders don't motivate. They set the standard. 00:00 Introduction 00:11 Motivation vs Standards 01:18 Why Standards Last 01:54 Establishing High Standards 03:02 What Gets Tolerated Becomes Standard 04:12 Setting People Up to Fail 05:17 Building a Winning Culture 06:43 Standards Define Organizations 09:05 Key Takeaways

June 8, 20269 min

The Winning Coach - 02 - Winning the Game, Losing the Season

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Win the Month, Lose the Season: Build a Fitness Business That Lasts Pat Rigsby of The Winning Coach explains how short-term wins in sports or business can be "fool's gold," masking weak standards, poor systems, and bad behaviors that hurt long-term success. He argues the scoreboard reflects only today's moment - like a hot player, a big sales month, or weak competition - while the "season" reveals whether your culture, development, and structure can sustain results over time. Using examples from baseball and fitness-business promotions that create quick cash but erode trust and client loyalty, he warns against grinding teams or owners into burnout to hit quotas. He encourages leaders to evaluate wins by asking what created the victory, what it cost (time, energy, culture), whether it made you better or just busier, and whether you'd want to repeat it as a long-term habit. 00:00 Winning Yet Losing 00:18 Scoreboard Can Lie 01:10 Fools Gold Wins 01:51 Gym Promo Cautionary Tale 03:12 Season Reveals Systems 05:08 The Cost Of Winning 06:50 Leadership Burnout Fallout 08:16 Four Wrap Up Questions

June 1, 20268 min

The Winning Coach - 01 - What It Means To Be a Winning Coach

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- The Winning Coach: Why the Scoreboard Can Lie (Building Culture, Leadership, and Sustainable Success) Welcome to The Winning Coach Podcast with Pat Rigsby. In this inaugural episode, he defines "winning" beyond visible results like the scoreboard, revenue, recognition, or busyness, arguing those metrics can mask weak culture and broken infrastructure. Drawing on 30 years of coaching experience and ownership of over 30 businesses, he explains how lessons from baseball - recruiting, team building, culture, and player development - translate directly to business and leadership. He shares contrasts from his college coaching career, including outperforming resources to finish fifth at the World Series, then later seeing how talented recruits who weren't a cultural fit exposed a weak foundation despite winning records. Rigsby emphasizes that marketing and sales fuel growth, but people and culture determine sustainability, fulfillment, and a life to be proud of, and he will share practical lessons and interviews with guests. 00:00 Welcome to the Show 00:12 Why the Scoreboard Lies 00:57 Mission Behind Winning Coach 02:09 Lessons from the Dugout 02:49 Early Coaching Struggles 03:21 Building a Championship Culture 04:11 When Culture Breaks 05:07 Turning Sports into Business 05:26 People Over Transactions 06:22 Wins and Hard Lessons 06:40 What Youll Learn Here 07:40 Guests and the Big Goal 08:06 Final Expectations

May 25, 20268 min

Fitness Business School - 675 - Creating Your Own Cash Machine

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Are you a gym owner who wants to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- How to Build a 10–14 Day Cash Machine: A Short-Term Marketing Sprint for Fast Business Growth Pat Rigsby explains how he helps business owners create a short-term "cash machine" by running a 10-14 day (or up to 30 day) choreographed marketing and promotion sprint that crafts a clear offer, distributes it across multiple channels (individual outreach, email, text, phone, voicemail drops, in-person), and uses daily accountability to stay on track and course-correct quickly. He says results often come without paid marketing and cites past "Best Month Ever" initiatives, including doubling a client's best month and achieving near-best months about 90% of the time through day-by-day plans and consistent execution. The approach can generate immediate cash infusion, trials, or low-cost front-end offers that convert into recurring revenue, potentially adding $1,500-$2,000 monthly and $18,000-$24,000 annually. He invites listeners to email pat@patrigsby.com for help. 00:00 Build a Cash Machine 00:43 What the Cash Machine Is 01:25 Best Month Ever Framework 02:02 Plan and Accountability 03:13 Course Correct Fast 03:53 Use Cases and Upside 05:22 DIY 10 to 30 Day Sprint 06:23 Wrap Up and Next Steps

May 18, 202610 min

Fitness Business School - 674 - The "More Leads" Trap

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Stop Saying "I Need More Leads": Build a Predictable Marketing System for Consistent Fitness Business Growth Pat Rigsby explains that "I just need more leads/clients" is a trap for fitness business owners because it's a temporary Band-Aid that doesn't fix the root problem: lacking a predictable, consistent system to generate and convert leads month after month. He compares one-off promotions and desperation marketing (like promises to add 100 members fast) to extreme diets, noting they can create infrastructure and experience issues, may attract poor-fit clients, and leave owners stuck when the tactic stops working. Instead, he advocates installing documented, coachable marketing and follow-up processes with multiple channels—referrals, reactivation, organic, online/offline, paid ads, plus email, text, and calls—to reliably bridge leads into clients. He highlights using a monthly marketing plan as a core driver of sustainable growth and lower-stress operations. 00:00 More Leads Trap 00:59 Band Aid Fixes 02:12 Systems Not Surges 03:25 Promo Pitfalls 05:25 Build Repeatable Habits 06:06 Multichannel Lead Flow 07:07 Monthly Marketing Plan 08:09 Final Takeaway

May 11, 202610 min

Fitness Business School - 673 - Stack to Win

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Stacking Skills to Win: Coaching + Business for Gym Owners Pat Rigsby explains the concept of "stacking skills," arguing that being above average in two complementary areas can create a top-tier advantage, especially for business owners. Using the Wealthy Gym Owner business as an example, she contrasts gym-owner-only expertise with her broader experience across about 40 businesses, multiple facilities, hundreds of franchise locations, and extensive coaching, noting how even identical ad campaigns can succeed in two nearby gyms and fail in a third. She emphasizes that what works for one business doesn't universally transfer and highlights the value of combining "boots on the ground" operational testing with broad best-practice insights, as well as blending systems installation with coaching. For gym owners, she recommends leveraging strong coaching and client experience by improving business skills from a C level to a B, creating a powerful stack that can leapfrog competitors. 00:00 Stacking To Win 00:09 The Skill Stack Idea 01:09 Gym Coaching Blind Spots 01:47 When Ads Don't Transfer 03:52 Our Experience Advantage 05:41 Systems Plus Coaching 06:04 Your B-Level Business Goal 08:03 Become A Plus At Two 08:21 Final Takeaway

April 27, 20269 min

Fitness Business School - 671 - Compressing Your Marketing Time

April 20, 202610 min

Fitness Business School - 670 - 3 Things to Do When Business is Slow

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Three Things to Do When Business Gets Slow Pat Rigsby explains how he responds when business slows down and frames adversity as a test of character and a competitive advantage for those who navigate it well. He outlines three actions: (1) immerse in ideas by revisiting podcasts, books, newsletters, past work, and talking with sharp business owners to spark new thinking; (2) get personal through outreach and more conversations, which create momentum, opportunities, market awareness, and insights even if they don't immediately produce new business; and (3) get aggressive by doubling down on making more offers and investing in coaching or consulting, reinforcing a "bet on yourself" mentality. He emphasizes focusing on solutions rather than victimhood, citing his approach to his son Alex's autoimmune condition and his mindset as a college baseball coach after losses. 00:00 Three Moves When Slow 00:12 Adversity Mindset 01:12 Immerse in Ideas 02:13 Get Personal Outreach 03:20 Bet on Yourself 05:08 Solutions Not Victimhood 05:41 Lessons From Family 07:12 Competitive Advantage Wrap 07:47 Three Steps Recap

April 17, 20267 min

Fitness Business School - Extra Credit - Inconsistent Marketing

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Why Your Gym Marketing Feels Inconsistent (Hint: It's Not Your Ads) On this Friday Extra Credit podcast - Pat Rigsby explains that inconsistent gym marketing results often aren't caused by bad ads, but by doing the right tactics only sporadically instead of systematically month after month. Drawing on 20 years of experience working behind the scenes with thousands of gyms, he notes most owners have tried referrals, reactivation, promotions, offers, and ads, but fail to execute consistently. He compares marketing to client training: results compound when actions are repeated and refined through practice. He outlines key monthly "boxes" to check—paid traffic, referrals, reactivation, organic awareness, reviews, social posting, strong follow-up, and long-term lead nurturing—so leads can convert later and create a steady flywheel of client growth. He offers to help build a monthly marketing plan via email at pat@patrigsby.com. 00:00 Why Marketing Feels Random 00:32 Most Gyms Do Tactics Sporadically 02:22 Consistency Beats Occasional Effort 03:20 Monthly Marketing Boxes to Check 04:18 Compounding Leads and Flywheel 05:09 Build the Monthly Plan

April 13, 202611 min

Fitness Business School - 668 - Why Do Things Feel So Challenging?

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- Why Running a Gym Feels Harder Now (And What Owners Must Do Next) Pat Rigsby explains that many long-time gym owners feel business has gotten harder because the fitness industry has matured: competition is denser with many boutique and group training franchises, operating costs like labor and rent are higher, and strong marketing and operational discipline are now table stakes. He argues that relying on word of mouth or occasional tactics is no longer enough, margins are thinner, and a six-figure gross business is no longer viable for most facility-based operators—six figures should instead be an owner's income given the risk of leases and debt. While higher standards and barriers to entry are weeding out dabblers, the maturing market has created real career and wealth-building opportunities for owners who evolve into true business operators with systems and numbers-driven management. 00:00 Why It Feels Harder 00:34 Industry Has Matured 02:03 Franchises Raise The Bar 02:59 New Table Stakes 03:29 Six Figures Then Vs Now 04:56 Higher Standards And Entry 05:34 Bigger Market Bigger Careers 07:54 Evolve Into Ownership 09:17 Opportunities Ahead