Matt Reynolds' Coaching Journey

Matt Reynolds—former professional strongman, educator, and entrepreneur—shares the pivotal moments that shaped his journey from operating a small garage gym to founding Barbell Logic, a leading online coaching company. His story is one of resilience, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to core values, offering a roadmap for coaches and business owners seeking sustainable growth in an evolving industry.

A Crisis Can Be an Opportunity

At first, Matt’s transition into the online coaching world was not a calculated business move. It was born out of crisis. After facing partnership conflicts and ultimately selling his gym, Matt found himself at a professional crossroads. Rather than viewing the setback as a defeat, he embraced it as an opportunity to pivot, leading him to explore the online coaching landscape. This experience underscores a critical lesson for entrepreneurs: crisis often breeds opportunity, and growth frequently requires stepping outside the familiar.

Partnerships and Trust

Throughout the interview, Matt speaks about the importance and risks of business partnerships. He likens partnerships to a marriage: trust, aligned values, and clear communication are non-negotiable. His experience with partnerships taught him that choosing the right people is vital to avoiding future conflicts and ensuring the health of the business. For aspiring entrepreneurs, his advice is to be deliberate, transparent, and selective when choosing who you build with.

Building a Business on Core Values

One of the strongest themes of Matt’s story is the role that core values play in business success. During his time owning a gym, Matt established a set of principles that guided every decision—values that he later carried into Barbell Logic. These core values were not just slogans. They were the compass for client relationships, company culture, service delivery, and leadership decisions. For any business looking for longevity, invest the time to define your core values and live by them.

Efficiency and Innovation

When Matt moved from in-person coaching to a fully online model, he saw a lot of inefficiencies and shortcomings in the software platforms that were available at the time. Knowing the level of service he wanted to deliver to clients made it easy to identify where improvements could be made in the client experience. On the coaching side, delivering that level of service at scale required a more efficient workflow. A lot of creative problem-solving went into researching what technology was available to satisfy all of these needs.

This led to the development of a proprietary platform that eventually became TurnKey Coach, which has made all the difference in enabling Barbell Logic to deliver on the core values it was founded on. Entrepreneurs can learn from this example: embrace innovation to remain competitive, and always look for ways to streamline and improve the client experience.

Relationship Building

Whether online or in person, Matt believes that coaching success ultimately hinges on building trust-based relationships. It is not just about writing a program. It is about understanding clients’ needs, communicating proactively, and nurturing genuine connections. In a crowded market, it is relationship quality that builds loyalty, fosters engagement, and differentiates good coaches from great ones.

The Power of Adaptability and Continuous Learning

Matt’s entrepreneurial journey illustrates a critical truth for business survival: adaptability. The fitness landscape and the broader business world are constantly evolving. Those who resist change risk being left behind. This philosophy embraces continuous learning, not just in coaching techniques but in business operations, leadership, and client engagement strategies. Success depends on creating a culture where learning is never finished and where every team member is committed to raising the bar.

Matt’s journey shows that the path to growth and success is rarely linear. It is shaped by setbacks, crisis points, values-based decisions, and an openness to change. For coaches, business owners, and entrepreneurs alike, his story is a reminder that true success is not just about scaling operations or increasing profits.

It is about building businesses that reflect who we are, prioritizing relationships, embracing change, and relentlessly pursuing excellence.

This material was recently covered in the Business of Coaching Workshop, a series designed to help coaches grow their businesses by mastering key principles like trust, pricing, and delivering value. Each session dives into actionable strategies to build better client relationships and drive success. Want to take your coaching practice to the next level? Join us for the next workshop—it’s free.