Member-only story
A Bipolar (?) Entrepreneur…
I go to a popular boxing gym in Miami.
The owner hangs out there a lot during the day, at least by what I can see on Instagram. I’m an early riser, so I don’t see him often.
I met the guy when I joined. He was all friendly and such, as one should be when wooing a customer.
The 2–3 times I’ve seen him since, his energy’s been completely different.
He looked at me with an unfamiliar, standoffish eye. As if he had no idea why I’d be looking at or speaking to him.
Mentally, I give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was having a bad day or had a lot on his mind. Perhaps he doesn’t even remember meeting me.
But, I’ve asked some other members of the gym if they’ve noticed the same thing about this guy.
Yes.
On social media, this owner shows the personality he had when I first met him. He’s engaging, friendly, and talking up how great his gym is.
And when some famous person — Floyd Mayweather, Jake Paul, Evander Holyfield — shows up, the celeb gets the red carpet treatment.
The gym spotlights the famous visitor, ostensibly to drive new members to the gym. Maybe it works; maybe it just builds vanity metrics. What I know for sure is that you’ll know about it when it happens.
The owner has the game backwards.
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