00:23:20.000Owning a gym is probably one of the hardest businesses to actually get into and actually take it to a level of where we're at today, just because it takes a lot of sacrifice, takes a lot of time, takes a lot of energy out of you.
00:23:33.000Especially if you don't understand the concept of the gym business, it gets really hard, especially for coaches or trainers that are trying to get into that.
00:23:43.000You've got to understand and cross your I's and dot your T's, especially when it comes to like.
00:23:48.000Getting leases and understanding how much capital you got to get, you know, the layouts, the footprint to what type of square footage you need, all that type of stuff.
00:23:57.000It's just like, it's very challenging and it can become very, very scary.
00:24:01.000For me, at the beginning, I didn't think I was going to own a gym at this size.
00:24:57.000Do you want to have a hybrid like what I have?
00:25:00.000You know, it just depends on first and foremost, it's understanding what type of gym do you want to do and then setting the standard at the beginning where it's like, all right, well, let's start a little small and then let's turn it into something that could become really big.
00:25:15.000And because most gyms feel in the first, I want to say six months, how do you survive to where you are today?
00:25:55.000And so I just believed, I believed in me and I believed in my ability because at that time I realized that if I don't get out of the hole that I'm in, I'm going to be fucked.
00:26:34.000Some of those clients that I had, I didn't even realize who they were at the time because I just came to the US, COVID hit, and one of my first clients was actually Steve Stout.
00:29:15.000You know, and just come off on that level.
00:29:17.000The other thing was, I got to stop feeling as though that people own me something or people got to like do something for me or they got to come to me.
00:32:44.000Everyone is there to work out, have fun, network and connections.
00:32:46.000There's no like ego really or animosity between the other people.
00:32:50.000How'd you create that vibe for Boxer, Jim?
00:32:52.000Look, bro, you know, with Boxer, people ask, you know, what's the hardest thing that you think it took to be able to get to where it is today?
00:33:00.000It's keeping the consistency of the positive energy and the vibe.
00:33:08.000It doesn't come from the middle, it doesn't come from down below, it comes all the way from the top.
00:33:12.000I always come in with a positive attitude from day one.
00:33:16.000And because I'm always presently there and I'm with my team and my members and always providing a lot of value to them, especially on the customer service side, because as soon as you walk in, you want to be treated a certain way, right?
00:33:28.000So the moment you step in and the moment you walk out, and in between all that is everything.
00:33:33.000It's not just about going to a gym and lifting some weights, it's about the communication you have inside the gym, the people that you relate to, the type of music that's playing.
00:33:43.000Um, the owner, you know, making sure you feel comfortable in the gym and everyone's having a great time.
00:33:47.000Also, you walk into the gym, you might meet a celebrity just chilling, yeah, boxing, doing the weights.
00:34:09.000Now, like the relationships that have been created, like, it's their home now, you know, in Miami, any streamer or any big name that comes down to Miami.
00:34:16.000Their inbox just because the energy is good, the lighting is good, you know, it's camera friendly.
00:35:13.000So, and it's not about just the physical side, it's the mental aspect too.
00:35:16.000Because part of training and going to the gym and taking care of your health is the mental.
00:35:21.000Like, when I get an opportunity to train in the gym and it's really hard for me, I find that the time to be my, you know, my sacred space to be able to be my peace.
00:35:31.000And that allows me to, like, just be like, damn.
00:36:28.000To be honest, I think when it comes to the fitness myth, I would have to say like, People talk about, you know, going to the gym maybe like three, four times a day, right?
00:36:44.000You really don't need to go three, four times a day.
00:36:46.000You really just have to like lock in and have a good program for 30, 45 to an hour max.
00:36:52.000But then there's people that come to the gym and they're like, they spend all day there.
00:36:55.000That's just because they're either making their money, then sorry.
00:39:08.000What will you focus on first, you would say?
00:39:09.000At the beginning, bro, like I just, I was just being myself, you know?
00:39:12.000So with the boxer name, you know, that comes all the way back from Australia, that was my nickname back in school and when I was boxing and fighting.
00:39:54.000A gym is a gym, you know, that people go to and they relate themselves to go and train.
00:39:58.000And then a brand is something where people worldwide will go, damn, this guy, they relate it to a person rather than.
00:40:06.000An entity, or I like this guy, I like this guy, I want to follow him, I want to follow him, and so I worked a lot on that side to be able to push that as far as possible so people could relate to me and they could relate to what I was building.
00:40:18.000I'm a guy that comes from nothing, and I turned something into something in such a small period of time.
00:40:23.000I was up against the biggest players in the game, you know.
00:40:27.000No, guys, there's a reason why I brought Mateo to this podcast, right?
00:40:30.000Uh, Mateo has blended the gym culture with social media culture perfectly.
00:40:37.000Because he's pretty much built a layer of foundation of the gym itself and then add on the marketing, which is impeccable.
00:40:43.000He's bringing A list celebrities, he's bringing streamers, he's bringing creators and YouTubers all to one place for content and to work out.
00:41:23.000And the thing is, you need to give people an experience.
00:41:26.000It's not just about selling a membership, it's not just about selling a product.
00:41:30.000It's about giving the person an ultimate experience that they cannot get anywhere else.
00:41:35.000And then making them feel as though that they're a part of that story.
00:41:38.000That's the biggest part that a lot of business owners don't realize.
00:41:42.000Make your people feel like they're a part of your story.
00:41:44.000Make them feel like they're one of the Avengers inside of it, you know?
00:41:49.000And when you put it like that, now you're creating a community and you're creating a culture.
00:41:54.000When you create a community and a culture, man, that can last forever, you know?
00:41:59.000And if you stay consistent with it, it becomes bigger than something that you even thought of, you know?
00:42:04.000So it's like you really got to put a lot of thought and energy into the fact that how can I bring people together to believe in what I'm building?
00:42:12.000And if I could do it, then man, sky's the limit.
00:42:15.000Just like in Gladiator, you know, he goes out there, the king says, hey, kill him.
00:42:19.000And then he looks at the crowd and he lets the crowd decide, you know, because he got the people on side.
00:42:24.000You take care of the people, people take care of you.
00:42:56.000I've been able to, you know, take care of people in this community.
00:43:00.000I always try to, like, you know, one of my biggest things is that I preach once you reach a certain level in life, you need to give back.
00:43:08.000And it's really important to do so just because the tenfold that you get back, whether you believe in God or not, you know, it's important to believe in something just because it does come back to you.
00:43:24.000Because for me to be sitting here today, I would never dream and think of that, me being here today.
00:43:30.000But because of the What I've done for people and the opportunities I've been able to give to coaches, to members, to the city, to the police, to jobs.
00:45:11.000So, for me, it's like I said, don't get confused with ego and my confidence.
00:45:18.000I'm just a confident guy in knowing what I'm good at, and I'm great at this.
00:45:22.000I'm not great at a lot of other things, but when it comes to this, I'm great at it because I did things that other gyms weren't doing four or five years ago.
00:45:30.000Now you see gyms popping up and they're hybriding it, and they're putting rings and they're doing certain things and they're adding stuff, which is cool because I feel flattered in that sense because I'm like, yeah, all right, these guys are actually learning and they're putting in and implementing it.
00:45:43.000There's enough food for everybody to eat in the city.
00:45:45.000Yeah, so for me, I'm not worried about anyone else.
00:46:00.000Yeah, but with the haters, bro, like they fuel it, but for me, it's like I don't even give that any attention because my people are the main focus.
00:46:31.000Okay, so what about, like, okay, what's coming next for the gym?
00:46:34.000Because right now I can see already Miami's evolving.
00:46:37.000All the billionaires are moving over here.
00:46:39.000All the LA people, front set companies are moving here.
00:46:42.000It's kind of like this is the new Mecca or the new LA, you could say.
00:46:44.000How are you preparing for that right now?
00:46:46.000Man, right now I've been prepared just because I pay attention to a lot of the movements that's happening in Miami.
00:46:53.000That's why I, you know, with me being in downtown and with me having a lot of the.
00:46:58.000The right individuals that I attract, I attract these billionaires.
00:47:01.000The people you're talking about, they come, and so when I know that they're coming to my gym, I get all the inside scoop of what's happening.
00:47:11.000See, because he's positioning himself in a way where if people have access that he doesn't have, he's cool with them, he gets to know what's happening before it happens.
00:48:40.000Like, I positioned myself in such a good area space, not just like the gym, but the boxing, the MMA, the UFC, CrossFit, High Rocks, the bro, everything.
00:48:50.000So I've put myself in a very good position where I know a lot of the big guys that come from these industries.
00:48:58.000And so when it comes to combat sports, you already know who I've worked with in combat sports.
00:49:03.000The positioning of where you're going to put yourself is everything.
00:49:07.000It's not just about making as much money as possible.
00:49:09.000Yes, we all want to make money, but if you position yourself, Correctly, you're going to be able to open up doors that you thought you would never want to.
00:49:17.000Possible guys, streaming itself also is another uh gateway.
00:49:21.000This is the beginning of the biggest booms for streaming.
00:49:24.000Uh, we were at the front of it, question fit, yeah, Aiden Ross, Kai, Speed.
00:49:29.000And the funny part is that like people think it's just like, oh, one and done, it was over.
00:50:10.000Everything just comes back to negotiation, you know?
00:50:13.000And then at the same time, it's like you also pay for what you get.
00:50:16.000So, if you go to a gym and they just automatically at the front desk, and this is for you guys that doesn't matter where you're at in the world or in the country, make sure that it's not about the price at the beginning because most people at the front desk are going to be like, yeah, this is our membership.
00:51:56.000I'm saying so, and then you got your guys that are self motivated too.
00:52:00.000Like, I like to train on the field outside by myself, like, just because that's just how I'm programmed.
00:52:05.000So, if you can self motivate yourself and do it at home and set yourself up a gym, then why not?
00:52:10.000You do it, but then if you want to be in an environment space that's going to level you up and it's going to take you beyond that and open up some.
00:52:17.000Different ideas and opportunities to be like, yo, maybe I'll incorporate boxing or maybe I'll do this.
00:52:27.000So for me, it's kind of like I saw where you were allowing people access because the biggest thing with gyms here in Miami, guys, is that sometimes you're very corporate and very like stuck up.
00:52:35.000So you're like, oh, you can't do this, you can't do that.
00:52:37.000Obviously, there's a rules to a gym, of course, you got to follow rules.
00:52:39.000But it's kind of like you've allowed people to post in your gym whenever, wherever.
00:55:32.000Every single world champion or every great fighter in the world, and I always relate it back to boxing and to fighting because that's what we do in business.
00:55:40.000You know, and it's all about learning that and making sure that once you get hit, you got to come back even stronger.
00:55:46.000As soon as you get hit and you put your head down, it's over.
00:56:20.000And uh, I get I may be wrong, but I guarantee Aiden Ross and that had nothing to do with that fight being ever in question, it would have to be between super hot fire and um fight and then obviously Ray J.
00:56:33.000But my thought was at the very beginning of that fight, Ray J was like going hard, he just stood there, super hot fire.
00:56:41.000Second fight is in reverse, super fire is punching, he gives it a one two and knocks kind of knocks him to the ground.
00:56:48.000But like, how would you know when the fight is rigged or not?
00:56:58.000You know, in the end of the day, like these guys have never jumped in the ring and fought before.
00:57:01.000So, but Aiden's doing a great job on like putting on these promotions and giving everybody the entertainment that they want to see because they want to see all these guys that have got names to go at each other, never fought each other.
00:57:12.000So the thing is, you can't really compare real boxing to that type of boxing.
00:58:01.000But the funny part is that, like, Ray J probably knew it was Ray because he said, I lost a bunch of money because I got knocked out.
00:58:08.000Yeah, and also because maybe he doesn't want to look like the bum that, like, got, you know, you're going to come up with some sort of excuse when you get fucked up, especially in front of people.
00:58:17.000Because, at the end of the day, like, you're jumping in the ring, right?
01:00:20.000Issues with finances, maybe from like you know, lawyers and you know, cop managers messing him up, but that's the sentiment out there right now, right?
01:00:27.000I don't think he's going broke because he has enough money to survive, probably.
01:00:30.000But in your opinion, how important is it to save money when you box?
01:00:34.000Because obviously, fights come in, fights come out, you lose, you win some, bro.
01:00:39.000I've seen the fighters in this sport and they've taken big hits and dives, they make a lot of money, but they're not good with their money at all, like they mismanage it, they blow it on a lot of stuff, just like artists, same thing in the industry, right?
01:00:50.000So, they they Tyson, he made a lot of money, lost a lot of money.
01:00:54.000It comes part of the game, but it's very important for athletes to be able to manage their money correctly.
01:00:59.000One of the guys that I know, and David Benavides, one of my close boys in boxing, he's actually pretty good with his money.
01:01:06.000He doesn't look like he is, but he is.
01:01:08.000He puts his money into the right places.
01:01:10.000He invests into houses, he invests into different properties around the country.
01:01:14.000You know, he's smart, and I'm very proud of him for what he's accomplished up to today.
01:01:18.000But yeah, the problem is in sports, especially in boxing, is.
01:01:21.000As much as they get it, as much as they lose it.
01:01:24.000And because Adrian Broner lost $60 million or $30 million, something like that.
01:02:46.000We're just working on some different things right now within the gym.
01:02:49.000Sometimes, if you are getting into the gym business, don't try to rush the process too fast when it comes to opening too many gyms because you're going to water yourself down.
01:02:58.000Focus on branding, focus on the marketing aspect, focus on the legitimacy of your business so it's authentic, and add things that are going to generate more revenue streams within the business.
01:05:19.000And if you work with them in the right way, they can benefit you a lot.
01:05:21.000So, yeah, you, you, bro, you need to create yourself and a strong, powerful network system from all avenues, right?
01:05:28.000So, look, as much as you know, there's certain people that you may not want to get along with, you're gonna have to try and figure out how to get along with them.
01:05:35.000But it's important for what you're creating for yourself and what you're building because at any given time, those people are gonna come in hand and one hand washes the other.
01:05:44.000You never know, that's how the business works.
01:05:46.000One hand washes the other, and you know, okay, Mateo, where can I find you, bro?
01:05:54.000Comes to 1310 Northeast First Avenue in downtown Miami.
01:05:57.000We got everything there to be able to cater you your fitness needs, your mental, your spiritual, everything you need to be able to grow, level up.
01:06:04.000You never know who you're going to meet inside a boxer.