Father Calls His Gym Owner Son a Female Dog & Tells Him to Get Back to Work
2 years into owning my gym, I got a tax bill I couldn't pay. I was ready to quit. I went to my dad and told him I probably should have just gotten a job in finance like everyone else in my family. What he said to me that day changed the way I looked at business.
This episode is a little different. It's been 5 years since my dad, Joe Gabriele, passed away. Big Tom and I sat down to talk about some of the things I learned from him. Some of them were lessons he taught me directly. Others were things I picked up just by watching him.
My dad was a Wall Street guy. He started his own company, worked his ass off, and helped a lot of people become incredibly successful. I recently went to a reunion with people who worked for him 40 years ago. Think about that. 40 years later, these people are still getting together because of what that company meant to them. There's a lesson there for anybody trying to build a business.
We also get into some pretty personal stuff. His stroke in 2017, the unexpected way it changed my career, and what I learned watching him go through some really difficult years. And because my dad was also one of the goofiest guys I ever knew, Big Tom shares a story about him having a conversation with a cardboard cutout.
Guys, this one means a lot to me. There are some lessons in here about business, but there are also some things about being a parent, taking care of yourself, and figuring out what actually matters.
5 Key Takeaways
- The tax bill that almost made me quit. About 2 years into owning my gym, I was hiring people, spending money, and doing a terrible job managing payroll and taxes. I couldn't afford a tax bill that came due in October. My dad told me I had already proven I was a good trainer. What I hadn't proven was that I knew how to run a business. That conversation changed what I started studying and who I went to for help.
- The gamble my dad took on Wall Street. In the early 80s, my dad left a successful job and opened his own municipal bond business. He signed a massive lease at what I believe was 44 Wall Street. An electrician came in, looked at the space, and told him he was going to lose his shirt. My dad told him the place would be filled in a month. I didn't have that kind of confidence when I first started. It took me years to develop it.
- How his stroke helped start my consulting business. In 2017, my dad had a devastating stroke. I spent about 2 months away from my gym helping my family. The business kept running without me. That's when I realized we had built something that other gym owners wanted. That experience helped lead to the consulting business, the books, the mastermind, and this podcast.
- The thumbs up I'll never forget. After his stroke, my dad couldn't walk, couldn't talk, and needed 24 hour care. But whenever someone asked how he was doing, he'd give a thumbs up. Even near the end of his life. I was reading Viktor Frankl at the time, and it made me think differently about suffering, attitude, and finding meaning when things get really hard.
- Why a $100 sale isn't worth losing a customer. My brother in law told me about the early days of selling bonds and trying to make a $100 commission. My dad would listen to sales calls and remind him not to chase the single transaction. Build the relationship. Earn the trust. I've carried that into the gym business. You can pressure somebody into a sale today and lose years of potential business because of it.
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