Barry’s cofounder meets with ‘random’ young people who send him cold emails and LinkedIn DMs—it’s how he hired the current CEO

When Joey Gonzalez walked into a Barry’s Bootcamp class at 26, he thought he was just signing up for a good workout. He loved it so much that he became an instructor. By 2015, a decade later, he was running the company as CEO. His advice for Gen Z and young millennials who want to scale their careers at a similar speed? Start sending cold emails.

He would know. Last year, the self-made millionaire transitioned to the role of executive chairman of the upscale boutique fitness brand. But despite his busy schedule...