When a San Diego Competitor Slides Into Your DMs—With Respect

The Notification That Made Logan Pause

It was late.
Too late for reels.
Too early for regrets.
Logan sat at his kitchen island, sipping chamomile, scrolling through replies on the “Unfiltered Smiles” series.

That’s when the message popped up:

“Hey. I run Pearl Dental down in San Diego.
Been following your content.
Just wanted to say—you’re doing something right. Real impact. Respect.”
It wasn’t signed with a name. Just a handle. But Logan knew the clinic.
They weren’t just in the same city.
They were, technically, competition.

From Competition to Quiet Admiration

Logan blinked. Re-read it.
He hadn’t seen that coming.
A month ago, this same clinic had been bidding against him on Google Ads.
He remembered Ethan pointing it out.
“You’re fighting over keywords. They’re watching your content.”
“Eventually,” Ethan had added, “they’ll realize you're not playing the same game.”
And now… they were reaching out.

Visibility Over Victory

At their next strategy check-in, Logan showed Ethan the message.
Ethan smiled.
""That’s the point. Not to dominate. But to differentiate.”
Then he shared something unexpected.
“Three other clinics reached out this week too.
Two asked how to hire GET TOP LISTED.
One just wanted to understand how you show up like this—every day, without burning out.”
Logan leaned back, letting it sink in.
It was no longer about just getting more patients.
It was about becoming unignorable—in the most human, value-driven way possible.