The Turning Points in Our Dance Studios

Hello, friends. I'm Amanda Barr.

And I'm Rebecca Lou Brennan. And welcome to Dance Principles United, the podcast.

Together, we are passionate about helping studio owners with the business of running their studio.

Join us as we talk everything from marketing systems, studio culture, motherhood, life, and everything in between.

This is the Dance Principles United podcast. Hey, friends, and welcome back to a very special episode of the Dance Principles podcast. We're here in person, which is so, so nice, isn't it, Beck?

It is so fun. It's very pink. So jump on YouTube and see how pink it is.

But we're really trying to get our YouTube subscribers up. Please help us. We need to get from at least three to maybe seven by the end of the episode. So if you could help, that would be wonderful.

Time to watch you.

I don't know. I don't actually know.

My kids watch a lot of YouTube. I have to say yes, I love it.

I have YouTube banned on my home.

Yeah, I've heard that.

Yeah, it's really weird. I'm very into YouTube. It's funny. But any. These are the things we thought we'd do a bit of a special episode today because we're in person and it's a bit more fun. We put a question out to our tribe members about what would they ask us and what kind of, like, unfiltered advice would they like? And one of the questions that came back from one of our tribe members was what were the turning points in your business? So we actually haven't discussed this yet. Beck's concerned because we haven't discussed it, but I feel like it's a good thing to sort of say it straight live on air and. And like the real turning points that got your business to the success it is now. I'd love to know. Do you want to? We got three each.

We chose three each. And normally Amanda and I, before we start the episode, we have a little chit chat about that, but she was just like, let's just go with it. So this could be super random, guys, I hope you enjoy it.

I want to hear the turning points because pause is a huge success these days. It is a financially incredible business. It juices amazing talent. You've got so many incredible staff and students and all of those things, but it wasn't always like that. And it's been 20. How many years of being a studio owner?

22. Amanda?

22. Incredible. So there was obviously turning points in your journey. So tell me, what is turning point number one? The.

Well, I've told this story before, so I'm sorry if our listeners have heard it before, but the biggest turning point definitely in my business was when I had a mentor and I was doing one on ones with them in the city. So I would get on the train and I would you catch a train.

Wait, this is the turning point of the contest. You were on a train? What happened to Bougie Beck that refuses to get on trains?

I don't know why I went on a train. I actually can't even remember because you're right, I would never go on a train. But I actually did go on a train.

That's not the turning point. Right? Okay, keep going.

That is a big turning point. So I would get on the train, I would go to this one on one that went for a an hour. I would cry for the entire hour because my business was legitimately making zero money. I was working 24 7, I was single mom and life was just so overwhelming and crazy and so I would go there and cry and he would give me some great advice and then I'd go home and just keep running. And I wouldn't actually do pretty much anything that he told me. So my biggest turning point was sitting down with him. I think the fourth or fifth time. Can I also say I could not afford these sessions. I know it was 500 an hour at the time, which for me at the time was an insane amount of money.

And this is what we're talking 12, 15, 15 years ago maybe. Yes.

And so he sat down and he said to me, and I appreciate it so much to this day, Beck, you can keep coming here and paying me $500 to sit and cry and whinge and complain and be a victim, or you can actually fucking do some of the stuff I'm telling you to do and then things might change.

Bing.

Oh, Beck thinks maybe I should actually fucking do something. So then I went back and actually did the shit he was telling me to. And the biggest thing he taught me to do was grow from the bottom up. And I talk to our clients about this all the time. So I completely changed what I was doing because we've always had high end seniors. Always. And I was always putting that out there. Right? Cause I thought that would appeal to everyone. That we had these incredible crazy dancers that could do insane things. That actually doesn't appeal to a preschool parent. Don't know if you know that or not. Amanda.

I've talked about it.

So completely changed, really. Just promoted preschool non stop and was obsessive with it. And I bit controversial, but I Did lose some seniors in doing that.

Yeah.

Because I really was just constantly posting preschool little kids, preschool little kids.

And probably some of the seniors go.

Oh, this attention on them.

They don't love when they don't have the attention anymore, you know, oh, she doesn't care about us. All she cares about is those little kids. Like, there's all of that. Right.

That definitely happened.

Yeah.

And I have to say, it's probably only just now that I feel like I've got that massive, massive senior team back again. That's how long it took. Yeah.

And it's a balance, right? It is still a balance.

It is a balance. But we went from. From 12 preschoolers, I think over five or six years to 300.

It's incredible.

It's insane, right?

It's incredible. And I love that story because for those of you who don't know, Beck, she is a little bit stubborn.

I am not.

But so many of us are, right? Like, we're like, this is the way I've always done it, so I'm going to keep doing it. And obviously that was probably, you know, your thought process when you would go to this mentor. You were going there and go, oh, no, but I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. I'll get it right. It'll work soon. It's someone else's fault. Is that right?

Yeah.

Putting words into your mouth. But that's what we say sometimes.

I was such a victim. It was ridiculous.

It's like, hey, that's because that other studio is doing this. Or it's because that once I get rid of that mom or once I, you know, it's because these parents don't understand or whatever. It's like that. Playing that victim but actually going, maybe this isn't working. Maybe I do need to try something else.

Yes. Do you know the funniest one that I always hear people say, and I probably used to say it myself myself, is the studio down the road has all the preschoolers.

Yeah.

Like, have you ever looked at how many preschoolers are actually in your area? Because when you look at that, that just saying that is so ridiculous. Like, you could easily have seven studios with 300 preschoolers each in Penrith, and you would still not have absolutely all the preschoolers.

It's like, there's so many kids.

So many kids.

Absolutely. I love that. All right. That was a great turning point. 1. So you decided to actually do some of the shit and do something about your business.

Hey, are we going through my three or ones?

I think so. No. Do you want to go to mine? What do you want to do? Your choice.

Let's go to you first.

All right. My first turning point, when I, for those who don't know the backstory, I opened my studio when I was 15. I was in year 11 at school.

Do you know that's BB's age now?

Yes. Yes, I do. And I didn't just start a school hall studio. I bought a studio that had already been operating. It had a premises, it had a lease on the main street of ka, which is a tourist town and is expensive. We had, I think, to start with five staff straight away, because I inherited them. So like five adult staff. So I'm not talking about, like, I started teaching a few dance classes in a local hall. Like, I owned a studio at 15. And I guess my turning point was making a big conscious choice to prove everybody wrong, to prove people wrong. That told me I couldn't do it. So people told me.

That doesn't sound like you at all.

Me? No, not at all. I've changed so much since I was 15. So people when I was 15 said to me, well, you can't do that and do school. And I'm like, you watch me. So I used to. I wouldn't do it at lunchtime because it was too loud at lunchtime. So I'd pretend to need to go to the bathroom and go and return inquiries in the bathroom in the middle of English class. Love it. And do all of those fun things. And so I would prove people wrong through that. I was then told I had to, you know, I did well in school without really trying. I was that kid. Like, you know, school was, you know, came pretty easily to me. I'm trying to say this in a nice way. And she's not. I got into uni as you do, and people like, well, you've got to go to uni. You know, that was my parents. Like, you got into uni? None of my parents went to uni. So it was like a big thing. Like, you got into uni. You've got to go to uni. You've got to, you know, do the law degree, you've got to do the commerce degree. You've got to do whatever that is. Right. So went to uni, did you? Yeah, I dropped out. I didn't finish because I was doing so well in my studio. So the same thing. I didn't want to be there, so I wanted to prove people wrong by going, I don't need this degree. Just watch me I did my degree and I'm like, I'm making so much more money than I ever would. And then I want to prove people wrong, that dance wasn't a real job. You know, I remember my father in law sort of saying to me, so, you know, what are you going to do when, you know, you grow up, Amanda? Like, And I was like 24 at the time. My studio was doing huge numbers, like, you know, and I'd be like, no, this is what I'm doing. And I was like, I'm going to show you. Like, you know, I'm going to show you. I'm going to make more money than you do. I'm going to do all those things. And I don't know, maybe that was my turning point, was just being so stubborn that I have to prove everybody wrong. Is that weird?

No, I love that. I love that. And like, I feel like that's. That's probably been a driving force for you the whole way through when you think about it. Because it is interesting. Like, I had a very similar thing growing up. Mum and dad. Well, dad especially wanted me to go to uni. I was in a selective high school. I was, you know, very smart. They were very excited for me to go to uni.

And I think at the time as well, like, we're similar age, you know, now it's not such a thing that everyone has to go to uni, but there was a period of time where it's like, uni is life, you know, like, if you're smart enough, you need to go to uni and get a degree so then you can get a good job and you'll get paid more and all of that kind of stuff.

Yeah, I agree. But yeah, I, I didn't want to be there either. Did the same thing. Went there for a little while. Hated it.

Yeah.

You know, and just wanted to do what I was doing now, really, I love that.

Such a good. Okay, what's your second turning point?

I think the next one I'm going to talk about is probably wanting my own house. And I think, you know, this happened pretty late in life for me, but it was Covid time. I remember single.

I know.

I feel like that's when we became really close, actually. Covid time. Single mom, living by myself in Covid. If there were any single moms out there, I totally resonate. That was so fucked up, like, because, you know, normally as a single mom, you can like go complain at a coffee about your kids to someone, but when you're stuck in a house 24 7. With a 2 year old and a 7 year old. It was just. There was. There's no one to talk to. There's no one to bounce off. Yeah, it was horrendous. Anyway, I think that was the biggest growth time for me, and I think that was the time when I really decided that I wanted to be successful in life in general and that I wanted to earn enough money to be able to have a house for myself and buy my own house, which was unheard of before that for me. Like, I never thought that would have happened. So I think what's the turning point of this? Just making smarter decisions. Because it's so true that we sacrifice so much as studio owners because we want to do it for the kids. And it's not that I don't want to do stuff for the kids. Stop making stupid decisions. Like, did I really need to spend $2,000 on those brand new spanking props? Or could I have just used something that we had before? Or, you know, you just. I just knew that to get that money together, I had to make some smarter choices, if that makes sense, and really made dreams in and around that and really thought about also extra revenue that I could make in the studio to make that extra money. So I feel like that. And then I did. I bought my own house at the end of COVID Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. At the end of COVID maybe.

Absolutely.

Here afterwards.

And, you know, there's so much more to your backstory that I feel like probably some of our listeners might not have known, but, you know, you don't houses previously, but with partners.

No, I didn't own with the partner.

Didn't you? Okay. But you bought this by yourself as well, which was a big thing, you know, as a single woman and all of that kind of stuff as well.

I did, I did, yeah.

And I think that's so impressive.

Well, it's surrounding yourself with the right people as well. I've talked about this so much on the podcast, I'm going to harp on about it today. But, you know, I always say to you guys out there, think of the top three people in your life right now. Are they building you up or dragging you down? And if they're dragging you down, you are never going to achieve what you can in life. And if those three people are building you up, then you can achieve. I truly believe any of us can achieve absolutely anything in life if you are surrounded by the right people. And if you're not surrounded by the right people, surround yourself with the right people. Because it's, it. It is such a game changer, don't you think? Absolutely. Absolutely.

I love that so much.

So own house pushing to get that. And look, if. If you're a studio owner out there and you sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, that's. That's amazing. But at the end of the day, someone once said to me, you know, are your students really going to be. Or it's morbid, but, like, are they going to be there at the end of your life with you? And the answer is no. Like, they're not.

Are they going to be there in five years? Maybe not.

Yeah, exactly. And you know, and I know that we're changing lives, and I totally get that, but you need to change your own life first. You've got to, like, you've got to look after your family and your own life first and, you know, not sacrifice so much of that because you will end up resenting your studio. Was getting to that point where I was resenting my studio.

Absolutely. I love that because I do completely agree with you. You know, your personal family are the ones that are still going to be there no matter what.

That's right.

Whereas your students, you know, they're not going to be there in 10 years, they're not going to be there in 15 years, they're not going to Be there in 50 years. Like, you know, you may have impacted their life, but they're not the ones that are there with you. And so don't ever sacrifice your own family's happiness for this. Someone else's. I think that's a big thing.

Absolutely. Absolutely. That was a deep one.

That was a bit deep.

Yours better be good. Next. That's all I can say.

My turning point. I'm gonna have to look up my phone because now I've gotten distracted by that and completely forgotten. But my turning point number two was. Oh, okay. So probably some of this is hard without big backstories. But my turning point number two was when we opened our second studio. We opened our second stud the beginning of 2015, right as we. Yeah, it was like for the January 2015, and we actually purchased one of the largest commercial properties in Shell Harbor. And it was a huge purchase. It was very, very big. It was also very run down. It's a huge commercial property. We bought it at the time. Oh, and I'm. I might not. It was just over a million at the time. At the time, like, I know everybody, like, you know, he can't really buy much of a house at these days for less than a million. But it was huge amounts of money and I was only. I can't do that mass. What was I. But it was. I must have been 30, probably 29 or something when I bought it. Yeah. And it was a huge investment and it was a big thing for us. It also then needed hundreds and hundreds of thousand dollars worth of work on top of it. And so we decided to open this as a second studio. We decided to buy this commercial. I also had a baby in the March of the year, so we opened the studio in February. I had a baby in March. Nathan also quit his job at the same time. So there was a lot going on at that one time. And we went all in. We were like, you know what? We're gonna make this work. Oh, actually. And we were also in the middle of building our dream house as well, which at the same time was all happening at the same time because we decided by building this house that we couldn't afford because we hadn't found the right studio to buy. And then this studio came up, like, whilst we're all happening in the middle. So it all was happening. Right. We moved into our house. Let's get the date straight. We moved into the house in September. We bought the building around the same time, moved, you know, started classes in the February. I had a baby in the March. And Nathan quit his job. So it was all happening at this time. All right. And financially it was.

Was rough.

Like, it was rough on, you know, a just 30 year old kind of thing. And I think that was a big turning point because I was like, me, this isn't a hobby anymore. This is our family's sole source of income. You know, Gigi was born and she was my second. Nath didn't have a job anymore. He was on like paternity leave. But like, you know, we'd lost that money and we were like, we've got to make this work. This is not a hobby. I'm now, you know, running two businesses, one with a huge mortgage, one with a huge rent. You know, we had at the time, I think like 28 staff or something. Like that was before I like really pulled my staffing back. And we're like, we have a lot of people to support. I've got to make this work. And I think that was a big turning point. And I guess the lesson in that is, well, that sometimes risk does equal reward.

Totally agree with you.

And I also, you know, I think there's something to taking the safety net off. I. I'm a big believer. Like, you know, I don't want to ever encourage anyone to make, you know, too risky, financial. Just like, no things. That's not what I want. However, I do think that if you have a safety net, sometimes you'll just keep relying on that safety net. If you have another job and you're like, oh, I don't need to pay myself the studio because I have another job, then how are you ever going to grow your studio? How if you. If that was your goal? Well, like, you don't need to because you actually have a safety net. Whereas if you took that risk and quit that job and were like, I need to make this work, then you probably put the work in to make it work. I'm a big believer in that. I listen to a lot of Gary V. And he's all about when you're young, before you have kids, or even if you do have kids, like I did at the time, like, just go all in.

Yeah.

Because, yeah. Like, otherwise you're not never going to make it work if it's just a side hustle.

I think you have to take risk to get rewards sometimes. Like, and. And as Nath would say, calculated risk. Like, we're not telling anyone to be stupid out there, but I've definitely been stupid. But I think sometimes you do have to take that risk and go all out. And I know we always talk about this, but like, us with Expo, like. Like, that risk with Expo is so huge. It's still huge. Like, it's still a massive risk every year, but it's been such a success. And I think, you know, it's important to do that and it can be a turning point when that happens.

Absolutely. And I just think, you know, sometimes you've just got to make it work. And I've never worked harder than I did once we decided we were building that, building that business by buying that property. Because I was like, this isn't a hobby anymore. This is. Is a business that has to make big money. And it started making big money because I made it work.

Yeah.

Otherwise I could have just kept, like, going, oh, yeah, this is cool. We're making some money. It's fine. We'll just keep it as is. Right?

Yeah. You know what I always think when I'm, like, gonna take a big risk. I don't know if this is how you think or not, but I am always like, what was the lowest point in my life ever?

Right.

So the lowest point in my life was leaving a house with two suitcases and two babies and having nothing. Like, I had a car. I Had the suitcases, obviously I had my business, but that was it. That was it. We didn't even have furniture. We had nothing. So I'm like, okay, I got through that.

Yep, that's the worst.

It sucked. But it also made me the best version of myself. So if I didn't go through that, I wouldn't be here with you now. So that was the worst that could ever have happened. So, okay, if I go back there, I know I can do it.

No, I completely agree. And look, my story isn't nearly as incredible as yours in terms of, you know, that kind of thing. And I'm lucky that I have, you know, family's help and support and all of those things, but I always go, what's the worst that could happen? The worst that could happen would be I'd lose my house. Well, that sucks. I'll start renting something that's cheaper. I can live in a two bedroom apartment with my kids. That's fine. Yeah, whatever. That's what I always think.

Maybe not with your new dog though.

My dog would not be in the two bedroom apartment. My huge, ridiculous sized dog. But yeah, I always think, what's the worst? Like I would still be happy. You know what? I would be happy as long as my family were all safe and healthy and all of those things. Life would go on. I'd just have to give the dog a new house, but had to rehome the house.

You have to post a photo of the. This dog.

I know. I don't think I've even posted it on socials or anything. I'm not. I'm not that person.

You do love that dog now though.

Oh, there's moments you do love the dog.

Don't say that.

It's a very large dog all of a sudden.

I don't know what you're thinking with getting such a big dog, but.

Yeah, well, things that you do.

We are.

Here we are. Okay, this is off topic. Comet is now the topic of conversation. I feel like I do need to share a picture of my dog vlog and show all the things, but. All right. Have you got one more turning point?

I do.

Yep.

This is the one that I said to you is a bit controversial.

You never stop it.

So we've always been like a high end school as far as getting heaps of kids on contract, etc, as you know.

Yeah.

But more and more, and probably more and more as BB got into the comp world, which has only been the last two years, I have really gotten my school into the comp World, like hectically.

Yeah.

I don't know if it's a good turning point in my business or a.

Bad yet so yet to find out.

Yeah. But it is a big turning point, let me tell you. So, you know, I, I said to our SJC or tribe members this morning, I can't remember which Q and A it was on. We had two Q and A's this morning with our members that We've just hit 70 private lessons kids in our studio. That is crazy. Like all doing competitive dance. Of course I want the kids to be successful. So, you know, we are training them really high and I have insane high end teachers who are freaking incredible.

Yes.

And the kids are doing really, really well. We've just split our troop for the very first time in 22 years to have a elite kind of company and then a not so elite tribe troop. So it's all happening, Amanda.

Yes.

But I do think this is a turning point because I agree and I think financially it's been a big turning point too because obviously I'm putting a lot more money into the teaching stuff.

You've got to invest in that to be a high end comp. There's investments involved. Yeah.

So it's a turning point all the same. Whether I think it's the right turning point or not, I don't know. And that's kind of the controversial part. Right. Because. Because it's hard to know until you delve into some of these.

Until you're on the other side of it maybe.

Exactly. But it's also too late to go back now. And I was saying to that one of our tribe SJC members this morning was saying, I just, I feel a bit lost in my business at the moment, Beck. I'm not sure whether I just want to keep going down the road I'm going or do I want to go into a more competitive kind of realm. And. And I'm like, just be careful what you wish for. And I bought Katrina on who's an incredible studio owner in studio Grace Club who has over a thousand students in her school and has kids that have gone on to professional careers who does no competition or one comp a year maybe, or something like that.

Yeah. Just very minimal.

And then we have really high end comp studios like Ash from Ignition who crushes all the things and wins all the comps. And you know, it's, it's very different business.

It is.

Yeah.

And it's got to be the studio of your dreams. Right. And I think that's so so important. You've got to go for whichever path kind of works for you. But I love that, like, we're here in a real time. Right.

And look, we've always had comp kids, but never the same. Well, the level's so much higher now. It is to start with that.

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

And it's not that I haven't had winning kids through the years, but I've never had the volume.

No. And not that solo comp scene as well. Where about the tiaras and the. I. I don't feel like that's quite a newish thing for you, where it had done more and more of that with that volume.

Do you know what? I've gone through ebbs and flows. When we first started the business, I did have that, definitely. And the kids that were doing it, which was a small minute amount, were winning all the things back then. Sydney Estford was the big thing. And Caitlyn, for example, you know Caitlyn, she used to win every year.

Yeah.

Up against 80 kids. So I did have it. But then I think when I had kids, I kind of eased off because I was like, you can't have babies and also be going to a comp every weekend. And, you know, it was too crazy. So we really eased off and then now we've amped it up to the nth degree, to say the least.

I love it. I love it, though. We're hearing it real time. We'll be able to see the big turning points in Beck Studio live here on the podcast, and we'll see how it goes. But, yeah, I agree, it's a turning point. I'm super excited. I get to come and have a bit of a checkout this afternoon. We're gonna drop around to both the back studios and have a look this afternoon. It's been a while since I've been at pause, so I'm excited.

It's really done up now. We'll put some stuff on our socials.

We'll most definitely.

Anyway, tell me your last one.

Oh, now I feel like my last one's a bit of a downer again when we've been talking about fun things again. Because it kind of goes back to my last one and. Oh, do we want to finish on a downer now? I feel like I'll get an upper.

We'll make a downer and upper. Okay.

So probably should have continued it on from my last story with this flow of this podcast is not so great. But that's okay. We've got good stories. We've Got good stories in here. So I was talking about when I bought my business and we went all in. We financially, like. Like we're talking about we couldn't get enough loans from different people. We were loaning from, I think, four different people, including like those interesting type loans for homes and stuff like that to try and get it happening because we were so stretched financial. And then we had the great situation that someone took money for a floor, a chief floor that we were having imported from America. And yeah, they took the order knowing that they'd already gone into receivership, so completely just didn't deliver on the order. Didn't even order our order from the States, like a guy from Sydney. And yeah, took off and it was like 40 or $50,000, which we did not have to spare. And. And the problem was we still needed that floor, so we had to spend it a second time. So that all happened at the same time. As I said, you know, I had a baby, so obviously I had to replace all my teaching hours and all of that kind of stuff for a period of time as well. So we kind of. That all happened at the beginning of 2015. We kind of got about or two thirds of the way through 2015, and the savings had dried up. Everything had dried up. And I was in that kind of thing, which I'd never been in my life because I've, you know, as I've told the story, I started my studio at 15, and it always done really well for me. I've always done quite well financially from it. And I was like, I do not have enough money for groceries this week. I do not have enough money for nappies. I'm like, everything was maxed out.

I'm like, fight or fly?

What am I gonna do? Like, I'm like. Like this. Like, literally, I only have a few more nappies in the house. I'm. But, you know, living in this beautiful house with way too many assets, with a great car and like all of that kind of stuff, with this huge studio, like, life looks peachy, but then the bank account doesn't look, you know, we'd built this house in Minnamara, which was so beautiful and so lovely. I saw my Minamara house and it was gorgeous and all of this. And I'd had the nicest of everything put in and then was like, can't pay the bills a year later. And I think that was a big turning point for me. Like, you know, I had. I am, as I mentioned before, I'm lucky. I called my parents and, you know, they paid for the groceries and it was fine that week. But I was mortified and I said to my mom, like, this is a one time call. I'm not calling you again. Like, I'm like, I need 200. Like, this is what I need this week, but this is not happening again. And my parents like, don't worry about it, it's fine. Like, you know, and they couldn't have cared less. And they're like, don't worry about it. Just here, I'll give you more. I'm like, absolutely not. I am taking 200 and that is it. I am not going to call you again. And I was so adamant. I went home to Nathan. I went, we need to put on more classes. We need to do this, we need to do that. Where can I find additional revenue? Because I'm not making that phone call ever again. And I think that was such a turning point because. Because I've never made that phone call again. I was never going to ask for that again because I was literally. They're like, don't worry about it. I was like, no, no, this is, this is it. I am not asking for it again. And you know, I think sometimes those turning points, they're just like in your own gotta have mind or something. But I was like, no, this is the line. This is where I stand and I'm not doing this again. Regardless of, you know, and sometimes, you know, you also make decisions that aren't a turning point in your life. But for me, that was just like I would was absolutely mortified and I was like, I'm not doing this again. I am going to hustle. Even though I already had been, I was like, no, I'm going to hustle even harder. I'm going to make this work.

I love it. And I like, it takes, sometimes it takes for us to do that, to hustle. But then you didn't stop hustling. And I think sometimes studio owners will hustle a little bit because they're desperate and then they'll chill and then they'll hustle, chill. Whereas like you then kept hustling and kept stepping it up. And I think that that's a good learning for everyone from that is like the hustle never stops, guys. It does.

That's a really great point. And people always go, hey, when does that, like I don't know. And there's all these things about like, don't buy into hustle culture and blah, blah, blah. And like, we can call it whatever you want to call it, but hard work is Hard work, and it gets results. And I. I don't believe in killing yourself for it. You know, we talked about before, it's your family that's going to be there at the end of the day, not your students. However, hard work doesn't stop. There is no moment that I can think of in that last 10 years that I've stopped working hard. And sometimes it's about working smarter as well. There's both ends to it. And you learn lessons and you learn shortcuts along the way, but you've got to keep working hard to have success.

Well, any successful person, and I say this to my students and my own kids all the time, like, you know, Beyonce's not just there, you know, because she's not a hard worker. She's probably one of the hardest workers on earth. And I think that's where there's this, you know, with Instagram and all the things that people just think that it's just handed to you, and that's not the case. It is. Anyone who's successful in life is working their guts out at the end.

Absolutely. Absolutely. But I think there's been a great podcast. If you want to know some shortcuts on succeeding and growing faster, because I do think there are shortc cuts to hard work, please drop us a message. We'd love to talk to you about how we can help you with some shortcuts, because there are totally ways to, you know, bypass some of the lessons that we learned the hard way and, you know, skip a few steps and jump ahead.

Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much, guys. We hope you enjoyed the podcast. That was a fun one. I really enjoyed it.

So good.

Thanks, guys. Bye.

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