So like if somebody says, hey, this is my thing, I want to be a part of this, and they join your system, what kind of training and support do you offer new franchisees so that they feel confident that they can succeed from day one?

Yeah, well, that's when people come into a franchise network, I often think or say they're purchasing two things.

One is a proven business model.

It's been proven 50, 60, 70, 80 times.

The second thing they're purchasing is ongoing support.

And the support really does start from day one.

It basically starts from the very first conversation or inquiry that we have with a prospect.

A lot of people that... are kind of contemplating it like they obviously you can't have someone that's trying to like reinvent the wheel and do everything themselves they have to want to follow that proven playbook which you guys have established with 80 plus units in multiple countries so what advice would you give to a potential franchise owner that's looking to get into fitness and wellness

So tell us, how did you transition into fitness out of corporate? And what was that? I know it was a long time ago, but what was that transition like and setting up your business?

Yeah, well, the sort of story goes that I'd been in the corporate world for three years.

And my brother, who is a little younger than me, he completed high school and he studied to enter the fitness industry, became a personal trainer.

And I thought, oh, that looks pretty cool.

I could give that a try, you know, knowing that if it didn't work out, I could always go back to this office job environment.

But I never looked back.

So, yeah, I recall after, you know, after four years of university and three years in the corporate world, to change careers or change industries, you know, Is that a waste of seven years? And I remember asking my father or at least telling him I was thinking about a change.

So how do you enforce a standard, you know, internationally where, Because you're international as well with your brand.

Could you please share some of the biggest lessons you have learned during your business career?

Gee, I feel like there's a book and maybe a movie in that.

There's a bit of a funny saying that you learn nothing from success, so probably my biggest learnings have come from the hard times and some challenges I've had.

There's really specific learnings, things like setting up a business.

I've set up lots of businesses, lots of physical bricks and mortar type businesses.

I've learned a lot about overcapitalization, spending too much money.

I've learned a lot about what really matters in terms of a successful business, what matters to the team, what matters to the customer, and what doesn't matter.

... just what was that like, and understanding that you didn't want people telling you what to do and when to do it?

When you look back at that as like, I was young and dumb, but it's pretty crazy that I did it.

You mean becoming a franchisee? Well, yeah, you've just touched on so many points there that really resonate with me.

Yeah, business ownership.

Well, firstly, corporate, nothing wrong with being a corporate, nothing wrong with having a steady salary.

I mean, unless in my position, one of the triggers to move on was the performance review where I basically got a pay increase of $1,400 per year.

Mind you, this is in the late 90s when my pay went from 37 grand a year to 38,400, which represented a net gain of $20 a week.

And then I asked for time off, you know, annual leave, which was denied.

Like it seems so simple to me and what you just said is so simple, but so many of you can't even understand the words you just said.

How do you and your wife think about that?

Well, we think it's very important for a start.

I mean, some people think work-life balance is a myth, but I think that the balance has got to be in touch with your personal core values.

I'm really, really big on people understanding their own personal core values, or at least I'm big on understanding mine because it helps me make decisions.

In terms of running a business in a few countries, that really comes down to people empowering people.

If you tell people that you believe in them or they've got to have the tools and the knowledge, but businesses are resilient.

They don't really break.

Was it family, fun, travel? yeah freedom freedom