บทถอดความฉบับเต็มของ Maxed Out the Credit Card, Built a Supercar Tour Business | Anthony Moss, Hunter Moss

Germany, um, Switzerland, places like that all have different rules. 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:26.480 I mean, in Germany, uh when my business is headquartered in uh Stuttgart, or we're in Munich, we have the office, but uh you know, we've got a section of derestricted autobahn. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:28.720 It's on the ring road around south of Munich. 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:34.800 So I sent a video to a friend of mine in my McGrange Rover driving to work at 253 kilometres per hour. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:36.560 Totally legal. 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:53.199 I remember we were driving, let's say when I were driving Denmark down to Germany one time, uh, you know, and it was a it was a BMW uh I can't remember which model now it was a five uh five series, but um yeah, uh cruise control at 200 kilometres an hour. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:54.480 This is nuts. 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:56.879 Pretty pretty nice speed, actually. 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:08.079 It's it's a you know, we we always say that uh up to about there everything is sort of normal, yeah, but over that it starts to get a little bit light in the steering, and you have to really concentrate. 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:20.480 This there's a bit there's a lot of rules in Germany on the derestricted sections, you know, in terms of following too closely or leaving a gap, um, how busy the road is, if the weather's good or bad or indifferent. 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:22.720 So there's there's quite a bit going on. 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:34.399 But yeah, I've I've been traveling in the rain in Germany at a good speed, like 160, 180, and I've had a three-series B and W on small, but just goes straight past me. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:34.720 Yeah. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:36.000 I'm standing still. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:36.879 So it's it's kind of correct. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:39.439 Germans like the cars and their speed. 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:39.839 Yeah. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:45.040 So so let's talk about the the start-up phase um you know for this. 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:55.279 And and I'll maybe if we go back a little bit, uh, I I read with interest that you know you always had an entrepreneurial desire, uh a bend towards those things. 00:05:55.839 --> 00:05:56.959 So where did that come from? 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:59.199 And how old were you when you realized that? 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:00.879 Yeah, it's a really good question. 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:02.399 Uh the answer is I don't know. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:12.079 You know, so my my mother sort of scratches her head a little bit when she thinks of me because it's sort of gone in a completely different direction from the uh my brothers and sist my brother and sister. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:16.480 But uh, you know, I I I guess I was always the one organizing something. 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:22.079 You know, I remember when I had a job at at this uh Coles supermarket when I was 15 or 16. 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:34.800 I think it was a year in and I was

organizing the Christmas party, you know, a 16-year-old kid doing the Christmas party, you know, like and and and in my head it was sort of like, you know, I've collect all the money, maybe I'll get to go for free or something like that. 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:36.399 I think that was my aim. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:49.839 You know, it wasn't necessarily a money-making thing, but I also loved the idea of just um of organizing and putting it together, you know, and and being the one who had the made the call on where we're going and maybe the food and those sort of things. 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:51.519 I always enjoyed that. 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:58.160 And uh it's kind of evolved from there because I I started off uh getting into cars, as we do, and I really I always love cars. 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:05.839 So um we had a group of friends and we'd uh grew up at Sydney and we'd we'd rent Eastern Creek, which is now Sydney Motorsport Park. 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:07.120 We'd rent the whole track. 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:12.319 And those days, this is the late 90s, you could get the track for a little under four grand for the day. 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:21.600 And so we we'd get 10 guys together and pay 400 bucks each and rent the circuit and go and drive our cars around, which was which was pretty awesome back then. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:27.040 And um, of course, it all changed now with you know medical and safety briefings and all those sort of things. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:27.920 We had none of that. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:37.920 But uh, you know, from from there I got into car rallies and then I had competed in a few and loved it and loved the camaraderie, loved that these people had these cool cars and they were driving them. 00:07:38.079 --> 00:08:20.240 So, you know, we got involved with one of the organizers and uh said, well, I want to bring it to Sydney, because I was Sydney at the time and uh started to build the business around there that was called the Dutton Rally back in the day, and then we we we renamed it and reframed it a little bit, and we we managed to to put it into an Australia-wide series, which was the largest of amateur tarmat rally at the time, one amateur rally series at the time in Australia, and then that evolved from me thinking, well, I want to go overseas, I want to drive on in Switzerland, I want to go to the Nova-Green Nordschleifer in Germany and uh see these, you know, really, like you said before, where these cars were had come from, you know, the cars that I loved. 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:25.519 And uh it kind of just evolved from there into into the first tour, which was 2008. 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:40.320 And um I had the database from my rallies series, and I had a friend who ran track days, and we kind of put the first trip together and uh, you know, maxed out my credit card at the time, I remember, and said, well, let's give this a shot. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:42.000 So, how did the first one go? 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:44.399 What did you learn from that first one? 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:46.320 It it was pretty incredible. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:57.120 I I I I um I had a guy that put the route together, a guy in the in the UK who'd done a little bit of that before, because this is sort of 2008 was before Google Maps. 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:04.080 So we kind of had like um TomTom's, those old style ones, and and map like Rap Dog wrote books. 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:05.919 And uh it went well. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:11.519 I mean, that actually there's there's a couple of clients from that first tour that still clients of mine, and and good friends. 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:16.000 And um, it was it was a bit uh fast and loose, yeah, as you could call it. 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:18.240 Uh just me and a mate running it. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.960 And uh we had a photographer, I think, who did some stuff. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:40.720 And we we had these Range Rover uh Range Rover Sports and the older ones now, and we just loaded all the luggage in the back and led the convoy of cars, rented cars from England and actually drove under the tunnel um on the train, down through France and around Switzerland and up into to the Nebuchadream at the time when we rented other cars for the track. 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:45.919 So it it was it was pretty ever, it's two and a half thousand miles in ten days, which was crazy now. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:48.240 So it's a lot of driving. 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:53.360 Um, very loosely organized hotels where bookings were done, but no, not food. 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:57.200 So if we sort of get in where we go for dinner, we'll go on the pizza flakes on a sudden. 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:01.039 You know, where we're having lunch, we'll stop at uh at the services. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:07.840 But uh yeah, I I I guess uh what I learned was that it it it was my vision to to put that together. 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:12.720 I I wanted to do something like this, like bring back this sort of grand tour concept. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:17.039 And uh it it went really as well as could be, really. 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:18.960 I mean, it was it was a lot of fun. 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:27.360 Um, yes, of course, that uh we had a few different clients over the years that probably a little bit nowhere near as organized or anything as we do now. 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:33.039 But uh yeah, I I guess it just gave me proof of concept that people want to do this kind of thing. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:34.399 So was that your test? 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:42.799 Because that was going to be my question, is how did you test your idea to say, well, yeah, you love it, but are people gonna be prepared to pay for this? 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:44.639 Yeah, well that well, that's just it. 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:55.120 And and the reality is on in our business, because we're a we're a tour company and you have to pay for a lot in advance and make

bookings to secure hotels and other things as well. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:56.480 You can't really test it. 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.200 You you've got to you've got to commit to it. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:06.960 And um, you know, I I I guess, you know, the this was 2008, and we had the the the financial crisis there as well. 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:13.679 So the next year I don't think I ran a tour at all, um, because the world was sort of falling apart and not so much in Australia. 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:30.320 But uh yeah, it and and when we came back in in 2010 and started to build it, um, yeah, I I guess we'll I was just refining it all the time and trying to figure out exactly where people's heads were at and what if they would spend the money on this kind of thing. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:41.840 And it evolved from the the boys, the quintessential boys trip into what it is today, which is which is a lot of couples and uh, you know, and family groups and things, and not so much the the boys' trip. 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:46.320 So probably learned the the boys' trip way isn't the right way to do it. 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:49.360 There's a lot of rallies and things, which uh you can do that. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:55.039 So it's probably an age-related thing, I think, that um, you know, and generational. 00:11:55.279 --> 00:12:00.399 Like I I've seen I've been running motoring events for for the best part of 20 years now. 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:10.559 And I think back in the day, or 20, 25 years ago, it was guys in their 30s and 40s who who had a nice enough car. 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:15.120 I mean, the cars weren't so expensive, I mean, relative to where they are now, I think. 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:23.919 And um people were more able to get away, you know, and and have the for a boys' weekend, and I think family life's changed. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.080 You know, the next generation's come through now. 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:32.799 And yes, uh, a lot of our guests are are older, they're retired, or they've sold businesses or like that. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:50.960 So they um now when you retire, particularly um if you're in your you know your sixties or so, you you you've you retire as a as a unit, as a couple, you know, and that's and so we've we've seen a lot of um couples that that come now and they want to travel together. 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:55.679 And for some it's their first overseas trip, you know, work for 20, 30 years. 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:58.799 And I d I don't think the generation before was like that. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:00.240 You know, it was it was a little different. 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:11.840 Baby boomers are probably on the edge of the baby boomers, really, but um definitely their their parents and people who would have been doing this sort of thing 20 years before that would have been would have been different. 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:16.320 You know, it's now um now you're together, which is which is really cool. 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:19.919 What was the transition into business? 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:22.320 Because what was your first business? 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:24.080 Was it the sushi restaurant? 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:29.600 No, my my first business, I was um I was a photocopy of salesman. 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:35.600 I worked for um uh on Nashuatech and Rico back in the day, then then moved to Xerox. 00:13:35.840 --> 00:14:07.039 But uh you know, I sold fax machines uh firstly, and then you know, we worked independent contractors, which is sort of a little bit dubious because we sort of worked for someone, but uh and that got me and then and then I had a side business where I was um she met met these guys at a furniture store, a big one in Sydney, and they were doing stuff for the Olympics at 2000 Olympics, and they were kidding out all the uh media centers, and they needed a guy to do photocopies and fax machines, and I had a a friend of mine, a friend of a friend, who introduced me to them and I got involved with that. 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:15.600 So I was I was renting, short-term renting photocopies and fax machines and big paper shredders and things to all the five-star hotels around Sydney. 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:20.000 So that that was actually my first real foray to having my own business. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:27.759 I I actually met a guy who had been in um restaurants and bars in in in Sydney and um became good friends. 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:39.440 And uh he was he was a part of the family business, and they they got out of one of the restaurants and um I said, Well, why don't you invest in this with me and I'll I'll go 50-50 with you and and we'll build that. 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:48.399 So we actually had computer stores in Sydney and we had we re-marketed computer equipment for for big finance companies, so like two-year-old laptops, and we'd resell them through stores. 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:52.320 And um, yeah, so we exited that, not for a lot of money, for a little bit of money. 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:55.919 And then um from there, I said, Well, what do you want to do? 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.159 And he said, I'd quite like to do a Japanese restaurant. 00:14:58.320 --> 00:14:58.799 What do you think? 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.039 I said, Love to do a Japanese restaurant. 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:10.080 So we we opened our first uh sushi store in Darlinghurst in Sydney in 2005, and um the the the business, that business has gone incredibly well. 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:11.919 I'm not part of it, maybe that's the reason. 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:28.399 Um other than I'm a original shareholder, I um, you know, I founded it with my with my partner, my business partner there, and uh yeah, now he's got two two venues and they um two restaurant venues in Sydney until close to twenty million dollars a year through the restaurant sales. 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:28.639 Yeah. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:29.840 Yeah, yeah.

00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:32.240 Um so you sold your shares out of that? 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:33.200 No, I still have them. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:34.240 Oh yeah. 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:35.279 Yeah, good, good. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:40.799 And and the exit out of the printing, how did you how did you negotiate that? 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:41.519 But how did that? 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:43.519 We were yeah, we were pretty young. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:57.120 We we had a supplier who um wanted to take it on and it was uh just a couple of stores plus some some of the um, you know, the obviously photocopiers as the market evolved over years and went from there to email and things. 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:02.320 So, you know, we we used to do big conferences and things where we'd we'd ship in these huge photocopiers. 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:06.320 And they do a lot of photocopying, it's just like a thing of the past now. 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:08.720 So we we've we got out of it. 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:15.440 So obviously went a lot online and things as well, but I think we we got out for a little bit of money and we put that in the in the restaurant. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:16.559 In the restaurant, yeah. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:18.080 And that's gone well. 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:18.799 Yeah. 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:28.960 Um because your your story so far really talks to the fact that you you clearly uh have an interest in business, but you must have an eye for opportunity. 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:32.240 And how do you evaluate an opportunity? 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:33.919 Or or did you? 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:38.559 Did you go, well, this is just somebody I trust, this is somebody I like, I could get behind that. 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:44.080 How do you evaluate something to start again and go, yeah, this is where I'm gonna put my money? 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:46.080 Smiling because you give me a lot of credit. 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:49.440 I I didn't evaluate a lot, really. 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:54.080 I I um I talking about that business partner at Houston, we've just started business partner today. 00:16:54.159 --> 00:17:00.000 One of my best friends just went to Singapore for his 50th, and uh yeah, very, very close friend of mine. 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:02.399 And I I just I liked him a lot, you know. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:14.880 We were great friends and we were in business together and we uh had the the the computer business we had, you know, we we it was tough, you know, at the time, but we never argued about money or anything like that. 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.759 And I just thought this is a guy that I want to be in business with. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:20.240 And uh, you know, and we started the restaurant. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:25.359 So the evaluation was really as simple as what do you want to do next? 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:26.880 And let's do it, you know. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:28.319 And then I just got involved. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.960 So I I tend to say that I say yes to everything. 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:32.160 I like that part of myself. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:35.920 I like saying yes, I like giving myself a challenge when when people have a crap. 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:36.240 Yeah. 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:38.079 Did you work hard in those early days? 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:39.119 Did you work in that business? 00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:40.400 Yeah, I did, yeah, yeah. 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:41.359 I I loved it. 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:46.640 I mean, it wasn't my passion, the restaurant, but it yeah, the the I'm I'm still in the hospitality business now. 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:48.480 That's essentially what I do. 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:52.480 And um, yeah, there was some really great nights. 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:57.119 Nothing's nothing's as good as having a full restaurant and a waiting list and things going on. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:06.079 And you get instant, you know, someone said to me the other day, it's it must be tough in the restaurant because you don't get, you know, um, it sort of takes a bit from you, get feedback and things. 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:08.000 So no, you get instant feedback from people. 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:11.680 People are there telling you how that was the best meal they ever had, or the best night of those. 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:18.960 And it devolved to what I do now, where we run these huge tours where people are having the best week of their lives. 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:22.799 You know, and that's um that's that drives me a lot. 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:23.680 I love I love that. 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:36.640 I like being the orchestrator of that and allowing, you know, and um people to to have an an incredible time, and you think this is pretty cool that I've I've been a part of this. 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:46.720 Loving organizing is one thing, and I think it's a big part of business because it's structure and planning and being able to move the pieces on the chessboard. 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.039 But but not everybody has the the stomach for business. 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:53.200 You know, they it it can be tough, right? 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:57.039 And I'm sure you've been through some hard times in the business as well as the good times. 00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:57.519 Yeah. 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:01.039 Uh and I think it's the hard times where we learn the most. 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:09.359 And you spoke about two things there, which was interesting to me, is one, your partner, and I think people can make or break the business relationship in a big way. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:13.119 And two is what happens when things aren't good. 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:19.200 You know, and even in my own businesses, I've seen uh everybody's your champion when things are great. 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:19.680 Yeah. 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:23.759 Uh you really figure out who your friends are when things are not so great. 00:19:24.079 -->

00:19:26.559 Uh and you and you figure out who you are. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:28.799 You know, what do I do in this situation? 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:35.519 So um, have you have you had those moments in any of the businesses where you thought, to you, I just don't know how we're gonna get through this. 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:35.920 Yeah. 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:37.279 And and what did you do? 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:38.240 How did you handle that? 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:53.279 Yeah, well, I the the the restaurants were great, and then we got approached um one of the when we had our second location next door was uh the Tums of Thomas Ducks, which Woolworths owned as their luxury grocer, which they've now evolved into a brand, which you can buy in Woolworths. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:58.640 And uh the owner of that business was essentially like two or three RC of Woolworths. 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.519 And uh he loved he ate at our restaurant all the time. 00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:08.799 And uh he wanted to have a meeting with with myself and my business partner about supplying some of these Thomas Ducks stores with a sushi range. 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:12.160 So we thought it might be a good idea. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:24.079 So we started off making sushi in our restaurant, one of our small venues, and I'd go there my my four drive at the time, and I'd have these syrofoam boxes packed with ice and put sushi in it and deliver it to the to this Thomas Stuck store. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:26.880 And um it was it was a huge success from the get-go. 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:32.160 So we're in one store, then two, then five, then ten, then fifteen, then 150 stores. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:47.119 You know, so we were the biggest suppliers of sushi in Australia, and we grew the business from zero to five million in about eight months, and so we were, you know, leasing venues and production kitchens and then going through all the compliance side, and it was incredibly stressful. 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:53.200 Went from, you know, let's myself to 80 plus staff in that period. 00:20:53.440 --> 00:21:01.519 And uh we quickly learnt how not to scale the business was so fast. 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:04.720 And then um, you know, we we had some challenges. 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:13.519 Woolworths were playing games with us and pulling ranges, and our best stores were going to the marquees or the the places that putting names so she made in stores. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:24.160 So we're losing the good stores, and we had to deal with store managers who worried about shrinkage because we had a one-day shelf life product, not shrinkage, but um just to shelf life, you know, like losing money on it. 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:32.319 So we were on pretty good um, you know, payment terms, but even that was tough, you know, just to get all the numbers from the stores, etc. 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:34.960 So it was a real big learning curve. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:37.839 And it was just one of the most stressful times in my life, you know. 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:38.799 It all sounds great. 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:41.359 And we say, well, these great restaurants do well. 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:46.240 I so I'm not involved other than see the numbers and go, yep, you're doing great. 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:59.759 But um at the time, that was uh that was pretty intense, you know, like paying, make sure you meet the payroll every every week, you know, and these are people that are working in production kitchens, so not on huge salaries and things. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.720 As well, and making sure the cash flow was just intense in that business. 00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:14.880 So yeah, I I uh I went through a real tough time at the time, put my own money in, a lot of my own money in, which, you know, in in the end, you know, didn't really get a lot of back. 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:24.240 We we ended up sort of selling the business to another partner that ran um franchises, but made a lot of promises and didn't deliver, you know, and what they were going to spend on the business, etc. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:27.839 So in the end I walked away from it from that production side. 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:32.400 But um, yeah, it was it was a real um a real lesson, I guess, as well. 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:38.480 And there was at at its lowest point, you know, people chasing you to get paid and things like that. 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:40.640 That that was really, really tough. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:53.359 You know, I was at one point I remember driving along in my car on the road and just looking, go, well, if I just drive into that telegraph pole, it'll you know, like I don't think I'll I would do that, but I'll, you know, this mental health thing comes up. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:55.279 Uh guy's gonna talk about that. 00:22:55.440 --> 00:23:03.440 But it um it it really taught me just to probably say no to things as well. 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:04.480 So yes to everything. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:17.599 Um, and and also understand, you know, where you know really what some some people in the world are like as well, you know, in terms of promises made and things. 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:20.480 So it was um that was a tough period, really it was. 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:32.079 Thank you for for sharing that because I I don't think enough people talk about not just the mental health side of things, but you know, how lonely it can be at that place in business. 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:34.480 It's like nobody can help you. 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:36.240 Or nobody will help you. 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:42.799 You know, um you you hope to God somebody could just come in and just click their fingers and make it all about away. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:43.279 Yeah. 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:45.039 But that's just not reality. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:48.000 And so you you have to knuckle down and go, okay. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.880 And it's it's literally

just day by day, isn't it? 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:54.000 It's like, okay, today I'm I'm just gonna get through today. 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:58.960 And I don't mean just survive it, but okay, what do I need to do today to get to tomorrow, to get to the next day? 00:23:59.119 --> 00:23:59.359 Yeah. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:04.720 Um, and sometimes it can be a little bit hard to see the the forest from the trees or that light at the end of the tunnel. 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:10.000 And uh, you know, I I don't know whether there's people in business out there that have never experienced that. 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:12.880 I certainly can relate to a lot of what you're talking about. 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:13.359 Yeah. 00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:16.720 Um and so that's kind of the thing for me. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:21.920 And talking about loving to do organization and pulling things together and curating these things is one thing. 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:28.559 But to then put it all on the line and go, well, I'm gonna do it as my own business versus working for somebody else. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:28.799 Yeah. 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:42.880 I think that's the that's the leap that I and why I love business and entrepreneur and people and entrepreneurs so much is I think because they back themselves and uh they go, you know what, I'm gonna have a go. 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:46.799 And unfortunately in Australia, there's uh a massive fear of failure. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:51.440 And you've had a bit of experience globally now with with business as well, I'd imagine. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:55.359 And uh not just with Euro, but just the exposure that you get to people. 00:24:55.680 --> 00:25:00.559 It's funny because I find a lot of other countries don't see failure in business as such a negative. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:06.240 Yes, it's a horrible experience, but they don't measure you and your ability to produce against the failure. 00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:09.599 They go, well, okay, now he's had the he's got the scar tissue, right? 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:10.480 Yeah. 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:11.920 Yeah, absolutely. 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:20.960 I think with um Roger Federer talks about the amount of if he looked back at his task career in this great speech on how many actually points he scored. 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:24.799 He he got in, I think, and it's it's like 53% or something like that. 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:38.400 It's a it's it's just the difference between, you know, he's won all these matches, but he only scored, you know, in that tiny percentage of uh of of the winning shots, you know, and it's uh I think it's true, you know, with business as well. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:43.759 You know, you don't you just have to keep on swinging really because the the worst thing you can do is give up. 00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:46.640 But um, yeah, and then and the fear of failure is always there. 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:48.880 It's an imposter syndrome as well. 00:25:49.039 --> 00:26:09.599 You know, you sort of think, well, you know, what mind me, but we have lucky enough in the business I have now to have these incredible, successful people from around the world who have spent their money with us and and uh and and I I I speak to them about that as well, how humbled I am that they've they've spent the money with us to come and do an experience that we've put together. 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:19.599 And you know, it's it's uh an incredible opportunity to be able to do that for people who uh who I see as my um my idols, you know, people who who are who really have done that to the internet. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:20.400 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:26:20.799 --> 00:26:21.680 In a big way. 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:24.880 Um so talk about the risk management then. 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:36.960 I mean, you you're you're operating a business that's you know, an international business, uh uh across borders, you've got all sorts of risk associated with driving expensive cars on public roads, all these sorts of things. 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:38.960 How do you manage the risk associated with that? 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:48.640 I mean, obviously insurance is a key, but you know, how do you you build a business that carries inherent risk uh when they're on the road at the very least? 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:52.559 But then when you've got to be responsible for people even at the events that you do. 00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:53.039 Yeah. 00:26:53.279 --> 00:26:54.319 How do you manage that? 00:26:54.720 --> 00:27:01.680 You know, I think everyone's in that any business now, you know, if you're a if you're a director of a company, you've got significant risk. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:07.200 You know, you can be you could be held responsible, um, you know, criminally responsible for a lot of things now. 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:11.680 And um that that's never you know fallen lightly on on me as well. 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:13.039 I think that, yes, you're right. 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:17.279 I mean, we're driving expensive motor cars on the other side of the world and other side of the world. 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:18.720 The other side of the road as well. 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:28.079 And um so so really um just comes down to just how we approach it with with people and and you know, a lot of knowledge as well. 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:32.160 Um, you know, we we speak to people for each day as well on the driving. 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:45.759 We we try to um allow people the opportunity to, you know, I spoke about driving fast on the autobans and other places in Europe where you can do it, but just doing it in a sensible way, I guess, as well. 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:47.839 But yeah, that there is inherent risk there. 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:55.279 I think that um you have to have very um strongly worded um, you know, um terms and conditions as well. 00:27:55.440 --> 00:28:00.000 I think that that ultimately uh I think it in business

carries a level of risk with it as well. 00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:18.960 And you you've got to um you've got to keep driving forward and and not think about it too much, other than yes, there's a worst-case scenario, and we've got very complex round, you know, risk scenarios and possibles and you know, unlikely or likely type scenarios, and that's something we have to we have to carry really. 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:34.000 And um, I think that you can't focus too much on it as well, because you know, you insured for every outcome you quickly go broke, and that's um that's just part of you know having a having a crack, I think, as well. 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:35.519 Yeah, it's the inherent reason. 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:35.839 Yeah. 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:41.200 Um you spoke about building the uh the wholesale sushi business groove. 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:44.480 I think it's a big difference between growing a business and scaling a business. 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:44.799 Yeah. 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:47.039 Uh you know, and I've had to learn that myself too. 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:58.000 And when you're the one you know in in the minutiae driving things, you can because nobody works in your business as hard as you are prepared to do, generally speaking. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:07.680 And so you can actually build fairly rapidly by working hard, working a lot of hours, working, but you can't scale a business on that basis. 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:11.759 And so what did you learn about that rapid growth? 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:15.119 I think was it eight months, I think you said the five million or something pretty much. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:15.359 Yeah. 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:19.440 Do you reflect much on your learnings from previous experience in what you do now? 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:21.200 Are you quite purposeful about that? 00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:25.920 I don't I don't think I reflect as much as like you you mentioned before, it's maybe a scar tissue, you know. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:30.720 So you um you develop a a a bit of a thicker skin as well. 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:35.440 I do reflect on it, you know, maybe what it would have done differently at the time. 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:50.400 But um I also don't think you should reflect too much on what you might have done, because it's it's done, you know, it's always the the the the rear vision mirror is always clearer than the front, you know, and you can say, Oh, I would have done that and change that thing. 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:59.039 So, you know, my my way I approach things, if I have my time again, I'd probably do the same thing again, really, and uh because you we can't change it. 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:02.559 But yeah, I I I do I do think about it from time to time. 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:10.640 I'm I'm grateful uh that I've you know that I'm through the other side and yeah, you you absolutely need to learn from it. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:17.920 But um I think that if you you try and be

risk-adverse or assess everything, but you'll you'll never do anything as well. 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:26.240 And that's um, you know, if if if I was ever mentoring a young business owner and things, I'd be saying you you need to go for it, you need to do it. 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:28.640 Like you said, work the long hours, you know, that that business. 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:30.480 So I was up at you know 5 a.m. 00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:37.359 every morning, I go and load up my car and deliver the the sushi to stores, you know, that kind of thing when I first started it. 00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:48.400 And um and and it's not and it's the same today with with my business now, you know, when we ever run events overseas, if if my team's up early to get cars out and wash cars, I'm up early with them. 00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:52.319 I'm gonna breakfast with them, I table with them to to be part of it. 00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:55.599 And and yes, that's a my role as the host as well. 00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:58.240 I mean, I won't always do that as the business owner. 00:30:58.400 --> 00:31:08.640 We have staff and crew that do those things, but I think it's important to to learn, especially, you know, starting a business and growing it to understand all parts of the business. 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:18.559 My role's change significantly with the business, and I do the things that I really like doing as well, you know, the investing side and the big picture and the buying and selling of cars because that's my passion. 00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:19.279 I love that. 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:23.759 And and hosting the trips, you know, I only host them because I I love to do it as well. 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:29.119 And I think that's um you've got the reason to get out of bed and do it in the morning is because you you love it. 00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:29.599 Love it. 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:30.799 You know, you really really do. 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:32.720 And I've I've loved everything that I've done. 00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:34.960 Yes, there's been harder days as well. 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:37.119 I haven't loved it all the time. 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:43.839 But uh, you know, this this business I have now with Hunt Moss is the one business that wasn't meant to be anything. 00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:48.000 It was just meant to be maybe a one trip a year that I'd uh host and that kind of thing. 00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:50.000 And uh it's never paid for all. 00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:51.839 Yeah, that's that's the dream, right? 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:53.599 It's like I can do this and I don't have to pay. 00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:54.240 Exactly. 00:31:54.319 --> 00:31:56.880 Yeah, and that that was exactly sort of my my theory. 00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:01.680 I get to go overseas and drive cars once a year and you know, yeah, and don't have to pay and do it. 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:03.680 You know, what were the cars in that first tour? 00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:10.160 Uh pretty interesting that they um I mean it was 2008, so the the cars had changed. 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:22.079 I mean, I suppose you know the Ferraris and Land Beginis was a 430, which is wasn't the greatest Ferrari, it's probably the last of the ordinary ones, you know, the 458 came after that, which was an excellent car. 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:29.279 Um, but then the Land Begini was one of those um uh Gayados that they were they broke all the time. 00:32:29.519 --> 00:32:32.880 Um, you know, Audi just watched their R8, which was an incredible car. 00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:34.880 I've had an R8 on every trip. 00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:46.559 Um since we we started, we we just we had the original one about four years ago, we just upgraded to a new one, or the last, because they've just stopped making them now to 2024. 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:51.440 That uh Porsche 911 had Nuston Martin, I think, at the time as a vanquish or something like that. 00:32:51.599 --> 00:32:56.160 So the cars have got a lot better since then, really. 00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:57.680 And they're they're so reliable now. 00:32:57.839 --> 00:33:01.039 People, that's one thing people you know uh ask me all the time. 00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:02.720 It's like how many issues do you have? 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:05.519 And you don't have any issues at all, really with them. 00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:06.079 Rarely. 00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:12.000 Especially with the Italians, you know, you don't or even with the English engineering that people talk about. 00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:15.440 And but these days they've all got it pretty dialed in. 00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:16.559 Yeah, well, it yeah. 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:21.920 I mean, we we joke with the uh the bent leaf, for instance, underneath, it's a Porsche, you know, it's out of error. 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:24.160 So, you know, it's made by the Germans. 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:28.400 We let the English do the styling and some pinstripes and things that are some of the colours. 00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:31.839 But no, the the the cars are are are all excellent, you know. 00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:35.119 That it's particularly the the Italians, Ferrari Lamborghini. 00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:44.559 I mean, you know, obviously Ferraris, um, you know, very big public company, et cetera, owned by the Fiji Group that uh and Lamborghini is owned by Volkswagen Group. 00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:47.200 That's they're incredibly reliable now. 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:49.759 So it's um yeah, it makes it a little bit easier. 00:33:50.079 --> 00:34:05.279 But um then you've got the challenge of logistics and moving these cars around different locations and things, which are again part of the business I really love being a part of, and that's a lot of fun, just um, you know, making sure we get them into the right places and things as well. 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:13.360 So what you spoke a lot about your team there before, too, and and how do you build because I've had first hand

experience with a lot of your team. 00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:19.840 And uh you know, how do you build a team that's as committed to that experience? 00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:24.880 You you've got uh a lot of uh very successful people generally on your tours. 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:26.800 They've probably got a very high expectation. 00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:30.159 I'd imagine some of them could be a bit demanding from time to time. 00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:43.280 How do you how do you find uh people to bring into your world, to bring into your organization that you know you can trust to deliver a standard and an experience that you expect? 00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:45.039 Yeah, it it's a good question. 00:34:45.199 --> 00:34:47.199 The answer is you you can't really. 00:34:47.360 --> 00:35:06.079 We we have complex sort of entry points as well, and speak to multiple people in the business as well, and we we we go to great pains to explain that this is not a nine-to-five type thing, especially on on a tool with us where you know you can be up early in the morning and bed late at night, et cetera, as well. 00:35:06.239 --> 00:35:09.599 But I think the event people are a little bit different, you know, built differently. 00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:14.800 You know, anyone wants to be on events, kind of like um relations related to like joining the army. 00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:25.360 You know, you won't spend any money, which is great because it's all provided for you, but you'll work hard and you'll be up early and but you know, the time it goes to bed, you'll just you you fade away, you know, fall. 00:35:25.679 --> 00:35:26.000 Yeah, yeah. 00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:28.079 So a deep sleep at night. 00:35:28.239 --> 00:35:36.639 But um it's it's a lot of fun being on on events as well, and particularly what we do around the vehicles and things and excitement, you know, being a part of that. 00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:43.280 So yeah, it it it is it is hard to find people, but there there's always people there that want to do this kind of thing. 00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:47.039 From from the young guys that come through and to some of the older people. 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:56.320 I mean, we we um we're sort of uncertain whether they should be sort of racing drive car driver types or driver training people or just hospitality people. 00:35:56.400 --> 00:36:04.400 I mean, I've got one guy on the team who does well, but he's used to be um a butler to one of the um the MRA princes or something like that. 00:36:04.480 --> 00:36:14.400 So it he's got that experience right from a high-end service point of view and other guys who are worked for a driver training company, one works for Portion England and other things. 00:36:14.480 --> 00:36:23.519 So we we kind of just find whenever we find 10 because of the the correlation with cars and what we do when we do put on an advert, we we get a lot of activation. 00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:27.920 So and it's good and bad as well on the job training a lot as well. 00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:40.000 And I suppose it's the um like any team, you know, I think you you want the vibe once working hard, you know, we work hard, but we we look after people as well. 00:36:40.159 --> 00:36:52.880 I think when they're on a tour with us, um you save all your money as well, which is actually kind of cool, you know, as well, not the least being what what we do in in the business, you know, we're we're on traveling a lot, so you don't spend a lot of money. 00:36:53.039 --> 00:36:54.880 So I think it's actually a good thing. 00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:55.039 Yeah. 00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:57.519 Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. 00:36:57.760 --> 00:37:11.360 So what so the leadership lessons that you've learned over the journey, you know, what what what are some of those that you've learned and how to not just attract and retain good people, but what are some of the leadership lessons that you've learned and that you actively employ now? 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:24.480 I've always run businesses and had employees, and I always I always like to try to, you know, i it it's like that thing with I don't have kids, but with your kids, you know, you don't want to be friends with your kids. 00:37:24.639 --> 00:37:26.480 You know, it would be that you want to parent them. 00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:29.519 It's the same sort of with employees as well. 00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:33.360 You know, I don't want to be friends with them and friendly approachable. 00:37:33.440 --> 00:37:35.199 If someone has a problem, I want them to come to me. 00:37:35.280 --> 00:37:36.079 I want to hear about it. 00:37:36.159 --> 00:37:40.880 You know, I don't want people talking around and hearing stories and things like that as well. 00:37:40.960 --> 00:37:48.960 That, you know, I don't I don't think that I am a great um manager as well. 00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:51.920 I sort of know my limitation there, you know, as well. 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:54.159 I mean, I'm very passionate about what I do. 00:37:54.239 --> 00:37:59.280 I like to lead from the front, you know, as as I said before, if we're up early and I'm up early. 00:37:59.440 --> 00:38:03.920 You know, if we're gonna show me cleaning cars, I'm I'm cleaning cars as well. 00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:06.639 And uh in in my business, I think that's important. 00:38:06.800 --> 00:38:32.239 I know that that's not important in other businesses as well, but um, you know, I I want my guys that are coming through that I've sort of said, well, this guy's a future leader, spend a bit of time with them and help to develop them and encourage them as well and give them the tools to um to go and you know feel like they have I think a lot of people now coming through, younger people now just don't feel like they they spit want to need to speak up. 00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:33.920 I'm seeing that a little bit as well. 00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:41.280 So it's just for encouraging people, giving them the you know, you you

need to speak up, you know, and you need to, you're someone who thinks differently. 00:38:41.360 --> 00:38:47.599 You obviously identify those people in your business and you want them to to lead the others as well. 00:38:47.760 --> 00:38:57.599 So probably being able to identify those people as well as I learned from myself that you know that you can't do everything in the business, you know. 00:38:58.559 --> 00:39:02.719 As an entrepreneur, I I think you're you're not a specialist in anything. 00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:07.920 If you are, you may as well be a doctor or a lawyer or something like that, paying it and get an hourly grade and get a hired one as well. 00:39:08.079 --> 00:39:09.280 No, nothing wrong with that. 00:39:09.440 --> 00:39:13.679 But as an entrepreneur, you should be okay at five things. 00:39:13.840 --> 00:39:23.119 And then once that gets too busy, you you chop off the one of the five and you give that to someone, you know, whether it's marketing or admin or sales or other things. 00:39:23.199 --> 00:39:25.360 And that's that's what I've tended to do with the business. 00:39:25.440 --> 00:39:35.840 I've tended to let go a little bit and focus on the things that that bring me joy and I enjoy as well, rather than just being so tied up in the everything of the business. 00:39:36.320 --> 00:39:42.159 Was that a turning point for you when you learnt to let go of things and just trust people to do it? 00:39:42.400 --> 00:39:49.679 And maybe accept not maybe accept the fact that they're gonna make some mistakes and maybe not do it the way you would have done it. 00:39:49.840 --> 00:39:55.199 Was that a a shift in the when was the shift in the business in the growth or has it been a steady trajectory? 00:39:55.519 --> 00:39:56.960 I think it's been quite steady. 00:39:57.039 --> 00:40:04.960 I'm I'm I'm again I'm smiling because I I don't think I've uh I'm I'm great when things you know you're a season somewhere in overall friends. 00:40:05.119 --> 00:40:12.559 Yeah, yeah, because you know, you think, uh, well, wouldn't have done it that way, but uh that's that's how it's been done. 00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:13.360 Most of us are. 00:40:13.519 --> 00:40:13.599 Yeah. 00:40:14.239 --> 00:40:15.440 I'm exactly the same. 00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:22.400 And and I've I've had to learn to I guess try and evaluate, okay, is this a critical error? 00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:24.320 Have they hit the jugular here yet? 00:40:24.400 --> 00:40:24.639 Yeah. 00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:27.280 Or okay, what can we learn from this? 00:40:27.360 --> 00:40:35.519 And just unfortunately, sometimes it it costs you a little bit of money, but let the mistake happen and then talk through, okay, how do we do it next time? 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:38.880 Yeah, I think I think that that that's the key as well. 00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:51.920 Um I think as as we we get a little older, we tend to get angry about certain things, and it it's um, you know, I've I've been conscious of

that, not just not just to take a deep breath now. 00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:54.719 Not get too worried about it. 00:40:54.800 --> 00:40:54.960 Yeah. 00:40:55.440 --> 00:41:09.039 You speak on your LinkedIn profile about um you know having a passion for business and entrepreneurs and and even uh you know but the mentoring side of things on young people or or entrepreneurs generally. 00:41:09.280 --> 00:41:11.679 Yeah, how does that now start to feature into? 00:41:11.920 --> 00:41:14.159 Do you see that as something that's going to evolve more for you? 00:41:14.639 --> 00:41:25.840 I just found it was an interesting comment to say, you know, that's a part of me that um that not not only that you enjoyed, but I guess that you seem to be passionate about. 00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:27.360 Yeah, I I am. 00:41:27.440 --> 00:41:31.760 I mean, I it's something that I don't have a lot of time for right now. 00:41:31.920 --> 00:41:34.960 Like, as I said, actively searching for those sort of things. 00:41:35.039 --> 00:41:44.400 But I would like to think that um the next 10 years for me would be you know, obviously still really focused on this business and and growing this um over that period. 00:41:44.480 --> 00:42:08.639 But if there's opportunities to assist other, you know, younger people who have got great ideas and things, I would I would love to be involved in in that community things as well, you know, if it's uh from an angel investor or otherwise, but I could I could see myself um you know doing that in the future and just just more from uh you know the realistic view, because I I'm I'm not you know, the only thing I'm classically trained in is is sales, really. 00:42:08.719 --> 00:42:15.119 I'm a I'm I'm a photocopier salesman, you know, read all the books and went to all the seminars and those things. 00:42:15.199 --> 00:42:18.239 And uh, you know, I was I was I was kind of good at that, you know. 00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:20.719 And so that's um and that's helped me a lot. 00:42:20.880 --> 00:42:27.440 I think everyone should learn how to sell, you know, and and it's and there really is a process in how how you do it. 00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:31.440 It's not um you know no one's born a salesman, that's for sure. 00:42:31.599 --> 00:42:35.519 So a salesperson, you you um you you learn how to do it. 00:42:35.679 --> 00:42:44.159 So if if I can you know impart some wisdom on you know people coming through and the next generation, I would love to do that. 00:42:44.400 --> 00:42:46.159 And uh we'll we'll see. 00:42:46.400 --> 00:42:49.760 See if that's uh that's something, but I'd love to be part of it in the future. 00:42:50.079 --> 00:42:50.480 For sure. 00:42:50.719 --> 00:42:51.920 Yeah, yeah, awesome. 00:42:52.239 --> 00:42:55.280 Um how many tours are you running now every year? 00:42:55.599 --> 00:43:03.119 We do we do a dozen group tours, which organize group tours, which are in one from 10 to sort of 30 odd guests uh throughout Europe. 00:43:03.280 --> 00:43:06.159 Where um we're building in the US right now as well. 00:43:06.239 --> 00:43:09.760 So put put um resources and people there who have employed. 00:43:09.920 --> 00:43:14.239 We're gonna have own a fleet of cars there as well in the next sort of 12 to 18 months. 00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:21.679 Um, do some corporate events and and private events as well, look a bit a little bit different to Europe, but we're more location-based throughout the US. 00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:32.719 Um, and then we then we do corporates and privates and um private group events, whether they're two people or twenty people as well, that we do another sort of five to ten of those per year. 00:43:32.800 --> 00:43:34.719 So it's slowly growing each year. 00:43:34.880 --> 00:43:44.400 We do in Europe, definitely um you know, from probably only 10, 15 years ago, it would sort of one or two, three tours a year to what it is now. 00:43:44.480 --> 00:43:50.159 And um obviously a little speed bump there during the COVID uh period, which is another very challenging period. 00:43:50.320 --> 00:44:00.480 But I think that that overall the landscape of travel and experiences has changed, and people want to do something that is just more than a big Holiday. 00:44:00.559 --> 00:44:04.480 I mean you you can go to the Maldives, it's great, but you do that. 00:44:04.880 --> 00:44:13.599 Or you know, the other side would be an African safari or a one of these uh fancy river boat or ocean liner cruisers as well. 00:44:13.840 --> 00:44:20.159 And um we're something a little bit different and and challenging as well uh for people. 00:44:20.320 --> 00:44:44.480 So it's um it's it's an interesting area to being uh definitely you know, and you know, we're able to um you know I suppose push this whole experience of lines the minute you arrive with us, you are covered, you know, you don't have to worry about where you're eating or staying or your luggage or that's all covered, which is um which people really love, I think, as well. 00:44:44.880 --> 00:44:48.400 How do you measure your your business today financially? 00:44:48.559 --> 00:44:50.960 You know, do you are you close to the numbers? 00:44:51.360 --> 00:44:53.519 Do you track your unit economics? 00:44:53.679 --> 00:44:56.239 Uh and and I'd imagine it's quite seasonal too. 00:44:56.400 --> 00:44:59.840 And so, you know, how do you manage that from a cash flow point of view? 00:45:00.239 --> 00:45:02.159 Yeah, well cash flow is quite different. 00:45:02.320 --> 00:45:06.239 I mean, definitely different than businesses I've been, um, you know, some of them as well. 00:45:06.320 --> 00:45:12.719 Um, we have to be very careful about that as well, because you you're taking deposits and payments and stores for people as well. 00:45:12.880 --> 00:45:14.960 Obviously, you you you're paying a lot in advance. 00:45:15.039 --> 00:45:25.360 If you're booking a hotel for 20 yes, um, you know, they want payment in full up front, you know, 12

months ahead sometimes as well, or for particularly busy times of the year. 00:45:25.519 --> 00:45:27.119 So it is challenging. 00:45:27.199 --> 00:45:37.280 You know, I have a CFO in the business now and and an advisor advisory board, which which is very successful people, which has been great to assist there as well. 00:45:37.599 --> 00:45:44.880 It's it's still rapidly evolving, and you know, each new tool we ran, we've run might cost us money in the first year as well. 00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:48.880 So there's a lot of reinvestment going on as well in the business. 00:45:49.119 --> 00:45:58.559 But um, you know, I think I think overall we're we we're quite happy of where we're going in terms of the growth, because we're we're looking for growth in terms of leveling out. 00:45:58.639 --> 00:46:09.599 I always make the the the joke that if I really want to make money at the business, I'd probably run two tools a year and make good money and around the Monaco Grand Prix, which we do very well at. 00:46:09.840 --> 00:46:13.440 So um, you know, not to say that will never be the case, you know. 00:46:13.679 --> 00:46:15.280 It might be uh who knows. 00:46:15.440 --> 00:46:24.559 But obviously, you know, I I would like to see the business growing into uh, you know, what I the business I idolise like an Avocombian can type thing. 00:46:24.719 --> 00:46:35.280 That's that's the reason for the change from alternative driving tools to Hunter Moss to be able to create lots of different experiences, not just around the vehicles as well and get the growth there as well from those. 00:46:35.679 --> 00:46:42.800 Yeah, I'm glad you you brought that up because it was something that I I wanted to question on too, because ultimate driving tools make sense, yeah, right, for what it is today. 00:46:43.039 --> 00:46:43.199 Yeah. 00:46:43.360 --> 00:46:52.400 So it the the reason for that was just part of the the future plan as to where you want to go as a as a much broader product offering than just driving tours. 00:46:52.880 --> 00:46:53.440 Yeah, it does. 00:46:53.519 --> 00:46:54.719 And there's a few reasons here. 00:46:54.800 --> 00:46:55.840 That that's definitely one of them. 00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:04.079 The other ones that we we were as ultimate driving tours, that one of our keywords, things were being kind of taken from our competitors. 00:47:04.239 --> 00:47:11.920 If there's competitors, there's always there is driving tour operators, not really the level we do things at, but there is other things you can do. 00:47:12.000 --> 00:47:27.039 And we always make the the comment that if if you if you say the traditional family, the husband and the wife, and things in the cars and the driving cheese and the hotels and the fine dining, you you don't want the husband to find it and show the wife first. 00:47:27.280 --> 00:47:29.119 If you want the wife to find it, show the husband. 00:47:29.199 --> 00:47:37.360 And I'm not saying that could be the other way around or the social friends and things as well, because sometimes it is the wife who's the driver as well, and that happens, which is amazing. 00:47:37.760 --> 00:47:51.519 But um, yeah, that that's kind of the key, and that that's part of the reason for the challenge to 100 miles as well, and just lifting the the branding and things well, and if the the marketing people team have done exceptionally well with that as well. 00:47:51.599 --> 00:47:58.559 It's been a resounding success, and it gives us the opportunity to look at things other than just driving experiences, which is what we like to do. 00:47:58.639 --> 00:48:03.280 We like to host people and we like to create amazing holidays and experiences for people. 00:48:03.679 --> 00:48:04.639 And you and you do that. 00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:12.239 And I I know the the tour that I was on, uh, you know, I think there was there was two ladies that were friends uh that were driving. 00:48:12.320 --> 00:48:13.599 Yeah, this is not a boys' club. 00:48:13.679 --> 00:48:20.719 I think it's probably important to make that point that maybe where it started, it kind of was, uh it sounds like in the very beginning, the first one. 00:48:20.800 --> 00:48:29.920 It was but then you I think you know what makes this such an incredible offering now is anybody can go along and have an incredible time. 00:48:30.079 --> 00:48:33.679 It's not just cars, but it can be if that's your passion. 00:48:33.840 --> 00:48:35.599 You go and you experience the cars. 00:48:35.679 --> 00:48:45.280 But the places you stay and the streets you drive on, the people that attend these, I think, you know, there's probably a firm no dickhead policy around where you can control it. 00:48:45.519 --> 00:48:45.760 Sure. 00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:49.760 And uh and I don't think we had any uh in our in our crew at least. 00:48:49.840 --> 00:49:01.199 And so yeah, I I think you've done an incredible job, and it's something that I'd I'd recommend anybody uh put on their list to get and do it and and get on and and have a look at uh look up Hunter Moss and see what they're all about. 00:49:01.679 --> 00:49:06.079 Um disappointingly, we don't do Tasmania, you don't do Tasmania anymore. 00:49:06.159 --> 00:49:09.119 I hear it was amazing, so uh I'll have to do my own at some point. 00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:10.719 But uh yeah, well done. 00:49:10.800 --> 00:49:13.119 And and thanks for coming in and sharing some of your story. 00:49:13.199 --> 00:49:21.360 It's uh it's uh as I said, we like to try and dive into some of the stuff that people want to tap into about what is this entrepreneurial journey really like? 00:49:21.599 --> 00:49:22.320 What's it about? 00:49:22.480 --> 00:49:23.679 What do I need to do? 00:49:23.920 --> 00:49:28.960 Um why is this harder than a lot of the social media stuff out there seems to be? 00:49:29.039 --> 00:49:34.639 Everybody's a a millionaire and a billionaire and yeah, uh, and and life's amazing, and that's not always the case. 00:49:34.719 --> 00:49:36.480 It's tough and it's hard work. 00:49:36.639 --> 00:49:41.440 Um, much like a marriage, you know, but you've got to you've got to work at it. 00:49:41.519 --> 00:49:44.239 And uh so you know, thank you for sharing your story. 00:49:44.320 --> 00:49:44.880 I appreciate it. 00:49:45.119 --> 00:49:45.840 Oh, thank you, Dick. 00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:48.800 Yeah, so that's another episode of the Australian Business Show. 00:49:48.960 --> 00:49:53.119 As I said, uh I would highly recommend jumping on the website of of Hunter Moss. 00:49:53.360 --> 00:49:54.639 Have a look at what they do. 00:49:54.800 --> 00:50:10.159 Um it's an incredible website, but more importantly, an incredible experience if you're gonna if if you have a passion for travel and for luxury experiences and uh seeing some of the greatest places in the world, uh get on there and uh and start planning your next trip with Hunter Moss. 00:50:10.400 --> 00:50:11.360 See you next time.