Building an empire with Tina Tower

Episode #52 - Tina Tower (EDITED)

Thu, Apr 04, 2024 8: 48AM • 45:01

Thu, Apr 04, 2024 8: SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Thu, Apr 04, 2024 8: launch, year, empire builder, people, podcast, travel, work, business, retreat, life, love, sold, money, listening, tina, started, months, live, kids, bit

00: 01

00: Do you want to live a life of freedom and adventure? Are you wanting more than the daily grind? Me too. Welcome to the Emma Lovell show, a place where we talk about living a life you love now, I'm your host, Emma Lovell, and my number one value is freedom. I've spent the last 14 years running a business and traveling the world. And now I take my husband and toddler along for the adventure to it's possible and I know you can create a life doing what you truly love as well. This podcast will inspire, motivate and encourage you to go after your dreams to create a life you love until you get now don't wait for a time and or someday in the future. I'll be sharing episodes weekly about how I harmonize business travel and self care. I'll also bring on incredible guests to share their journeys, wins the challenges and how they're creating a life they love. Let's jump in and get dreaming. This is a space for you to manifest a life you love.

01: 03

01: I would like to acknowledge and recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of this place now known as Australia. I am grateful for the continuing care of the land waterways and skies where I work live. Listen, learn and play. From here on you can bear country and from wherever you are listening, I pay my respects to the elders past and present.

01: 25

01: Hello and welcome to today's episode. I am so excited to introduce you to Tina tower, the founder of her Empire Builder. She's a coach to online course creators, a business strategist, a podcast host, author and speaker. I've had the privilege of doing Tina's limited Launch Formula course and following her journey over the past few years. And it is incredibly inspiring, especially her attitude towards travel and life. Of course we connect on that. So a little bit more about Tina. She's a dynamic entrepreneur who started her journey at 20 She founded a tutoring center that evolved into a franchise begin bright. She had more than 35 centers, and 120 staff. After selling that in 2016, she ventured into business coaching creating a successful online course while traveling the world for a year with her family, and she visited more than 28 countries. Tennis empire now focuses on helping others package their expertise into online courses through her Empire Builder. And she's aiming to assist 100 Women in reaching a million dollars by 2025. So a million dollars in their business by 2025 in credible. She's an author, she's won prestigious awards. She's an advocate for profit for purpose, and she's just such a joy and inspiration. So please do enjoy this fabulous conversation where she's very honest about the way she's living a life she loves now, Tina tower

03: 00

03: welcome to the podcast, Tina tower. Thanks so much. So good to be here. It's really fun having you on because I've listened to many podcasts of yours. And I am definitely a fan and a client and you know, been in your space. But please tell us in your words, Tina, who are you? Who am I? Isn't that the existential question? I'm many things like many of us fabulous women. This is my 20 years in business. So I would say I am an entrepreneur through and through. I'm a mom of two men children, which is wild to me, it's still blows my mind on a daily basis how quickly that has gone.

03: 43

03: I have a wife I've been married for 20 years next year as well. So I've got that going on. I'm a crazy dog lady. I live on a farm two hours north of Sydney. So I live a bit of the non ordinary life I guess of most people. So I like the home life but I also like jet setting around the world and kind of come out in my my full bloom and then retract again a friend of mine yesterday called a troll mode.

04: 12

04: Because as we're recording this next week, we have our launch and we have our conference and she's like you're gonna be so high energy and everywhere and then Tina troll mode will be activated and I'll go back in my cave, which is how I like to kind of live life in a whole lot of sprints and different chapters that we we go through. But who am I have ran lots of different businesses from educational toy stores and licensing and franchising, and I've had product based businesses and for the last six years I've run online education for female course creators, which has been the easiest and most fun and legacy building thing that I have ever done. It's my favorite. I'll be doing this one for a while.

04: 55

04: I love it. I love the journey and the diversity and yeah, I did one of

05: 00

05: Your courses. So I did a limited launch formula. And I didn't launch and apparently I got the average I had four people join,

05: 09

05: which was amazing. And did you rinse and repeat and go again? 12 weeks later? I didn't do 12 weeks. So that's where I fell over ideas.

05: 18

05: Ongoing. Yeah, but the launch what I learned from it, the biggest thing was the visibility. And it was like, even if you didn't get the people, in, like all other people into the course it was it launching in itself, and you say, did amazing marketing activity. But that's why it's so important. Let's back it up 12 weeks later and do that because the people that wouldn't have joined on your first round, because they're like, hang on, what am I doing what you're doing over here? And then they're in it, but then you're closed doors, then they'd be ready. So you got to do them a little bit closer. I'll just steal this as a coaching session. Oh,

05: 52

05: I'll see like, what else would one do with

05: 56

05: that? What are podcasts are for just to get private? Yes. Yeah, the only way to get private coaching, but um, no. Well, it did. It taught me that. But it also, it taught me like the run the first one to get to sell the next one and the next one. And I've taken that into retreats as well that the first one is great to be profitable, great to make money. I think being realistic like as well being like, Okay, the first one, I think sometimes we have really sky high and some people do. Yeah, hi, amazing first launches. But when you hear a lot of people's stories, it's like the first one I made. I got one person or two people and yay. And then I did it again. But there's so many people who also go, I've only got two people, and they've got four people or so I'm never doing it again. And then my first retreat, I got four people. I remember saying I only got four people to Emily Osmond. And she was like, boards Great. Yeah, to be the number, I think. Yeah, there was I mean, when I did my first membership that was called scale up. And I had three people in the first one. And I've had people inside her Empire Builder, my program that have said, you know, I only got this many members like two, three or four, I'm going to cancel it and not run it. Like, are you kidding? Because people will see my membership now and go, oh, I want what you've got, like that looks amazing. It's because they started with three, and you knock their socks off, and you show up again and again consistently over months and years. And then it comes that is a lot more normal. Then the very rare stories that you see of people that are like I launched and then I got $100,000 on my first one. That is usually only possible when they're superstars already. Like they've already got massive followings and massive lists, or they've spent a ton of money on Facebook ads and never tell anyone.

07: 43

07: The other thing about that, and I know you've talked about it, and I've heard other people talk about in this course creator world is like that. You sometimes don't have the capacity to home, like had I had 20 people or 100 people join on that first time. You got into customer service on 100. Yeah. Yeah. Like, are you ready for that? You set up? Yeah, I know that my system? You know, we were building this we weren't? Yeah, it's a great point. Yeah, a lot of people if they actually got what their number was, they would break their business.

08: 14

08: Yeah. And then all in then burnout from it. And like, I'd love just like, and you and I run retreats. So I love going back to that. But you know, having that beautiful, safe space of a few people that you over deliver to, that you love on that you share with and that probably are a bit more forgiving. As you're finding your feet when you're first starting something. And then by the third one, you aren't getting the numbers that you wanted, or Italy. Well, I mean, we've got so at our conference next week, we have our first lot of members who are unpaid bill returns for next week. And so we've got our first lot of members that have got their four year anniversary, and I look at those women and they've built this with me like they've, they were there now when people come in and they're like, I want this and I don't have this or whatever. And I go they joined there was a library of like one lesson when they joined like there was nothing there. It's built based on their feedback and what they've said and they've come along for the journey of the whole thing that I love them. Yeah. And now that how many of you coming to the conference? We have 75 at the conference Yeah. Which is a nice a nice number. Yeah, we have we cap out at 100 is our limit for our interview ones which are like a little bit bigger. But I try and keep the conferences 7075 tops. It's just keeps it more manageable because there's a lot of different activities going on. A lot of people a lot of energy a lot for you. But let's take it back a little bit as well. i One of the things I I guess I do I love him we were talking off air about you've done a bit more travel but you sort of the transition. I know the story but the transition between your these kind of major business changes was taking a travel break

09: 59

09: last week

10: 01

10: So my last company was called begin, Brett and I built that.

10: 06

10: Going, how long did I have it? For 11 years, I had that that business and sold in 2016. And then was on an earnout. So then I finished in 2018, and was kind of like, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn't know what was next. And I started four different businesses all in a row within six months, because a lot of what happens, you know, I defined myself by being an entrepreneur. And yeah, I just didn't know like that day when it all stopped. And they took my phone, my laptop, my email address that I'd had, like everything. And I was just like, who am I now? What does this even mean? And I was too young to just enjoy the break.

10: 46

10: And so I was like, What are we going to choose? I started this and started that. And I was like, I need to calm my phone and figure it out. And we've always been travelers, we've taken the kids overseas, like every year, their whole lives. And I've always wanted to travel around the world. And we thought that we would do it when they were younger. And that didn't work out. And then we were like, well, if not now, then we literally will do it with our kids when they leave home eventually. So we decided to do it. We sold everything our house, our cars, our furniture, the whole lot. And we left and went around the world for a year, we went to 28 countries and got back like just before COVID started. So we were so incredibly lucky. And I just think I think it was the greatest year of my life. I don't see how anything could ever top it. Because of the time I got with my kids and my husband and just the age we were the age they were just the amount of fun we had in that time that even when I think about it now because I don't think about it as much anymore.

11: 48

11: Because he was five years ago now like it's crazy how much time has flown.

11: 53

11: But yeah, it was it was the best year of my life. And I love that if not now then when and I think that happened to a lot of people with COVID was that they did wait and waited and waited. And one day Sunday or when I've got this and when I've done that business as well, when I reached this level, then I'll allow myself to do that. And as opposed to taking the chance. And you know, we don't know, like pandemic was pretty wild card that we could all imagine. But you hear about the people who get an illness, you know, they're planning it planning it, and then they get an illness or something happens, then something happens, I will put it off or put it off the next thing you know, it's like the movie up, you know? Yeah, yeah.

12: 33

12: It's the one thing I have always wanted was, you know, my goal is to live to 104. But if I shall be unfortunate, and meet my ultimate demise earlier, I want to be able to go as the bus is propelling forward to me or as I'm on my deathbed with some awful illness going. I lived like I lived as well as I could and I regret nothing is always what I have wanted. Have you read, Ronnie? Where's Five Regrets of the Dying? That I haven't. But we were both at the conference where she spoke. So yeah, it's just but yeah, it's a great book. But she talks about like all the Regrets of the Dying and you're like, as so many people wait until they're sick or old to go crush, I never really lived life on my terms. And so I've always tried to be very cognizant of that. And I love it's, you know, some people think it's a morbid way to feel and you know, you can't live like every day as if it's your last and obviously, I know you're, you're very, very cool about, you know, financial planning and wealth.

13: 34

13: But also, like what, you know, you can go too far with that and be the Scrooge and all the gold sitting in the room or the sacrifice. You know, like we we really debated that. I've never said this publicly, but I'm like, What the Hey, so when we sold our company, and we had, you know, we hadn't a certain amount of money that we sold for and we could invest, we've invested quite a lot of it. But then we looked at the other half, and we're like, okay, with the part that we have leftover, do we want to like blow it all on the best year of our lives. Or we could put this in a term deposit or we could put it in an index fund or bonds or whatever we're investing in, and in our retirement will be worth millions. In that year, we spent $410,000 on going around the world, it was a massive amount of money. And financially, we would have been much smarter to invest it. It was the best money I have ever spent. But what we did was, you know, we took the bulk of what we sold for and invested that and then leftover enough to buy a new house when we wanted to come back and then was looking at the leftover of like, okay, we can invest this. We can invest this in markets for when we're old or we can invest it in the memories that we will never get again and invested in travel and experiences. And I think that that is a constant. It's a constant choice that we have to make. I very much think we need to look at

15: 00

15: After future selves all the time, but I was hedging my bets on that I would have earning capacity again later, and so increasing low at all.

15: 11

15: Well, I mean, you, Lou, you knew that, you know, we didn't later and you, you, we, we blew the leftover, the allocated amount. Yeah. And that's something to think about something that yes, 10 years ago Emma didn't do. But 10 This current Emma is looking at but I think you need uncertain and you talk about rewards and gifts as well. And it's like, we need what are we working for? If you are just reinvesting and putting away for a rainy day and not getting to enjoy some of it now? And I would say that that is such an investment. And you wouldn't have you may have got to it, but I know that you came up with this course creative thing that year. So people have come to that, which has exponentially increased your income to that.

15: 57

15: Had you taken that?

15: 59

15: Had you not taken that year? Yeah, I mean, no one had been noise. But it's always I mean, I think so much creativity comes out of spaciousness as well. It's the one thing that I have to like, now remind myself to take more spaciousness, because I do get in the trap all the time in overworking because I love to work and go hang on, I need a break, I need to create some space in here. But it's really easy to do. But as an entrepreneur, you always have ideas, and it's not going to switch or flick off. And so it is an active rest for forced wrist before you collapse is it's like a practice, right. And it's never get to the point of feeling like we're going to collapse.

16: 43

16: That is the goal. I was there a lot in my last business. And I'm really try to be as weary of it as possible. So I have a lot of constraints around and discipline around what I'm allowed to do and what I'm not. And I was telling you just before we hit record, like I have a limit of how many weekly and monthly zooms I can be on and then it gets really hard to be able to go okay, you have to be really careful of what you say yes to and what you say no to. I heard this quote once from Winnie McCarthy. And she said, Every time you say yes to something, you're inadvertedly saying no to something else. So make sure that when you're saying yes, you're saying yes to the most highly powerful things for you in your life at the moment. And that's something that I think as, generally as women we do struggle with quite a lot. Because we want to say yes to everything and everyone all the time and then end up running ourselves ragged. Well, I had I had to have it on a post it in my office for a while and I bring it back if I sort of slip again. And it's say yes to your needs, say say no to their needs. So you can say yes to yours. Yeah. Like or I think James clear has a similar one. It's like, say them no, for the greater Yes, or some other one. But it's it is that thing, no. And I really, I marked us up full disclosure, it's now a test. It's gonna give me a testimonial and a case study or not testimony a case study in my book about how I stuffed up times being in Bosnia when you and I were meant to record and I was like, Tina's so likely that that's a perfect example of that, because I felt bad you like I'll jump on again now. But it was like, that slot was then gone. And I was on to the next thing. And I was at capacity, I would have had to change my allocated time. And I actually took it and was like, This is my time. I can then meet you. I think in I think we said April and I think that was in like November, right? Yeah, it was October but I was. I was like, my bad. I was like, if she doesn't, if she says no, and she's ever coming back. Like, that's on me. But I'm like, I want to do it. But I won't break my rule, either. And I respected that because I know for so many years, I did. I've spent and flex

18: 51

18: have to see role modeled. And I ended I don't love routine and structure. But then it's like, it's the irony of that, like, the more structure and system and process you have no you love systems. Yes. The more freedom Yes. Yeah, like don't stop me. Yeah, I am obsessed with systems. Yes, I do very much believe I love freedom. And so I think the only way that I have been able to figure out how to maintain and how to get more freedom in my life is to have more structure, so that everything can get done and you have so much less like brain, you know, noisiness in have I done this? Have I done that? Have I got enough time for this and the angst that we get in when we're in a hurry and we're like, I don't have enough time. I don't have enough energy. Like I don't want that in my life. I want as much freedom and calm as possible. Which means there needs to be a whole lot of structure and rules and routines in place. Yeah. And look, you've managed to then tape the travel. Like, you know, it wasn't just that one year because that's something that I see people doing this so they have this one year or that gap year or they have that one holiday year and

20: 00

20: That's it. Oh, new units. I love seeing how you go.

20: 05

20: The travel like your own travel but then you've had the fun and Denise Duffield Thomas was actually talking about it with you when you've got the soma house isn't so much. Yeah, yeah. So like how you're just kind of having fun. I mean, they might you can tell that story about creating ways that you want to do travel. And you're like, Come on everybody.

20: 26

20: Yeah, I mean, that was so so my was, I saw this house on nine Perfect Strangers, the TV show. And I was like, Oh, I like that house, I want to stay in that house. And then when COVID Like opened up, it was literally three weeks after that I made it, I called some friends and was like, Hey, we can get 10 people here, I was able to rent it. I think you could only rent it for seven days. And I was like, no one really wants to go away from their families for seven days is a long time kind of thing. And especially after COVID, when everyone had been alone on like seven days is pretty intense. So I have done it. And when I'll do four days with friends and three days with clients opened up to different retreats, and went okay, we'll do we'll do that one. So I got 10 friends to come in and then sent it to like my top clients, I went Do you want to come here and everyone was like, it's the quickest thing. So retreats, I run all the time. And usually they take a couple months to sell out. It sold, I sent the email and four minutes later, it was sold. So I was like, Okay, everyone really wanted to go to that one. Like, I shouldn't frosted a bit higher.

21: 30

21: But that's how that came about. And I love that probably the craziest one I have done. Again, this is a recurring theme of seeing TV houses. I saw this house that was in Hawaii and was like, What a dream to be able to stay here. Like I want to be able to do that. I've never stayed in like a Bougie Hawaii house before. I'd only ever been to Hawaii once and we stayed in a backpack is so I was like I want to be able to like experience that. So minimum was 30 day rental. And so I looked that up and I'm like, Oh, well, I can't do that. And then it like played on my mind. And then I was at my son's basketball game. And I was sitting there with my notebook on the sidelines. I'm like, if it was possible, like what would I do to be able to make that happen? And so I was like, Okay, we could do this, we could do this. So I ended up having again, we did one week of like business friends came, one week of my clients came. And then I did one week of a launch. And then the last week my family came over. And so it was just like this month of crazy heavy it almost like it was too over the top. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would because it felt it felt very weird and just too over the top.

22: 40

22: But it's fun, you know, being able to go like I want to do something how can we make that happen? And now my most regular is Palm Springs. I'm obsessed like low level obsessed with Palm Springs low level, low level painting behind you have it like

22: 56

22: this, Emily, oh, my trinkets from there as well. I just love it. To me. It's like The Stepford Wives. It's just like a happy place that is fake. It's just in all the right ways. You walk down the street, and everyone's like, how Ma'am, how you going today, you look fabulous. You're so gorgeous. And I'm just like, Thank you, you too. Anyway, I just love it there. And so we do our retreat there every year purely so I can go and hang out in Palm Springs with some of my favorite people.

23: 25

23: I lovely, I truly believe it's your time to shine. To build your business, you need to know the right steps to take at the right time. And I know it can feel so overwhelming trying to figure out what to do next, when there's so many things to do. That's why off I offer the Hour of Power. It's one hour where we get clear actions that you can take start building your business today. You can use this session to get advice for the content, build strategies or work through mindset books, we could simply talk about what you want to do next, what you want to attract into your life, and how you could actually bring more travel and enjoyment into your life. It's whatever you need, this is your time. And I'm here to back you every step of the way. So let's hit you up to massive success. Check it out the Hour of Power, you can find it on my website, Emma lovell.au forward slash work with me. Check out the show notes. And if you're interested at all, please do contact me. You can also get me at Mr. Emma lovell.au. Now back to the episode.

24: 27

24: But I love that permission you're giving and I love that view of it. It's just like, I want to do it. So why don't I just make it possible that yes, monetize it, but also make it possible for other people and like some of those places. You know, I watched the show too. And next thing I saw you went there I was like, I know what you did.

24: 48

24: Why not? And it is a bit crazy. But even then, some of these retreat venues you go oh, I wish I could stay there Dadar but I can't just go there with my family. And it's like, Well, why don't I get four families and we'll go

25: 01

25: Yeah, nothing Denise talks about it's like, a lot of things are Bible experiences. And yeah, it's just yeah, maybe solo. And just looking at it for your family. Yeah, I might be a bit cray cray. But yeah, if you can make it a business, not a tax deduction, which is a real real shame.

25: 18

25: That's a bummer. But you know, like, but then you know, you also run your business from anywhere. So I've seen you launch in Hawaii launch in Mexico. Yeah, I love destination launches. So I, I love that, you know, yeah, I did Hawaii, then I did, Mexico. We did.

25: 36

25: Yeah, I did. St. Lucia last year, which was amazing. And now I'm trying to decide. So at the end of the year, we're going to Africa. So we're going to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. And then I fund, I have a charity Kokua foundation that we started and fund a heap of scholarships for girls over there. And so we're going to visit them and then like, do you want to launch there? Or should I come home and launch? That's when I'm, or do we launch house? Again, that's my current grappling, that I am doing pre launch launching, like, kind of like, I'm a celebrity slash launch house slash lions in? I don't know, I don't know, the, like, every time I have a destination legit has a vibe, you know, it has a different vibe with it. And you've got to be careful about the vibe. So yeah, I don't know what I'll do yet. But I'm very excited about going to Africa, whether we'd launched there or not. I just what I see though, when I'm seeing you do that is, one you're showing what's possible, and that thinking outside the box, but to you're having fun, and I know that launch, I've done it can be stressful. So why would I do it? Like in my same house? Like if you've got the things set up? I know, you take quite a bit of gear like, you know, like, I do. Yeah, stuff. But a lot of the time, I mean, I just do things from a laptop. So it's like, why can't I just take my laptop? And do it? Yeah, that's one of the best things about it. Yeah. I mean, launches. Like I think launch is very energetic based. When you're performing. Especially, I am very high on the introvert scale, which surprises a lot of people because I get very excited about what I'm teaching and what I'm doing. So people are really surprised. And they're like, really, are you. But yes, I test constantly over 80% on the introvert scale, I'm not lying. Oh. So the way that I like to deal with launch, it's one of the reasons I love online business is that you can do like two weeks a year of face fronting loud marketing everywhere, and then straight back into turtle mode, and just do nothing but serve and love up your customers. Like, to me, it's just the most beautiful business model. But for a lot of people launch is very stressful. And it is stressful in the sense of it's very high stakes. You screw it up, you don't get to do it again for months. And so it is high stakes in that way. But it's also while like traveling with it is going I do meticulous planning and scheduling beforehand, which is unsurprising based on what I've said so far. But it's then like we launch. We're recording this on Tuesday, we open doors next Wednesday for seven days away. And last week was when I finished the final thing, everything is scheduled. Everything is like done. It's all there. So now all that's left for me to do is just connect with people show up answer questions connect, and in a way, put on a really good show, because it is like that entertainment value so that people can find you. And then you can teach them after that. But you've got to make it exciting so that people know you exist in the first place. And I find the combination of of travel or something that's happening at the same time, rather than just like, I'm here in my office, which you see me in every day. And it's like, Hey, I'm going live. It's like no one cares.

28: 56

28: Yeah, but you're making fun and that, like you said, it's your energy's good, then you're like that's going to attract people in you're more relaxed. And I don't know, it could just be so much more back into the well, I've got to work so I've got to be in my office as opposed to I am working, like doing you know, for us doing a podcast is working, going to a networking event is working. Having a job. It's it's a pretty good job.

29: 25

29: We made it fun. And there's times where I think like I even thought with the podcast, am I spending too much time on it? And then I was like, actually, I'm gonna like double or triple down on it because it's what I love. Yeah, it's what comes easily and effortlessly. So why don't I just put more into that and do less of the things that I don't want to do? Or don't don't come as easily Why is why can't the podcast be the main vehicle for leads the drain money? That is a really smart strategic decision. So stat for you. 62% of our members that have joined us in her Empire Builder have listened to the podcast.

30: 00

30: For over a year, yeah, beforehand, like, to me, that's just podcasting is the greatest thing. It's a way to connect with people that, you know, you don't have to talk to everybody one on one. And you get to connect with all of these people I'll have people sometimes talking about so if anyone doesn't have a podcast, this is your like PSA started now.

30: 20

30: Because a lot of it like the average in Australia is 107 downloads a week, which a lot of people like is it really worth it for that? You imagine, like three classrooms of people every week tuning in to listen to what you've got to say is just remarkable. But depends on what you're selling as well. Because like I said, I've had like, you know, that I can count that I can people have told me specifically, or have said, I listened to that podcast, I came into this I've had, yeah, you guessed two grand through somebody coming into my program, three grand joining my retreat three grand, like, at 8000 that I know of? Because I've specifically told me that's not what I don't do.

31: 01

31: Much more than that. Yeah. And you know, that time investment or even if there's a, I do have an editor, if there's a component of payment, it's like, well, that is a good spend. Because yeah, I have huge downloads. I think sometimes mine are getting like 50 But like, I'm getting $3,000 sales with only 50 listened to see people that are listening. Hello, you beautiful 50 humans.

31: 25

31: Listen, well, you know, they'll, they'll come in droves for tuna tower. So

31: 30

31: the highest listening, let's hope so. Yes. But yeah, I love that finding the way that you love it. I will just say on it. Do not. Do not launch your pot, your podcast at the same time you're doing your first course launch. You did? Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's a lot of noise at once. Yeah, you want to give them their own platform? Well, it's also like, my poor, I nearly broke my VA.

31: 56

31: You know, so yeah, but just don't break your team or your business or your cells. And maybe those are like, even you know, we're going into launch now, like I said, and I was told we had a team meeting this morning. And it's like two of our team. It's their first launch that they've done. And it's like, everything's organized. Like they're all over it. Like there's no drama and but it's just because it's their first and their level of unknown. Like, it's so stressful for them. They feel so stressed and so much pressure. I'm like, you're all good. Like you're fine, relax, we're good. But I do think that that's the thing that we sometimes forget as the entrepreneur and the business that other people are carrying that load as well. And we need to be to be sparkles and colorful.

32: 40

32: Someone has to like, yeah, do the back end. You know, like the back end is done. Just enjoy the ride. Come on, guys. It's good.

32: 51

32: I'm going to ask you this. I said I forget it. It's the whole one. I have one job here one job. What does living alive you love look like now? Hmm, that's a really good question. I wish I had thought of more articulate answer.

33: 09

33: Beforehand, I could have like, worked something out. That was really profound. So I should have asked you what the questions were earlier.

33: 17

33: But for me, I think so I have a very different definition of success than I used to. For me now it's really going like waking up in the morning and looking forward to my day is if I wake up on 80% of days, and I'm really happy about what I have on a day to day basis, then that's success to me.

33: 39

33: I think it's really easy. Someone was saying the other day, one of my most hated quotes is Money doesn't buy happiness. I'm like you've never been broke. And because life is so much easier when you have money. And now that I have like my financial future secured, it's about very different priorities for me, but I don't think for a second, I wouldn't. I don't think I would feel this way if I was still on that hustle train. And I know a lot of people can get off that hustle train earlier. But for me, I have a number in mind that I'm like, I need to reach this amount so that I can invest and live like this for this standard of quality for the rest of my life in perpetuity. Once I get there, I'm safe. And for a lot of people, they get there and their number rises and rises and rises. But I was very, this is what I need. This is what I need. This is how I need it. And now I really get to work on things that make me happy and get to do work with good people that I really enjoy being around. I get to create events with people like we've got our conference next week. I'm like this some of my favorite people. They say you don't make friends with your clients. So many of my clients are my genuine friends. I just had my 40th birthday party. Half of them were clients. Like I love you. So those boundaries are blurred. But I like that I get to

35: 00

35: work with people that I really enjoy being around. I love being around the kids. I can't believe they're going to leave soon. It breaks my heart. So this year I have stopped. I said no to I was in three masterminds last year. I'm only in one this year, because I don't want to travel very much. I just want to be here for the kids and do that some very long answer.

35: 22

35: Great answer. It's a great.

35: 26

35: I really enjoy what you share about the boys. And it's so aspirational for me, because I have a three year old and, you know, I gotta hurt you in that answer is saying so many shoulds and so many rules, and so many, you can't do this. And you can't do that. And I think you and I are similar in that. Like, sorry, you can't, like watch me. Like, yeah, it's like, there's a you know, business doesn't have to look one way. And I know where I've fallen over is I went one and the other I went trying to figure it all out myself and reinvent the wheel to then try and do business like everybody else. And what's so nice is when you find what you find fun and what you enjoy. And I love seeing that your boys you bring them in for the journey and your son came to you with a proposal? Yes. Because future and

36: 17

36: he's obviously you've role modeled that, and I saw your son's speech. Would

36: 23

36: you like

36: 26

36: to leave, but I think that they're probably going to mean Yeah, if I were your kids, I'd be like, I'm coming. Mom, where are we going? Yeah, I hope so. I mean, I did say because we go away for a month at the end of every year, mid December to mid January. And we booked this year's trip now. And I was going like, is this going to be our last one like are they and my oldest son cheekily said to me, Hey, as long as you're paying, I'll come with you every year for the rest of my life. I'm like, dun, dun, it's in the bag. You can bring your girlfriends you can bring your wives, your kids, whoever, you know, it's the biggest house. It's a big, my dad's 36. If dad's paying, I organize he pays. That's the deal. Yeah, I'm like, That sounds amazing to me. If we can do that, I will be very, very happy. Maybe not for a month, but for a couple of weeks every year on a big extended family holiday would be a dream absolutely come true. So I'll definitely be going for that one. I love it. And yeah, I think you're such a role model for joy. And for fun, and for doing things your way. And I just really appreciate your transparency in the business and the life stuff. Because so long it's been separated and like this whole friends clients think it's possible. Yeah, business is personal. Like, it's another saying I hate. But I will like I just want to mention chapters too, because you're you have the three year old and a lot of people have the different chapters going on. And it's impossible to not compare our lives to different people. And I very much live my life in chapters like my 20s I was broke like my it took me a long time to get this business game, right. The first seven years, I think our top earning, I earned 32,000 In the year for that seven years. Like it was just, it took me a while I was a slow learner with it, and then we hit it. And it's been really, really good since then. But it took me a long time to hit that. But then when I had little kids, I had a seven day a week educational toy store and doing that. And then I fell pregnant when I was when my son was eight months old, I fell pregnant with the second one. I was like, Oh, this is not how I want to live. And so a lot of people will ask me like, how do you do it with kids? My kids are old now. Like, they don't need me how they needed me then I barely worked. When I had toddlers I worked for like three hours a day, maybe like it was if I was getting the option to go to the park or play Lego or do something with them. I was taking that 100% of the time, like there was there was a very different stage. And then when they went to school, I was like, Okay, now I've got a little bit more time, I'm going to do this. And then when my husband stopped work and stayed at home with the kids, I was like, Alright, now I'm the worker, like, let's go. And now this year, and probably next year, I have a lot less. Like I have no financial revenue growth goals in the business. All they want is time I want as much white space as I can get while maintaining the level of excellence that we have inside our company. And then in two years, my kids will be left home.

39: 31

39: And then I'm like, I'm mid 40s. Like I got plenty of time to then work my tushy off if I want to. Or we may go live on the coast of Spain for six months, like who knows, but those options are there. And I think that it's really important to recognize the chapter that you're in and know that you won't be in it for very long. And so if like I I do not regret the lack of money that I earn when my kids were young, because now we have

40: 00

40: The most beautiful relationship that I think is there, because I was so there with them. And we've done everything together.

40: 08

40: And there's time for it all, like life is both very short and very long. We have the time. Yes, I love that and for honoring that those seasons and those chapters, and it's so kind of you to say, because yeah, adding to my don't launch a course and a podcast at the time. Maybe don't do it when you have an eight month old as well, like Office.

40: 30

40: And then when I held my first retreat, within the first year of going back to work, I was having my son and table like, after I finished that retreat, I was like, Oh, I'm kind of hearing what people were saying about that I was doing a lot. But it just, it was like, it was that whole, like, I'm going to burn my business to the ground, and thankfully hadn't my business buddies who were like, oh, let's Yeah, like your burn it to the ground, let's just like put it on this, like, you know, instead of going 100 kilometers an hour down the freeway, let's just cruise it like 40 in a school zone for a little bit. Like, you can just take your foot off the gas, I think we're so tempted. And a lot of it is comparison in looking like it feels like if I don't do this, someone's going to overtake me, and then that's going to mean that I fall behind, or I have less, but it's, it doesn't work like that, like you're, you may get overtaken by different people. But you may come up around the edge later, if you want to. Like it's all you always running your own race. And I think it's so important to go under what is right for you at that time, which has the total, like independence to change. Always. There's like, someone said to me the other day ago, like people fundamentally don't change. I go, I am wildly different from the woman that I was five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, my husband and I, we have our 20th anniversary next year, and we're gonna get remarried again. And we were talking about it and I'm going like, we would not have imagined that we were the humans that we are now it is nothing but luck that our marriage has gone the way it has. Because I'm like, there is no you can't see that future. You just hope that every time you evolve and change that you fall in love with the same person, the newer version of them. And we're just really lucky we really like each other and how we've evolved into for each of those different stages. But I was going like, we have such a different life. If we 10 years ago had seen us we'd be like, What the fuck, like, that's a bad thing. Oh, my God, like, we wouldn't have believed that it was even possible. And so your present never has to dictate what's going to happen in your future.

42: 39

42: I would just say that. You said luck there. But I have I know you do the work. You do the work on the business, you do the work in your family, you do the work in your life. So you have absolutely major Fortune. And it's a pleasure to witness and as I said it's it's really aspirational and really find how honest you are.

43: 04

43: For everyone watching on and listening on. Yeah, yeah, there's been very many ups and downs, the many, many tears cried along the way.

43: 14

43: I'm going to let you have your beautiful day back and I know that I've fortunately asked you to do something else. So we I will get to speak to you again, which is wonderful. You're giving me another hour slot. So I'm very excited for that.

43: 28

43: Please tell us how we can find you and I mean, I don't I don't know think we won't want I don't know let's see if we can make this happen. Might be able to get it out and launch week. I can put it that way. Yeah.

43: 41

43: Yeah, it should be nice and easy to find her Empire builder.com is my website can find me on Instagram at her Empire Builder or Tina underscore tower either too. Perfect. And she will be Yeah, you can always find her you know she's She is there. Rainbow. Yes, except a week or two after launch week. And then I go troll mode into my cave.

44: 05

44: Thank you for your time. And thank you for

44: 10

44: your thank you for being you. Thanks for this.

44: 14

44: Thank you for listening lovely one. I hope this has inspired you to dream big and start creating a life you love today. If you love what you're hearing, don't forget to follow and rate on Spotify and rate review and subscribe on iTunes. It helps other awesome people to find this podcast and get motivated and inspired as well. Want to stay connected. Come and join the live a life you love group on Facebook or connect with me on Instagram. Emma lovell.au, the same as my website. But all the details are in the show notes lovely. I'll see you next episode for more inspiration, motivation and freedom seeking Now go out there and live a life you love