Health and business working in harmony for success - Niri Patel - Fit20

Speaker A: Welcome to the Disenfranchised, helping you to find a career path away from employment by exploring the franchise community. My name is Ed Pinell and I'll be speaking with the entrepreneurs, experts and leaders from across the franchise community, discovering their life stories and hearing their tips for success away from the typical 9 to 5 grind. On this episode, I'm speaking with Niri Patel, the UK master franchisee for the health and fitness brand Florida Fit20. Neary himself is an accomplished international speaker, trainer, entrepreneur and contributing author to the New York Times best seller Masters of Success. He has also had a varied career, starting out as an actuarial and more recently as the franchisor for BNI in India and as a franchisee for BNI based in Yorkshire, uk. In this chat I'm hoping to find out how and why nearly changed careers after starting, uh, in such a well paid career in London. I'm also a bit curious to find out what Fit20 is all about. Is it just a 20 minute run on a treadmill or is there something more to it? Whatever the answer, we're about to find out in this interview with Niri Patel, the master franchisee for fit 20. I hope you enjoy it and I'll catch you on the other side. So, Niri Patel, welcome to the Disenfranchised. How are you doing today?

Speaker B: I doing great, Ed. Uh, thank you for having me on your podcast.

Speaker A: Good. Well, I'm very happy to have you here and um, I've seen the brand around quite a bit in the franchising industry and kind, um, of curious around what makes you different from other brands in the fitness space. So, uh, looking forward to get, getting sort of stuck into that. But we've had a brief chat beforehand and I know you've got a really interesting um, career story and life that ah, I want to share. So, uh, we're going to go through that as well. But before we do, I would just like I do with everybody else, I'd love to know what was your first job?

Speaker B: My first job part time was working in a jewelry store as a sales assistant. Um, I was terrible at it because I was an awkward shy teenager. Those of you that know London, it was, I don't know if it's still there now, but it was at Finchley Road Station on the Met line.

Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. And was this one of the, the big brands or is this a small independent?

Speaker B: It was a small independent. Um, the owner was more interested in gambling so I would be left there trying to sell stuff. Never managed it because I Was awful at it. As I say, it was off, um, at the bookies.

Speaker A: Oh, nice. Okay. And, um, I mean, there must be some trust there from him, right? Or doesn't care, one or the other.

Speaker B: But either that, uh, I think he was. His trust was not misplaced in me. Um, but either that or he preferred gambling to selling his jewelry and watches.

Speaker A: But when I think about it, you know, you own a jewelry store. There's. There's a fair bit amount of money in stock on, in the shop. Right. Um, uh, you know, asset value to trust that to. How old were you at the time? 17, 18 maybe? I'm guessing.

Speaker B: Oh, I would have been 14 or 15.

Speaker A: Wow. To trust that somebody at that young age. It seems crazy to me. Um, I don't expect too many people are doing it nowadays, are they?

Speaker B: No, I mean, don't get me wrong, you know, it wasn't, um, high end.

Speaker A: Yeah, but still.

Speaker B: But, um, it was all nine carat plated stuff. Stuff. Yeah, you're right. I think, uh, there must have been a fair bit of inventory there, huh? Yeah, there, obviously.

Speaker A: Interesting. So at, at this point, did, did young Neary know what he wanted to do with his career? Obviously you said you was fairly nervous sort of working there, but, uh, did you have your eyes set on another type of career?

Speaker B: Yeah, I think I was very clear. I did not want to work in retail jewelry after that experience, don't get me wrong, he was a lovely man and his wife, um, that ran that. That, you know, I just felt so awkward and all out to see. I, I just knew it wasn't going to be for me. Um, and it was only really until after I graduated university that I thought, yeah, okay, I'm gonna go and work in the city. Because that's what everyone was doing at the tail end of the 80s. Yeah. Um, and I was really just following the crowd. It wasn't as if I'd had an epiphany to say, oh, this is what I'm gonna do. I just followed along. Uh, and even then, I wasn't really clear what I wanted to do, Ed. But when I got into my first job, within a few weeks, I started to have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach on a Sunday night. And it was the Sunday night blues. Um, you know, we get the Monday morning blues. I used to get this Sunday night, please. Uh, and then I had an hour's commute into work packed in like a sardine on the tube in London. And then an hour commute home whenever that was in the, uh, late or early evening and through the day all I could think was, you know, when does this end? So I knew at that stage something shifted in me that told me I, I don't want to be on this, um, trajectory for the rest of my life. You know, what looked like 40 hours a week for 40 years of my life, um, to get a pension and well, hopefully make it to a pension. But I was, I was thoroughly miserable and unfulfilled. And I started thinking then that maybe, maybe, maybe if I could just come up with some sort of idea of some sort of business, I could work for myself and be more in control of my working hours, lifestyle, hopefully make a bit of money, you know. And that's when the seed of, uh, self employment, stroke, entrepreneurship started to really germinate in my mind.

Speaker A: Fantastic. I want to come back to that in a moment, M. Because I want to understand what you said. You kind of followed the crowd. Um, so what, what were you doing at uni and um, what were the crowd doing that kind of. And what was it attractive about where the crowd was going that kind of made you want to, to follow them? Because I'm assuming maybe it's money or something like this, or maybe it's just the scene, you know, what, what was uh, kind of going through your mind at that point, going between uni and your, you know, working in the city?

Speaker B: Yeah, so what, what I was doing at uni and what I was supposed to be doing were two different things. I got a degree but not an education. Um, I was studying for an honors degree in civil engineering at Bristol, you know, a very prestigious course, managed to get through that and pass. And then, um, my flatmate at the time was um, studying mathematics and he'd always said he was going to be an actuary. Now I'd never heard of one of these things. I thought it was something to do with birds or something. But actually, you know, an actuary is somebody who works in the city in finance and um, is very, very brainy and very well paid. It's a really tough qualification to get. So it appealed to my sense of ego, I guess. Uh, he said he was going to do that and um, I said, well, you know, I don't have a maths degree, so I couldn't possibly do that. Could I said, well, you just need a numerator degree. Okay, and were in. So I applied for three jobs and got three offers. I was obviously very good at interviewing. Um, but then when the reality of the job, um, actually kicked in, I just Thought this is not my thing.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Uh, but to answer your question about what were the crowd doing? I guess most people were on what, um, I don't know if they still call it this, giving my age away now, but, um, they were called the Mill Crowns, where big employers, um, the big corporations would come to university and put on events and tell you why you should go work for them and how, um, working with them would set you up for life and your career and all that sort of thing. So it was, it was really. When my, uh, flatmate, um, said that he wanted to be an actuary, I thought, well, okay, we'll do that. And I filled out my applications and I was surprised to get these three interviews. And then I was equally surprised to get these three offers. So that's what I did. You know, I wanted to be well paid. It was the money that drew me to it. And I thought that having a ton of money would, would, would be what it's all about. Yeah, it wasn't.

Speaker A: So it was. Was it the, um, the work? Was it the hours? What was it? Those kind of giving you the Sunday blues?

Speaker B: Um, I think I'd gone into something that I didn't really know I was going into.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: In short, but also the type of work, you know, I was, I was reasonable at it. But if your heart's not in something, you can't excel at it. And if you can, you can't sustain excelling. So I, I went on a journey for a, uh, small number of years trying to find what I felt was my calling. If you like, you know, something that I could do that was work but didn't feel like work and I would happily do for hours, um, even if I didn't get paid. And obviously if I could get paid, then that's a bonus.

Speaker A: Okay, so that's, that's what you decided to do. Kind of to try and break out of that. So follow the passion rather than the, the money, so to speak. Um, what sort of things were you looking at then? What did, what were your passions at the time?

Speaker B: Um, so I was, I was reasonably sporty at the time, having not been sporty at a younger age. Um, to be fair, I was open, um, to most things because honestly, I had no clue what I would do. I, I remember I used to buy the Financial Times, um, every day that it was available and I would read through it in the hope that. So, So I had this bit of insight, rightly or wrongly, that whatever starts in the States makes its way. And this is going back to the 80s and 90s makes its way to the UK in five or 10 years. I think it happens a lot more quickly now. So I would read through and see, well, what are they reporting on? Because we didn't have the Internet back then and if we did, I didn't know about it. And I would read through and think, well, what are the trends? And I saw things like McDonald's and KFC and food franchises were coming, but that wasn't something that struck well with me.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Um, and I would look at things and uh, actually the first business I went into was window cleaning with an old school friend.

Speaker A: Okay, cool.

Speaker B: And my market research was he looked really happy when he, whenever I saw him. And he would start at 7 or 8 in the morning and by 1 or 2 he would be done. I thought, that's my kind of hours. Yeah, we started with that. It lasted about five months. Um, he had a bit of an addiction to drugs.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: And he would always be willing to go and collect the money while I sat in the van and I thought, oh, that's nice, it's raining outside. You go do that. But of course it was because he was pocketing some of the cash. So that was my uh, first business venture that ended very quickly.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's, that's a shame. But um, it's interesting. I think some of the services, the service industries, um, people forget about as an entrepreneurial opportunity, don't they? I know. Kind of when I was thinking what can I do next? At one point in my career, I kind of never thought about it. Even though I started off my early career doing kind of a service based role. Um, and actually I look at some of the franchises around now and there's so many people that have left the corporate world to go into just being outdoors and, and meeting people face to face and, and there's something really nice about that interaction, I think, isn't there? Um, I don't know if you felt the same, you know, the, with the customer providing a good service, them being happy and getting paid for that.

Speaker B: Um, yes and no. Because it involved knocking on doors to say, do you want your windows de?

Speaker A: Oh, yeah. There's always a downside, isn't there?

Speaker B: And I wasn't as shy and as awkward, but I'm still a bit shy and it's still, still a bit awkward and still a bit introvert.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's fair enough. And I guess that's a real big change from kind of that corporate world where you're, you're kind of fed the work, Aren't you, really? Rather than knocking on doors, so to speak, Anyway.

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, so where did you, I mean, did that dampen your kind of, um, spirits in terms of being an entrepreneur and setting up your own business, or did you sort of plow on from there?

Speaker B: Yeah, momentarily, Absolutely did. You know, it took me from being there to straight back down. But, you know, I licked my wounds and reassessed, um, and I couldn't think what I would do next, having had my first business failure. Yeah. But I learned some things as I reflected on in hindsight, and I actually went to work back in the city again because I'd been, you know, it was a good number of months that I wasn't earning and I thought, right, I need to go do something, so let's go do that. So I went to work in the city, still hating it, but a little bit less. And all the time I had, you know, um, I was at work, but my mind wasn't on the work. My heart definitely was not there. I was always looking over my shoulder for an opportunity. And it was around this time that through a period of recurring ill health, that I was, um, sat at home in bed reading a book. And it was all about health and wellness. And, um, I thought, wow, this is amazing. So it could be that my symptoms are related to my diet and my lifestyle.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: And I implemented things that I'd read in this book. It wasn't a book on nutrition. It was a book on success by a chap called Tony Robbins.

Speaker A: Uh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker B: It was a book called Unlimited Power. And it was, I think, the seventh or the eighth chapter. And it was called Physiology the Avenue of Excellence. The. That was the title of the chapter. Uh, 13 or 14 pages. I read it and I thought, this just makes sense. I'm going to try this. And within four weeks, I had more energy. I wasn't feeling poorly, lost, um, a bit of extra weight. Some of my eczema cleared up. And people started saying, hey, ne used to be so miserable and down, what's happened to you? So I would evangelize about these things that I was doing. It was essentially a vegan type lifestyle, which back then was considered very, very weird.

Speaker A: Yeah, I can imagine.

Speaker B: And, uh, yeah. And people that started doing the same thing got similar benefits and results. And I thought, you know what, this could be the thing. But I didn't know how to monetize it or turn it into a business. And what was eventually, um, starting to happen is people were starting to word of mouth. What I was teaching them and then somebody's arm would phone me up and I was getting calls at work and I thought, this isn't good. You know, whilst I'm happy to have some money, it's not a good way to carry on. Um, maybe I should just quit the day job and start consulting. And that's what I started doing. I started teaching people what I'd learned.

Speaker A: Wow, that's really interesting because I mean you're taking knowledge from, from elsewhere and I guess putting it into a format that is more palatable for individuals so they could go out there and read that book. Right. But coming from you and, and explaining first your first hand experiences of that, probably, um, it's probably very similar to what I'm thinking into your world nowadays. Like a personal trainer does that. Right. In m. In many ways they take the practices of somebody else and then puts it into a format that is digestible to the everyday person, so to speak. Um, absolutely.

Speaker B: And also one of the things I've recognized now with the benefit of hindsight is I've always loved to figure out a problem or something I didn't understand. Like at school, um, my father, when he was working, always taught secondary, uh, level, um, sciences. So education was a really important value for us, uh, as a family. Um, and therefore I had this pressure that I had to do well at school. So if I didn't understand something, I was, oh God, I've got to figure this out. You know, whether my dad would have approved or not. For me not understanding it is a different issue. But in my own mind I'd built up this thing that I've got to figure this out. So I've always had this kind of drive to figure it out. And in figuring it out, very often simplifying and making the idea more understandable or more easily understandable, um, so that would always give me a buzz when I helped somebody else in my class or my school to figure something out. It didn't happen very often, but when it did, it was like one of these this is what it's about moments. And I think with having read that book and applying it myself, I was able to look at, okay, I get the theory of it, but how do you actually apply it and what are the potential pitfalls that I could help you or whoever it was overcome this in a more simple way that becomes more sustainable. And of course if you do something, you're more likely to get the result than if you just read about it.

Speaker A: Yeah, totally. No, it's really interesting. Um, and I'd like to take that kind of approach and logic and put it back to you and say what, what would you tell yourself when you were younger? Thinking I don't know what to do next. How would you kind of now having that experience of, of being an entrepreneur and, and kind of providing solutions to people. How would you solve that problem for, uh, younger Neary and for many other people that listen to this? Of course, you know, I've been there myself. I've gotten, I don't know what I want to do. I ended up putting up marquees. Right. Because it was the easiest thing to do available to me at that time. So, um, yeah. Be interesting to hear what, how you solve that problem.

Speaker B: Well, it's a, it's a million dollar question. And you know, I've got a 20 year old and a 15 year old that we're sort of working through this in, in real time. Um, but I, I think, you know, at the time it didn't feel good. And a lot of it was to do with the pressure you put on yourself because you're thinking people are going to judge you or think a certain way, usually less of you if you haven't got your path mapped out. So, you know, oh, uh, I'm going to be an aeronautical engineer. I'm going to become an actuary or whatever it is. But it's not really the answer. You think you know, but you don't know. And, and I guess the advice I would give is it's okay to not know as long as you're looking and keep looking and look at the things that interest you and that you love and look at the things that you hate. And that polarity will help you figure out what you definitely shouldn't go and do. And it will draw you closer to what you should do and figuring out what the job is. Once you know what you love, you start looking at that, you dive into it. I think it comes to you eventually.

Speaker A: It's um, I think you're bang on by the way, with that advice. But it sometimes sounds really fluffy, doesn't it? You know, just find out what you like doing and go and do that. Right. But I've done it myself firsthand. I actually sat down and wrote down everything so I could see it clear as day. Um, right. I'm good at, you know, uh, the beginning of a project and I'm, I enjoy kind of the excitement of coming up with ideas. Uh, creative. But I hate repetitiveness and xyz and I was sort of sitting there going well what, what does that sound like? What role does that fit? And I think actually in today's world we're quite lucky. We have things like Chat GPT that can almost. You could type in those things and say what would be a good job for me and give me a list of opportunities and then you can kind of sift through and, and like you say, it's all about going out there and looking. It, it took me um, well to where I am now. I guess it would have taken me 16, 17 years to get into the industry I liked um, because I was enjoying the work that I was doing at the time. But each time I tried to change career it took. It took 18 months to two years to do. But you're right, I didn't give up. I just kept on going and going and going until I found that opportunity. And yeah, you can get there in the end, can't you? And um, it's com. Those two combination of things I think is it's really important. So I'm totally on board with, with you on that one.

Speaker B: Yeah. And if I could just add something to that as well. Ed. Um, I think it's a lot to do with mindset. So if I was, and I didn't recognize it at the time but by luck or default or whatever, I had this mindset which was always going to be looking uh. And I think if I was to give any advice to my younger self is, is nurture that attitude and that mindset to, to look for those things, to have that faith, to have that self belief. I know it sounds cliched but, but actually work on that and work on yourself more than a job. And especially you mentioned chat gbt. You know, I think the, the marketplace and the business and job landscape is evolving and changing so fast that what is defined as a job or a career today may not be a defined job or career in 5 years time it could be something completely different. And I think with that mindset and that attitude, if you look for the things that you love to do and can add value in, it doesn't matter what job you're actually in. I did a lot of different jobs that paid me reasonably well to keep me going so I could then eventually land at my passion, if I could call it that, rather than the job I was doing at the time and by finding those elements where I had some analytical skills because of my background and I hated it when I had to do it as a full time job. But when I was doing a consulting gig with someone and I Brought that. It was like, oh, you're clever. I was like oh, aren't I clever? So you know what, what you do at a time may not serve you then, but it serves you in future. And that mindset and attitude of always trying to find at least one thing in the day. So I have this thing, slight digression. But I uh, have this thing that I must do something in my work day that is scheduled in that I just love to do. So if it's chatting to someone, if that's your thing or if it's exercise or whatever. So then the workday always feels like there's a good aspect to it because there are elements when you're self employed or in a job of stuff that you just have to suck up that you don't love to do, but you must do it otherwise know the business doesn't do what it's supposed to do. Yeah, I think that that mindset helps a lot with um, helping you actually because I think if you're flourishing and thriving, people see that and you do a great job, not just a good enough job and then they start to sort of put you on those projects or tasks more and you eventually do carve out your own niche even if you're in a job. Um, and that allows you then to find what you true passion or calling

Speaker A: could be more easy I think just talking about what you want to do as well. People then find that link a lot easier, don't they? So if you hide away. I want to be on. I'm just thinking from my own perspective. I want to be on creative projects but I don't tell anyone I want to be on creative projects. Well, no one's a mind reader, are they? If you talk to your friend, you talk to your boss, you talk to anybody. Okay. You might not get it straight away but when the opportunity comes up, maybe then, then um, they know who to turn to. Right. To give that opportunity to. So um, yeah, always be looking but also um, yeah, don't be afraid to voice what you, what you want. Um, is that. There's that book, isn't it? Is it the Secret I read. I didn't, I didn't particularly enjoy it, but if you put it out into the world, it will happen is kind of the theory behind it. And um, yeah, I'm starting to kind of see that coming to fruition in, in only my own business. And while we're on the mindset piece, I also want to talk about something else that I realized as well in my, my career and that was, um, a big thing that. Ah. So I, ironically enough, I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw a post on there saying there are two types of people in this world. There are consumers, um, and there are creators. And the creators are the ones that are probably making more money than the consumers. The consumers are the ones that are spending money on the stuff that people have created. I mean, I kind of realized that I was like, what if I want to be this creative person, then I need to actually create something because then I need to get off my backside and actually go out there and do it. Um, so, yeah, mindset so important, I think, and, um, really, really interesting to hear your, your, Your views and opinions on it. But I'm conscious we should sort of progress on, in, in your career a little bit more. So you're doing some consulting work. Um, was that a, A business that was sustainable? Is that kind of what got you up into where you are now, or was there anything else in between?

Speaker B: Uh, no, it's absolutely what got me to where I am. There have been a number of stepping stones along the way. Um, and I started doing that. I started helping people, mainly around health issues and weight loss, um, etc. And then what I started to notice is that I was giving essentially the same body of information to people, and I was continually upgrading my own knowledge base. I spent a lot of time traveling to the States on all sorts of courses because that's where I knew people, um, that were sort of ahead of their field, uh, or ahead of their time in this field. And. But I just noticed that there was a difference where, you know, one person would get the information, another person would get the same information, this person would do it and this person wouldn't. And I thought, what is it that gets some people to implement and execute and get the result and others not to? So I started getting into the whole area of motivational psychology, um, and most of it initially through the Tony Robbins stuff, um, because it made sense, you know, this book he'd written that had been so instrumental and pivotal for me and my journey. Um, so I started getting into that and then, um, I found that more and more people were coming to me saying, oh, you know, I'm a bit depressed or a bit down, etc, and mental health wasn't, um, as well known or even the phrase itself. I don't know if it even existed at the time, but there were a lot of people who were depressed or some form of that. Yeah, um, without necessarily having the label. And I used all the stuff that I had learned to coach the people through, through that. And, uh, it ended up being literally about an hour once only. So as a business it wasn't good because there's no repeat business.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Um, but in terms of feeling really good and fulfilled and making a difference, it was phenomenal. And, um, I started to build up a bank of testimonials of people who'd been on all sorts of medication and things like that, obviously working with their doctor because I'm not qualified psychotherapist or medic or anything, um, came off medication and leading healthy, happy, normal lives even to this day, um, 25, 30 years on. So I started to use that to coach and consult with people, um, who were having some sort of block. Invariably the reason people do stuff is what's going on there or what isn't going on there. And the things that I was, um, privileged enough to learn, ah, through investing my own time and money for my own benefit as much as anyone else's, um, I was able to share and get paid for. And it was along, um, along that, uh, journey that I got invited to a BNI meeting. Business Network International.

Speaker A: Okay. Yeah.

Speaker B: One morning, funnily enough, I'd just come back from a Tony Robbins event in Hawaii and, uh, I landed to a pile of regular mail. We don't get so much now. It's just flyers and leaflets. And there was a handwritten envelope, um, in blue ink, um, inviting me to a bi meeting from somebody. In fact, we both know this individual, James.

Speaker A: Okay. Yeah.

Speaker B: I went along to the meeting and I, and I became a member halfway, um, through the meeting because I thought, this is fantastic. People are going to actually help me get word of mouth referral business. And um, the sort of work I do, it lends itself really well to that. And I started to grow business. So I did that for about two or three months and then I ended up moving to Yorkshire. Okay. Yeah. Because Catherine, uh, my now wife, we've met at a Tony Robbins event as well. We kept in touch on the phone and she'd invited me up to celebrate her birthday in July 1999. And I've been in Yorkshire celebrating her birthday ever since. We were going to build a future together. Few or three weeks into it, um, we stumbled across, you know, what are we going to do in terms of a job for you, Nuri? Because you can't keep going back to London every Thursday for your BNI meeting and consulting with your clients. We didn't have things like this back then to do videos. Yeah, of course um, so I ended up starting a BNI franchise in the area because the people that, uh, brought BNI to the uk, pretty much most of the rest of the world outside the US and Canada, were friends of mine, uh, Martin and Jilly Lawson. And, um, so I phoned them up and said, hey, you know, you've been after me to get involved in this thing as a franchisee. I'd like to come and talk. So that was on a Tuesday. The following Saturday, I was with them in London having a conversation. And, uh, that's how we got started.

Speaker A: Fantastic. Okay, so first of all, have you ever met Tony Robbins? Because it sounds like he's had a massive impact on your, on your, on your life.

Speaker B: Yeah, I've met him a couple of times. Um, he is literally a larger than life character giant. Yeah, uh, he's, um, he's a lovely, genuine person who really is on a mission to help people to, um, do better with the work he does.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, that's really cool. And it, and secondly, it sounds like, um, you, you were perhaps doing the same thing as him, making a big difference in people's lives, albeit perhaps on a smaller scale and understandably so. You, um, but that's really cool. And I can see how that's more enjoyable, more rewarding than the actuary stuff. Right. Because you're getting to see people face to face and you're getting to see how you're making a difference. So that's really cool. So did you continue to run the business alongside the BNI business? So at this point you've got two businesses, right?

Speaker B: Yeah, I did. That's right. Um, and I never really talked about my consulting stuff, uh, wellness consulting, um, in bni, because when I was at bni, I was there only for the people that were in the group. Didn't want any of this conflict of interest or confusion as to why I was there. Didn't want to have a secondary agenda. Um, but invariably people would ask, what else do you do? Is this all you do? You know, um, because the meetings were starting at 7 in the morning and finishing by half 8 or 9. So they said, so what do you do the rest of the day? I said, oh, there's plenty to do in the background. So this stuff. Um, so I, I would get clients. But eventually I, I reached a crossroads where, um, the franchise with BNI was growing. I had four territories and I'd also taken it to India, um, in 2004, that I had to make a choice. So I was passing if anyone did find their way to me for health or wellness consultation. Unless it was somebody where I thought, well, this is a really, really interesting, uh, situation. I'd love to, you know, test my skills on it and make sure I can help. I would then refer them on to somebody else that I knew and trusted that they would take care of them.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's, that's interesting. I mean, bni, in a, in a way is still helping people, isn't it? Helping them to connect, helping them develop those connections for them, for themselves and for their, their business. Um, so I, I feel like, so I like to categorize things into kind of categories as to, to what drives and motivates people. I think the real motivator for you is making a difference is kind of what I would class as more so than having control over, uh, elements or finding a new challenge. The biggest big thing for you seems to be making a difference, which is, it's really cool to see. But, um, you mentioned there about BNI not wanting to talk about your, the other side of what you do. Um, I see that quite a lot actually. For myself, I don't. I kind of host some events, I help podcasts and you know, I'm trying to do stuff to, to make an impact and make a difference in, in my own way. Um, and I don't go in there selling at all what I'm doing, you, uh, know, in the background. But the inevitable question does pop up, doesn't it? And I think, uh, it's a real big lesson to learn for, for anybody who's wanting to get into business or is in business. And that's, um, you don't always have to sell and actually sometimes it's better just not to. It's just nice to be nice and you'll get the rewards off the back of it.

Speaker B: Absolutely. You know, I, I think I learned very early on that, uh, it's better to attract than to promote through attraction. You're building a relationship, you're building trust, you're building intrigue, curiosity. So then when you do have the conversation, you've moved up in terms of how they perceive you, uh, in wanting to have that conversation. Otherwise, you know, if I'm trying to sell to you, the barriers are up, the suspicions are high. Yeah, you're just trying to push water uphill with a fork. It's just much harder.

Speaker A: Yeah, ah, totally agree with that. So, um, so how did you get to, to fit 20 UK then? What was the step from, from those two? Because it sounds like you had, um, quite a, a large Business there really, you know, in multiple territories and, and international as well. That must have been, ah, first of all, challenging to m. To manage. Um, but I'm m also interested to find how Fit20 came about.

Speaker B: Yeah. What's, what's the segue? Yeah, yeah. Uh, so I promised Catherine, um, as far as the India, um, business was concerned, that it would be 10 years, because that's a standard franchise, um, term for a master franchisor. It took 12 years to get out of it. So that's not bad. It's always easier to get into something than out of.

Speaker A: Yeah, sure.

Speaker B: And it was in December 2015 that I stopped being the National Director, uh, for BNI in India. And in January 2016, I had a call from a fellow BNI national director, um, who was running the Benelux countries that, uh, I'd built up a good relationship with. And he said, hey, I know you're not doing BNI in India now, and there's this amazing business in the Netherlands. We can't do it here in the Netherlands because it's a Dutch brand, but I think this would be perfect for the UK and you would be the perfect person to do it, given all your franchising experience and all the stuff that you know and do and passion that you have for health. It would be a really good blend.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Skill sets. And I, you know, he was absolutely right. If somebody was going to pitch something to me, those are the two things they would want to say. Um, or at least, you know, they'd be pretty much in the ballpark for getting my attention. Because what I've noticed with bni, and it is, you know, it's one of the best things you can do, especially as a smaller business, that it can help larger businesses as well. But the majority of, um, people that do well from BNI are at the smaller end of business. It's the best thing you can do for your business. And I saw a lot of people transforming their lives financially through what they did in BNI with.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And how it works. But I also saw a lot of people doing it at the cost of their health.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Not just the members, but also franchisees and people in my teams, you know, um, and that was hard for me. And, and I always felt, you know, you can't just start preaching to people and telling them what they need to do. It's like they have to kind of open the door or ask. So that always was a, a dynamic that I struggled with, um, because I would see people eating a full English breakfast and not moving. And you know, it's okay to have a full English breakfast, but it's. What else do you do? Yeah, it's probably not the most healthful thing to do. Um, so that, that's where fit 20. I just saw a way of helping people to be healthier, um, fitter and stronger and um, not just be rich, but to actually live long enough to enjoy the riches. Because what I was seeing in BNI was people working 20, 30, 40 years of their life at the expense of their health, making a ton of money, but then spending the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years of their life trying to get their health back and spending all that money on that. And I thought if we could do something like that 20, which for the usually time poor cash rich person who's starting in their 40s to have health issues. I think one in two people have, uh, some sort of health condition like type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, uh, cholesterol, whatever it is, over the age of 40. Um, and there's only one way that's going if you start down the road of prescription medications rather than addressing upstream what the lifestyle choices are. Yeah, yeah. So I looked into it. Um, I didn't think it could work. You know, when somebody tells you you only have to exercise 20 minutes a week and it will take care of a week's worth of exercise for you, you think that's great. But then the skepticism kicks in.

Speaker A: Yeah. Sounds too good, too good to be true, doesn't it?

Speaker B: Yeah. So I went to Holland, I researched it, I tried the workout, um, studied up around it, met the team. I thought, actually this is really, really good. I think we need to do this because if we don't, somebody will take it and it will probably end up balance, uh, of probabilities being what they are. It'll end up in the southeast, um, starting there. And it will take a while to get to me, so I'll have to wait to do my weekly work.

Speaker A: Brilliant. So, um, being a master then. So being a franchisee is one thing, but as a master you're almost, you're not quite a franchisor, but you're very similar, aren't you, in, in the way that you need a head office, team support franchisees. And it's, it's a. Yeah, you're, you're sort of making a lot more of the business decisions, um, for, for that country, obviously. What, why take that on? You know, why not wait until they came over to the UK and then take up a franchise in your, in your local location.

Speaker B: Um, so this is a conversation Catherine and I had, and she felt, and I agreed that we would do it in the way that we felt it needed to be done, where the values and the culture of what we create would be aligned to what we value most, and it would really enhance and complement what the essence of, um, the values of the business are. Sounds very woolly, but we just didn't want somebody to do this, um, that we felt we could really do. Well.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's really cool. That's good. That's good enough. That's a good enough reason. Right? I, I think, you know, I said those, those various reasons. Obviously, the, the main driver for you is the, uh, making a difference. But it sounds like there's elements of having some control in there as well that sort of creep in. Right. You want to have. You want to control the destiny to some degree and, and how that kind of looks. And I think that that's interesting. Um, when I think about people starting their own business or investing in a franchise, there's. I think there's almost a bit of a mixture of all of those elements in there. The new challenge piece is something as well. You know, um, maybe they're all inherent in, in everybody. Just certain things will shout a little bit louder in them, but, um, that's good. So tell me a little bit more about the, um, program then. So fit 20, what actually is that? What does the end user actually get? Because I think on the face of it, when you look at fitness brands, you kind of go, okay, it's a gym or something like this.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: So help me to understand a little bit more about fit20.

Speaker B: Yeah. When people look at what we do, they think, what the hell is this?

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Or it's. It's a version of that. Um, and, and it's a great question. It's a really important question. And I, uh, think you might be surprised by my answer, which is I hate answering that question. And the reason I hate answering that. No, I don't hate it. Um, it's because in explaining it, it's not really getting across what it is. It's. It's an experience. You know, if I, if I describe a chocolate cake versus you take a bite into that chocolate cake and you taste that cocoa, uh, and the bitterness and the sweetness or whatever, you know exactly what chocolate cake is.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And it's like that with Fit20, you've got to get into a studio and experience the workout. And it was that for me, because I thought, yeah, this all makes sense logically and intellectually in my head. But it's only when I did it that I thought, oh my God, this is incredible. So, you know, it's very hard to articulate that. Even the best communicators, I think, would struggle with that. Um, but until someone can get into a studio to try it, I'll, I'll. Or have a stab at go for it.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: So it's science based. First of all, that's the most important to know that what you're doing is not something that somebody's conjured up on the back of a paper envelope in the hope that it will last. There are a lot of fads that come and go, particularly in the fitness and health sector. Um, so this is something that has stood and will continue to stand the test of time. Uh, and part of the reason for that is we were part of the longest and largest ever study in exercise science. Six and a half years with 14, 690 people. And it showed that if you do fit 20, you will see a 30 to 50% increase in your strength, regardless of whether you're in your 30s, 50s or 70s. And, um, regardless of whether you're male or female.

Speaker A: Okay. It's interesting, isn't it?

Speaker B: It'll make you stronger. And strength is an inroad and a gateway into all the other bodies, systems. In fact, the science now with the discovery of something called my or myin, depending on how you pronounce them, the thinking of muscles is more than just getting you around from A to B and carrying stuff around. It's actually seen as an extension of the endocrine system. So it's considered an organ, um, as well. So that backs up everything we've always said with the size. So how does it actually work? Well, dressed exactly as you are in your everyday clothes, you can go into Fit20 Studio, which is custom cooled to 17 degrees Celsius, and do what we call a super slow workout. And you'll do five or six exercises using specialist equipment for safety as well as effectiveness. And you just push this weight really slowly. So if you could imagine my imaginary chest press machine here, and you push out for 10 really slowly. And there's a sensor that shows you the pace for the precision as well. And before the technology was introduced, we used to do it counting, um, but the precision of the exercise has improved a lot now. And you push out for 10 and without locking out because you get a sneaky rest there. Yeah, there's a marginal gain in loading. By doing that, you go straight back again for 10, just breathing all the time. And I'm sort of pretending to shake here because that's the kind of.

Speaker A: I can imagine. Yeah.

Speaker B: And without setting it down, just before you set it down, you change direction again. So again there's another marginal gain in loading because there's no sneaky rest. So the joints and the weight are not stopping. And the reason you go slowly is that the momentum is minimized because if you just push something it'll carry itself for a while. So again there's a marginal gain in loading there. And you do this for one and a half to two minutes. And the trainer is there to make sure you do it correctly and don't cheat or compensate. Say A, because you get full loading so your muscles get a really deep workout, but B, also because it's safer and um, C, because it's just done correctly to give you this optimal stimulus. Because the body has an incredible ability. Ability, can't even say the word. Ability to adapt. And when you provide the stimulus, it adapts. And in one and a half minutes you exercise your arms and your chest and like that you do five exercises that target all the major muscle groups in the body. And you will know you've worked because you do the exercise slowly and it's air conditioned. You don't overheat, so there's no sweating. There's enough of a cool, um, and therefore It's a genuine 20 minute workout and it's always by appointment and it becomes a habit for the rest of your life, like brushing your teeth, that as long as you do this, you maintain your strength and as people age they get weaker, but you won't and you'll be stronger and stronger compared to everyone else your age. So hopefully you can get into your 80s, 90s or even hundreds and still be active and mobile and fit.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's, it's interesting because I, uh, don't do it as much as I should all the time. I dive in and out and sometimes that's down to illnesses and things like that. But when I do, I do yoga occasionally and there's uh, very similar exercises. Um, I can't remember the, the name of it now, but it's like a push up charanga I think they call it. And it's just very slowly let yourself down to the ground and then hold it there with my nose kind of like a couple of centimeters away and then push up again and with the slow sort of speed. Um, so it's, it seems very similar to those kinds of exercises. And you do see people that are um, Doing yoga for life. They are in their 80s and 90s and they're able to outperform me for sure, you know, in terms of their strength.

Speaker B: Um, so you've experienced, you've experienced the sort of intensity we replicate safely.

Speaker A: Really tough. Yeah. But I've, I've noticed the difference in, in my, my, my strength in my chest. I never used to be able to do push ups properly. Doing that consistently for a few months and you know, I could, I really noticed the difference.

Speaker B: And it's incredibly safe as well because the older you get, the more injuries and issues people turn up with. And the way we train, you know, we can train most people very safely. Um, and if we can't train them safely, we don't, you know, because they come to us to be improved and helped.

Speaker A: Is there ever any cardio involved?

Speaker B: Uh, yes. And um, you know we, we have lots of information on. People think of cardio something separate. It's not like you take your heart and your lungs and put them outside and train them because if you're going to push such a heavy weight or do that press up in really super slow, um, pace, how are you supplying oxygen to those muscles? Yeah, there's cardio there and with the type of exercise we do, there's this what we call super cardio for up to an hour afterwards it just carries on. So you do get that effect. In fact, post Covid, um, there were some papers that were published when people obviously after they're bout of COVID wanted to go out and get fit and not be vulnerable to it in the same way, etc. Um, but exercising where you're breathing very hard would actually irritate the um, lining of your windpipe airways and make it worse. And the recommendation was that you did strength type weight work to actually build up the body's resilience and then build on the heavy breathing, high volume, high impact, high frequency stuff after that. So really strength is the foundation cornerstone and even the government's advice is now moving towards that, saying that you should incorporate strength training at least twice a week. Yeah, there's a lot more research coming up, particularly once you hit your 40s and especially for women, um, pre, post perimenopausal, um, strength training is absolutely crucial because it's that hormonal profile which affects everything else.

Speaker A: Now see the, the, that that's where um, we, you told me this beforehand and I thought okay, cool, I'll carry on with the, the yoga and some of the calisthenics stuff. Um, that I was doing. But the problem is when you're doing something like a downward facing dog, all the, all the snot goes straight into your head and ah, it feels horrible. And I didn't want to do it, to be honest. So that is definitely where I could see myself being more likely to want to get into fit 20 or something along those lines because you can use the machines but in a guided, professional way rather than what I used to do when I was in my 20s. Just go, just do some weights and do some runs and kind of have a bit of a plan, but not really have a kind of route that I did around the gym and that was it without really knowing what I was doing. So, um, no, it sounds, sounds really good and I'll be, I'll be keeping my eyes open for when you're coming down in, in this direction. But, um, what's, what's it like as a franchise or of a, a new brand to a new, new country? I, I'd love to kind of find out what's kind of your biggest challenges and um, what you enjoying about it.

Speaker B: Uh, I love the difference it makes. As you've identified, um, two people. Sometimes they know this is the right opportunity for them and we can set them off and they're off to a flyer. Other times people come with a block and it's different for everyone and being able to help them see that and then unblock it and then they fly is, is really fulfilling. Um, it has its challenges. I think for me the biggest challenge is finding the right people that align with. Once there's that alignment, things work really, really well.

Speaker A: So who's the right person? What's a good franchisee fit for? Um, fit 20. And I mean in terms of their background and experience, but also their kind of motivations and drivers, um, they have

Speaker B: to have some sort of interest, um, in health and wellness. Yeah, they need to have an inclination to want to help people. Those are two requirements. They would have a reasonable degree of people skills. Yeah, you know, they need to be friends. They don't need to be an extrovert, but they need to be, you know, you have to feel their heart a little bit. Yeah, um, it's very hard to teach that stuff. So it's better to just have them, you know, we'll train them on all the other stuff. But that stuff, if they bring it to the table, we can work with that. We just point them in the right direction and they hopefully see the potential of what we're offering.

Speaker A: Okay, excellent. And how about their background? Do you see them coming, coming from the health industry in particular or not at all.

Speaker B: Um, sometimes that can be actually a hindrance because they know too much that gets in the way. Um, although our first franchisee, Kieran and Leeds, he's got two locations, he's doing exceptionally well and he's got a very strong fitness background. But Kieran's very open minded about stuff as well and he gets what we do. So his background has complemented what he's done here. Yeah, um, it doesn't really matter about the background because what we do, we teach you how to deliver the fit 20 side of it. They need to have a decent work ethic. Um, you know, they need to be reasonably coachable, willing to learn. No point investing in a franchise brand that's learned all the stuff you need to do to execute, to be successful. And then do the Frank Sinatra, I'll do it my way thing, you know, go do it yourself then. Um, if you want to do that because that's a lot of the IP that you're investing in, you might as well use it to your advantage and not have to figure it out yourself. Yeah, that's essentially the uh, profile. Male, female, uh, we're looking to attract more women into fit 20. We're a bit lopsided in terms of franchisees, uh, more men than women. Although the last, um, three franchises we've started two husband and wife teams and one, uh, woman on her own. Okay. So we're starting to balance that out because I think women, um, have a great contribution to make with what we do.

Speaker A: I think it's a societal challenge as opposed to an individual franchise brands challenge. But this seems to be a, a change in the tide anyway, um, which is, is nice to see. So, um, yeah, hopefully it continues.

Speaker B: Um, you know, half our target market is women, right?

Speaker A: Yeah, exactly.

Speaker B: We'd like half, ah, our franchisees to be seen as women that the women will probably relate to more easily than the men.

Speaker A: It just makes what makes sense, doesn't it? So, uh, fantastic. Well, it's been great to get to know your, your story. Um, before we wrap up, I've got three questions that I'd like to ask you though. Um, and the first one is I'd love to know if there's any funny, strange or weird stories you've, you've had in your career that you'll be, you'll be happy to share.

Speaker B: Yeah, so there are loads. Um, but I don't know if I should share them. I did narrow down one. So back to the Window cleaning. And, um, we knocked on the door, and this lady opens the door, sort of peeps around, and we say, oh, do you want your windows done? We'll do it for. I don't know what it was. £10 for the front, both floors, and, um, £20 front and back. And, um, she's like, yeah, okay. You got your own ladders? Yeah. Excellent. So we do the front, and she says, knock on the door when you're done. So we do the front, we knock on the door, she lets us through. We go to the back, and it. The backyard is a bit weird. It's kind of muddy. It's no garden. And there's a couple of old tires there that are really worn out with the metal showing through. Okay, let's have a look. Each on it. 20 quid front and back. And, um, nobody or very few people would let us the first time of knocking into their house to go through. And then, um, do the back. It usually do the front. I'll try for a couple of weeks, see how you are. And then you can do the back. So we're like, hey, this is great. So we're halfway up the ladders, and we're doing the top bit, and suddenly we hear this growling m. And two huge rottweilers come out and start pumping on these tires, slobbering all over them. Okay, that explains the tires. And we're both at the back going, right, polish the windows. And the lady sticks her head out after 10 or 15 minutes. You guys all right? So, yeah, can you get rid of the dogs, please?

Speaker A: Oh, brilliant. Yeah. Stuck up the ladder for a while.

Speaker B: She had the cleanest window she's ever. And we never went back.

Speaker A: No, I don't blame you. It's, uh. It can be quite scary and intimidating, can't it? Um, there might have been very friendly dogs. Who knows?

Speaker B: But say it's okay. They're friendly. And I'm like, they don't look friendly. Those tires do not look like they're friendly.

Speaker A: No, I don't want that to be my leg. Yeah, I can get. I can understand. Brilliant. So, um, so now let's. Let's find out, um, what's been the proudest moment of your career? And. And. And I think there's been some really great achievements in there, but it'd be interesting to see. What. What's your proudest or most inspiring moment?

Speaker B: Um, yeah, look, it's, uh. I love to make a difference, and I think our franchisees and their team of, um, dedicated personal trainers, uh, have A big element of that as well. Um, and there are lots of incredible stories where people are getting literally life enhancing and life changing results through their weekly fit20 training. But I want to share and an extreme example, there's a 95 year old lady, she's the oldest person I'm aware of that, uh, trains at fit 20 every single week. And she is just, she's a legend. You know, we use the term inspiration so loosely and glibly, but she genuinely is inspiring because it makes me think if I could be like her When I'm 95, I would have done pretty good. So she does a weekly fit 20 training and she does the full intensity, you know, she gets the full source and then she cycles back home.

Speaker A: Awesome. How far does she live away?

Speaker B: I'm, uh, not sure, but it's a, it's a kilometer or two, you know.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Um, it's not an insignificant distance, but the, the. Well, there are lots of reasons that's amazing to be 95 in cycling without falling off and having that balance and coordination is incredible. But if you've ever been in a fit 20 studio and done what we call the leg press, you know, your legs can shake like anything. So she's clearly in great shape. And, uh, I just hope that more people who are older carry on doing that sort of thing.

Speaker A: Just have the energy to just get up every morning and say, yeah, I'm gonna go and do that is something as well. Right.

Speaker B: Always smiling, always smiling. And clearly very strong and strength changes everything. And then at the other end of the spectrum, ah, a really simple example of somebody who I think is in their 70s. In our exodus studio, Duncan was telling us this story. There's this chap, he was having a, I don't know, a six month review or something for his training because we do that. And he picks up a pen off the bench and he drops it on the floor and Duncan's thinking, what are you doing? And he bends down, squats, picks it up and puts it back on the table. So did you see that? And that said, yes, I couldn't do that before my fit20 training. I didn't have the strength of the coordination.

Speaker A: Oh.

Speaker B: Uh, so it's life changing because he can now bend down and tie his laces. Otherwise, you know, it's that thing of you hear the groans and leaning on a chair and five different points of support before you can stand up. It's fantastic. So, yeah, inspiring.

Speaker A: Yeah, really cool. Love it. So, final question and, um, I think we've already maybe covered This a little bit, but I'd love to find out from you, um, if you're sitting in front of somebody who's about to invest in a franchise, whether that's fit 20 or any others, and you're only allowed to give them one piece of advice, what would that one piece of advice be?

Speaker B: Great question. Um, well, I had a call with somebody just before this one.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: And I guess it's down to his questions, and he was trying to work out whether he could trust us. Yeah. Um, and I think that's a really important thing for somebody to do because if they don't trust you, they don't start. So for me, what I'm doing is, I'm saying, what are your questions? Let's get to the real questions. You know, they ask you about the cash flow and how you fit out and what training and support.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And that's, of course, important. But ultimately they've got to feel that the person selling them their franchise or the people selling them their franchise are going to have their back. And you need to, in your way, get to the bottom of those interactions and discovery and the process of evaluating the franchise and the people to a point where, you know, you've got your bucket which says, I'm still not sure, versus the bucket that says, yes, I'm sure. We, we need to have enough interactions and information with you to get you to the point of, yes, I believe I can do this with you and you will have my back. And, and you've got to feel also that you can do this, because if you don't feel you can do it, you're not going to back yourself to the extent that you need to.

Speaker A: So I'll skip trying to work out whether or not you can build trust in the, in the franchisor. Uh, I think that's an interesting piece of advice because I, I wonder, how can you trust someone? Like, how can you develop that trust? And I appreciate, you know, multiple touch points, but in some ways that can be manufactured. Right. Um, some people are smart enough to realize that that's the case, and so they will manufacture these situations. So if you were, if you were the franchisee, how would you, what questions would you be asking to try and help you to build that trust? Now, I'm asking you because you've, you have been in our franchisee, right. And you've been both sides of the coin. So it'd be interesting to understand.

Speaker B: I think there's a recipe for it. Um, but trust is not permanent. It takes one minor indiscretion. To destroy it overnight. And it's very hard to build up. So it's built up over time and the level of trust increases, um, over time as well, or can increase over time if you consciously work towards developing it. Um, so for a franchisee to build trust is, I think you've got to come and see the facility and, you know, a business is the people in that business. So you've got to get a feel for, you know, do they, do they look honest, do they look trustworthy, do they look hardworking? And you can see the business case stack up because it's black and white. You know, what are the numbers? The numbers tell the story and they don't like, uh. But then it's about the personalities, especially with a brand like Fit20 in the UK, where we're in the early growth phase, and it is built around the personality, these and the people. They've got to look and look me in the eye and my wife Catherine in the eye and I head off his team and think, do I trust him or don't I? Yeah. And over a period of interactions, they build that up. Uh, and I think the number one way to build trust is do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it.

Speaker A: Yeah, that, that works for both sides, obviously. Um, I think, yeah, um, it's such a difficult, delicate thing, isn't it, trust to try and build it. Like you say, it's something to be nurtured and, and, and developed over time but continue to be looked after. That's. Yeah, it's giving me a different way to kind of view and think about that, actually. It's not just about kind of. You can't answer it in one question, can you? You can't ask one question and get that, that right. It's something that's nurtured and developed. So, uh, no, fantastic. I really appreciate, um, you sharing that with us near and for sharing your career and for answering all of my questions. It's been an absolute pleasure to speak with you and, um, yeah, I wish you all the best in, in bringing fit20 to the rest of the UK. And when it's down in my neck of the woods, I'll be, um, I'll be sure to check it out.

Speaker B: It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for having me here and keep doing the great work. I think it's fantastic what you're doing.

Speaker A: Thanks so much, Niri. Have a good day. Take care now.

Speaker B: I said,

Speaker A: all right, so There we go. That was my conversation with Niri Patel, the UK master franchisee for Fit20. And, um, yeah, really interesting guy, really interesting story he's, he's got in his career and really, um, interesting what he's into to nowadays, um, fit 20. I think, like he said, it's, it's something you can't perhaps totally understand until you've experienced stuff. I feel like I've had a little bit of a flavor of it because some of the exercises I'm doing myself, um, seem to be similar to what Nuri was telling me, um, fit 20 is all about. But, um, yeah, I'm looking forward to them coming down my neck of the woods and um, yeah, you know, giving it a go and seeing what it's all about. But I think that the thing that really, really made it interesting for me, that conversation was the connection between his experience with BNI in business and helping founders and business owners, um, succeed and the kind of stuff he was doing in the background with health and wellness. And I think it's all too easy for us, um, to forget about our, well, our mental health and our physical health as well when we're trying to build businesses. When you're out there, um, you know, trying as hard as you can to generate revenue so that you can pay the bills at the end of the month. Right, that's, it feels like that's the key focus. But the problem is, and it's quite a common trend at the moment or common theme at the moment is, you know, your fitness is a big part of, of, um, your body and how it interacts and so's your mind, so's your brain, you know, um, so that, that needs looking after as well. And if you don't look after yourself, um, what was it nearly said, you know, you're, you're working hard to make lots of money but at the expense of your body. And that's, that's not a good place to be for anybody, uh, further down the line. So trying to find that balance makes sense. And if you can do that in 20 minutes a day, uh, 20 minutes a week, I think is what Nuri was saying there. You know, that's, um, that's fantastic. So, yeah, I'm really interested in the, in the brand and what they're doing. I'm really interested in what Nuri's doing out there as well. So, um, hopefully you found something interesting and useful in the conversation as well. If you did, please give us a little like, or, um, give us a rating on Spotify. Or Apple, wherever you may be listening. Uh, if you want to find out more about, uh, the franchise, check out www.thefranchise.com. uh, that's my company, uh, where I help franchisors, uh, to, to get the word out there about their brands. Um, but, yeah, thank you very much for listening, and I hope to catch you on the next one.

Speaker B: Bye.

Speaker A: Bye. It.