 All right, we are here with coach Ness from Maryland. He is in our accelerator program. He just recently had the best year in his business. Coach, how much did you make this year? 196,000. 196,000. And what did you do last year? The year before that I had started in March, I did about 57,000 that year. 57,000. So 57,000 to 196,000. Correct? Yeah. Amazing. Now, let me ask you this question. When you first started your business, did you think that was possible 196,000 in one year when you first started training? Yeah, when I first, I did. I guess because I had worked at another kind of training company before, so I kind of saw the possibilities worse. I definitely knew that that was possible. And how long have you been in business? This business sold 2020 around the pandemic, so I'm coming up on my third year. Third year, gotcha. What's the biggest, or what have you learned since joining Coach Ben's accelerator program from when you started? Like what was the biggest gap that you had in how to run your business? I mean, it's a few things, honestly, before getting with Ben. But I would say the biggest thing that he introduced me to back then was just having monthly payments as opposed to going session by session. And then fast forward to more recently, he kind of introduced the idea instead of going monthly payments doing like longer term as far as like three months, six months, 12 months. So those two steps are like the ones that made the biggest shift for me. And how have your clients been that have paid more upfront? How have they been in terms of the program? Yeah, I mean, they've been great because I mean, obviously when you have more skin in the game and you put more money down upfront, you're gonna be more committed to the program. So definitely have had a great experience as far as that. And then there's also not the option because sometimes you might get a person that joins the monthly program and like they just might abruptly, you know what I mean? Just drop out and it's like, there's no consistency or commitment with that. Gotcha. So there's, you can see a big difference between the monthly person and like say the six month or yearly. Is that right? Yeah, overall, definitely for sure, for sure. Gotcha. And when they are committed longer, do you think they're getting better results because they're in the program longer? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the difference between being around for three months and being around for years, like it's, you know what I mean? You can see the difference clearly. And that's not to say that all of, like the monthly clients have been people that are like not committed. There's definitely some people that are monthly that are committed and are consistent and have been around for a long time. So I don't have to say that, but it's just like overall you see the trends. Right. The most part in general. Yeah, in general. Cool. And those people who were on monthly, they've been with you from the beginning and just haven't canceled. Is that why they're like, they still get that? Yeah. And I guess maybe they like that flexibility of like not feeling like they're locked in, whatever it is, but whatever the reason. Right, right, right. So what are some of your goals now that you've reached that $196,000 in one year, what are some of your goals for like 2023? For 2023, the goal I wrote down as far as just revenue-wise, I want to do like 300,000 hopefully. So that's kind of, that's the big financial goal as far as that. And then also just a couple other goals is like I want to run a spring break camp that does really well. And I'm still kind of on the fence about what I'm going to do over the summer. I was helping out with another camp last year and it helped me get a lot of clients into my main program. So I might do that or I might do my own camp thing. I'm kind of still trying to figure out how I'm going to approach that. Gotcha. And what's something the Accelerator program, like what do you get out of that that has helped you grow your business? I know you said the longer term commitments, but like just on a day to day basis, like what are you getting out of the Accelerator program that has like contributed to your, that huge jump from 57,000 to 196,000? Yeah, cause I say two things. I mean, it's just the ability to just go in there and ask the question if it's something where I'm like, hey, what do I do? Just go in there, type in a question. And I mean, have a couple of different perspectives, Ben's perspective, and then all the other coaches perspective. And there's bound to have been somebody that faced like the same, whatever like the limit that you have. So you can just lean on that. And then the actual calls themselves go a long way. And I'll be honest, I haven't really taken full advantage of the community until probably like this past summer of 2022. So like maybe July, August, that's when I kind of started really asking a lot of questions and coming to more of the calls. And that's just made a huge difference. Cause it's like, like I said, like you can ask questions and it's not like you're by yourself. Right. And you've taken, I've seen you, well, cause I've seen you on the Zoom calls. Have those helped you too? When we have those weekly calls? When you can get that one-on-one? Zoom calls are huge because it's like, sometimes it's like, even obviously asking questions helps too, but hearing somebody say it here and Ben, but not just do like this. And it's like, for whatever reason, I don't know if it's like human beings or stubborn, but sometimes it's hearing that makes it click even more. So it could have been something I already heard or typed up in the community, but it's like hearing it in a one-on-one setting like that, it's like, that makes all the difference. Gotcha. Do you have, have you added assistant coaches to your program or has it just you? So yeah, I do have some guys that help me out for sure. How involved, how involved, like when did they start? When did you start hiring people? When did you realize you needed to hire other people? So pretty much, let me think, I guess 20s, I've had people help me here and there. A lot of the time I was like my buddies that I used to play with, stuff like that. So I mean, almost since the start, once the size is or I started doing bigger clinics, pretty much always have people pitching in. But as far as anybody really being locked in and committed full time, not really all the way there. I do have one of my buddies that helps me out a lot. You know what I mean? But I can't say I've had somebody that's really locked all the way in. Right, right, right. But you do, you have gotten to the point where you've grown enough where, hey, I need some other coaches because the group might be a little bit larger and you want everyone to get attention. Yeah, I mean, I can do bigger groups, but then just for the sake of like, it looks better when there's more people walking around with feedback, stuff like that. So that's something. Gotcha. And are you looking to add like an expand? Are you looking to get more coaches and more kids into the program or are you kind of settled in? You're always looking to grow? Absolutely, looking to grow, for sure, for sure. Try to be progressive with marketing this year if I can just really just try to take it to another level. What would you, if you had to give advice for somebody who was just starting out, like say it's a young kid, just graduated college and he wants to be a basketball skills coach or trainer, what would you say to him or her to get them started or what advice would you have for them? I would say, you know, get with, if you're like in your hometown or home city or whatever, get with the coaches that you used to play for where there was like AAU, Rec, or high school coach, middle school coach and get with them, try to like put some stuff together, maybe doing some free stuff for their teams and then meet currents that way and just kind of like let it snowball from there and then from there, even coaches that you didn't play for like reach out to them. So I would say the biggest thing is like trying to make connections and trying to meet other people that are in like the basketball sphere, wherever you are. Gotcha. And do you think for somebody who does, I know you played, you played college basketball, right? So for somebody who didn't play college basketball and they're kind of like, you know, I know like I'm not the greatest player but like I feel like I can teach the game. Would you say they could still be, I don't know, their own private skills coach or trainer or would you say? I mean, I would say, yeah, they could. I mean, as long as they like study the game, love the game, know what they're talking about. There's no reason why you can't teach the game because especially if you're dealing with kids, all you have to do is like know enough where you can teach somebody that's at a lower level than you. Like that's what it is. So be a good teacher. Right, plus you could be a really good player and be a terrible teacher and it doesn't really matter, right? Yeah, that's true too. Right, I'm sure you might have some, you know, you might have seen some guys that you might have played with who are really, really good. And you're like, can you explain to me how you do that? And they're like, no man, just do it, right? I don't know how to explain it, right? Yeah, do you think that that was something that you've always had in terms of your ability to communicate with kids or was it something you had to develop? Like, how did you increase your ability to coach? And was it natural or? That's a good question. I think personally, I mean, cause I guess started coaching, like working at camps at my high school, maybe in like temporary. And I think I was always decent at just like, you know, communicating with kids and like being able for them until I kind of, you know, trust me, believe what I'm saying and stuff like that. And obviously it gets better over time, but I honestly say that I think I've always been pretty good at that. And it's just over the years, I kept on doing it, kept on doing it. And I would say kind of, that's where it kind of comes from. Right, gotcha. And do you think coaching, the coaching part is all you need to be successful business or do you need, or is there some other parts that you might need as well? Yeah, I mean, you definitely got to have, well, I mean, the coaching part, I guess that's the backbone of it, but as far as like the business part, sales, marketing, all that stuff kind of comes into play because people have to know about you and you have to be able to like convey what value that you bring. So I would say, I mean, coaching is obviously important. Like everything is important, really. Everything is important. There's nothing you can really leave out because if you're good at sales and marketing and then bad at coaching, they're just gonna always lose clients. So like you can't have anything lacking as far as those three things I would say. Right. And if you're really an outstanding coach, but if nobody knows who the hell you are, you're not gonna make any money, right? Exactly. Gotcha. What would you say to somebody who, like they're maybe they're just getting out of college and they're thinking about like, hey, I got to get a nine to five job. I got to do what everyone else is doing. I got this degree. I got to make my parents proud and just get a regular job. What type of advice would you give them like motivational wise of like, hey, is this possible for people to do their own thing? And you made basically $200,000. Like what would you say to them? They're like, I don't know whether I should get a real job. Real job. I mean, this is a real job, but real job or do my own thing. Who's the type of person that this is for? I mean, I would say like this from based off of my experience, like having a real job does not, like it can't stop you from doing this. So let's say you get a real job and then you do this maybe on the weekends or in the evenings, then you build it up to a point where you feel comfortable leaving your real job. Then now you're in a good spot. Like whatever point that is, whether it's like once you equal your income from your regular job and that, that's when I decided to step away. Once like the training income was the same as my regular job. I was like, okay, I feel comfortable doing this. You know what I mean? Like it's kind of proven I can do it. So I would say do, but like, I mean, if you really feel like, obviously you just studied hard for four years, you got your degree, I mean use it. And like you'll get a guaranteed paycheck and then you can build up your stuff on the side. And that way you can put more money into marketing, more money into stuff. And then when it's time to go, you can go, like whether that time, whenever that time comes. So that's kind of what I would say as far as that. Right. And is it, is the, is this business for somebody who kind of wants to clock in, clock out and get definite money? Or do you think it's somebody who has to have like that determination, like, hey, I'm gonna do what it takes. Yeah, you definitely have to have determination because especially starting off early when you don't have any momentum, it's like you have to create that momentum. You have to like be on the phone, calling coaches, like trying to connect with parents, like going to games, all of that stuff. That stuff doesn't, nobody's gonna just hand that to you. Nobody's gonna just like give you clients. Like you have to really be resourceful, be determined, all of that stuff. So it's not like, it's definitely different than working a regular job for sure. You have to have that kind of like, just wake up, how can I get this thing moving? So I would definitely say you have to have something in you that's pushing you. Right, it's not for the lazy person to know who doesn't wanna work. It's for the guy who wants to put in the effort, right? Yeah, for sure. You have to put in effort, like for sure. Right, working at what people really don't understand is like working that nine to five job is a lot easier than doing your own thing. And it's a lot more pressure doing your own thing. But the risk is higher, but the reward is higher. Exactly. Like what were you doing? What were you doing before? I don't think we ever talked about this. What were you doing before basketball, your basketball business? I was a scientist, I was working in labs and stuff like that. Scientist? Yeah. I didn't know, that's amazing. Okay. You did it. And so that, and I did that till July, 2021. And it was just a situation where I wasn't a super big fan of it, you know what I mean? But I wasn't ready to just like leave until my business got to a certain point. I just kind of knew, I didn't know when exactly it was gonna be that I was gonna stop, but I kind of knew I was like, I mean, this thing is moving in the right direction. So it has to be soon, like, you know what I mean? And just using my Saturdays, using my evenings and just building, building, building, building. And it got to that point. So kind of like you said before, it got to the point where you matched your salary at your job. And I also had another business that was going on as well. So I felt even extra comfortable just because like, so it was, and I was getting too busy. That was the other thing. So I had work, regular work, like basketball training and the other business going on as well. And I was like, man, like something's gotta give, like this is like too much. That was also part of the decision. So it was kind of like, I wasn't just gonna stop working. And it's not like I just had the basketball that had something else going on as well. So that kind of aided in that decision too. Right, right. What's something else that you learned in the accelerator program that you weren't doing when you first started? I guess another thing that I picked up was the fact that, so you can obviously like send the emails. Like I say, have a clinic send emails out. But this is just the idea of calling each person that's in your program. Right. Asking them, hey, do you wanna come to this clinic? Hey, do you wanna come to this clinic? Like physically doing that. I thought just sending out an email wasn't enough. And clearly it wasn't. Cause when you do that, one, two people sign up or nobody signs up. Because I mean, people, they might see it and wanna sign up, but it's like they have a hundred other things going on. So it's like, who knows if they're gonna come back to it or if they're gonna remember it. Just to actively actually call them and be like, hey, and that will kind of put it more on the radar. So that's a big, big thing that helped me kind of with my clinics a lot. Right. And when did you join the accelerator program? So in January of 2021. January of 2021. So, okay. And the year before that you said 57,000? No, no, no, no, no. So, let me break it down. So January, 2021 I joined the program and then March, I had everything set up. So the end of March made my first sale with the program. Like kind of following, like having a sandwich. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. Something like that. And then, so from March until December, I made 57,000. And then from March to March 22, I mean, I wanna say like 92,000. Wow. Yeah, so that's kind of how it started off. Gotcha. In the program at least. Right. Would you say it was a good investment in yourself? Yeah. For sure. Would you recommend it to somebody who's starting out? Absolutely, absolutely. Cause it just plugged a whole bunch of holes that were like in like my operation. Cause I was doing stuff. I wasn't really tracking the money super well too. I mean, the same car makes it super easy. But like the year before, so before January 2021, I was making some money doing it. I couldn't really tell you how much it was. I didn't even know it was like extra money coming in and it was cool. But I was like, man, like it's not like, you know what I mean? Consistent enough. Like it was just certain things that I probably wouldn't have figured out for years or maybe ever who knows. Right. But I don't have enough in the program. So it just, yeah. Was it a worthwhile investment? Absolutely. Right. So it spent everything, all your knowledge up that you didn't have to mess up anymore on your own, right? Yeah. You could have messed it up for another five years doing the same thing. What were you doing collecting like cash and stuff? I was doing a lot of Venmo's, not necessarily cash. A lot of Venmo, cash app, stuff like that. Not again. That was kind of, that was not great. Just random payments and no terms. If they didn't show up, they didn't pay, things like that. Stuff like that. Exactly. So and then I'm trying to think, and then let's say something like came every week, every Saturday, I'll be looking at my Venmo's to see, okay, that's where this at. Like, you know what I mean? Like, did they match up? Did they pay this week? Right. It's like, TD is trying to go through all your payments and it's just like, it's just not an efficient way. Like there's no way I would have grown to like this size if that's how I was still operating. Right. Awesome, man. So, Coach Ness, I appreciate you being here. That's all the time we have. If you're watching this video and you want to connect, you can text me at 732-908-2315 and we'll see you guys next time.