 What's up guys welcome to the podcast so today another special guest Sam Burns is in the house. So Sam uh me and Sam have a long history of projects things we've done and really he is the The the reason that I live where I live that I had the business that I had and You know just a lot of different things So we're going to talk about all kinds of stuff You guys are going to learn a lot today about Sam me and and everything so everything about your career And how Matt became Matt back. You're right. So, um, so I'm really happy that you're here Um, it's been a long time since I've seen you in new hope. So Being able to have you back in the town that I uh came out to so I think we should just get into it Okay, so that that way people that are out there will kind of understand what we're talking about and why we're sitting here together So let me uh, one of the reasons why I wanted to do this because you know, you're one of my favorite people in the world And uh, you're not going to flash like the old picture of with the scissors thing. No, I don't No, I won't do that. So I I was traveling around the country Doing a tour with I think Donald scott's carven call. Okay. Yeah, and uh, I was in Iowa Des Moines, Iowa. Yeah, and I Said to a few different people. So this is going to be like a hands-on class or whatever Can you duplicate my haircut and I thought you were one of the educators Right, and I said, can you duplicate my haircut and you did my haircut better than I did it But I was the guy showing it. So this was but this was the thing too. I was in beauty school and I had Um, really fallen in love with palmatial products and I wanted to Uh become a like an educator, right? So I actually I didn't really have a car that could drive that would actually I think physically make it three hours. So One of the educators drove me to the show And we were in that hotel room and I remember you came walking in and it was just like I was like, who is this guy? Like you were dressed all in black You had like this like this attitude about you like when you walked in and and you guys all started doing the haircut Well, I had been watching that dvd And trying to learn it now. I found this out. So I'm sitting on the bed and I'm thinking man I wish I could try that and then when you said Would you like to try it? I was like, yes, I would like to uh to try it. So I hopped up and And you did it technique. Yeah, and then I said to you so I was it was the stroking technique Yeah, that's what it was. So I was really taken back about how great you were and I'm like, so what's your name? You said my name's matt and I'm like, what are your dreams? And you're like, I want to be a platform artist someday. So then the next day Uh, I did this the show or whatever and then I said, so there's this kid Who does not know that I'm going to do this right now But I want to bring him up on stage and I'm like, so you shared with me yesterday that you wanted to be a platform artist So now it's your opportunity and you did my haircut. Yeah and uh, then what I didn't know that night Was evidently you spent the night in your car For something so that was a different time. So we left that show. I was excited Okay, went back to school and you gave me your business card Yeah So I said so I ended up calling the salon in new hope and I said, you know Where's sam gonna be next and it was in nebraska And that was yeah, so nebraska was eight hours from where I lived So I drove to nebraska And and that's that's when I slept in the car when you slept in your car But I did not know this so I saw you again And I'm like, oh, so you're that kid that I feel you want to be a platform artist And uh, I did the event and then I was staying at an embassy suites hotel Yeah, because I knew that it was two rooms And and I'm like, so I want you to to the next day I found out that you slept in your car Yeah, and I was mortified by it because I was thinking he could have at least slept in like the pullout couch Yeah area and you shared with me that you'd never been in a hotel before yeah Well, I've been in hotels, but I I Definitely did not have the money to to do it at that point, right? So like with my family growing up, I've been in hotels But never like so the owner of that distributor you talked to him Yes And then he came up to me because I was going to drive home that night because that's you said are you going to be here tomorrow? And I said no, I I uh, I got a shower. It's basically whatever Hey, I've already slept with my car Yeah, so you were like, um, you talked to the owner of the distributorship He saw me on stage the the day before that day and he was like, you know Would you stay if we put you up in the hotel? So I said, yeah, of course and you uh, so I went up to my hotel room And there was a microwave and there was like all this stuff I was like, I was like, this is the greatest thing that has ever happened. So So from that point on that was where it was really like For me like the turning point because you put me back on stage You got to teach a private class with you the next day And then uh, then the next step I went to the palmatial gathering Yep, um, which I was invited to by that distributor in Iowa And you were there hung out with you the whole weekend. That was a pretty intense weekend And uh, I interviewed with kelly cardinas at Robert salon. Yes. Yeah, you sent me there. Yeah, and then um, I came back and I remember you said to me, um, how did it go? What do you think and I said, you know what? I think I think I'm gonna come work with you in new hope And I said, you don't want to come work with me. You're like, oh, I think I want to I said, yeah, because this is the thing and I think a lot of people, um Out there when you're looking for a mentor It's not necessarily to me. It's about somebody that takes care of somebody And from the minute I met you in that hotel room, you let me do that haircut You put me on stage that weekend in Nebraska. All that stuff happened. So it just felt like I want to go work. I wanted to work for somebody that had belief in what I was and not just go work for somebody that, you know Has no idea who you are and then you're you know, so I I felt that connection So I ended up I went to beauty school for a few more months got enough hours to work in pa And then right flew out to new hope where we're at right now Well, and then I was freaked out because you were the only out of state and like I just opened up this salon Maybe two years earlier. Yeah, I had one other employee. Maybe yeah, and uh, and now I'm going to have this employee That's going to come from another state and right and this young kid and I'm like and now I'm going to be responsible for him We hooked up a one bedroom apartment one bedroom furnished apartment for you. Yeah Uh, you you didn't have a car or something. I didn't bring a car. No, so the So we're here in new hope now, which is where this all began Yeah, you got this furnished apartment and the salon was a mile away. Yeah, and you walked a mile every day I would say a half a mile, but it was like, uh, it was definitely all of main street. It was all of main street Yeah, new hopes only a mile long. Yeah, that's true. Yeah And I and you had this really cool pair of shoes that you love I did that you loved these shoes And you would walk in the rain and you would walk in the snow And you and you were always the first person in the salon and the last person to leave And you never slept a smile off of your face and I remember And I started calling you main street map because you only knew main street here in new hope And at one point I remember you had Holes in the bottom of your shoes and I said you got to get another pair of shoes and you're like I It's the only first shoes I have I can't afford it So the reason why I wanted to bring that up is Nobody wanted it better better than you did You know, you you studied You know this haircut you followed whether it was me or whether it was whomever right Then you drove eight hours and I recall you telling your clients later on that you've dug for quarters in the Cushions to try to get you you slept in your car You didn't have a shout then you gave up your loving family who I've got to know over the years Yeah left all of them in Iowa to come out here to pennsylvania. Yeah to be entrusted with me In this furnished apartment because you wanted it that bad. Yeah, and I think back to those times like It's actually very it's almost unbelievable to me because like Even to this day like getting my parents out here to come visit stuff is still a difficult thing in a way but What they must have done to scrounge together the money fly me to vegas because I didn't have any money Yeah to somehow get me to vegas and then To just probably put together whatever money they could and then get me to new hope You know and I didn't have I had a car, but I had a car that wouldn't have got me to new hope It's a thousand miles from where I grew up, you know, so But the funny thing is so while I was away I had um A $400 cavalier that I bought like a chrysler cavalier, right? And it was a teal color and my dad spray painted paul mitchell down the side of it And I remember so at christmas like so I was here for a few months and I went back for christmas I had just met christina and your mom made me a beautiful christmas tree skirt. Yeah, I still have to this day. Yes So you do really? Yeah. Oh, so um So yeah, so my so we went back in december I was actually a little like homesick and just not sure what I was going to do or whatever and uh christina I had met christina. So I met christina in like november of also in a bar off of main street here in new Yes singing karaoke. Yeah, so so I met christina and then um, you know just decided at that point I was had to come back for sure and and we just you know, and then my career kept going I brought my brother back. I drove the cavalier the whole way it made it and I and I drove that car for a while and you know, it's so it's just I'm thankful for All of those opportunities that happened that little bit because it put me on the path of where You know everything has gone since then to uh to you know be here to to have your help to to meet christina to buy your salon So let's get into so a few years after we've been working together, right? I got a phone call from robber chrome. I was doing color. Yeah, robber chrome was put together this new club called the platform artist club. Yeah Like a sampling of big salon small and my salon small like if anybody knows about Low Gorgeous, it was a 750 square foot salon. You know, yeah, I mean it became your salon, right? Yeah You know, I bought that building I rehabbed it I had to sleep upstairs because I couldn't afford to go anywhere else. Yeah, and then but they had this business like A group of successful salon owners and I represented four chairs are smaller And I clearly said something smart at one of these meetings. I don't know what it was, but I don't know who might have not been our receptionist at the time But they said robert chromis is on the phone and I'm like really and I pick up the phone and robert's like sammy I think your dreams are bigger than where you currently are And I'd like you to come out and work with me in my salon world and please don't say no And then I was shooting somebody's color and they're like, what's up? I'm like, I'm going to california All right, and I did the charlie's angels speaker thing where I'd call into the salon You got to run the salon for the summer. Yeah, because we didn't know what was going to happen and then you called me and said It seems like you're gonna stay in california and I don't have a lot of money But you know, would you take this offer? Yeah, and And there's nobody in the world that I would have rather given my business to because I felt like you were my son or my brother And I got to know your family and I think you have such an incredibly great work ethic And I think you have just the most amazing heart And the most amazing I think you are a man of character And a man of dreams and and one of the hardest working people I've ever known Well, thanks And I wanted to and I wanted to make that happen for you. Yeah, and then you wrote me a Three page letter while you're going to change the name from hello gorgeous to salon gratitude I did yes And and that and I think I still have that letter to this day too. I thought it was very touching and very thoughtful And yeah, you've always been a very grateful man and and I just really loved it but why I wanted to share this story this morning is I currently work in the palmachal school world and I get to work with thousands of future professionals every year and I I don't know or if you have coaching or You know, so many people want to know how to become insta famous And if they look at you now and I certainly don't want to pull the curtain behind the Wizard of Oz of all this Great thing that you're doing right now, but I don't know that a lot of people would have known besides me Uh, you know where you came from and how hard you work to make this happen to become this great media superstar who now has a million followers and Well, I you know what I think I think it all goes back to what people don't realize you're not insta famous You know, and maybe some people are but they'll I think they'll quickly fade out if they're not talented so you have to have like The reason I can teach on a video is because I was teaching 75 classes a year for Paul Mitchell for 10 years You know the whole time you worked with me You walked around the salon all day long with your scissors in your hand. Yeah Working on the stroking technique. You worked on mannequins. Yeah, you never took At one point. I think we called you Edward scissor hands like you you never took shears out of your hands. Yeah, whether you were Walking around the salon or whatever you they became an appendage of yours. Yeah, so rehearsal And in perfect practice. Yeah became part of your daily routine. Yep. And that's I mean, that's the key like you can't You can just jump out of beauty school and become popular on the internet It's possible but the longevity of your career is what you should be focusing on and So if you're not studying and learning along the way like three years ago Even when I started making videos, I didn't understand haircutting like I understand it now You know, so that you constantly have to be evolving and what you're doing and pushing yourself into things like a lot of people They're like, oh, I don't like doing that. So they just don't do it um, so I think you really need to like All this video stuff, um and the multiple cameras and all that like I didn't know how to do that At first, you know, I didn't know how to I could obviously hit record on three cameras But how do you put them together into a video? You know, so all that stuff you learn along the way um, so I think people out there that want to or or even like Even if somebody's there's a lot of people offended out there that people get famous quicker now Like it's not the same road to becoming a popular hairdresser anymore. Um, I think they need to to really look at the background of that person because you never know that person could have been Really working hard for a long time. Well, that was my whole point is that, you know, since I have known you From day one, you have you practiced you were the first person to arrive and the last person to leave You know, you didn't care where you had a car you drove You know or walked on main street everything in the rain in the snow with shoes that had holes in it Uh, they only had holes because I really loved those shoes. No, I know Dude, you can't work in my in my salon You did and I went and got those shoes redone and fixed All right, I'm like, sure this is not looking good for either one of us It was my first trip. So my first trip to philadelphia We were on south street. I went into this shoe store and I bought these like I don't they weren't even like alligator They were just like leather shoes that went to this huge point in the front and they like else. Yes Yes, they did and I loved those shoes and I got them like they were like 50 off because no one wanted those shoes and then Uh, eventually they wore holes like all the way through them. So I know every day You can't you can't wear shoes with Yeah, so I I went to the leather guy in town and I and he fixed them for me and then you know eventually I I actually eventually ended up reaching out to that company and I was like, listen I'd like to have my own shoe, you know, and I and that was before any of this like internet Yeah, but you but you did you did You wanted it like you were hungry Yeah, you And I saw that in you which is one of the reasons why I had to come out here to begin with that We're gonna hire somebody from out of state right and uh But but you wanted it and you were hungry and and you and you also are Really one of the kindest people I know. Oh, thanks. And during one of the hardest times in my life whenever I had way too much party to party uh And decided that, you know, I should maybe quick-trick him for a little bit You know, like the drive from basically go to rehab and I said I should go go go. So I went uh And you were you know kind and gracious about that and you protected the The brand of our salon and uh In that a couple months later, I had to go through some surgery And I had hand tremors and combs were falling over the floor And you know the combs just keep slipping all day long today That made me cry. I told that story to hair show right after that happened and made me cry Yeah, I remember all that's like it's just uh, it's crazy like How much stuff has happened since Iowa, you know since that that hair show But you know, I think everything that happens to somebody like that when I've moved here I had never really been away from my family at all and I think like You just learned so much, you know, like everything that happened whether it was good or bad throughout that whole process of You know struggles that were happening or or any of that stuff. It was all learning, you know, like You went to california. I I got to learn how to run a salon before it was even Mine, you know, and and then I had christina there who was helping me kind of learn that and and she you know And in turn she learned it and then now when we had when we bought it. It was like It all we we knew what to do and what not to do Well, and I was thinking about that last night because I knew we were going to talk about this today Like our journeys were so completely different when I started this salon I started this one with no clients and a $15,000 credit card Right and just thought if I put a bunch of palmuts on the window if I build it they'll come Yeah, and I would sit there all day long For eight hours a day and I'd be like, hello gorgeous. Would you like a tour of the salon? Yeah, and then somebody came in there like I'd like to come work for you Well, you have insurance and I'm like, I don't know if we're gonna have clients Yeah, can you sit here all day long and not get a you know and not get paid Yeah, so although our journeys were different in that exact same building. We both had the same hustle factor right both We're willing to start at eight o'clock in the morning stay till eight o'clock at night And it wasn't about the money or the fame or whatever it was about our craft and how much we loved it Yep So if you would coach that to all of these great young people that I have the honor and privilege of Seeing now on a daily basis. Yeah, what would you say to them? Well, I mean, I think a lot How do I duplicate a whole bunch of mats over the industry? Well, this is the the funny thing like you you can't Here's what I've learned about the industry At the very beginning. I wanted to be everybody else right like I I saw Robert Cromings wanted to be Robert Cromings. I saw You know, Tekashi wanted to be Tekashi your DJ or whoever right and then Even struggling now, but over the last like few years. I've really You know before I go out and talk to people at every hair show Christina I'm talking to her and she's like just be you people like you so You know, like I I tend to study people so much that I almost become the person a little bit You know, so I think that for future professionals, I think In general a lot of people come up at the shows and they ask like how do you do this? How can I do what you did? Don't do what I did but take pieces of what I what what we built here what freesline education is or just Start being you on the internet you look at the people who are the most popular, you know, phil does hair Super popular guy Really nice guy guy tang all those guys. They're not being anybody else. They're being Themselves are they using techniques from other people? Yeah, probably but their personality the people that they genuinely are Connect to other people on the internet for sure. So I think When I teach a class anywhere I'm talking about Everybody is each person watching this right now is watching it One person on the other end But all the time when we put out content when we're talking to people We're talking to them like we're talking to a crowd of people Right. Yeah, so we have to stop treating it like it's a concert because this isn't a concert What we're giving isn't a concert. It's to one person. Well, that's the whole concept of the whole beauty industry Yeah, you know we this is one of the last industries in the world where I get to spend 30 minutes with you and because I change the way you look on the outside I can change the way you feel on the inside. Yeah, but it happens one person at a time Yeah, it doesn't happen You know, I I've coached forever, you know, you can't do two haircuts at the same time It happens one person at a time one guest at a time and one heart at a time Which is why I love the industry so much. Yeah, and we you have to love people You know, I mean at least like them. Yeah, you know, and then and then like your craft well, and then you have like so People like the one person on the other end you can change people without even ever seeing that for sure Right, so you have to realize that whatever you're saying somebody's sucking it up and I'm thinking about it And then the other thing is you have people out there that are just complaining about other people becoming popular on the internet But all they do on the internet is complain and all they do on the internet is not write people back You know, so how can you that's who you attract? Yeah, exactly So now you've become cool with people that don't write people back, right? But I know that having 500 000 followers or whatever It's still possible to really communicate with a lot of those people And forever I would reach out to hairdressers and I'd be like, man, I really love your work You really inspire this out of me or whatever and never get a response Because they're too busy too cool to whatever and it would have meant A lot to me if somebody would have wrote back and said, you know what I really appreciate that But it didn't stop you. No, it didn't make you jaded. It didn't say, you know, people are It made me work harder. Yeah, hairdressers are You know, you still did it every single day. Yeah, it's like you do with the guests every day I'm real, you know, I I share we're gonna come up on this event at Paul Mitchell the schools I think it's on Tuesday free hug day. Okay, where you've gotten hug people all day long Yeah, which I love and my father Was a hugger like he like I would walk into my house. I'd be like, you know, I gotta go hug my dad You know, you know Got any on your report card hug your dad and my dad would love free hugs day but the reason why I love it is because We get to change that we get to change that entity. Your dad's like that. Yeah, your dad's absolutely like that. Oh, yeah and so So maybe it trickles down from our family I don't really know but it's it's important how you treat other people And that shows up in your work and it shows up in your vision. And that's why Perhaps, you know, as we're talking about maybe that's why you got so many followers Just because you're nice and you're attracted to more nice people Yeah, and I think Yeah, I think everything stems from your from your family and how you were raised and all that and it comes through Uh on the internet just the same as a dozen real life, you know, so I think people connect to people that are People are looking for nice. Okay, but what if you came from a jack family and you want to make the difference So what would be no just I think just treating people with respect, you know, like the person on the other end like Like sandy who wrote oh my goodness. I love sam. He's amazing. I love you sandy, right Where's sandy from? Um, I don't know. Hi sandy. Maybe sandy will write and let you know, but and then we have when who You know says you're doing great. My friend adam's on here like It's it's all about like connecting with those people You know, like I see sandy and like I know if sandy keeps writing in different posts like I remember You know, and and that's where like you just got a you build your building relationship so That's the one thing I love about matt he tries to reach out to everyone and makes it personal One of the most inspiring people I've ever found so like that's That's christy so christy like it's that connection. I I spend a lot of my day Not a lot of my day, but I take time out of my day to See the comments and really at least like it if not Right back, you know, and I look at it like so if you guys are going through your comments and you have something It's like oh well Christy if christy took the time to write that message, right? She takes the time to really write something out It's not just like oh, you're so cool or it's it's not that that I like it because it's it's very nice I appreciate it and then you got somebody that takes the time to write something to you So you take the time to respond back I am I am I have an opportunity to get better at that although I'm really focused on it Yeah, but I'm always on a plane in my own defense. I am always on a plane That's the best time. You don't get the wi-fi on the plane. Not always. I'm kind of asleep. Oh, okay My favorite thing is to get a window seat and I go to sleep because whenever I get off I have to work That's funny. So I I always get the wi-fi on the plane Every single time and that's when I do most of my responding. Well, so I'll do it my hotel room I'll do it first thing in the morning. Okay, you know, I have a practice I'm sure you know this from like I have listened to Spa music or meditation music, whatever my whole life while I sleep Yeah, and I tell my nieces and nephews it's angel music Okay, and then as soon as I get up in the morning The very first thing I do is I write down three things with my phone that I'm grateful for Okay, because I don't think that god's gonna give you more blessings until you're thankful for the ones you already have Yep And then and then I try to read something inspirational before my day hits me in my phone Okay, but my favorite like so now I'm getting up earlier and earlier earlier I know you don't know this about me, but like I'm an old man. I get up at five o'clock Yeah, this guy I don't I don't even know this guy I would be like so sam lived above the salon, right? So I would get to work And and you came in or your schedule was like one to like whatever, right? Yeah, so I would be like that was my early morning. So then all of a sudden one would come and you're like Is he okay up there? You don't know and like you take a broom and you just kind of like hit the floor I mean you always pop down. You're always in a good mood But it's funny that now you're like 6 a.m. Like our earlier guy, but I also go to about 8 30 Which I didn't used to do at all. Okay. Now I get to wake up You know, I used to wake up when I was in my other life, right? I used to wake up and say good, you know, good god. It's morning And now I could say good morning god, right? And I let you know I get to get up and I love being back here in pennsylvania, you know coffee and And it's the only life you're gonna have I told you earlier I sold I sold all of my stuff for charity three years ago. So I'm no longer hairdresser at all. Okay, and I wanted to Work on the second half of my life as a world-class speaker trainer and coach and in part of that lifestyle is You know fitness and getting up early and I get up when the sun gets up and I go to bed when the sun goes to bed and You know, I had all the party I needed to have at night. Yeah I'm going to sleep at night Well, cammy says that she had the pleasure of meeting you a few years ago at Palm Beach School of Fresno Hi cammy So I'm going back to Fresno in December. There you go. I uh, I'm going The friday before your christmas party So I'll be back in Fresno. I love you even knows when your christmas party. Of course, of course, you know I'm sam to claw right. Yeah, I know all the christmas parties this guy So speaking of christmas that this is gonna be the longest podcast ever speaking of christmas time When I worked for sam We would go and have to cut we would find tree branches all over the place And we would take those tree branches and we would paint them all white with spray paint And then he would staple them to the entire ceiling of the front of the salon Like you were walking into like a magical land wonderland like way before frozen was frozen That's what the salon the salon looked like frozen. Okay, but so here's the thing when I came here to new hope Uh, I immediately got involved in the community and I was on the board of the chamber of commerce I helped bring halloween here Uh, we uh, they did not do a lot for halloween. So one of the first things we did was we put together this Charity fundraiser called the pumpkin ball. Yeah, and we're 50 percent of the money would go to the susan b. Coleman foundation because that was our client's females And then the other half would go to the local aids foundation. Okay fact here, right? in uh, bux county and uh And then you know right after halloween October after october 31st after we were done with that pumpkin ball november 1st that salon Turned into christmas because the hairdressers in the professional beauty industry I think we have an opportunity to start getting people in the christmas mindset earlier Right and most hairdressers haul out the holly the second week of december and then you put up all the gift baskets of This would be a great teacher gift or this would be whatever But moms have already done all their shopping, right? Yeah, so if you turn your salon into a magical christmas place first It or you know, you start having your christmas displays. Yeah now that said Decorating for christmas is the unofficial gay sport and Since our salon was on main street in my mind I always thought there was a contest for the best business right And in my mind, I always wanted to win it and in my mind. I believe we did Yeah, but it was I mean, there's no way we didn't right there were hundreds of branches everywhere And even if this salon got flooded we did it again And then I didn't get enough so I started it in october. So it could be the halloween decoration first And it could become but I looked upstairs and it was fun. Yeah, I mean At the time it wasn't as fun But now that I think about it like all those experiences and everything was really oh and then and then just one last thing as a successful salon owner now I'm sure that you send your team on a cruise Every year I take them to vegas every year. Okay, so Okay, we did learn something from you. Yeah, so what was that? Well, no, I mean, we just we take them to vegas every year. Yeah, because for christmas what all of you guys got What's up, ryan? So For christmas, everybody got a cruise. Yeah now Just to be really remember ryan teal. Yeah, okay. He's he's watching. Hey, how you doing? So just to be really clear You know I only had four people or five people that worked for me maximum and I put them all down in steerage And it's true and then they had to work their way out of That like I provided the cruise Uh And then they had to go pay $50 more to have a window or or whatever. But the goal really was Every client you're ever going to do you're going to do the month of december and in january Is traditionally the slowest month in the entire beauty industry. So when you bookend Your busiest month with your slowest month january seems so much worse So I thought if we close this along for a week, yeah You you know, you're only going to do 25 people in january anyhow So if you close this along for a week, you're going to do those 25 people And we got to go to a teen building thing in january and I couldn't make you guys go on vacation So I thought if I gave you this cruise then you would go But I didn't want to say I need you to take a week off in january because you're only going to do 25 people Right, uh, so it became you know, it became a really good working thing for all of that stuff is great You know like being able to be away with your team is It doesn't have to be as extravagant as a cruise or a vagus or whatever It was really cheap. Yeah, it was cruises aren't that much. It's like $2.99 or $3.99 Yeah, but the one year you could you got your mountain dew Thing that you could have free mountain dew per week. Yeah, I know you were excited about that. Yeah, that was a good time That's why I have fake teeth now They're not all fake But all mine are So, um, all right, so what else? So now so current so sam sam was in the industry for Before I met you you were doing all kinds of stuff. You were platform artists for palmetria your motivational speaker Yep, um, so you had a couple CDs out when I met you and um, which was okay. The first one was Sam poo your way to success, right? And then the next one was cliff diving when I first moved. Yes So sam poo your way to success was how to become a hundred thousand dollar your hairdresser It was uh, I don't know like that was unheard of back then and it was a cassette Don't make fun of me. There was a cassette back, you know back in the day if I loved you I would make you a mixtape on a cassette. Yeah, all right and then It went really well just I just made it just to share ideas. I was I've never been in this industry for money I've been in it to just share ideas because yeah, I'm a high school dropout that got It was a tiny little town that got blessed to have a job that travels all over And I just wanted to record it and be like here's what I know Well, you know now so I I saw We were out I forget maybe a year ago, but this band had a cassette tape They were selling it and but inside the cassette tape So you could listen to the cassette tape, but inside was a download code for the thing So I thought that was cool. So if you have any of those old sam poo, uh, no, they're done. Okay. All right I'm sure we lost them in the flesh. Yeah, I'm sure so then the second cd I recorded was called cliff diving a journey of new hope And it was about opening up a salon with no clients and you're in it There's even a quote from you. Yeah, and then uh, and then everyone's like, you know, when you come out with cd or when you're gonna come out with a whatever And you can't have life experiences unless you live them, right? Yeah, so then after I got sober I thought well the whole world looked different Yeah, whenever you got sober so I recorded it my third one called sam poo rinse repeat Okay, which is see I thought this was the same. I thought this was the other sample. This is sam poo rinse repeat Okay, got it. All right. I know so and uh And and it's really it was all about what I did with the salon what I learned being a robert chromine salon a little bit about digital marketing because i'm an old guy i'm 16 17 years old you 20 years old of you or something. I don't know. Yeah, uh, yeah, we'll go with that. Not really short. Yeah I'm getting younger every year We're meeting each other for sure. Yeah, uh, eventually we'll both be 40. Yeah at any rate So I recorded that and then uh, I also had the really good fortune of working with uh, paul mitchell Launching our men's product line. Yeah a couple years ago So then I recorded and I wrote and researched all this stuff about the men's market Okay, so then I recorded another cd called priority mail And it's just all about the men's grooming industry and about how men think differently and all of that Once again, I don't record any stuff to make any money off of it. It's on itunes You can get on my website and bring cds to future professionals But I am a big believer in turning your car into a learning center Just like you coached me that maybe I can do a little bit more on an airplane Yeah, we absolutely can do more in our cars right and whether it's your podcast or whether it's The joel olstein radio station or whatever it is. There's only so many times you can listen to that adult song Yeah, so why not listen to people that are smarter than you brighter than you particularly on days you go to work so my My feeling is you know when clay ball who's my coach says you should only work out on days you want to feel good So i'm i'm trying to work out and get buff and big But I think that you should only listen to something that motivates or inspires you on days you want to be motivated and inspired Yeah, so if you don't want to be motivated inspired today, that's cool So maybe I listen to your podcast and it doesn't have to be all day. So my recommendation is 15 minutes a day Uh because sometimes you need a coach you need a I got a feeling right and to get another good idea and then Go work listen to some of the 15 minutes work really really really hard And then on your way home pop that out and spend five minutes Listening to something that has no lyrics to it So that you can decompress your day and that you don't come home when you're not me mommy Right, and you don't come home the way time tell you what happened at work today that you can Uh just let everything go away. So I've done that practice my whole life That's good idea get up and I listen to something that motivates me in the morning And then work and do whatever your work is whether A hairdresser or a professional service provider or whatever and then on your way home pop it out and just for five minutes Just one song listen to something that has no lyrics So your day can run through your head. Yeah, and you can let it go right And I don't it's a best practice of mine. So I share it with other people So that's really the purpose of the cds. I'll probably move more into podcast adventure. There's a book in me, you know, that I gotta do Yeah And it'll end up being a book on tape, you know, because that's how I mean that is literally No one has time to read books anymore. Everybody's book on tape, you know, and and everybody and like you said, you know They're only playing five songs on the radio anymore. I mean, it's always been like that But there was never this many options. So now People are choosing like I don't I never listen to music really ever anymore I listen to people talking because when I have a moment to to capture more information or learn something I want to learn something and I want to I want to get People want value out of every moment of their life now It's no longer like music used to be an escape or whatever and people got value from it because I think it brought emotion But now there's so many options out there that now I choose to listen to podcasts or Audio books I haven't gotten into a little bit, but I know Brian who has a longer drive drives 40 minutes to get here for work He's listening to audio books all the time. So people don't have have as much time to read. I'm not saying people don't read but It's definitely moving in that direction. And if anybody Like we were talking about with you like all this stuff on a podcast would be great, you know And this like people will watch the video, but mostly they'll listen to it in a car Okay, good because I didn't really because when you said to me yesterday We were doing a podcast. Yeah, well then for the first time in my life. I'm not gonna wear black Yeah, and I think he walked in here and he was like, oh Yeah, so no, so then you're like putting all the cameras together and stuff and I thought I don't really know what's going on And uh, and I'm like, I would not have worn this white shirt But uh, no everything's video with me So So you gotta come Okay, so now so so now I am here one of the other reasons why I wanted to come here. Yeah is you Sold the salon. Yes. It was hello gorgeous and then became salon gratitude and was a fixture on north main street Yep, what did we decide for 17 years? Yeah, no, I'm totally lying I opened up in 2000. Well, no, yeah, it would be 17 years. Wow Crazy. Yeah, how's that possible? I'm only 35 Uh, so it was a fixture on main street for 17 years And now you're in this amazing Gord I can't even tell you how beautiful this place is like I wanted it I wanted to just like cry a little bit this morning when I came in because I I if I could wish something for any human being in the world, it would be for you Oh, thanks And uh, this building is how many square feet is that 4000 square feet and our salon was 750 maximum Yeah And we did all the video all the stuff we did out of that. You did. Yeah, you really maximized the crap Yeah, I mean that was a transformer like it would it would go from I mean we had like the white backdrop hanging on a random Wall that we could just pull it down move the stations out film and you know That that's what I want people to know like you can start it anywhere Like you don't have to have now later like it became a necessity that we needed more space to create And we also now are doing video shoots with with Manufacturers and stuff so it's different But when we started it it was you know, I started on an iPad Well, I I remember you saying to me when I was out in california I want to start this company called freesalon education. Yeah, and I just want to give out I just want to do free videos. Yeah, and uh, I think your golden was Maybe reached 10,000 people. I don't remember. Yeah, I mean I didn't really have like a person amount I wanted a free pair of scissors. So I was working towards that So the first company I reached out to was misatani scissors and you know, they Said to me Yeah, I'll send you a pair of scissors to show them on the internet And we only I mean we didn't have a lot of followers then and they uh, but they were really cool You know, they were just like take a picture with them and that would be awesome I mean we did have a good amount of followers and a lot of content to back it up So you can't just like reach out and get free things right away But start making stuff and you can and then Now we're the one of the number one sellers of misatani scissors in the united states, you know So it starts with that one little thing then it branched off to working with all these companies and we build our online store And you know, and we have great sponsors like old plex and paul mitchell and Uh, you know and picado and a few different Companies and minerva beauty. So it's just you know that it all became a company. Okay, but this place is unbelievable So when I came in I'm like, I don't know what door to come in and uh, it's a beautiful Yeah, our clients are still getting used because they went from 750 square feet with the tiniest like airport bathroom like airplane bathroom Yeah to now, you know Three big bathrooms and they're like they're walking around they can't find what door to go in They finally get to find the door and they walk in and you know, it's just I love seeing Me and christina like literally all week have just been like high-fiving just like That moment when what we've wanted the place to feel like yeah And you know, we took this space over in april So it's been like we've been paying for both and it's like, you know been pretty crazy and building this and you know We basically did everything ourselves in here. I got you know The only thing we hired somebody to do was to paint and obviously do the plumbing work But other than that we we did everything and it was you know and now to see it. It's not done, but it's You know great. I saw the color bar that you told me christina put together from ikea. Yeah, I'm all for like ikea should sponsor map back Uh, we you know every salon should do ikea. Yeah, ikea is great and it's not expensive. So When you you know, we built that whole color bar I think we paid probably we paid like three grand for the color bar because it was a full kitchen basically But but it's a full kitchen for three grand and then christina put it together. I had a broken foot I was like we should hire somebody Wait, did you get the broken foot before she was putting it together? Like was your intention to do my intention was never to put it together And then you're like opposite knife a broken foot. There's one difference between me and christina christina will is so like just like she's very um Like she just doesn't want she wants to do it like she wants to like so she hands on Yes So she took and I didn't even give you that part of the tour But even some of that ikea stuff she sanded down like the handles everything painted them gold like they don't come in gold So she did that and then like minervas We got these mirrors from minerva that are hanging from the ceiling and they were dark wood They were dark wood with black trim and she sanded them in the front and then painted the trim gold Oh, I didn't know that when you yeah when you said christina did this I just thought she got those mirrors No, it was like a process like she went through and like really worked through it. Yeah, so you know it's it's Probably even more her in that building than me and it's just like and I love it because forever It's been matt the salon owner guy, but it's really not matt the salon or guy It's matt the guy that you see on video and you see but christina's like but that's the best part of owning a business Yeah, it's like whenever you move like you want it you want to create everything and make it yours And yeah, it's one of the reasons why I decorated that salon like I lived upstairs So we got to keep evolving it all the time right it's the best it is It's the best process. It's not always about yeah, and it's one of them It's one of the few rewarding things. Yeah as a salon owner You get to put your heart and your creativity and there's a lot of rewarding things about being a salon owner But right but that heart that extends your client space. Yeah, and we have you know We've had the same team for for so long. So we got brian dad and rea and how you come from so long What's this? You know what I think I mean, let's see if they show up today. I think they you know, they have them forever until today they First off they're they're very dedicated, you know, and and I think What I try to prove every day And that even got a little bit harder because we were so separated So for like the last year building this place we've been here. They've been there It became actually kind of weird You know, like I think a lot of sawn owners that are absent will will understand and even some that are there but not really present Will understand like you lose your staff No, you have to be you have to you have to be present or you have to be present to player. Yeah, you have to be present in your business Yeah, so we weren't that present because we were building this which they gave us a little leeway because they knew we were building this but they um, but you know it so Over the last week, I feel like the connections coming back, you know that that feeling but they've been with us for five six years They have great clientele, you know, they they're my big thing and Christina's thing was Our averaged clients paying about 300 350 dollars and they were paying it In that tiny in that tiny space that was full of hair like 17 years of hair, you know, like you can't make it With the bathroom door that also led to the basement Yeah, and we were going to do like a full makeover of that building when this building came open So then we didn't do it and it needed a makeover So like, you know, we were really lucky because Minerva sent us some furniture for that place And we you know got to clean it up a little bit the furniture is the the Minerva furniture here's beautiful Well, thanks. Like I the first thing I did when you took me to wash house. I'm like You laid in it. Yeah, I want to have my airchip It's beautiful. Yeah, it's really awesome and and our staff because we did all white Shampoo like the even the chair is white and everybody was like, what is wrong with you? And I'm like, I don't You see every hair on that chair. So like you will clean that We had black ones before and you didn't see the hair and now all of a sudden it's built up with hair everywhere So like, okay, wait, so what's your system going to be? Because even in my social media, I hear people talk about what are you about white chair? So what's the system? Well, you know, we have magic eraser. So I'm hoping that that's you know, we're only a weekend So this would be a better six month update. But our plan is you have a magic eraser So our plan is it will never this place will never ever look like It will not get to the point of the other place the other place. I wasn't um It went through so many different types of employees over 17 years And you know, sometimes when something gets too, it's probably like a hoarder Like, you know, you get so much stuff and so much hair or whatever and then it becomes overwhelming and you can't do it So we have very strict systems now. But that said matt, yeah, I you know, I have been to salon gratitude Many times I've been in new hub many times when you didn't even know I was here That salon is not filled with hair. I don't want people to feel right. It was a it's a very clean salon Yeah, it is a very meticulously clean salon, but it is a 200 year old building. Exactly, right This is a modern new fresh building. But there was nothing about it that was dirty. Well, that's good to know Or whether I had it or whether you had it It was just a we see like when you're in it every day you see all those things But when you have a 750 square foot salon or whether you have a 4,000 square foot salon Which you currently have you need to have a system Yeah, and the system it like we had this system where you Sweep up the hair before you did the blow dry. So hair didn't go everywhere. You know, we had the floors refinished, you know, whenever, you know Cleming is important to clients. Yeah, that said what's your white furniture? You're gonna have magic erasers So the white furniture of magic erasers and we're just very careful with the way that color is being, you know Rinse or whatever how you're gonna drape. So we are so the drapes Um You have to check you have to check the drapes before they lay back like obviously you have you can't have color on your They can't be fully balayaged or pulled through a low light and then lay back on the the sink So that would be very aware of it. Yeah, I think it was just for us The great thing about us is that we're four people right in this place like four hairdressers working in there So and they're very aware that they're white chairs and they look nice right now So it it's more They're concerned for getting anything on there and then so my worry is once a couple things get on there Then what happens? Yeah, that's the phone call that I went. That's the six month conversation I was the phone call of whatever, uh, the april third conversation when you go to work and you're like, what? I know because right now i'm like, so we have a system where Everything gets swept at the end of the night like the full place, right? And then not just your station and then I got like a vacuum of a cordless vacuum To then go around and do another lap to get the hair. So when I walk in and I see like three hairs on the floor. I'm like What are those three hairs doing there? Yeah So it's got to be right, but that's the thing like so, you know, it's just it's really fun My mom says hi. She's on oh hi And I'm going to get out my uh my christmas tree skirt really soon I know my mom hasn't even seen this place. Yeah, I mean she's seeing pictures. It's really gotta gotta get her here And how's your sister? My sister is great. Yes. She's uh, she's good. She's actually, um She's growing up, you know, like she's you met her. She was 15 when she was I think that's still her name on one of the social media things or something But yeah, she's good. My brother lives back there now So yeah, so everybody and your dad's good. My dad's good as well So I you know, I'm out here also with my mom and she needs a little bit of handyman stuff here And I'm like, I need a day back I know like I just need a day back to come here and like do like a a wall plate and you know I'm out a broom. We need a day back when we're putting the lights up because where's the day back? I Face time my dad and I'm like so look at these wires And then as I'm doing I have the wire like the electric tester to put up these these lights And I put it on there and it it fires up like like this like shock and he goes What did you do like? I don't know. I need you here Has saved me out of so many catastrophes and Car scrapes and god bless your dad. Yeah, I can fix anything and he really can five tools And if he doesn't and this is what I think like I always took from my dad Because my dad was always the first and said like tell me I can't do something and I'll prove you're wrong So, you know, I think I I learned from my dad like If you don't know how to do it you just learn how to do it and then you don't have to worry about it anymore So like he asked yeah crazy karaoke singer like amazing good. This is where matt got this from amazing good I'm not amazing good, but my dad. He's a he's a strong alice cooper. No for sure. Yeah for sure. So All right, so um, okay, so you're so you're here at this thing So now we're fast-forward and you're now Free salon education and this 4,000 square foot salon. Yeah, and I am no longer a hairdresser, right? Yep I feel like that, um I don't know somebody said to me a couple years ago Why'd you put doing hair and I feel like after 52,000 haircuts on my loudest click Yeah, I figured out on a really long plane ride when I should have been responding to the text Yeah And I and I don't think anybody is better at becoming now a life coach or a client coach or a business coach Then a hairdresser that's been through all of these different Evolutions maybe right so now uh, you know the other day I was at this Celebrity event for the schools and mary wilson from the supreme's was an elevator And one of the things that I coach all the future professionals has come up with your elevator speech Okay, and uh And so you know come up with your elevator speech and make your social media the same across all of your social media platforms Yeah, so I get in the elevator. I'm like this can't possibly be mary wilson because but you know I'm like, so what am I gonna say? So I'm like, are you going to the gala and she said and this man says well, this is mary wilson I'm like, oh, no, I know who you are. I've read your book. You know, I sang your songs I love when you sang a song for you in the red dress And she said well, who are you and I said are you a hairdresser and I said I used to be a hairdresser But my name is sam burns and I'm a world-class speaker trainer and coach And you can find me at sam burns biz across all of my social media So she grabs my arm and goes well, okay sam burns biz Tell me a little bit about the gala So I'm walking in now and I'm like well, we raised 18.5 million dollars and I'm thinking in my head I have I'm walking in here with a supreme. Yeah, but the point is I had an elevator speech ready Yeah, you know at the ready. That's the truth. Yeah, when you So what I want to say to all of your listeners is practice your elevator speech right now So when you're in the elevator with mary wilson or whoever, you know My social media is the same everywhere. I'm sam burns biz everywhere. Yeah, and I have a real quick I'm a world-class speaker trainer and coach and you can find me at sam burns biz everywhere And then the elevator door can open. Yep So my call to action to you and all of your people would be figure out what your elevator speech is going to be today In 20 seconds or less. Nice. So what would your speak? Well, so I actually the other so I flew to san antonio last weekend I love san antonio. So I get yeah, it's really nice. So I uh, I Get ready to get on the plane. I was running late, of course So I'm like getting through the airport and I get to My seat I'm I'm in the front row of the plane and I go to I walk right in and I look down And let's not let's not you're in the front row meeting you in first class Well, so I was in it doesn't matter. I know but I just want to know I was just in the first row I just want to know that the boy Never been a hotel before just now he's in the front row. Just to process that in your head Yeah, so as soon as I walk in I'm like, excuse me, ma'am My seat's right there and it was tabitha No So my whole flight to san antonio I'm sitting next to tabitha and and we had actually I did an interview with her a couple years ago Yeah, and I was like, I don't know if you remember But I did an interview with you. She goes, I thought you looked familiar So then she we started talking about free salon education and I showed her pictures of the salon because I'm like We just opened it and everything and uh, it was just really cool. We we ate like, you know Some weird pretzel burger like whatever. I'm like, this is interesting, you know but, um It was it was all that stuff like where a long time ago Like I would get up to let's say go to talk to robert chromings or something And I remember like I like you would say to me go get him a Belvedere on the rocks or something and I would take the drink over and I'd be like or an americano with two glass Is it different now? So, um, so I would walk up and I'm like Here you go, you know And like I just think about and and this is one thing that I have learned over over the years is that The more you know like The more confident you get you get confidence from from learning, right and just being Not necessarily around people but being more comfortable with yourself And like I said before for a long time. I tried I just wanted to be what other people were and now i'm learning that What I'm doing what I I'm I feel good about it, you know And like I feel like when I get up and speak about social media or whatever I can because I built a company on social media, you know, there's a lot of people out there pretending To build things you can only teach what you know, like I yeah, you know, I only teach service providers or people that are in the People business, you know, I don't teach computer programmers. I don't know anything about it. Yeah But if you are in if you work with people and you Then people are part of your product. Yeah, whether it's in the hotel industry or real estate or education or yeah Then if you work with people, then I can help you I can coach you and And you teach what you know and and and that's where you get to be your authentic self You know, I'm not going to teach Oprah's book club. I'm not a reader But I can teach you how to make people feel great Right and I can teach you how to make people feel valued And I can teach you how to make people come back to your business Right and and a little more quality life and that's what you're good at. You know, like I remember um Just watching the first time I saw you speak it wasn't it wasn't even ever really about the haircut You know, and it's how salons work too. Like a lot of people think, you know I'm going to be successful. I learned to do this haircut really well But that has nothing to do with it Like I've seen people Like I tell this story all the time But I watched somebody put a touch up on and then do the haircut while the touch up was on So that I know it's crazy. I've seen this happen They did it did the haircut while the touch up was on And was the most booked hairdresser I've probably ever seen Oh, I did not think that was going to be the second half of that That is the second half because they put on they they had the best relationship with their clients It didn't matter what they did. Now. I'm not saying do that ever. I'm gonna process that a little bit But the most okay, but All right I'm gonna process that a little bit because that's so foreign to the 52 000 haircuts. I've done in my lifetime Yep, uh, I have done a color and done somebody else's haircut, right But I've not put the touch up on and then cut it. I've never done that but the industry is changing It's not this this I saw five years ago. Maybe even longer I've never seen it again, but but the reality of the story is He was very booked this person So it was it's unbelievable. And that's where do we bring that up to tell people to do that or not to do Well, don't do that. But but why I bring it up is you you'll be successful in this business based on relationships Not on not necessarily on talent alone And that's where you're seeing people that are becoming popular on the internet Because of the relationships they're building on the internet, not the talent that they necessarily have Now if you take talent and put it together with building relationships Now you can become what I would say is guy tang You know what I mean? He's the most popular in san antonio. He sold It was 20 a ticket for 3 000 people only That was the max tickets that could be sold and they were waiting out the door to buy those tickets and He had uh at his booth You know, he had people wrapped around the whole hair show to take a selfie with him And you know, it's just and people some people are frustrated with that. Some people aren't I'm not frustrated with it I'm fascinated by it. I think that he if you watch him is himself he Talks to people he treats people like they're you know On the same level because they are because we're all hairdressers when it comes out exactly We are spiritual beings having a human existence. You just need to be nice to people And if you're nice and this conversation with somebody the other day about religion I'm like it's not about like just take all of them put them all together and it's like this like don't be nice Don't steal. Yeah, cover your neighbor's wife. Right. Just be nice Right, and if you're nice and you're in your forward-focused and you and you do the best that you can then then good things will happen and I don't know. I think that that's my it's been my philosophy my businesses It's been my philosophy in my life That's it and so that's what I'm gonna do the second half of my life I'm just going to train people to be nice and coach and still help a lot of service providers I love, you know hairdressers are my people Yeah, they always have been and I want every salon owner to be successful and because I've done We have this thing called the tree of opportunity at Paul Mitchell the schools And it's like all the different things you can do with your license Yeah, and I'm and I've done every every single thing on that branch every every everything there is to do except for one Yeah, I've not done hair at funeral homes, and I'm never going to do hair at funeral homes It's not I can't say you're doing that. Yeah, no Your clients never come back. You don't even watch scary movies. No, I don't I don't so I was gonna say your clients don't come back because you don't want them to come back Or come back in your dreams. I hated my hair So no, I don't watch scary movies or you know garbage in garbage up, right? So That's what I'm gonna do for the second half of my life. What are you gonna do? So, I mean for me, I I'm just gonna keep moving and doing Creating content, you know, like I I love what I do now. I don't I work with great companies. I You know, I don't have to I travel if I want to travel like I'm doing shows and I'm speaking about things that I love and you know now I Christina and I have this beautiful place where we never want to leave, you know, so um, we have I'm gonna be doing more a cat like workshops here. Um, so when I do hair cutting workshops I don't like to travel and do them anymore. I'd rather do them in my home. Oh my goodness. So So we're doing them in there like we have one in november and then and I bought all like Pivot point tripods for everybody just so that everybody because my thing was every show you go to everything you do It's always skimped on like they buy the cheapest mannequin the cheapest stands like all the stuff And I I don't like traveling and being in those because I wouldn't want to be in it in my life Like you're not going to go go do a hair show or hair cutting that someone's going to be like well Here's the $10 scissors. Yeah to go. Right exactly. So I like them. We all have the same equipment same, you know And and we get to hang out where where all of this is so you're gonna do it here Yeah, so we're doing it here. Um in the salon, you know, all those chairs That's why it's very simplified and you know, it can be around there and it's very limited tickets Well bucks count I mean For those big guys that have never been to bucks county, pennsylvania It really is one of the most beautiful places on earth and and I know that as a man that is always on an airplane I was at 55 different schools this year and Over like 65 or 70 different cities for different reasons, right? I've been all over this country and that was just last year Buck County's beautiful. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to settle here and this particular great Space that you have in this great wooded peaceful tucked away area That's like a sanctuary safe haven Will be such a retreat for anybody that wants that's what I think too. Yeah, and it's surrounded by Yeah, we're in the woods. Yeah smells great I mean you're in the woods, but right there's the road, right? Yeah, it's not like you're driving through, you know Yeah, exactly. It's paved So So, yeah, I mean that's that's it. I'm gonna keep doing that and keep making Haircutting videos and you know in filming with people like I love these kind of conversations. This is this is a really fun one for me because I mean My big message would be that You nobody can do anything on their own in their life, right? So if my mom, you know, didn't my mom and dad didn't buy me a ticket to go See A hair show or to meet I wouldn't have met you if I didn't meet you I wouldn't be in new hope and I wouldn't have the opportunities that I had you introduce me to everyone. It was like I had you There would be people you would introduce me to that were like could care less who Who I like you would introduce me to every single person Throughout Paul Mitchell and everything so the connections I made through that And like being able to buy your salon and then Christina, you know, I wouldn't have met Christina You know, I wouldn't have the family that I have you would have the amazing son And I you know my son and so it's just it Life happens when you work towards what you get what you work towards I think and but you can't do it on your own I wouldn't have this salon without Christina, you know, and um When we decided to buy it it was like She had to be on board, you know, it wouldn't have been It couldn't have just been my thing and I take it over and then all of a sudden, you know I because I travel you traveled you were traveling every weekend, you know So you'd be away. I'd be working in the salon and the same thing with me. I was on I was driving everywhere I mean, I when I was doing 75 plus the year I wasn't flying all over the country. I was in my car driving so You know, nothing happened. Everybody sees the face and they think, you know, that's Like without the team I have without people actually doing hair for six years and building a clientele like You know, you got to surround yourself with people that push you, you know, and I want to say to you Not that I wanted to make this this big love fest thing, but I want to say to you that during what You always supported my vision. I always knew that I could count on you Whether you were my assistant and then became my number one hairdresser and then became The co-owner and then or whatever and then the owner but you Always stood by my side. You stood by my side when I was The best that I could be but more importantly you stood by my side when I was at my worst and Not a lot of people, you know New hope Pennsylvania for me is the epicenter of where I created some really greatest parts and was also one of the Lowest parts of my life where I clearly just had too much party at the party and I made a decision that I 11 years ago that I was going to quit drinking and doing drugs And you stood by me through that you were there in the Worst of that you were there after you didn't give up on me you felt that You had confidence in me when I didn't have confidence in myself And I thank you for that. Well, you had the same for me though. That's the whole thing, you know, I When I first met you you didn't have to do anything, you know, so that's When I came out here, I experienced a lot more things than I ever thought I would in my life I was in a very small town in Illinois and I know that because I shared many of them with you Yes, so, you know, I Um You know this obviously this podcast thing along forever, but we we just had such so many things I was even telling a story at my class last weekend about how we used to go to bars to hand out business cards Yes, oh, but that would know that was part of our routine if you didn't have any clients tomorrow All right, I'll say one thing and then we'll stop it right so I made a commitment that we were going to own the the local sexy bar In the town like whatever it is. Yeah, and if you're not a drinker then don't phone the bar, but you know, it was a good idea because bartenders and waiters and waitresses get up and do their hair every single day and they Talk or interact with what do you think 100 people an hour 200 people an hour. So don't you want them saying Sam from hello gorgeous or Matt from salon gratitude does my hair, right? So I know we went after this one particular girl Her name is Linda Who was just the hottest Hawaiian in my opinion like the hawaiian tropic girl of the town? And I wanted to own her as my client and I would go there every single night around 4 30 because I knew she was slow then because five o'clock would be busy happy hour time And I'm like I'd really like to do your hair. She's like I have a hairdresser Right, and I'm like well when your hairdresser dies breaks her leg moves away Here's my card. I have a little gorgeous right up the street And then I go back the next day. She's like I have a hairdresser and then we sent a gift basket and you know She tried the product and I just worked her and worked her and worked her forever for like six months And then finally I had come back from doing Something down in Miami for the Versace show. Yeah, and I said to her Oh, I just came back from Miami and I'd love to do the Versace blow-dry for you and she went the Versace blow-dry I want the Versace blow-dry and then we She became my personal number one client like yeah, she came in every week Fridays and Saturdays about every tool every part when we started selling hair. She bought hair. Yeah, she was a great advertisement for me. Yeah, whether And and and she also when they got new employees that you need to come to the salon So you got to find that one or two people that are going to talk about you Right your friends on facebook are sick of you so you got to find somebody else Yeah, and then we also had a strategy that if you weren't busy We were going to go as a group the next day In nice outfits loaded with business cards and maybe a product under my blazer And they're like, are you guys in a rock band? No, we're at the head salon up the street. What would you do to my hair? Yeah, and oh and I happened to have a product It was all pre-rehearsal right, but we we had the products in the in the ladies restroom Yep said To this salon right so think about like so this is what I talk about because think about all that all that stuff all that effort all that Time like everything you had to do now You can literally Have the most beautiful picture beautiful work Maybe a video image of somebody's hair that you did and you can take it to facebook and you can Pay five dollars and you can circle new hope and Lambertville or whatever your area is And hit every single person that looks through that feed their feed with your beautiful work advertising it and And do all that for five dollars Exactly that's I'm saying so you're trucking down main street You're trying to hand out cards everybody and now literally for five dollars You can reach three thousand people in a diameter of an area of course So and but the thing is a lot of people are doing it wrong because they're doing it They're posting like right now our salon's not busy Let's say if our salon's not busy now i'm at frantic and now i'm just posting on i'm throwing up all over facebook saying Oh, I need clients and clients come in right now. No, it's not that you got to post your beautiful work Show off so that your salon looks better than every salon in your area and circle that diameter and make sure that everybody's news Feed is filled with your stuff. Okay, but that said, yeah Don't ever discount the idea of a one-on-one one on one Yeah I've gone with your team and dressing up for five minutes into the local Coffee shop whatever so you can meet this is still a people's business and an app or a photograph or a phone Is never going to take the place of interaction. No, not at all. Yeah It's got to be a combination of both It's got to be hard to heart and head to head and make women feel great about themselves And then they're going to spend time with you. Yeah, of course. Yeah So I'm glad I got to spend time with you today. I know this was fun. We were supposed to be done Uh, a long time a long time ago I'm cleaning out the old salon today before I go to charlotte and I am leaving before matt says Come with me to the old salon because I'm sure there's stuff for the basement that you left there So I actually so I used that company one 800 got junk. Yeah, because I was like I got a lot of junk Are there still a lot of tree branches in the basement? No, the tree branches had been brought out But the but there was a lot and the one big basket No, that was allowed to the one thing that I saw come up that reminded me of you that was you is the disco ball came out Oh my god, and he's like carrying like all this stuff and I saw the disco ball going. I was like Oh memories. Okay, but just so before we close that my goal was Uh We had a disco ball way in the back of the salon Yes, and which we were shot so that it would stream through the glass In the front of the salon and catch your eye as you were walking by Yeah, that was the whole idea behind the disco ball because how often do you walk down a street anywhere? And you just never look in someone's window. Yeah, so we had the disco ball We had the the television screens in the window with the speaker outside Yeah, it was always loops of you know, what's your salon look like when it's awake? Exactly That was the idea behind the disco. Yeah, and it did it. I mean honestly we did and I love the disco ball And that's what I love because I experience all this stuff and you know, and you learn like you learned what worked What didn't I'm not afraid to try anything three times. Yeah Yeah, I mean we had a bubble machine on top of the salon that would shoot bubbles across the street We've had drag queens out in front of the salon. We had popcorn out in front of the salon So when I sat down here for this interview today, I said to matt You know, I love that spinner. Yeah Yeah, we have a big wheel over there a big wheel But I had a spinner outside of the salon I just wanted people to just spin see you and stop and we put pet food out there. I tried anything Yeah, you just got a hustle. Yeah, you got a hustle. You got to do it every day. I'm so excited for what you're doing Thank you. I'm glad you came. I am too. I really am. Yeah So guys follow sandburns sandburns biz on everything on everything. Yeah And uh, thank you to everyone that actually hung out and watched this whole thing. There was a lot of people on here throughout on and off. Yeah, so hopefully um Hopefully got some, you know, some tips out of this or whatever if not You got to go through memory. You definitely heard that's more of my story than anyone's ever heard. So That's really why I came here. All right to pull back the curtain. Appreciate that. Yeah, you're welcome He's the only guy that would come and not promote himself really at all He just talked about, you know our stuff, but hey, you're you know, you're a great man I think people I want people to know your journey. So were you sam. Thank you. I appreciate it. All right Well, thank you guys so much if you have any questions post them below sam while he's on the plane He'll be answering them. I absolutely will you can help me to it sandy. Yes respond to that All right guys. Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you guys on the next show. Thanks