 So I just got into the business because I was looking for some type of job that would accommodate my school schedule. At the time, I was looking for flexibility. I was looking for maybe light hours, but still doing something that I enjoy, that can work through my schedule. I was trying to be a physical education teacher in my community. And I was like, okay, what am I good at? So I'm good at baseball. I played baseball my whole life. I always wanted to be a coach of baseball. Even when I was in high school, I was like, oh, I want to be a PE teacher and coach at the school. So then I was like, okay, let me get into this. Let me see how it is. I can always do this on the side. I never thought it was gonna be some type of full-time kind of thing. So I posted on an ad, I started on Craigslist. And I used some old equipment that I had. And within a couple of days, I had like two inquiries of my services. And they're like, oh, we want to meet up. We can do it at the park. We can do it here. We can do it there. I want to see what this is all about. So right from the start, I enjoyed it. And right away it took off. I probably, it so happened that person that I had, he knew a family member of mine, we're a big baseball family. He's like, oh, you're related to so-and-so. And he ended up telling like 20 other people like right away within like a week and a half. So I started doing that. Slowly it went just from working just like maybe a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday to maybe working all day on the weekend. And then it went to a reliable part-time job. And then now I do this full-time, just running my business. Awesome. So tell us a little bit about your company and your business then. What do you guys specialize in? So I do baseball training, but I focus more on performance enhancement training in pitching, which is very popular nowadays. So we do velocity training, we do weight training and conditioning, we do mechanical analysis, and we do pitch development. So that's where our focus is in right now. It's kind of transformed from just a basic like lesson, hey, I need help with this, help me fix this in the short term, maybe a two-week to maybe two-month kind of thing. So now it's really getting these clients long-term, committing to a program. Now it is in an academy, so we have a team, we have several other coaches that help me out. We have camps and clinics that we do. I also work for the Santa Fe Springs, so the city of Santa Fe Springs. So I do different things that kind of bring revenue into the academy, but to answer your question, we specialize in performance enhancement training in pitching. Awesome. So for any coach watching, and I know there's gonna be a lot of coaches watching that are wondering, how do you go from doing it part-time to doing it full-time? What are a couple of things that you need in order to make that transition? I think it's really creating, having an official business, it was, it wasn't an official business, it was kind of like kind of part-time, cash, maybe about Venmo or Zell or just anything that they can pay you with. And I felt like it was, I grew like that, but I felt very, it got stagnant at a certain time. It was very, I was ranging between like $5,000 and $7,000 a month, just doing it kind of like part-time in a way. In my part-time, I was kind of stuck there. But to get into full-time, I needed an official business and a brand. I think the brand having it, having that really boosted it up. I think client management is super important. You have to have them set on like long-term commitments, short-term commitments can work, but it's just a lot more difficult. You're always chasing for new clients or I think it's being steady and even during the holidays, it can still bring in revenue during those like holiday months or rainy days and stuff like that. You can still make a lot of sales with commitments. Contracts is another thing. You need to have the contracts so that parents take it a little bit more seriously as well as being able to charge them officially not like, oh, let's just do cash or let's do, so it seems kind of, it seems more legit if you have a website, you have all that kind of set up, you can take credit card payments, all that. So they're able to buy from you at any time. So once I was able to get that set, I can make a sale in the middle of the night when I'm asleep. People can just go on the website. They want to book something, they can go on the website, they can book for their camps or clinics. They don't necessarily need to talk to me unless they want to, but I have made sales while I'm asleep so I can wake up in the morning, I'm like, hey, look, I made two, three sales. Now I can hop on a call with them and talk to them and set them up for a specific day and time, but at least I'm still making revenue that way. I think another thing is being able to receive upfront forms of payment for several months at a time and that's what made sales at an all-time high. I'm not capped off in how many clients I have or how many hours I can fit in in that month or how many hours I can push through that month. It's more like, okay, if I get this high ticket client that pays this much, it's like it covers like almost a whole month of what I got paid before having an addition. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Awesome. So how many clients do you currently work with per week? I have about 40 clients consistently coming in and I probably had, I would say I had more before just because a lot of them didn't like that. They liked the short-term commitment, so I had more, but not necessarily made more. So it's more higher quality clients. And then I have about another 20 that I would see on occasion. They maybe do like a camp here, a workshop here. Maybe they do a pitching analysis and an evaluation. So I'm kind of getting in and out maybe another 20, not all of them hurt, but I've noticed if your stain's consistent with it, you can really get them to commit to it because now they're getting a little bit more time to get accommodated with you and to not get to know you. And they're like, oh yeah, my son really loves this, his coaching, his program, his training. Yeah, awesome. So you mentioned that you have teams in your program. Now, I had a question from a coach and this was last week and he asked me, he said, Leo, how do I implement teams into my program? So for the viewer, tell us a little bit how you went into starting the business and then implementing teams into the program. Or did you start with teams and then you did a coaching program? Tell us a little bit about that. No, so I started off with private training one-on-one. Like kind of like banded, it was like $15 an hour and then I bumped it up to like 25, it was 25 for a little while. And then it went to 30 and then I started selling packages, kind of like right upfront packages, maybe $100 to $120 for private training at a time. And then I got some, I guess, some inquiries for many groups, like they wanted to have their buddies together, like maybe two to six buddies at a time. So I would charge them more and I was like, hey, I make more with the group than I do with the private. So I did that. And then when I went into teams was I had a, after over some time, I had gotten a lot of like clientele base and even whether there were in the program or not, they were, you'd be coming in and out or whatever that they knew about me. And then they were like, okay, when we need your services, you know, they were saying, hey, I have this team, I'm coaching this team, I need help coaching this team. Can we bring like the whole team and you can train them or you can come to us. And then I started doing that. It was more like, I did it under like team consulting. So I'd help make their lineups, I helped create their practice plans. I would work one-on-one with a few players on the side that needed a lot of help. They would just help the weaker players or the players that weren't as experienced. They needed a lot of attention, helping those kids kind of help the whole team. So I would, I did that. And then I was like, I always wanted to make my team and I always had a lot of parents asking me, oh, you should have, you should start a team and you should do this and you should do that. So I was like, okay, that was after I started building a good clientele base and getting to know a lot of people and networking with a lot of clientele. And then I always, that was one thing that I kind of, I started missing because I was coaching at a high school and I always had a team and for a couple of years I did and I really missed that. So I was like, okay, I get to see these kids in practice, I see them in private training, group training, Linux or whatever and I can't, I don't see them during the game. That's what's like very special, seeing their progress in the game and them being really excited like, hey, I did this or you taught me this and I did very well. So I had, I didn't have any of the systems in place. I couldn't take forms of payment over the car. It couldn't be automated where it just pulls it out. Automatically, I always had to be hunting for them to pay. So I didn't want a lot of that turnover. So once I created the systems or the business first, officially, then I was able to create the systems and then that I was able to, with the contracts, get them on board for a 12 month commitment. And I had a pool of players that I started off from the very beginning, almost like from when I started off at the park and I started off in the cage training, like almost from the very beginning, I had this whole group that was maybe seven, eight years old that kind of now they're 13 years old and then I'm working with that group on the team. So most of them were able to transition as well as the team consulting in the last year or two. A lot of those kids that really liked me kind of like helping out with the team, they were like, okay, you have a team, they joined. So I ended up getting half of that group from there and the other half came from the original group that I had gotten when I first started. So it was not an easy task, it was a little difficult. And I think it was difficult too because of how long it took, it just took a lot of time, it just wasn't instant, it grew slowly. Now somebody's looking for a team they need to kind of start off, I feel maybe not charging a crazy amount because they don't know you and I think that a lot of the kids that end up not joining my team training, they're like, it's very pricey for them because I'm offering private training, the team practices, field practices, and then I'm doing all the tournaments and games and the uniform package so it can get very pricey but they don't have to go to another team. That was one problem I also had was getting these, because I was training these kids and then they were going somewhere else, they were paying me maybe at the time, maybe $200 a month and then going to another team and paying another two to maybe $300 a month to play on that team. And I was like, why not? I just combined it and source it just here with me and my coaches. So I actually have two brothers, they're a little bit younger than me and they helped me out and coach the team and stuff like that and helped me run the practices. So overall it's been fun doing that. That's awesome, awesome. So you've been part of Make Money Coaching Sports for a while now. Talk to us a little bit about how your business has changed since being part of the program. I think the having a structure, having a structure with the community, also having a daily structure with just being disciplined and having more of a set schedule instead of, hey, I'm making this much because I have these clients coming later, now it's more like I need to do this, I need to sell and then now I'm not working as much in the evening. I think to getting the questions answered, you need a lot of experience when you're doing something like this. You need a mentor, you're gonna have a lot of questions and things can pop up on instant and you need those questions answered right away because you can lose clientele and you can lose high ticket sales if you're not quick with this, speed is very important. And somebody that's far more experienced in you and has made mistakes, having those questions answered helps you not make those same mistakes. So I think that in other words, like just like having the structure and the discipline help in general, but also getting the questions answered quickly and then you can get a network of other coaches that are doing the same exact thing that you're doing and they can help motivate, they can help maybe give a perspective or something that's happened to them and you're not making those same mistakes and then now your business is suffering because of it. So what was your biggest obstacle you faced before joining our program? I think not having like contracts, not having them committed, not having a brand, those were the biggest things that I needed and I was always kind of like, oh, I'm gonna do this part time. But a lot of the time it's just the belief that you can do it. And then you're like, well, how many coaches do this? You're like, that's not really heard of. Are you hear stories of coaches or somebody that has some money saved up and they've always wanted to do this and then they open up a facility right away and they make a lot of mistakes, they don't know how to sell, and they make a lot of big, heavy mistakes that kind of suffered and then their business suffers and then they're not successful because of it. I think that having sat down in a car, having Kajabi, having the upfront payments, all of that, those were big obstacles for you to really grow. I felt like I was being stagnant with what I knew and I was stuck and I was like, okay, how can I get myself to the next level? And I couldn't until I had all these questions answered and having to believe them like, hey, this guy's doing it or these other coaches are doing it. I can do it too. So you're getting guidance from that and that's really helped me. Every Tuesday, we have an online meeting. Every day you can always ask questions. So it's been probably the best investment I've made in my life other than LASIK as well. LASIK is super important too. Other than that, I mean, I can't say any other type of investment that I've made and got in a return on it, I would say within weeks because I already had clients already. So it was easy to transition them. That's awesome. So where did you see the private training industry going in the next two to five years? Mine specifically or just in general? Yeah, yeah, like baseball. I can see it making $150,000 to $200,000 a year within the next like two years, I think easily. I think starting it off, yeah, everybody makes some mistakes in the beginning and now I kind of experienced it with running a full-time business and doing it officially. I think it's really only been like four and a half months for me, I started a program a little like in July, I believe. And I was on vacation and I was trying to transition into this new method. So it's really been since like September 1st, I can say. So it's been like about four and a half months. We've done about 70K in four and a half months in sales. I can see it easily like doing some things different in those four and a half months. I think starting next year, like starting a friend, I think that we can easily do 150 to 200, and a year in the next year or two, I believe. That's awesome. And where do you see the industry in general going? Do you see the industry growing year on year, or where do you see it going? I still see it to be very, very profitable. I think that in the next, I did remember in school prior to even getting into this, even before knowing about Ben's program, they were saying it was gonna be growing all the way up to like to 2030 that it was gonna keep going up. I don't know, you know, past that, but I've read a lot of articles saying like, oh, this is really a good industry to get into right now, you know, set yourself up and get experienced now, because it's gonna continue to go up on uphill. It's got a lot of programs either for kids, like it was before, like a lot of cheaper programs. Now, a lot of it now is parents investing, families investing into, you know, private training and private coaching because they know it's better. It's not volunteer work. It's not, you know, a side thing. It's official businesses and experienced coaches working with their child and, you know, they wanna get them better. And especially with the social media age, I think that, you know, a lot of kids are sedentary and the parents wanna get them out and active and whether they become pros or not, most kids don't, but they're gonna learn things along the way. They're gonna learn discipline, they're gonna learn commitment, they're gonna learn consistency, they're gonna learn how to have fun, be a part of a team, be a part of training, know what it takes to improve other aspects in their life, just besides, you know, just the sports, they can take a lot of those things that they learn from private training and into school and into other areas of life. Mm-hmm, absolutely. So what do you look for when you bring on the new client into your baseball academy? Um, I bring, I like the excitement right away. If I see the excitement and they have a good attitude and they're okay with committing like, hey, it's a six month theme and they're like, they're not right away like, whoa, whoa, no, no, I'm not gonna do that. Like if they're like, oh, I'm good, I can do that. And they're happy and excited to work with you and they have a good relationship right away. And it's fun and it's positive. That's what I'm looking for. If I'm already having, if I fill it out, I'm like, the kid's like kind of whiny or it's kind of like not really wanting to, but the parents kind of forcing them there. Like, that's not what I'm looking for. It's just like, I can totally say, like it's just not about the money at that point. It's just like, okay, where, how are you gonna continue to grow? And to continue to grow, you need those kids to be excited to come to your program and that's how they're gonna get better. They're gonna transform that way. You get kids that are very like, unmotivated or not excited to be there. They're not gonna put their full effort. They're not gonna transform and then you're not gonna get those testimonies. That's gonna just make the program just look bad in general. Also, so what is your current sales and marketing process then? So how do you sell and market the program? I like doing a lot of Instagram. So I post on Instagram, stories are good, Instagram ads, I do pay for Instagram ads. I did this even before. Going through Ben's program, I was already doing that. I had some experience in sports management and my undergrad and I had taken several marketing. So I wasn't necessarily like super afraid to pay for ads. I was like, okay, let's invest this and if I lose it, I lose it, but at least I'll get some experience and just experience in school kind of helped me out, kind of get the first few steps going. I do a lot of Instagram ads. Word of mouth was probably the biggest in the beginning, word of mouth was big and still is referrals to having some type of referral problem. Hey, like if you get this person in or you bring a buddy to the camp then you can get it for free, you get it for a discount or you can get a free class if you refer a buddy to a camper clinic or whatever. And then you can give them, you can give them those classes. Clicks are another thing to market your business, and it's because sometimes they're not gonna start off on a six month commitment right away because a lot of them are like still skeptical. So you need to give them the insurance thing. You know, and you're there for them and it's about getting their child better. And the last thing I would say is apparel, having that brand and having apparel like hats and shirts are super, super important because then they can wear your, if they're excited and happy to be in your program they're gonna wear your apparel, they'll go to school with it, kids will ask them, what is that? What is that? Or I play baseball too, or I play, you know, so-and-so sport and you have that apparel that's gonna, they're gonna be interested and they'll might tell their parents if I'd be at the park and they'll be like, oh, I go to private training, I go and so-and-so. And then that kind of like markets hit as well. I got in a few kind of tell like that as well. And then they look good, they look good, they're gonna play better and they're gonna really want to show their progress just because they're happy. Yeah, absolutely. It looks professional as well, doesn't it? Yeah, definitely. Yeah, they're not just kind of wearing hat and down, they're like kind of old, shirts and hats or raggedy stuff there. They're wearing your apparel and hat. It feels good for you too, because then they're like, hey, they're wearing your name across your chest or they're on their hat. So it just looks a lot more professional. Yeah, love that. So last question for you. So what would you say to a trainer that's watching that hasn't yet started his business but is looking to take that jump to start it? What's a couple of things you would, a piece of advice is you would give them? I think you need a mentor. You need some, you also need some, you need some like money saved. You need something to start off with. It is a little bit of a risk in the beginning, but if you have a system in place, you have the mentor, you can get help with the questions that you need. That is super important. You have to have that. If you wanna be successful, now you can do it without it. It's just, it's hard to grow. And you gotta be careful with like the insurance, taxes. So you gotta, if you don't have official business, you're looking to start that coaching business. You need that. You need to have all that set in place. Awesome. All right, Lorenzo. Well, thank you very much for coming on here, sharing your story, your journey. I see your updates, your successes every single day. So wanna wish you all the best and continue to keep it up. Cause I know I've been seeing some great results from you. So if any coach watching wants to get in contact with you or wants to follow your business, your journey, what's the best way to do that? I think the best way, what I'm most on right now is on Instagram. My Instagram is pares underscore baseball underscore academy. That's where they can get in contact with me if they have any questions. I know I have gotten in contact with other coaches that have gone through Ben's program. And I was, I wanted to find out more, get their perspective. And I had done so and I seen their progress and that was very assuring. So I was like, okay, so this person did it. So I wanted to know from this person directly. So I have gotten in contact with others in the past or just even seen their progress. I'm like, wow, they grew from like two years when I was following them last. So it kind of got me going. I was like, just the belief them, like this person could do it, I can do it too. I mean, definitely if they have any questions, they can contact me on Instagram DMs or are great. And I'll get back to them. Absolutely. All right, well, fantastic. Thank you, thank you for coming on. And hopefully I can bring you on in 12 months from now. And your business will have grown by then and we can see the progress you've made. Yeah, looking forward to it. I'm excited for what's to come. Awesome, man. All right, good luck and I'll speak to you very soon. Yeah, definitely. Thank you, thank you for having me on. See you later. Let's go.