Hospitality Technology: How To Get The Best Out Of Your System

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Transcript from the Episode

[00:00:00] Liam: Okay, welcome along. Today we are talking all things, tech, in particularly, uh, we're talking about tech tape, how you can get the very best out of your hospitality tech. My name's Liam Carolan. I'm the co-host of the Spotlight series on the Boostly Podcast. Today we are gonna be shining the spotlight on our special guest who is an author and features in the book Direct Blueprint.

[00:00:24] Liam: He's gonna be sharing, uh, solutions to a problem that you and I can all relate to. Which is finding the right tech within our hospitality business. So I'm gonna be introducing to you Mr. John An. He's the founder and CEO of Tech Tape. Um, he's a rental, short term rental industry expert. Um, he particularly focuses on optimizing and customizing the technology stack.

[00:00:48] Liam: Driving up your revenue and continually streamlining operations. Um, I'm really excited to dive into his experience. Um, not only that, he is a Harvard ga uh, graduate, uh, expert consultant in, uh, environmental sustainability industry. And of course, as I mentioned, he's an author in the book Direct Blueprint.

[00:01:07] Liam: So, um, I'm really, really excited. So welcome along and thank you for joining us today. Thank you,

[00:01:13] John: It's, uh, good to be on and, uh, I'm really excited to, uh, finally be on, on your, uh, on your show. So thanks for having.

[00:01:22] Liam: Hey, we're, we're excited to, to learn a lot more, and I know people listening in, uh, live may have, uh, seen you on, on sort of clubhouse or on some of the socials and, and panels and stuff like that, which is cool.

[00:01:32] Liam: So first of all, congratulations on being in the book. Uh, we will be diving into that, uh, soon, but we. You've got a copy. Awesome. Um, before we dive into that, let's, um, let's just take us back to how you got into hospitality and also where in the world is your hospitality business and what does that look like?

How did John get into hospitality and where is he now?

[00:01:55] John: Yeah. So, um, Like most people in the industry, I stumbled onto hospitality and short term rentals. Um, so my background is, uh, I'm an architect by training and after several, uh, early careers as an architect and as a sustainability consultant, uh, I worked to build a real estate development company where we were building single family homes.

[00:02:23] John: Um, While you are developing properties, what happens is money is always flowing out until you sell the property. And so in the middle of one of my pro uh, projects, uh, I was vacationing out in, uh, Hawaii, in Honolulu, and I had the goal of. Getting my first short term rental and seeing how that would, uh, play out.

[00:02:47] John: And so I lined up a realtor and we bought a small unit. This is about eight years ago. Um, and so that's how I stumbled into the hospitality space. Uh, and then the reason why I kind of grew into it is, um, While the first property did better than I had expected, financially, the management was horrible. I couldn't find a good manager who could manage the way, you know, I expected.

[00:03:14] John: And so little by little I started taking out over pieces of the first, the guest communication, then the operation, obviously the technology and, uh, the systems. Uh, and so it's been kind of, um, like a frog boiling and a, you know, cold pot of water that's slowly getting hotter and hotter. And that's kind of how I feel like I've, I've, uh, entered into the hospitality

[00:03:36] Liam: space.

[00:03:38] Liam: And what does your hospitality business look like now? So is it all still based in, in, uh, Hawaii?

[00:03:44] John: Take it. So the, the actual hospitality business, uh, the company, the brand is called Ohana Stay. And Ohana means family in, uh, in Hawaii. And, um, it's all based in Hawaii. And we made the conscious decision to stay specifically in Honolulu.

[00:04:03] John: Uh, and so that's where, uh, all of our properties are. And it's simply because, uh, for me, building out the right team is really critical. And, um, we've built a really solid team that. Basically between locals and Honolulu as well as, uh, uh, staff out in the Philippines who are, you know, super superb at what they do.

[00:04:30] John: And, um, my, I don't want to spend my time building multiple teams in multiple markets. Uh, so it, the business is based out in Honolulu.

[00:04:41] Liam: That's cool. And there's, there's a couple of things that we can, we can learn that you touched upon it, saying that the, you know, you've, you've tried a few things in, in hospitality and you want to make sure that the standards are high and that you couldn't find a management company that meets your standards.

[00:04:56] Liam: And this is one of the things we see from, from hosts is that it's about finding, uh, setting your standard and stick into it and then building your business around that. And like you say, you mentioned the team as well, which is really cool. So your business, which you got in the hospitality side of things, is one thing.

[00:05:14] Liam: Talk me through, let's, let's talk about tech tape. What is tech tape, first of all, for the people listening and for, for those who may not have heard of it, and how did the idea and the concept come around? So

[00:05:28] John: tech tape is a play on word duct tape. So we're piecing together a lot of different technology, um, to make it work for your business.

[00:05:39] John: So, um, just the, the range of things that we work on is one, we provide expert revenue management services so that you can make more revenue with your short term rental, uh, properties. Two, uh, we. Augment your existing technology stack. With functions and features that might not exist in your PMs or your tech stack.

[00:06:05] John: And so we build and maintain those workflows or dashboards that you may need. Cuz a lot of people switch PMSs because they want one or two features and things fall apart because of that. And then because it was so painful, they accept technology that doesn't actually work for them. And so tech tape can kind of be that filler that allows you to get all the, all the pieces that you need for your business.

[00:06:32] John: And then the third arm of the business is helping people transition from one technology or one PMs to another. And the reason why we provide that is I. The person who is not smart enough to stop trying to switch PMSs after trying two or three times. So I've, I've switched PMSs over 15 times, uh, in my short term rental career.

[00:06:57] John: And the first couple times it's really like, It feels like your whole business is falling apart. Uh, but after a while, there's a process and a system to transitioning and so we can help people kind of do it in a controlled environment and not this, uh, emergency situation that typically occurs when you're

[00:07:18] Liam: transitioning.

[00:07:20] Liam: That's amazing. And I'm sure as, as I. Relate to that situation where you do change technologies to try and find the perfect one, but actually it's about trying to find something which works for you, and then seeing how that then technologies can interact with other technologies. And that sounds like that's what, um, tech does.

When did you realise tech was a problem for hosts?

[00:07:40] Liam: When did you first realize that that problem wasn't just something that was happening in your business, but something that could help other hosts as.

[00:07:51] John: Um, I tend to find problems that people run into over and over again, but it's so fragmented that everyone thinks that it's their own problem. So obviously go changing the p my PMs 15 different times was me thinking that the perfect solution is out there and you just have to be tenacious and find the one that that works.

[00:08:12] John: Um, and. I've come to the conclusion that because every short term rental operator pretty much stumbles into this business and there's no education around it that everyone operates differently. And then for a technology provider, they have to make hard decisions on feature set and how those features work.

[00:08:33] John: And so while something might be like perfect for me, it could be terrible, terrible, you know, for you. And the way I really came the aha moment for this realization. Was I did this myself and I see other people doing it. They ask people who they respect about their recommendation on what technology they should use and time and again, that usually ends up in failure because you know you respect this person, you think they know everything about this business.

[00:09:05] John: They tell you, oh, I use this, or then you go in an onboard. And then you realize this does not work for me. Uh, and so I've seen that happen many times with a lot of people where when they're about to switch PMSs, the first thing they do is they post on Facebook, I'm about to switch. What do you guys think of owner as?

[00:09:24] John: Or, what do you guys think of Lofi? Or whatever it may be. And again, it could be perfect for whoever's answering and saying, you know, this is the perfect, perfect canvass, but it's not going to be for. And so as I saw that happening over and over again, that was one part. The other part is as I started my hospitality business, I've actually been providing tech tape, like services for other property managers and owners where some people needed to augment their, uh, their tech stack.

[00:09:56] John: And so I've been doing this and I've been creating these, uh, These workflows for other people under the Ohana State brand. Uh, so it's something that I've been doing for a while and it was kind of a side business within Ohana State. And then, so I've built up a process system and a team that can really augment this and then, um, I've decided to kind of branch this tech tape out as a separate entity, a separate focus, uh, primarily to, to regulations that hit in, uh, in Honolulu.

[00:10:35] John: And we can talk about that, you know, later. But, um, that was kind of where I was trying to figure out what are some of my, like, Unique skill sets within the hospitality space that could benefit a lot of, uh, a lot of operators.

[00:10:49] Liam: What I love about that is, I'm nodding along and hopefully people listening to the podcast or watching the Live On the Live is nodding along because I can relate so much to, to what you're saying is I get so many people turn to me and ask, you know, what PMs do you use?

[00:11:02] Liam: And I go, Hey, I use this. But please don't take that as that's the one that you should use, because so many people do just that because I've been in exactly that same position as many people, uh, will have done. Where you find somebody who's doing well, you see what tech they've got, and you just, you just go, well, that must work for me if it works for them.

[00:11:19] Liam: But the best analogy came from actually Mr. Mark Simpson is, uh, that I think PMSs are a lot like cars. You know, you, you could ask 10 different people what is the best brand of, of car or automobile? And you'll get 10 different answers because it just depends, you know, do they need a four by four? Do they need a sports car?

[00:11:37] Liam: Do they need, you know, sort of a people carrier? It really is so unique to the hospitality business, both on location and on type of guest on the features that, the expectations that that host needs. And that is so personable, isn't it? So, I'm sure you're gonna have a lot of people listening in on this and just go, yeah, that is, you know, I'm interested to, to know more.

[00:12:00] Liam: And of course I'm lucky enough to, uh, have read a sneak peek of your, your chapter, John, and all the way through it I was smiling and nodding and thinking, Hey, this is talking directly to me. So there's some really cool, obviously, tips in there, but also, um, you know, just finding out about how tech tape can help you is, is gonna be so important for hosts.

Techtapes challenges and solutions

[00:12:20] Liam: You touched upon. A challenge that you're going through, and this is one of the things that we see in any business. I love to ask guests, you know, has there been any challenges along the way? And more importantly, how, what was the mindset and how did you overcome it? Because I think it's something that everybody in hospitality can relate to.

[00:12:39] John: Yeah, I mean we all run into challenges. Um, I guess the first challenge is a collective challenge we all ran into with Covid and, you know, our business is getting shut down. Uh, Hawaii was especially tough cuz Hawaii literally shut down people from coming into the island. So, um, At that point, my, you know, my, um, mantra at that point was surviving is, is thriving.

[00:13:07] John: So just figure out a way to kind of patch it together, keep this, you know, working. Uh, so I actually ended up hosting doctors, um, not, I mean, nurses are great, but these were like administrative level doctors who were being brought in by the hospitals. And so that's kind of how I survived. So that was the first challenge.

[00:13:27] John: To my hospitality business Tech tape. Oh,

[00:13:32] Liam: go ahead. Sorry. I was gonna dive in. And, and tech tape wise, what was the challenges for that?

[00:13:39] John: Right, so I, I mentioned this before, tech Tape actually was born as a formal entity. Um, um, because. A little over a year ago, a very, very, uh, stringent and I will say unfair new regulation was, uh, introduced and then finally voted in in Honolulu on Oahu.

[00:14:03] John: And as I was working with Rent Responsibly and other folks to, you know, for advocacy against, uh, this regulation, I also thought about. What's my plan be if my business gets shut down? So I was kind of fighting to keep the regulation and things kind of at at bay and we were moderately successful, although not fully successful.

[00:14:29] John: Um, I also thought about, alright, what are some of my unique skills that I can, you know, really take away from my operations? That can benefit the industry. I didn't want to have to start yet another career that's outside of, you know what I've come to really grow in. And, you know, technology is something that for the folks who know me, have known that I, I have a pretty deep understanding of how the technology works.

[00:14:55] John: And so, um, I actually formalize tech tape, um, in response to regulations within our industry. So it all kind of comes back full circle. And what's really exciting is, um, similar to, like you were saying, when you were reading my chapter and you felt like I was talking about your story, Um, I've seen that everyone that I speak to about tech tape, they have that same exact response, and so I knew that I was onto something.

[00:15:24] John: And so already we have, you know, we have a lot of, uh, great customers. Uh, we're managing around, uh, about a hundred, 150 properties right now, depending on what service. Uh, and so for a company that was only formalized a year ago, um, it's been very successful. And so I, I think. I just think the need is there and the big technology companies are always looking for something that's completely scalable.

[00:15:52] John: In other words, things that is just plug and play, you buy and then the software is just running on automation. Um, one of the unique parts of Tech Tape is a big component of it is the consulting part to helping to understand what your specific issues are. And then after that we're creating a semi customized solution that specifically addresses your needs.

[00:16:17] John: So it's, it's higher touch, but it, and that's why I call it semi customized cuz I'm not creating the new tools, I'm using all the tools that are out there, but I'm able to bring them together in a way that it basically works for what you need in your.

[00:16:33] Liam: And you know, that brings us really nicely onto the Book Direct Playbook because Mark considers all the offers in this book is like the Avengers of Hospitality.

[00:16:41] Liam: The people that you need on your team to be able to help you succeed. And exactly how you're talking there about tech tape can, you know, have all those high touch points. You really have a consultant, uh, who will talk to you about what the needs are and then look at that. And that is, um, that's just one of the things.

How did the book project come about?

[00:16:59] Liam: Is amazing about this book and this industry that there's so many different services that can help you. So let's, let's dive into the book. How did the book project come about? How did you get involved in it?

[00:17:13] John: Well, , first of all, obviously Mark Simpson. Um, you know, he, he was, he talked it up and I heard about it.

[00:17:22] John: And, um, it was something that, um, In the back of my mind I was like, you know, this is something that I have a story that I really wanna share with, uh, with our, with our industry. Um, And then there's another book, uh, hospitable Hosts that Mark Simpson was a part of previously, and I had missed the boat on, you know, contributing to that book.

[00:17:45] John: And so I was a little keen on the next opportunity. Uh, I would like to jump in and, um, be able to contribute. And then as I saw the list of, as you call the Avengers, who are signing up. To contribute to this book? I mean, I, I have to, I have to share, you know, if you guys can see this, it's, you know, IRA Mount, uh, price Labs, touch Stay Dak uplifting, super Ho Mano and D Travel, uh, um, cohost expert, and then obviously Mark Simpson.

[00:18:20] John: With Bruce Lee. Um, you know, I was, You know, I have to be a part of this and I have something to contribute. Um, and so I spoke with Mark and, um, you know, it made sense that, uh, I, you know, I contributed a chapter to it. Um, and that was really it as I really wanted to share the story because I. It's not about my ego, about like, you know, writing up, you know, chapter in the book.

[00:18:47] John: It's actually, like you said, it's a story that everyone runs into over and over again. And if I can get this out, I think I could help a lot of people, not even if they don't work with me directly. Just understand kind of the bigger picture of how the tech, you know, technology can go together and create a framework for themselves or how they're gonna build their tech, uh, tech stack.

[00:19:10] John: So that was really my driver for trying to get, um, you know, be one of the, uh, co-authors of this, uh, compilation of superstars.

[00:19:20] Liam: And this definitely worked. I mean, the, the, the chapter itself is awesome, but the entire book and the project, the idea that we could, any host who's potentially new to hospitality or even people who've been in it a while, could pick up this book and really fast track their journey really by, by just knowing these technologies exist.

[00:19:38] Liam: They don't need to use every single one, but it's just knowing, it's like having a tool belt and having it in your tool belt. If you need it, you can dive into these, uh, these individual technologies. The actual book itself, that's how it came about. How did you feel writing the chapter? Was it something you struggled with or was there any structure to it, or did you just like literally go, bam, I've got my story, I can just do it straight away?

[00:20:00] Liam: How did, how did you feel writing it?

[00:20:04] John: I mean, the story was there. I mean, I've had that story and you know, for a while, um, I did have to set aside snippets of time to, uh, to put this together. So, No, it did not just come together, uh, organically for me. So the first chunk I, I wrote while I was in Hawaii. I was on vacation with, um, with my family and friends and one, excuse me, one day everyone was going to the beach.

[00:20:36] John: I said, guys, I just need a couple hours. Uh, I need to focus on this. So I just, you know, sat down and that's where I got most of my, you know, the rough outline and draft, uh, written. Um, you know, I needed some focus time. Then as, uh, Mark Simpson is very good at doing is, uh, establishing deadlines. So the deadline was really coming up and, uh, I think the deadline was right around when D was happening.

[00:21:06] John: The data and revenue manage data and revenue management, uh, conference. And so, uh, I have to say, The final bits of this, of my chapter, I ended up writing while I was listening to one of the sections, . And that was the only way I was, I was going to be able to, uh, finish out the chapter. So I know it sounds like I was just doing it on the side, but um, it actually was something that was percolating inside.

[00:21:35] John: Um, and again, it's, uh, it's. It's a story that I think will resonate with a lot of people. And so even if my writing might be a little rough, um, I think the story, the intent will get through. And that's, that's all I I was trying to achieve.

[00:21:53] Liam: 100%. And I love that listening and learning, I guess, while teaching and writing, you know, that's pretty amazing.

[00:22:00] Liam: Um, what would you say to a host who's just getting started or if you could talk to somebody at the start of their journey, what tips would you have both from your experience that you can draw upon from AANA stage, but also from tech tape? What would you like to say to, to hosts, um, you know, who are just getting started or potentially looking at improving their tech?

[00:22:22] John: Yeah. Um, I know this might sound like putting the cart before the horse, but I think the way I grew in this industry and the way a lot of people grew in the industry is, you know, reactive and just doing, and then getting into habits, some good, some bad, and then just repeating those habits over and over again.

[00:22:44] John: Um, Now as, especially as, um, you know, I formalize tech tape and the processes tape needed to develop these outside workflows. I wish that from day one I was more cognizant of my processes and documenting it. They could always change about documenting the processes from the get go so that everything doesn't live in here and it's actually you.

[00:23:13] John: In the format that others can follow, because the way I can, I, I've been so easily able to transition from Ohana stay, and at this point I'm. Uh, I'm about 80% out of the day to day of Ohana stay at this point so that I'm, you know, I'm focusing on tech tape and the goal is probably by the end of Q1 next year, um, I should be fully out, out of the, you know, all the day to day of Ohana stay.

[00:23:41] John: And the way I'm doing this is literally anything that comes in my head and I'm barking orders at my team. I then translate that into, um, into systems processes so that it's not me doing it, it's the system that's running the running the show. And I know in the early days it's very easy, it's very easy to run a short term rental property.

[00:24:06] John: Um, it's as it grows and has the same problems happen over and over again, that it's all the challenges start coming out. And so being more cognizant of the systems and the processes that you're taking, And always thinking that it shouldn't be in your head. Um, it should actually sit outside of your head so other people can execute for you.

What piece of tech would John recommend?

[00:24:27] Liam: And is there a gadget or app or, um, or piece of tech? And I've gotta ask you this, John, is, uh, you know, you, you're the main man for this thing. Is there one that you use often, which you find works for you? Obviously we're not saying that everyone should go and get that particular piece of tech or that piece of, um, or gadget or app, but do you find there's, there's one that would work for you and you always return?

[00:24:54] John: So organizing this information, I haven't found something that just works. So I'm, we are still building out our, the system for housing, the SOPs and everything. Mm-hmm. , um, we're kind of building our own internal tool cuz we've tried Asana, we've tried, you know, all these different tools and it just, Didn't work the way our, our team works.

[00:25:17] John: But the one tool, one tech that I think is most beneficial, um, is Loom, l o o m. And so it's a video recording, uh, platform that can record your screen and your voice and even your, your mug if you want. And so what we use is we use Loom to not only. Ask for something to be done, but to actually physically show how it's being done and then, then my staff can follow it and get the work done.

[00:25:50] John: And they also have the instruction saved so that they can create an SOP out of it. And so Loom is a tool that, I mean, without it, it would be infinitely more difficult to get everything that's in my brain out. But now I can just, while I'm doing something, if I know that I need somebody else to take care of.

[00:26:09] John: I can loom it, send it over, and then they can, um, create the, the forms, the processes, uh, all that, that, that's required. So I, I would say Loom is the, the tech that brings it all together for

[00:26:22] Liam: me. That's a great answer. And this one, which I've used today multiple times I used yesterday, you know, that is one that is just so important.

[00:26:29] Liam: And it's free as well for, for the most part. Depends account. But yeah, it's, it's amazing. So definitely one for everyone to check out. Moving slightly away from the book then. So what are you most excited about in hospitality currently?

[00:26:45] John: All right, so, um, this has to do with tech tape, but I think, um, what I love about our industry right now, the short-term rental industry is on the technology side, is so creative.

[00:27:02] John: There's so many new tools that solve real problem. Um, that I think a lot of people talk about the consolidation because it's so fragmented and that's the only way forward. I actually think if the industry consolidates, then we're gonna lose a lot of the creative and the, you know, the real problem solving tools and I think it's gonna become more kind of vanilla generic.

[00:27:31] John: So I love the fact that there are lots. Cool, amazing tools that are being created, like new startups all the time. And I think that's the passion that I have as part of this industry. So what, what I'm excited about, what tech tape I think can do is, I call it the defragmentation of our fragmented industry.

[00:27:54] John: So there's a long tail of all these tools, new tools, new things that are coming out, but they always run into the issue. Do I do, I spend resources to integrate with Guesty and Streamline and just a couple of the big PMSs, and then leave the rest, you know, kind of behind. And I think what I'm excited is rather than support or going after the consolidation of the industry, trying to kind of bring it all together so that the creativity still exists, but these small players are also able to access.

[00:28:30] John: Some sort of integration with the smaller PMSs. Uh, so that's what keeps me up at, I think about, right, how do I implement this? How do I get this going so that it not only helps the operators who want to use the technology. But then, you know, I, I grew up, uh, where you had to defragment hard drives cuz they were physical plates.

[00:28:51] John: I don't know if you, uh, if you remember that before. Solid state. And so I kind of envisioned what tech tape can do is take all the fragmented pieces and kind of put it together in a orderly fashion that makes sense for the industry. While it still promotes, uh, all the creativity. I hope, I hope that wasn't too geeky, but that's kind of, that's the part I'm really excited about right now.

[00:29:18] Liam: No, no, honestly, I got goosebumps cuz I'm excited about that too. I, I genuinely believe that as, you know, in any tech kind of world, big companies take over from some of the other companies and like you said, it can get a bit boring. Whereas what's fun is the creativity, the, the companies who are coming up and solving real problems.

[00:29:34] Liam: And, uh, it's an exciting space in hospitality because most. Hospitality Tech is still relatively young, isn't it, when it comes down to it. So, um, and what I love about Tech Tape and what I've learned and what hopefully the people listening has learned tonight is that, you know, you don't need to find your perfect solution in terms of tech.

[00:29:54] Liam: Find things, which suit. You, you know, to a percent, you know, does it, does it suit your needs? 80, 90%, right? Then stick with it and find ways to solve that other 10, 15, 20% by going to somebody like, uh, tech tape like yourself and, you know, figuring out what it is else you want from technology and are there other ways to do it.

[00:30:13] Liam: And, um, I just love the idea of that, cuz that's exciting, you know, that is, um, that really solves people's business. And let's be honest, as hosts, we didn't get into this because, um, I mean, don't get me wrong, I like to geek out, but not everybody likes the tech side of things. So having exactly a service like this on, on offer is, is gonna be a life saver.

Quickfire questions

[00:30:33] Liam: So, and as we reach towards the end of these, John, we'd love to do a couple of quick fire questions. These are just quick fire, good fun questions just to find out a little bit more about your. Um, so the answer can be short as long as you like, but yeah, just, uh, just a bit of fun. So what is your top social media platform, if any, and why?

[00:30:53] John: Uh, call me old school, but, uh, I like LinkedIn. Um, I just feel that there's a balance of being able to be personable and like, you know, show who you are as a person while there's a, you know, high level of professionalism in it. Uh, I, you know, I grew. Where LinkedIn was kind of, your business was becoming your business card.

[00:31:15] John: And so that's where I, I interact the most. I do have, you know, uh, Instagram, uh, channel and everything, but, um, I just, me personally, I find it difficult to interact, uh, meaningfully in, in, in, uh, with Instagram. So LinkedIn is, uh, is my social media, uh, platform of.

[00:31:36] Liam: That's cool. Different, different strokes for different folks.

[00:31:38] Liam: I'm, I'm, I'm the same. I like certain ones more than others. Um, what is your morning routine and how does it help you if you have a routine?

[00:31:48] John: My morning routine is my alarm goes off at 6:15 AM every day. Whether it's a weekend, whether it's a holiday, whether no what in, in the time zone that I happen to be in and, um, And the, I spend about 15 minutes just kind of like lying in bed, um, just kind of thinking about what's, what's ahead for the rest of the day.

[00:32:13] John: Um, and then I get up six 30, that's, um, time to get my kids ready for school. Um, so I'm like, Spending time with my, my children, my family is actually why I do everything that I do. And so, you know, we have breakfast, uh, one of us walks out the log and then I take the kids to school. And that's very, very important to me.

[00:32:42] John: Uh, and then once I get back, and that's usually around like eight 15 or so, um, that's when I get my workday started. Some days, uh, the first thing is, uh, exercise, working, working out at my gym. Um, other days it's other meetings or anything, but that start of the day, that's, uh, really important part of my routine.

[00:33:03] John: And, uh, when I'm traveling, I actually miss the fact that I can't take, uh, my kids to school. Sorry, that was not a quick finder answer, . No, no,

[00:33:12] Liam: it's cool though. It really, the great thing about these questions is we, we get an understanding of what's really important to you, and this is great. That's why we do what we do, isn't it, as entrepreneurs to have the time to be able to do that.

[00:33:22] Liam: I, I've been in jobs where I, I wouldn't have been able to take my kid to school. So, um, one question, which, uh, I'd love to ask is, is there any books that you recommend or anything that you feel that, uh, you've got some value out of and that the listeners might do as.

[00:33:39] John: Okay. Um, this is, you know, kind of cliche, but I think what got me on the entrepreneurial journey was Rich Dad, poor dad.

[00:33:51] John: So, you know, that's old school, but, um, you know, one that really means a lot to me cuz that changed my mindset. Um, It's one of the classics there. Yeah. And then there's one, um, I forgot the title. It's something Startup. The, I'll get the title I, i I read it

[00:34:17] Liam: about a year ago. Well, Mike Mc, Mike Mcz, the, um, oh, I, I know the one You mean The Something Startup is uh uh, I can't remember what it is.

[00:34:28] Liam: We'll edit. Hey, but, but anyone basical. We'll add it to the comments and on the YouTube, just I'll add it in afterwards.

[00:34:36] John: Yeah, no, but it really kind of, you know, it, it shows that as, as you are developing a, you know, a company or a tool or anything, just to really just think about quickly reiterating and like finding the core principles.

[00:34:52] John: Getting it out there to get feedback and then quickly iterating on what you've done and not thinking that you know what the perfect answer is. But the, the feedback loop is the most important. And, um, that really has enabled me to be much more, I mean, tech, the concept of tech tape is the idea that we could iterate and make it work better and better and better.

[00:35:15] John: Uh, and so that, that book also resonated, uh, really well with.

[00:35:19] Liam: That's cool. That's cool. And as I say, we'll, we'll add in, I can't even remember the name, but as soon as we come off this, we'll instantly just go, ah, I know exactly what it's, um, last question, and we always end with this to on, is, is there a mantra or a motto that you live by?

[00:35:34] Liam: I know you touched on one earlier on during Covid, but has that changed or is, is there another mantra or motto that you currently live by?

[00:35:42] John: I think one of my biggest thing across every, you know, everything that I do is if you run into the same problem two or three times, then there's probably like a system or a process that you can build to either eliminate or minimize that problem.

[00:36:00] John: And the other way that I would, uh, explain that is if you learn from your mistakes, you can't fail. And that's sum mantra. The second one is a mantra that I try to instill in my kids. It's like, it's fine if you fail. Just learn from your mistakes so that you're always, you know, improving along the way. Uh, and so those are kind of two similar concepts, but, um, you know, I, I just really believe that mistakes are very important and then you learn from it.

[00:36:30] John: And then that's how we learn. And.

[00:36:33] Liam: That's just so important and a great way to, to bring it to an end really, because that feedback loop is just important, isn't it? You know, you fail, you learn, and then you, you improve. So I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of people. I feel like we've, we've got to know yourself, Dawn.

[00:36:47] Liam: I feel like we've got to know what tech tape is, um, and also some, you know, some funny questions and so some recommendations and things like that. How can people get in touch with you if they want to do. So, like

[00:36:59] John: I said before, LinkedIn, I'm, I'm fairly active on LinkedIn, so if you either search John on, on LinkedIn or Tech Tape, T e C h t a P E, uh, you should be able to find me.

[00:37:13] John: And then my website is get tech tape.com,. And my email address is john@Gettechtape.com and uh, that's how they can find me. And, uh, I'd be happy to, I'm happy to share kind of just, you know, initial feedback on any issues people have. And then if there are ways that I can actually help, then you know, we can figure out a way to work together as well.

[00:37:42] Liam: That's really cool, and, and you find, you know, so many awesome people who have got experience and, and are very, uh, given with their, their time and expertise. Do you know what I mean? Which is awesome. So if you do wanna find out more about John and you're listening to the podcast or you watching on the line, on the live, um, or on YouTube, then the best thing that you can do is go and register for the book, the book Direct Blueprint.

[00:38:04] Liam: Um, You can go to boley.co.uk/blueprint, uh, to find out more. The release date is December 22, so depending on when you're listening to this podcast, if you was to go there and it's after that date, you can actually purchase the book. If you go there now, as I record this in November, uh, you'll be able to go there and register for the, uh, announcement of when it gets released.

[00:38:26] Liam: And there's, there's some other cool stuff on there as well. So it's really worth going to them.

[00:38:30] Um,

[00:38:31] John: Oh, one thing I wanna add about the book also is, uh, all the sales profits are going to food banks. And so, you know, we're not writing this book to, uh, to make ourselves millionaires, . Um, it's really, everyone, everyone doing this is really, um, you know, just trying to get out our story and kind of share with, uh, with our community.

[00:38:51] Liam: That's a cool, cool thing. And I was gonna ask, is there anything we've missed or any final thoughts, um, just before we bring things to, uh, to a close?

[00:38:59] John: I think, uh, in a short amount of time. I think we covered a lot. So, uh, um, no, nothing more add.

[00:39:06] Liam: Well, thank you so much for coming on. Uh, John, I really appreciate your spending your time with us.

[00:39:10] Liam: And if you're listening into this Boostly podcast, I thank you as the listener. I know there's lots of places you can put your attention and I thank you so much for putting your attention with Boost Lee. I hope this has helped you on your hospitality journey and, uh, that's bye from John and it's bye from me.

[00:39:24] Liam: So thank you very much. We'll see you on the next one.

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