Million Dollar Days

How Business Owners Can Switch Off Without Dropping The Ball

• Robby Choucair and George Passas • Season 1 • Episode 111

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Year-end hits different when you’re running a team, a site, or a whole business. We open with the reality most leaders feel but rarely say out loud: the last few weeks of the year are hectic, attention is split, and in construction that can turn risky fast. We dig into why injuries and mistakes spike before the holidays and how simple, disciplined planning—four-week look-aheads, proactive trade bookings, clear durations—pulls teams out of chaos and back into control.

From there we get practical about mental load. Do Not Disturb windows, email rules, and centralized accounts aren’t “nice to have,” they’re risk controls for your attention. We talk about training the system to solve problems without you: telling suppliers to call ops, consolidating invoicing, running ABA pay cycles, and resisting the reflex to be everyone’s switchboard. The payoff is fewer fires and more time for real work—process, brand, and strategy that actually moves the business.

Can an owner truly switch off? Maybe not until the business is mature enough to run without you. We get honest about laptop-on-holiday decisions, the tension between control and freedom, and the leap required to hire people better than you. It’s uncomfortable, and it’s the point. We explore how mentors and paid expertise can ethically “skip the grind,” compressing years into months while accepting that you’ll still pay tuition in mistakes.

There’s heart in here too. We laugh about Disneyland prices and fast passes while making a bigger point: core memories beat line items. Presence with family, a reception-free bush trip, or a rare quiet week between Christmas and New Year can be a strategy, not a cop-out. Discipline isn’t doing what you love; it’s doing what you don’t want to do without quick rewards—like showing up weekly for 111 episodes. If you want a sharper, safer, calmer 2025, this conversation gives you the operating system to start now.

If this helped, follow and subscribe, share it with a friend who needs better boundaries, and drop a review telling us your best end-of-year system tweak.

Robby:

It's that time of the year, George. You know the time of the year where everything you ask of people, they're like before Christmas or after Christmas. It's that time.

George:

And the other thing, it's you'll pick up the phone, how you going? Flat out. I always get that a lot.

Robby:

Yeah, or or people are in holiday mode.

George:

Yeah, they're just already checked out. Already checked out.

Robby:

Do you find that happens with anyone on your team?

George:

No, no, I haven't. No, not really. I think it's almost the opposite for us.

Robby:

Being construction?

George:

Yeah, like it's hectic at the moment. Everyone I speak to, hectic. I haven't spoken to anyone in the construction space. It's like, oh yeah, we're sort of just cruising. Just cruising.

Robby:

Yeah, but holiday mode doesn't necessarily mean you're not working. It kind of means you're mentally checked out.

George:

Yeah, and that's definitely apparent in the construction industry because did you know that it's the highest period of the whole year for serious risk to injury to anyone or death. The most mistakes happen, the most injuries happen during this last three weeks of the year. Because people's mind is, as you said, it's either on the holiday that they're about to go on, or it is they're overwhelmed with how much they have to do that their mind isn't on the task at hand. And then they do silly mistakes, they don't concentrate and they hurt themselves.

Robby:

So that's a good question. You reckon they're overwhelmed or you reckon they're on holiday mode?

George:

I think it's probably more overwhelmed than on holiday mode.

Robby:

You reckon?

George:

I mean, it depends who it is.

Robby:

Yeah, of course.

George:

But like you know, if it's the owner or if it's the if it's the person, if it's an employee, man, I would say look, I would say employees are busy too, yeah, because this time of the year, employers are pushing hard. Go, go, go, get this done. Hurry up, hurry up. And I'm talking specifically about the guys on site working hammering nails. I reckon they're the ones that are probably, well, they are the ones most at risk, and they're the ones under the most amount of pressure. So it kind of makes sense to a degree. I don't think anyone's just chilling out. Do you um does your phone blow up in this period? Look, it hasn't more so than any other week. Like I haven't noticed it any more or less throughout the year. What it is for us in this space, you just got to be organized. Like you can't be planning for Christmas now. You should have been planning for it six weeks ago and booking your trades in and booking people in and saying, I'm gonna need you on this date, make sure you're there, and so on and so forth. So that's what proactive people do, and then reactive people are just like, Oh, you've got to be here, you've got to be here, you've got to be here, and they just don't have enough hours in the day. Do you use um how do you book trades in? I'll leave it to the supervisors to coordinate.

Robby:

So is it just a hey mate, need you here on the side?

George:

Yeah, so we'll have a program which schedules out the work, and I get them to sort of do a three to four week look ahead and say, okay, so in four weeks' time, I should be able to go up to them and say, What's happening in four weeks? Who which trade is booked in for that week? And they should be able to tell me based off their assumptions, because planning is guessing, based off everything working and going to plan, we will be here. I'll need this trade on this date. So they call them and they book them in. Yeah, I would. Yeah. And that's what I encourage them to do. It'd be like, hey guys, be proactive. It may not be a definitive date, but say week of the 17th, you're going to be starting work. I will touch base with you closer to the date, but allow that week, I'm going to call you to come in and start doing your work or finish your work or do whatever you have to do. So there's a lot of organization and planning involved in an on-site supervision supervision role.

Robby:

And then do you guys say, like, we'll need you for three days or four days?

George:

Yeah, look, it's collaboration with the subby as well. They'll say, Oh, this is a three-week job, this is a two-week job. And then it's the pressure from the builder to also go, okay, well, you've got two weeks or you've got three days, bring more men in. And a lot of the time, people can try and work to their schedule, but the builder's ultimately responsible for the delivery of the job and they should be working to their schedule. And if you're a good supervisor, if you're a good builder, you know how long things take as well. You've have enough experience to go, okay, this frame's going to take me three weeks. This rough in is going to take one week. So you can guide them in that direction as well.

Robby:

And then come three weeks into December.

George:

Tools down. Silence. Absolute radio silence. And you know, I like that part of the year. Hey, we spoke a few weeks ago about bucket lists, and I'm ticking a bucket list item off, which I didn't really plan to even at the time that we were talking about it, and I'm actually going to the States with the family, taking them to Disneyland. You mentioned it on the podcast. No, I said I want it was a bucket list item, but now it's actually in coming to fruition. It's happening.

Robby:

No, no, you do you on one of wasn't it that episode? No, I hadn't booked anything. I only booked only booked tickets on Friday. But you told me you're potentially going to the states. Oh, did I say potentially? You haven't told me. And then you're like, I'm telling you now.

George:

Oh, yes, yes. Okay. Uh okay, so that was it was actually a long shot at the time I was recording. I wasn't expecting it to come through. But it did. Found the tickets, got everything booked in and jet setting on my way there. So uh very excited for that. And the good thing I was speaking to my wife about it the other day, and it's like, it's great for me because it's at a time, we're doing it at a time where I'm not gonna have to be my phone won't be ringing. No one's calling me during that time. Not out of not no one's calling me out of necessity, put it that way. Not employees, not contractors, not suppliers, no one. So it's a real great time for me to be away and just enjoy it and be present. I think that's something a lot of business owners struggle with. Do you ever struggle with that not having a family? But say you're out with friends or anywhere, do you ever find that your mind is back at the office or on work?

Robby:

Um sometimes I find, like usually, especially when I don't switch off. Like I go straight from work to a dinner, I'm in work mode. Yeah. Like massively. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And constantly checking my emails. And um, but uh I I think I'm very good at being present. Good. Like I can sort of sound out the world a lot of the time.

George:

Yep. Yeah, I think that's a great skill to be able to do that.

Robby:

Oh, dude, my phone sits on do not disturb 90% of the time.

George:

I know, because I'm messenger. Yeah, and then I say notify him anyway, and I keep fucking clicking it.

Robby:

Does it say? Yeah, it does.

George:

I don't know if it actually comes through or not, but yeah, I I click that thing. Don't worry about it.

Robby:

Yeah, no, good. Click it.

George:

Click everything. Well, you're saving my favourite, so your notifications actually come through. I hope I'm saving your favourites.

Robby:

Of course. One person that's decided one. Sorry, sorry, mum. Um, yeah, but so I I don't I I like to be where I am.

George:

Yeah, I think that that is yeah, it does heaps, and I think that's such a great character trait to have. And I admittedly have struggled with that in the past, and even now it happens from time to time. If I'm stressed out or if there's a you know some massive problem at work or something's going on, it can take me a little bit longer, but I am more consciously aware of it. And same deal, six o'clock, my phone goes on do not disturb automatically. It's scheduled in all the time, and that's it. I'm at home, I'm just chilling out.

Robby:

I reckon that that was I I so mine's the same for mine goes from 7 p.m. till 10 a.m.

George:

Oh, yeah. Yeah, oh, because you're doing your deep work, yeah, yeah, in the morning.

Robby:

I don't want to be disrupted, nothing. Um and I reckon it's the best thing ever. It is apart from I'll tell you what, you do miss out on um certain elements like group chats, you don't see whatever like if someone messages at 8 30 p.m., you don't see it. Yeah, because your phone's on too not disturbed.

George:

Uh but you're kind of giving your team when you say people messaging you, you mean the team?

Robby:

Or just anyone, family, like um you know, something left of field and you kind of miss it.

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

Because you don't see it till an hour later.

George:

Yeah, yeah.

Robby:

Yeah. So but honestly, one of the best things I reckon I've ever done.

George:

Yeah, well that's awesome because you've been doing it for six months now.

Robby:

The do not disturb?

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

No, no, as in in the office, you're first thing in the morning. Oh yeah, I I've I've mixed that up a little bit. So sometimes I like if I have a full day, like and probably not yet in a position where the business grows without me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

Robby:

So sometimes I have a full day and I've got to commit. And if I have a full day, I'll go to the gym in the morning. You know what I mean? Because then I found like oh, I was coming in and I'd say I'd go to the gym in that one hour window, and I wasn't going because that one hour window is chaos. Yeah. Uh so if I've got a full day and stuff, I'll go in the morning. And if I've done if I've got a less of a day, like less booked appointments, then I'll like today I went at mid-morning.

George:

Yeah, nice. Yeah, that's good. So I mean some advice then, I suppose for people that are in that situation where they can't switch off. Do you think that like that's a great option on a phone now to have the do not disturb? Do you think people should be implementing that? 100%. Yeah, because it's even an element of you might not be working, but you're on Instagram. You know, and you're scrolling and you're not concentrating on the person, on your family, on your kids.

Robby:

Uh I did a post I don't know, a week ago. And it spoke about how you're addicted to your phone and you're addicted to the chaos.

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

You know, and something I do, and I'm actually doing it this weekend. So by the time this airs, I would have just come back. Uh I go to the bush. And the reason why I go to the bush, one, it's like it's nice to be I like nature.

George:

Yeah, it's good.

Robby:

That's nice. Uh but I I reckon the best thing about it, real like really, I reckon the best thing about it is be the no reception. Like I I think that is like time away from your phone might be the new holiday. You know, I have a really negative association to my phone.

George:

Like bad. Yes, I I've noticed.

Robby:

Uh it fucking annoys me, man. I I I get happy when I have no notifications.

George:

Yeah, I get irritated as well when I get too many. Like I'll often put my phone on silent because it just it'll keep ringing, it keeps pinging, whatever it is. So that does annoy me. So I often have my phone on silent.

Robby:

And even like my phone's on do not disturb. Yeah. And then even the constant, like, I'll check it, and then it's like the when you check it, and there's like 10 things, and you're like leave me alone. Like, oh god.

George:

Yeah, it it's it has become that. I think there's a level of anxiety that comes with the phone now and people needing to be like becoming that dependent on the device and knowing that there are things there that you have to action or you have to read. And you know, that's what it's programmed to do. That's what it is. Like the there was a guy, I was listening to a podcast the other day, but I think they were talking about apps, and they're like, what if we showed people how many emails they had waiting for them? Right. And it was like that simple idea of having that red dot that has 200 or 15 or whatever it might be, and the psychological control that has on the person to go, oh fuck, I've got 20 emails, I better click on it. I got this many, I've got to click on it. Oh, I got 10 notifications.

Robby:

Well, how many how many emails do you have in the inbox right now?

George:

Unread.

Robby:

Yeah.

George:

Uh right the second, maybe 10.

Robby:

And you just live with that?

George:

No, my emails are cleared most like by the time I leave the office, I don't have any unread emails. That might be because oh look, I might have a couple that I want to action in the morning, so I'll leave them purposely as unread or flag them. But generally speaking, I've got no emails when I leave the office. But when I get to the office the next morning, there's 30 waiting for me. If I left my okay, I went we went on a Builder Summit tour the other day. There was two days I didn't look at emails, I had like 130. That's wild. Yeah, I get heaps. I get heaps. But like there's a lot of stuff I'm CC'd into as well. So I've got to train my team, and I have in the past, but it seems to always creep back where they'll CC me in something. Like, I don't need to know, you know, uh uh okay, yes, send me an invoice for 50 bucks. Like, I don't need to know that shit, but they still tend to CC me in on it. I think it's more of a habit than anything else. But yeah, lots of things going on, and uh that happens when you have multiple projects and you know 30, 40, 50 trades per project, and you're kind of in the loop of most things, that's where that's why it blows up. And I un I I unsubscribe from most things. Like I get stuff in and I've got a hop. Yeah, and I've got a very high junk email filter, like the highest setting possible.

Robby:

See, like I'm so keen on inbox zero and my junk inbox is zero.

George:

No, it's zero too, but in the morning I'll get there and they'll say like 10 junk emails, and then I'll look at them and make sure because I get a lot of spam for some reason. I don't know if you do. Maybe you need to fix my website to come through your website. Um I'm I don't give my emails out, so I don't know who how it works.

Robby:

Is your email displayed on your website?

George:

No, but it's an alias.

Robby:

Oh, okay.

George:

Yeah, they're sending it to that. I'm assuming, yeah, there might be some of those.

Robby:

Yeah, okay.

George:

Yeah, so anyway, regardless, like so I get lots of junk there, and I'll quickly filter through it as in just look at the topics and see if it's junk, and then I just empty it. Or, but sometimes some go through to the keeper. So I'll add them to the safe list, and then I get some people, some go into my inbox, I block them straight away. So I've got a pretty good aspect in that, and I've created rules now for some of the other emails, which is which is good. So helps control stuff.

Robby:

You're going to the states where you check your emails while you're there.

George:

Yeah, so I said to my wife, I go, I could actually go away and not take my computer. I'm going to. But I reckon I could go away on this trip and not take my computer.

Robby:

Oh, you're you're going to take your without a doubt.

George:

Why? Just I'm going to. Because there'll be an opportunity where they'll be sleeping, I'll come up. Or they'll be doing something, I can do some work. Or if I need to, if I need to check in and do something, it's there. So I will take it. And this probably comes back to I was I was going to ask you the question like, can you ever really switch off as a business owner? Like fully ever switch off. Like even when you went on holidays.

Robby:

Me.

George:

Okay, well, when we went to Vegas earlier in the year. Like you had your laptop there, you can just go, nah, fuck it, I'm not gonna not do any work.

Robby:

I'm just working full time. Yeah, that's what I mean.

George:

So can you ever really switch off?

Robby:

Um can I yeah, look, I think you have to have a mature business.

George:

Yes, I agree with that. I agree with that.

Robby:

I think you have to have people in your team who I was having a conversation with someone today, and I was like, you know what the hardest thing I'm watching I saw Mosey talking about the other day. And it's like the hardest thing is getting the people who are good enough.

George:

Without a doubt. Without a doubt.

Robby:

Do you know what I mean? Like that's the difficult aspect. Not holding them to like holding them to a high standard's hard, doing all that other stuff's hard, cultures are hard, business is hard, sales is hard, training is hard, marketing's hard, but like acquiring the people who are better than you and convincing them to come work for you, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fucking hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And even like think about it from an ego aspect, it's like two hards. One uh, you know, can I hire someone who's better than me? And two, I'm the best.

George:

Want something done right.

Robby:

Yeah, I'm the best, or fuck that guy. Like you know what I mean. It's like the the I they won't work for me and the I'm better than them, kind of both sides.

George:

You have to do. I I think ultimately you're gonna need to attract people that are better than you. If you want that real level high, like that level of success, you have to. I mean, Elon says it, I'm sure other people have said it too. Like I never, he goes, I I never went to Harvard, but the people that work for me did.

Robby:

Yeah, but he so he's a it's hard when like people like that, like he's a phenom.

George:

I used to have an old business partner who was very successful, he said the same thing, similar lines, and I heard it from him first. He goes, I'm a C grade student that employs A grades. Like he goes, I was never top of my class, I was never that I dropped out in year 10 and he's worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And he said the same thing. He goes, but I employ the best people, and I think that's really important, and that's where your ego, I think it almost feeds their ego as well when it gets to that level. It's like, no, no, I employ the best people. I'm not the smartest you but you do the you do that. I'm not gonna do that. That's what I employ you for.

Robby:

Again, that's a different level of business maturity.

George:

That's right. And that's what it is, yeah. It's the maturity level. But most small businesses in this country, no matter what industry you're in, if you're the owner, you're generally they're either not mature, as in the business isn't mature, or they never learn the skills that they need to become mature. So they just keep doing the same thing every single day, learning through their mistakes. And until something hurts enough, they probably don't go down that path and go, All right, let's go.

Robby:

I was talking to a client about that, um, some like something similar today where he's like a builder called him. So they're they're uh in the construction space and he goes, a builder called him and said, Hey, can we get you guys on site next Tuesday or something like that? Yeah, and he's like, Have you called the office? And he's like, Nah, aren't you the boss? Like, aren't you the owner? And he goes, I'm the owner. He's like, Yeah. He's like, so can't you sort it out? He's like, nah, call the office. Yeah, I don't know what the fuck's going on. Yeah, go speak to ops. They need to sort it out. I don't know. Heck, he's like, Can't you just sort it out? He's like, nah. He's like, nah, this fucking works. Yeah, do you know what I mean? And it's like, you want to get to that, you need to be at that point.

George:

I couldn't agree more. I do that now. I get people calling me and they'll say, Oh, you know, when do you want delivery? I'm like, what are you talking about? It's like, oh, when do you want this? Or you know, when do you want to talk? Have you spoken to Nick? Have you spoken to Angela? Like, have you spoken to the guys on site? And it's like, no, well then fucking call them. And even like I I had someone call the office up the other day, and they're like, Um, oh, is this invoice been paid? And no, they call my mobile and they're like, oh, just following up on this invoice. Okay, okay, have you called accounts? And she's like, no. I said, Well, call accounts. She goes, Well, can't you check? Same thing, can't you check? And yes, I could have, but I don't want to train them to just every time something is not right, they just call me.

Robby:

Oh, no, I can't.

George:

Yeah, no, I yeah, I literally can't. I don't, that's not my That's right. And all I told her, I just employ someone either call the office or send them an email. And I and then if it's that way inclined, or just say, Look, I'm not in the office or I'm not, I'm in a meeting, I can't look at it. So it sort it out with them, and then you know, one of the good things I did as well. This is you know, my inbox would blow up here because we used to get like a huge influx of um invoices coming in every month. We'll process 100-200 invoices. So rather than job, oh, it's the fucking job. It's it's a roll, like it's someone needs to be doing it. And I've I've set up an account.

Robby:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you have to process those manually or do you do like an ABA?

George:

Oh, no way. ABA, 100%. Have to, yeah, because imagine sitting there paying everyone. And that's why we do, you know, side going a bit sideways, but that's why we do um payment terms as well. So we'll pay everyone at the end of the month, not when their invoice date says. And you often get people saying, Oh, this invoice is late. I said, Well, when is it when did you invoice? Oh, the 15th of January. I said, Well, it's not due till the end of FEP, like that's the process. You would have been communicated that before you started the job. That's how we do it. It because in that way it's one day we do a pay run, not 13 days of the month that we do pay runs. And where was I getting at? Oh, so we used to have people would used to email me, Simon, Angelo, Nick, like they used to send the e the invoices directly to the person, and then we just streamlined and said, no, everything, every single invoice has to go to accounts. It has to go there. If it doesn't go there, it doesn't get processed. We put it in contracts, we just communicate it at the beginning, and now everyone knows. So rather than sending it to me, and I just say, if it doesn't get sent to the straight to accounts, it doesn't get processed. I'll just delete as soon as I see invoice in my inbox, I delete it. I'm not going to look at it. When I say that, I also will look at it and say, have they CC'd accounts? And then I'll trade. Hey, make sure all future invoices go here because they won't get processed if they go to the employee or to myself. So that was good to have that central area to go there and everyone to do that and saved a bit of time and just streamlined the process. But yeah, that comes with maturity. At the beginning, when I first started my business, everyone would send me the invoice. I didn't even have an account's email. So everything would come to me. And I was like, okay, cool, print it, go. Print it, go.

Robby:

Didn't even have an email.

unknown:

Yeah.

George:

It was um Pascon at Pascon at umgmail.com.

Robby:

Um so what would it take going back to your holiday? Yeah. What would it take for you not to take your computer? I could do it. Yeah. But you're not gonna. So what's what would it take for you not to? Or is there like there's no situation in the world where you don't take a computer? That's uh that's such a good question. Oh yeah. Like what would it take? What does the let's talk like full complete extreme?

George:

Yeah, you don't have a business? Nicole can't do anything on a computer? Hey, you take the computer, I'm divorcing you. I'm taking the kids.

Robby:

No, no, but like what's the point where you're like not not where you're forced into a position, but more so like you say, you know what? I'm I'm don't I'm not gonna I'm not gonna need the computer. Yeah. Like, or I'm not I'm gone for you gone for seven days? Yeah, it'll be ten days by the time I'm back. So you're gone for ten days? It's like I could check my emails on my phone.

George:

Good, yeah.

Robby:

You know what I mean? Like it's like eh, like if you need to call me, call me. I'm not gonna do any work, work, work. You know what I mean? It's like my work is gonna be emails and yeah, messages and talking to people. That's it.

George:

What's it's like Yeah, because my device is powerful enough to do what I'm gonna do. Well, that does a lot, yeah. You know what I mean? Or even if it's an iPad, take an iPad that has a keyboard. No, we're pushing it.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh come on, give me something. Give me something. That's a computer. It's not, it's an iPhone, it's a big phone. Come on, man. That's a computer. Shit, how else am I gonna do some serious work on an iPad?

Robby:

Oh no. You can do some serious work. I know. Um so I can't take the iPad. Nah. I'm just what I'm saying to you. Like, what would it take for you to be like, what? Okay, what? What? It would take. Oh fuck. Is there a scenario where you don't take your computer? Willingly. Not willingly, yeah. Yeah, like you sit there, like I'm not gonna take it. I feel like I sit there, hey sure, man.

SPEAKER_02:

What are you doing? Shit. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. That's me getting in my own way. Maybe there isn't. I don't know. Maybe there isn't. I'm trying to think why, like I said, I could do it. I could. Is it an addiction?

Robby:

It's your thing of what if yeah, yeah, I need to what if I need to do it.

George:

Maybe if I was a true CEO in the sense of not pretend, but a true one. A true one in the sense of someone has as much authority to do what needs to be done as I do.

Robby:

Yeah, okay.

George:

And and a capability, ability, like all that shit. So maybe I need that person in the business where I could call them up and say, hey, I need you to do this. Go. I've just got this email. I've just got can you do this pay run? Can you whatever process this, respond to that?

unknown:

Yeah.

George:

Perhaps that's the game. Perhaps that's the level where you've removed yourself from the business and you are the true C-suite um executive in that organization.

Robby:

Well, yeah, I don't I don't know if a CEO. No, I'm just saying in the sense of that position. Yeah, I'm saying in the sense of you have a board, like you have you have the person there that can do it all. You're a business owner, not a business operator.

George:

Yeah, correct.

unknown:

Correct.

George:

Like I over the book. I think you would have to, yeah. I think you would have to, okay, I'm involved in a business where I don't do anything. I'm not checking emails for that business. Yeah. I'm not processing things for that business. Like that. Yeah, then it's like then it would have to be.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, so then exactly. Right. Why are you calling me? And you can't do anything.

George:

Don't even know the logins.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, I'm sorry. Just did you try hashtag? I don't know. Call call someone else. Um, so yeah, that that would have to be the scenario.

George:

So you have someone not maybe not to the I'd have to have a competent operator. Yeah, I can still be involved in the business. Yeah, but you're saying I'd have someone that person that's involved in the business in that other business, like knows it all. But you does it all, executes it.

Robby:

You would still take your email, uh your your laptop.

George:

No, but I'm saying if that was the business, say that was my own business.

Robby:

Let's just say that was PASCON now. Yeah, let's say for example. I think I would feel quite comfortable to not take it. Let's play this out. Okay. Let's say, can we talk names? Fuck both. Okay. So let's say Simon said that. Gets fired. Nah, I'm drinking.

SPEAKER_02:

Let's say Simon, um, you know.

George:

Hey, if if Simon, if you're listening to this, I'll give you a 10 grand bonus for Christmas. But you have to tell me on you have to tell me by close a business Monday.

Robby:

Yeah, it's gotta be on the day.

George:

Close a business Monday, you get a 10 grand bonus.

Robby:

What do you do if someone goes and tells him?

George:

I'll I'll ask him what's the timestamp. You have to screenshot the timestamp. I don't know, we've got to figure out a way to make this more bulletproof.

Robby:

Uh, if you don't tell Simon and you come up to us, we'll give you something else. Yeah. Um anyway, so let's say Simon goes into that role and he starts doing everything. All the day-to-day, month-to-month operations of the business are managed.

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

So even when like shit's gone wrong, you're like, I don't know, go see Simon. Like you're focused on so such a high level, or you no longer are involved in the business operations at all. You're like, you're just an owner.

George:

Yeah. Yeah. I think that that's I still I still reckon you take your computer. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't think I will I think I feel a lot more comfortable not to be. Well, let me tell I'll explain something.

Robby:

So before before getting into business, I never took my computer anyway.

George:

You never took it anywhere.

Robby:

If I got on holiday, why would I take my computer? Where would I go? What a nerd.

unknown:

Yeah.

Robby:

It's a break. Like if what if I had only leave and I went on a holiday, I didn't take my computer.

George:

Never. Not much. Now, now although I am 40, like they didn't even did they have laptops back then? I don't even know. No, no, no. No, definitely not.

Robby:

They've got the atom at that time. Um the now when I go camping, I think should I take my computer? I think there is no reception. Yeah. No, like you know, like you can play solitary, yeah. Do I still have solitary computers?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, mine does. I'm 40. I've got pinball, I got that pinball game.

Robby:

Seen that at uh a couple times at a couple of times. You know the reference. If you know, you know. Uh but yeah, it's a it's a real interesting thought, right? Because you asked the question of do business owners ever get to switch off?

George:

Yeah. Do business operators ever get to switch off.

Robby:

Yeah, well, yeah, as a business operator, do you ever get to switch off? I don't know if you can. If you especially if you owned a thing, it's like you're so locked in all the damn time. Yeah.

George:

It's a curse and a blessing.

Robby:

Uh someone said to me the other day, they're like, uh, are you gonna be working on I think it was like the 23rd or 24th of December? And I was like, Yeah. And they're like, working, working, and I was like, No, just heartless. Listen, I don't have to. Yeah, and I was like, listen, I don't have to work on that day. I said, but as a business owner, there's a 400,000 things that need to be done. Yeah. So if I let a day slip, I kind of lost that day. I don't want to lose days. You know what I mean? So if I get a day where my phone's not gonna ring and I can get shit done, I want to fucking action that as much as I can.

George:

Yeah, exactly right. Exactly right. Here's the other thing, and I said this to some people that I'm mentoring as well, coming into this side of Christmas and end of the year. You're gonna go on holidays for three, four, five weeks, whatever it might be. You should also not feel bad for working as well. I don't mind it. It's not like uh I hate doing it. Oh fuck, I gotta just let me go do these emails or send these things. I actually don't mind that period as well, because I can kind of do the stuff I don't normally get to do in the office. Maybe it might be some brand strategy, maybe it might be whatever operation uh processes that I might want to start developing and implementing, or courses I might want to write. So I kind of like that too, that I can just go at my own pace and do whatever I want to do when I want to do it.

Robby:

Is that a I agree? I like that too. It's like my this is the time I'm gonna get to do massive deep work. Yeah, I can go work for eight hours and I probably won't get a single call.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

Robby:

Ideally, you know what I mean? And because everyone like dude, my Christmas between Christmas and New Year's phone does not ring. I'll call you. Don't call me.

George:

No, I will.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm gonna phone my phone.

George:

I'll put your um notify anyway.

Robby:

Yeah, you like just schedule a message. Um and it's like that that's a great opportunity, but is that the same thing of like, well, then you're not getting to switch off? And should you be taking that time to say, okay, hey, if we're about to get chaotic again, like we know that 11 and a half months of the year, it's gonna be chaos. Dude, this year flew so quick, so quick.

George:

I remember sat thinking in 23 uh what are we 24, end of 24, going, I can't so much, so long till we get to Vegas in March. Yeah, it I want to freak up always in a couple of months, the builder summit's gonna be three years old. No, wow, we should have a three-year anniversary party. Uh you didn't get the invite. Well, I mean, everyone should come. Yeah. On the 25th. 6th. 6th or 3rd. It'll be on the 26th or the 23rd of February. Get to the next Builder Summit. It's gonna be huge. It's actually going to be our biggest.

Robby:

24, 24.

George:

24, 26, yeah. One of those days. Um, yeah. Watch this space.

Robby:

Watch this space. It's gonna be uh it's gonna be a cracker third year anniversary, third time's a charm.

George:

Wow, I'm pumped. Might do some push-ups. Three years. That's good. Going on. Hey, good sit, good shit. And you've been to every single one of them.

Robby:

As in listen, this is with that junior. I I think you're not fathoming how much it is. Because like it's going into year four.

George:

Yeah, so we'll be in the fourth. So it's actually third year now. It ends up.

Robby:

This is year three now. It's like you're about to finish year three and go into the fourth year.

George:

Yeah. I really one day I want to look back at that whole space, what we're doing and how we've done it.

Robby:

Like, because we can count the events and sit there. Like, this is the 27th realder summit.

George:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Robby:

27. Ah, and then we're going to do it.

George:

So get some get some fireworks and the what's it, pyro? Some pyro fuses and just shit happening.

Robby:

Get people to jump up and down and clap.

George:

Yeah. Why what why else would I do this if I can't get people to jump and clap? Yeah. Um, maybe even break boards to change your life.

Robby:

Oh, if we can say shave your head.

George:

Umway, sideways. Um what are we saying? It'd be interesting to see because do you feel that it's improved year on year?

Robby:

Yeah.

George:

Year on year on year, like on each time. It's gotten better from where we were three years ago to where it is today.

Robby:

We've not had completely different presentations. That's that's fine. And right inside.

George:

Do you feel that it's but the the thing that I like about what we've done is we're always refined, we've always looked to refine it. We've tried things and say, hey, let's do this because it might work. And it's come out and it's like, fuck, that did not work. Whether it's a sales strategy, whether it's a marketing strategy, whatever it might be. And I think you're starting to really nut down and nail it and go, okay, we can predict with a level of certainty the outcome based off the input.

Robby:

Yeah, and it was also a lot of you know, testing and generating.

George:

And I hear that from people in the industry. I don't know if that's a bit of a cop-out too, as in, oh, you know, it takes time, you know, it's got to be, I've been doing this for five years, ten years, and we just started to get big now. Yeah, I know.

Robby:

Everyone says that though.

George:

About everything? Yeah, maybe, but I've seen people in the event space. I've spoken to another guy who does some successful events, and he was saying the same thing, you know, he said, Yeah, I've been doing this for seven, eight, ten years, you know. We've been doing this for quite some time.

Robby:

Is that who I'm thinking of?

George:

Yeah, yeah.

Robby:

I think I'm pretty sure that they really took that long.

George:

Yeah, I believe they did.

Robby:

Like they were doing, for example, the rooms were you were like you go see them now, and there's like 200 to 300 people in a room.

George:

Yeah, correct.

Robby:

I'm pretty sure those rooms were 15 to 20 for a long time.

George:

Yeah. Yeah. But some people and they live by that. They go, no, no, you have to go through the grind. You have to have those. That's what I mean. I don't think you do either.

Robby:

Yeah, it's like, okay, how do I buy this? Yeah. How do I how do I how do I take a message? And that's where I said everyone. And I'm like, dude, what's the okay, roll the dice. What do we have to roll here? Yeah. Do you know what I mean? And I was saying that to someone about my business, and they're like, you just have to go through it. I'm like, I don't have to go through it, man.

George:

You don't have to do the shit.

Robby:

I don't have to go through it.

George:

Why can't I skip? I agree. It's like we're saying with you know, if a if a multimillionaire, hundreds of millions of dollars, lost everything the next day, he's not gonna, or a developer that does hundreds of millions of dollars, he's not gonna turn around and go, okay, let's go do a two-unit development and quite a bit. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, now he's gonna skip that. He's gonna go, no, fuck, Clayton. Let's go to here and do 43 lot subdivision.

Robby:

Yeah, but then the argument is like, oh, but you don't have that knowledge.

George:

Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

Robby:

There is that level of go get it or pay people that let me pay someone to say, hey, come here, sit with me once a week. Yep. And I'm gonna go on this thing and I'm gonna come to you with questions. And like, why can't I speed up my process? Yeah.

George:

Do you know what I mean? I think, but even when you try to speed it up with no experience in that space, you'll then be paying a premium to get it done because you'll still learn through that process as well.

Robby:

Through like a process of elimination. Yeah, yeah. Like, is that is that person the best person?

George:

And he's like, Oh fuck, I paid him a hundred grand to do the wrong, not do the right thing. Whereas if you had that experience, you'd be like, no, no, that's a 30 grand roll.

Robby:

Yeah, yeah, but even that, even that, you're like you're still you're still progressing. You're still progressing, you're still taking action, you're learning. You do you there is a person who comes, you pay a hundred grand and they come and they do absolutely horrible shit. They teach you something. Yeah, you generally say, okay, cool. Like, what like where did I go wrong here? What did I not know? Yeah, you know, what did I miss? And it's like, all right, cool. I got this, I got that, I got that. All right, cool, let's go. Do you know what I mean? I I kind of got these lessons from it. This is what I paid. This is what I paid for lessons. Sometimes you pay more and sometimes you pay less. Yeah, but you always fucking pay.

George:

Yes.

Robby:

You know what I mean?

George:

Yes, yes, yes. Yeah.

Robby:

I don't know how we got onto that, but no, it's good.

George:

It's relevant. Yeah, there's you there is shortcuts there. You fucking take them. Yeah. With that, it's like I can't remember who gave this example. It's like someone was like, Would you rather me give you$20 million right now, or would you rather earn$20 million? Like, which one would you rather? Me? Yeah. I would take the 20 million. I would take the 20 million every day then.

Robby:

A lot of people say earn though, yeah.

George:

Yeah, heaps of people will say earn. It's like, why? Oh, you know, you've got to learn the lessons. I feel that, I feel proud that I've fucking worked that hard. Because no, cool. I'll take the 20 mil and make a 200 mil. Like, give me the like, let's take the shortcut. Like, why not? That's not a bad thing. There's this thing, it's like, you know, you have to do the hard work. Not always. Not always. Be smart about it. Yes, sometimes work, hard work does pay off. Like, yes, there is an element of hard work, and I think it's a great ethic to have in your life, not to be phased by the difficulties, but there's also some shortcuts there. Yeah. It's what advisors and mentors do.

Robby:

Do you think, um, speaking of like trying to loop that into the original conversation, do you think that taking time off allows you to move quicker?

George:

I think so. It's a strategy as well. Like, why not have that as part of your strategy to have some time off or to be away from your bubble? So I do think so, yes, without a doubt. Getting away from the Yeah, now whether that's at the end of the year when the whole industry shuts down, if that's something that happens in your space, or whether it's mid year or whatever it might be.

Robby:

I do think do you think it helps mentally? Yeah, I do.

George:

I think it just it just when you're in a space set of eyes. Yeah. When you're in that space 24-7, you like it consumes you. That's what you know, that's what you're about. You don't, it's harder to see or to think outside the box because you're in the box, the lids closed, it's sealed shut. So it's a bit harder for you to go, and there's a thousand things happening. So I think it's a bit harder for you to do uh to do that. And I find like I do quarterly training sessions with my mentees where we go away for three days. And I found that that's really powerful for them because they're removed from their environment for the three days. And at the end of the third day, they're just like, man, George, that was fucking amazing. That was so good. So good to get away, so good to speak to this person and to that person and to leverage off them and hear their side of the story, hear their solution. So I think it's a really powerful thing to be able to step away, whether it's a few days or a few weeks or a month, whatever it might be.

Robby:

Because then the other alternative is like, okay, you're gonna take two weeks off. I'm gonna need two weeks ahead.

George:

Yeah, yeah, and that's right. There's people that think that too. Yeah, and that's not a bad strategy, right? Yeah, maybe your strategy is okay, I'm going hard for the next five years. Like five years. I'm committing five years to this.

Robby:

Yeah, like working seven days, doing everything you got to do.

George:

That's right. That's right. It's pushing the limits and it's not giving up and not slowing down and being consistent. Consistency without result, like that's that's the definition of discipline, right? Like that could not without result, with a small result potentially. Like you are disciplined to go, no, no, this is working.

Robby:

Or delayed.

George:

Yeah, that delayed gratification. It's huge. This podcast is a prime example of that. How what what what episode are we up to?

Robby:

Hey, 100 and 11. I never know. 11 1111. Sick.

George:

One one day. 1-11. But you're talking consistency for every single week for 111 weeks. Imagine I told you at the start, hey, 111 weeks, we're getting to it.

Robby:

I heard, I reckon, the best definition of discipline I've ever heard.

George:

Write this down.

Robby:

And it was by uh Alex Ormuzie on the Logan Paul podcast.

George:

I didn't see that one.

Robby:

And he got snippets. Discipline is doing the thing you don't want to do. Not it's like he goes, if you get up and you go and you train every morning, yeah, because you want to you like training. Yeah, he's like that. You're not disciplined. He's like, you're doing what you like. He goes, doing the thing you don't want to do without getting the result, that's discipline. Yeah. He goes, because if I do something I don't want to do and I get the result straight away, that's not discipline. I'm getting the immediate thing. He goes, but be to be able to do something I don't want to do, like for example, if you and then I thought about this and I'm like that's a that's a like if you asked me about the whole ice bath thing, I would have said I was disciplined. I like it. Yeah and then it's like okay, well then it's not really that that's not really discipline. Yeah. Discipline is like when you don't want to do it. And then it's like, well, there's not many people that are truly disciplined disciplined. Like truly disciplined.

George:

Yeah, like well, I mean uh Goggin says that too, actually. In the sense of he he goes. I fucking hate running. I don't believe. I don't believe. It might be that it might be the You'll lose. Huh? He'll lose.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he's got no knees. That's it.

George:

Take him out. Nah. Yeah, so there could be an element of that in the media. That's the branding machine too. That's part of his team, yeah.

Robby:

And I might be completely wrong that he might see me in the street and say, fuck you.

George:

Yeah, and fight you.

Robby:

Yeah, and fight me. And he'll get bashed and that's it. And then he'd hate that trip to Australia. I'll write a book.

George:

You'll remember it forever.

Robby:

And then it'll be called Stay Harder. Um yeah. I don't know if he does or doesn't. Maybe he does. Maybe he does hate that thing. But it's like that definition of discipline really opened my eyes to that. Because then it's like, oh, okay, well then getting up and coming into work early in the morning, it's not really that disciplined because I actually I hate waking up early. Yeah. But working, not that hard for me personally.

George:

I think I dislike waking up if I'm tired.

Robby:

I just like waking up.

unknown:

Nah.

George:

No, sorry.

Robby:

I I like waking up at some point. Yeah. I dislike waking up to an alarm.

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

That's what it is.

George:

Yeah. Yeah, I think that's important. I'm often awake before my alarm.

Robby:

Yeah, I can never get that.

George:

Yeah, right.

Robby:

Yeah, like I could go to sleep at nine. Yeah, and still sleep till nine. Yeah, right. There you go. I'm very good at it.

George:

There you go.

Robby:

It's one of my skills.

George:

Okay, so you are not closing over the break.

Robby:

We are not closing. Yeah. We run campaigns. There'll be build a summer campaign running over the break. We do all sorts of things. Nah, we have to. It's the third year anniversary. Third year birthday.

George:

Not like just take a day. Nah, I have to. Come on. I can't addicted it. Everyone else is having holidays. Why don't you have a holiday? You weren't it. You've worked hard this year. Have you worked hard? Do you feel like you've worked hard? You deserve a break, Robbie. Just slow down. You're gonna hurt yourself. You're gonna get stressed. I don't want you to get stressed. I care for your health and well-being. I'm gonna burn out. You're gonna burn out. Only lunatics don't people need a vacation. They need to rest. Robbie, you need to stop. I want you to stop. Come on. I'll pay you and you'll leave.

Robby:

I can't. We're going up for a big big big 2026.

George:

Okay. So why? Why have you decided not to take some time off? Because you could. Could you not? Or are you going to take it at another time?

Robby:

I yes and no. Like I'll still do trips and things like that, but I I don't see purpose in doing like apart from my my doing nothing time is when I go camping.

George:

Yep.

Robby:

It's like a little for two, three days and I'm fine. And that's it good.

George:

You're geared up, you're refreshed, ready to go.

Robby:

And I love that. Like I love that I have that thing. And and if you don't have that thing, or whatever that thing might be for you, it might not be that. You might go and play fucking World of Warcraft. Yeah. Or whatever it is. Like, you know what I mean? You might completely go and do a uh what's it called when people watch movies for fucking uh movie marathon? Yeah, that you might go do one of those. You might go do a real marathon and uh try and catch David Doggins. Yeah, but I I think it's important to have something, you know, that kind of thing. And I I'm fortunate enough in the sense of I get to do it throughout the week. And I also like I'm fortunate enough in the sense of I can I can travel, yes, to do I get to do as much work as I normally do, no, but I get to kind of work on the go and get stuff done and the golf.

George:

And it's good that you have a business that you can do that too. Yeah, I'm aware that's a good thing. It's not like you're a cafe owner and that you have to make coffees or you're not making money. And if you go for holidays for three weeks, you have to shut the business down for three weeks most of the time. Yeah.

Robby:

That's bad business.

George:

Yeah, but that's people operating within their means and what they know. And they're like, oh no, no, I'm gonna shut it down for three weeks because I want to I want to break, and everyone else is gonna have annual leave too, and all that sort of stuff. So you shut it down instead of training someone up, no, keep the cafe running, I'll give you an extra 1500 bucks a month.

Robby:

Oh, they don't need money.

George:

Yeah, that's not that's the other one. They're like, no, I'll just close up. Yeah, I know a restaurant down the road that they close up for two months over the summer period. Um that's wild. Yeah, like just bang, like the probably the busiest time for them. They're like, no, no, we'll shut down. But they kill it through the year and they don't take a single break. Obviously not that keen, though.

Robby:

Sorry, they're obviously not that desperate.

George:

Potentially, yeah.

Robby:

Yeah, it's like if they're making money, and they're like, I know the opposite as well.

George:

I've got another uh guy's some people, some friends that I know that have a fish and chip shop down the peninsula, and they're only open in summer. They make that much money during that summer period that that's it. We're not we're not gonna open up throughout the rest of the year, we'll just open up in summer.

Robby:

And then pay rent for nine months.

George:

They own the property. So that's again, okay, whatever. We'll just keep the shop closed. Come back in summer. When the summer period starts, December one, they open up the shop and all that.

Robby:

It's like the Greek islands. Yeah. Some of them live there for six months.

George:

Yeah. Seasonal. Yeah. Like they're not. But they could be open and probably do all right throughout the year too, mind you. Yeah. It's just a it's a business. A lot of businesses stay open for the year, but they're like, no, no, we'll just do it in the summer.

Robby:

Well, we're not there.

George:

No, no, not yet. So my computer will be coming with me. Don't send me emails though, because I'm not going to respond to it.

Robby:

Me?

George:

Just anyone.

Robby:

Everyone.

George:

Everyone listening.

Robby:

Email Pascon at gmail.com. Yeah, Pascon at gmail.

George:

Just send it to there.

Robby:

Pascon1 at gmail.com.

George:

That's it. Um I still laugh when I see those emails. I cry. You get upset. You get very upset. Yeah, so uh don't feel bad if you are working over this period.

Robby:

But you know, often Also, don't feel bad if you're taking time off.

George:

Yeah, like exactly right. Just because one person's working and getting ahead of you and kid and crushing it in over you, and just know that Robbie's so much further ahead than you if you're in a media agency.

Robby:

Yeah, if you're if you were ahead of me, I'm breathing down your neck.

George:

Yeah, not hard, like you're fucked. Let's be honest.

Robby:

Um yeah, but that's like each to their own, man.

George:

Each to their own, each to their own. Do what makes you happy.

Robby:

Yeah, I'm sure there'll be a time in my life where this will be important for me to take off, and I will.

George:

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Maybe if your situation in your life was different, maybe if you had kids, that might change. You'd be like, no, no, let's take some time off.

Robby:

Yeah, I guess kids being on holidays as well.

George:

Yeah, kids' holidays.

Robby:

That's a massive element.

George:

Yeah. You'll have other friends that have kids and be like, oh, so your whole life, your whole life changes. Oh, huge. Yeah, absolutely. In two weeks. Yeah, two weeks. Does it go into a different mode for sure? For six weeks. No, no, three, probably three. For you? For me, yeah. And then you come back.

Robby:

But then even when you come back, you go home, the kids are home, they've been home all day.

George:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, in all honesty, you could probably safely take the whole of January off. That's pretty slow. People are that's when I find people are in holiday mode. I'm surprised there's not more accidents then. Because people come back after the break and they're just like, fuck, it's hot, let's go to the beach, or I'm out going for a drink to the pub this m this afternoon. I think hot people are in more holiday mode after the break than before. I think before leading up to Christmas, everyone's working pretty hard. Yeah, and then when they get back, it's half pace.

Robby:

Yeah, or is it a pumped for the holidays switched off and then can't be fucked in.

George:

Can I just say as an employee, you should be pumped for the holiday?

Robby:

I mean, I would have been switched off already. Yeah. I would have been so checked out. Hey Robbie, it's not even funny. I would have been like, no, I'll do my job, dude. I could do, I could most of most this is gonna upset some people. Most employees suck. When I worked on Mercedes-Benz, I went down into a new role. I was 23 years old, and everyone else was like 35 plus. And I've ran rings around everyone. Yeah. Now let me tell you, next year I turn 35. Bring a 23 year old. I will run rings around them. You're getting old. Do you understand?

George:

You haven't got any gr any grades yet.

Robby:

Me?

George:

Yeah. Give it time. Late 30s, they come. Oh, yeah.

Robby:

Nah, I've got a couple.

George:

Oh, do you? Yeah, starting to. They're just letting you know they're there.

Robby:

Um, I can't wait, I'm gonna die. Go for a while. Silver Fox. Um, but yeah, I still feel like now I'm in their position and someone came, I would run rings around them.

George:

Yeah. Um you reckon that's a generational thing with work ethic and all that sort of shit?

Robby:

No. The people before me were older than me. Yeah or no? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

George:

It's a level of mediocrity that's bred into people.

Robby:

Yeah, as as a as a whole age.

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

Um, and the reason I say that was because I could be in holiday mode and I'd still do better than most. Better than most. Um, but yeah, at this point, post Melbourne Cup.

George:

Can be a good thing.

Robby:

This last few weeks I wasn't I would not be doing anything.

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

I would not be doing it's just it's the the weeks where you don't sleep properly. Yeah. The weeks where you're not going home to get to bed, you're not training. You're like, okay, cool, like the weather's getting better. It's coming into holidays. Hot day today. Yeah, go see, you know, go hang out with friends afterwards, go do something, go eat something, get something. Yeah. And that's what most people listening to this will probably be uh doing. What a life. Well, you what a feeling. The switching off. Do you remember that? Of course. I think about it every night.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you miss it? So much.

Robby:

But being serious. Do I miss the being able to switch off completely? Yeah, yeah.

George:

I thank you. I'm glad you said that. Yeah.

Robby:

Because I do too.

George:

But but I'll I don't think I've felt like that in the longest time.

Robby:

Yeah, but do you think you can now? Do you think like let's just say, for example, you like, okay, cool, fuck this. I've sold the business and I'm gonna go work for someone. Do you think you'll ever completely switch off ever again? I don't think I can.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

Robby:

I don't think not to that point, not to that level. Like that was like done. Nothing. Nothing. There's nothing. There's nothing like nothing. What do you mean? No matter what happens, I'm getting paid, my patriot comes through. Um, I've got the holidays, annual leaves booked in. I probably don't have to answer a single call. Nothing. Like I could do whatever. I could go and play PlayStation for 12 hours a day, and nothing matters.

George:

I need to be pumped. Yeah. And just fucking.

Robby:

Whereas now I feel like I can't do that. Not not I could. I would feel bad if I went and played PlayStation for eight hours a day. Me too. I'd feel like fuck, I shouldn't have done that.

George:

Shouldn't have done that. Yeah. I remember a few weeks ago I played, I was playing a video game. I turned I got one for Nintendo and I I played it on a weekend and I probably played for maybe two hours, something like that. Uh Zelda. On the Nintendo. The Nintendo. Yeah, it was good. Apparently it's been voted one of the best games. Yeah, everyone's saying that to me. Yeah, everyone's saying that to me. And look, I get I understand it. I like those types of games if ever I play like the where you're a character and you do missions and shit like that. Adventure games. Yeah, that type of game. So I was playing for a few hours, and then again the next day I might play it a couple wake up in the morning, kids are in bed, or whatever's happening. I just oh cool, I'll play it for a few hours. And I haven't touched it since. Like it's been probably six weeks. I haven't turned it on. I've probably forgotten all the controllers, like what the buttons do now. And it's that annoys me too, because I'm like, oh, I can't be fucked learning. I'll probably never turn it on again. But even then, I was like, oh, what a waste of a weekend. All I've done is sat inside and play video games.

Robby:

Sometimes your soul needs that.

George:

Yeah, I I don't doubt. I don't doubt that. I don't doubt that. Um so yeah, this holidays, you do you. You want to work, work. You want to go on a massive holiday, go on a massive holiday. You want to do both? Fucking do both.

Robby:

You want to go to Disneyland for 10 days and take your computer with you?

George:

Take it. Take it. So here's the thing, right? I feel like it's almost a missed opportunity being even on the plane. It's a 16-hour flight. Yeah. I'm gonna get heaps done on that flight. Fucking heaps. When I went to Vegas, right? When we went to Vegas that day in March, whenever it was, I got I cleared my inbox. Like it not just clear cleared it, all the emails that were read that weren't filed somewhere. Like I had five emails in my inbox like I could visual visible visibly see.

Robby:

Oh, isn't that what you mean you get to every night? Oh no, I mean just unread. Oh, nah, nah.

George:

I get to like zero. Oh, that's sick. That's sick. What a life. Send me a screenshot.

Robby:

I'll send you a shot. I'm scared.

George:

I've noticed.

Robby:

I would be surprised if we got an email.

George:

Oh, that in that case, I've probably got a hundred emails there. I've definitely got an email. Yeah. Um yeah, so I I filtered, I got rid of stuff. It was great. I actually and I responded to some emails too because I was able to. Yeah, it was fantastic. And I'm gonna do that again in a couple weeks' time.

unknown:

Oh, what a life.

George:

That's a you get a you get a you get an emoji.

Robby:

What is that thing called? Those things I'll never get in? Yeah. Don't think I'll never get in.

George:

A hot air balloon. You get a little hot air balloon. You'll skydive, but never do that. Oh, you freaked. Was it you that freaked when I told you you can't steer those things? They just go up and they rely on the wind to push them in a direction. That's fucked. That's cooker. That is they're up in the air today. Oh, were they?

unknown:

Yeah.

George:

That's fucked. Not with me in it. No, I went. I'm not got no ambition to do something like that. Maybe if you're on holidays and you want to, go for your life. Go for your life. You do you. So yeah, we're gonna go away. Uh, I'm gonna be focused on. You know what the thing is with Disneyland? I always wanted to go when I was a kid. We never went. Ethnic parents, I just don't think it was ever on their radar to go, hey guys, let's go to Disneyland. We were more trying to make sure you fed Warner Brother movie world on the Gold Coast, Hollywood on the Gold Coast. That's not bad.

Robby:

At least we've got that.

George:

I think it's a letdown.

Robby:

You reckon?

George:

Yeah. I think it hasn't changed since I was a fucking kid.

Robby:

Yeah, but is that the only reason it's a letdown?

George:

Yeah. I reckon they it's dated. It needs someone needs to go in there and spend$50 million and actually make it a sick attraction. Make it amazing. Yeah, look, there's some cool rides there and shit like that. But I'm talking go in there and make it an amazing place to go and experience. Whereas now it's just like not as good. Like, oh yeah. Perfect example. You see Batman come out, and it's a he's wearing a fucking costume I could hire from the costume shop down the road. Like, there's put the give him the proper Bat suit. Spend five grand on a suit, not one that's just made of rubber and you can see the clothing he's wearing underneath. You know what I mean? That's the level of detail and really immersing yourself in that fantasy world. So it was always something I wanted to do as a child, and now I want to go again. I'm gonna get back to something that just said on Disneyland, just sort of came into my head, but I want to go now. Yes, I'll there'll be a nostalgia aspect of me going there, but I'm selfishly going to remember my kids there as in the time that they're gonna have, and as much fun as they're gonna have, and as an amazing experience as it's gonna be for them, I'm looking forward to having those core memories of going there with them at a young age, but they're old enough to enjoy it, and that's what I'm really looking forward to. And the side note of that, how much do you reckon four tickets to Disneyland would cost? Four tickets to the States? No, no, no, no. Four tickets mission into Disneyland. What do you think it would cost?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, dude, I I would have not had a clue.

George:

If I was gonna guess, I want you to guess. I want you Disneyland. Is everything? No, this is just walk in the door. I'll give you a clue. It also includes the fast pass onto the rides. What's that mean? Like you don't have you it express line in onto the rides and shit.

Robby:

Uh did I have kids' prices and adult prices? Or is it just kids' prices?

George:

No, I don't think they do. Just adult prices. I think it's just one admission. 80 bucks a ticket,$80 a ticket. Eight eight to zero. Yeah. Don't ever go to Disneyland. You'll be upset. Why?

unknown:

Okay.

George:

100? Okay, let's stop. Let's stop, stop. What do you think's an expensive price? What what what would you go? Oh, that's expensive. You push, you're fucking pushing it.

SPEAKER_02:

I went to the zoo. What? Melbourne Zoo? Yeah, that is real. Fuck the Melbourne Zoo. I think I paid. No, no, the Melbourne Zoo's not the happiest place on earth.

George:

Remember, this is the happy. This you will not be happier than the biggest.

Robby:

I was very upset that I paid$100.

George:

Hey, hey, you're not going to be happier than at Disneyland, right? What's an expensive price?

SPEAKER_02:

$600.$600?$700. Four people. For four people?$700,$800. What?

George:

Two and a half grand just to get in. Just to get in. That's just to walk through the door for the privilege. I shit you not, bro. I shit you not. That's a converted to Australian dollars. I don't give a fuck.

SPEAKER_02:

It could be converted to fucking Bart. Who gives a shit? Two and a half grand. Two and a half.

George:

And there's not like there's no special. That's the fucking price. That is the price to get in. I'm gonna do a video on what that fucking trip, like the Disneyland two days. We've got two days there too, yeah. Oh sorry, sorry, should I should stipulate that? That's for a two-day pass. So not just the single entry. I get two entries. But who cares? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's still uh two and a half grand to get in. And then I've heard once you're in there, it's fucking expensive as well. You go get lunch, it's like clear the bank account out. So I'm gonna do a video just to show everyone and let you all know how much it costs, and then I'm gonna tell you if it was worth it, and it's probably gonna be this was the best money I've ever spent in my life. So yeah, I thought that was um that's funny. You know, there's a power of a brand.

Robby:

I I'm trying to um I'm trying to find something, George, that I think that I'm gonna like or upset or make me upset. Now I'm really curious. I really wanted to find it and show you live, but I'm trying to say what it is, and if you'll look it up, then I'll try and find a few later. Cool. But I actually just recalled while you were telling that story that I'm 98% sure there is a clip of you maybe two years ago saying it's one of my dreams to take my kids to Disneyland. I want to selfishly take my kids to Disneyland. So I can and you're about to do it.

George:

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_02:

That's fucking sick. That's cool, huh? Same podcast. Same one. You should all find that clip and send it to me.

George:

Um put it in the DMs. Fuck, I was hoping I can find it really easily. That's pretty that's hard. How would you find it easily? I've got a whole oh, is that in their spreadsheet? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Robby:

I don't know what they've named it.

George:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gotcha. Yeah, like so cool. Two years later, here we are. Who would have thought? You know what I should do? A lot of the stuff I say on the podcast tends to come true. So we should definitely talk about shit like that a lot more often. Can't wait to sell my business for hundreds of millions of dollars. It's gonna be fantastic. That's you uh then we'll do a great million dollar days podcast, then tell you what. Tell you what.

Robby:

Um, I I so want to, I can't explain to you how much I'm trying to I want to buy this.

George:

Okay, you keep searching, I'll keep talking. I'll keep talking. Um and hey, look, as expensive as it is going there, oh, and I'm I'm flying business class there. I haven't actually booked the tickets back yet. So I've still got to find those uh those tickets back. Now, you don't need to spend tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars, thousands of dollars to create core memories and have a good time with your loved ones either. You know, you can do it through other means. Through just spending quality time. It could be just going to the beach. You know, we go into Noosa as well when we get so pretty much get back from the States about 10 days later. We go to Noosa. That's our annual family holiday that we go with with a few friends and whatnot. And on my phone the other day, it had memories that come up and it showed my son he was four, five, five years old, and he was holding a little baby frog because there's lots of frogs that jump around everywhere in the humid climate up there, and he's showing me and he's talking, and I'll go, fuck, that's cute. And it just made me see like we've got about seven years worth of memories and photos of the kids and core time that we're there. And that's not like an overly expensive holiday. We tend to go for five days, but we get some great memories in those times. We get some great times with our friends, with each other. So you don't always need to go out and spend ridiculous amounts of money to go and have a great time. Sometimes it's just the simple things that matter the most.

Robby:

There you go. And then one day you'll have a video of your son's son holding a frog.

George:

Imagine you're like, I remember.

Robby:

Yeah.

George:

So look at this.

Robby:

And then you're gonna say to your son, I've got a video of you doing the same thing.

George:

Yeah. And by then we'll be up to episode thousands, thousands upon thousands. Yes, eleven. So you're not getting attitude debt. Oh no, no, you get it. Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. But but I I also give it back to him. Yeah. So the second he arcs up, which he does, because he's a boy and he's gonna challenge me. So I grab him. You almost want that though. Oh, 100%. I grab him and I'll put him on the couch and I hold him down with my left hand. Oh yeah. With my left hand, I'll make sure he knows it's my left. I said, Do you know why I go to the gym? And he's like laughing and you know, giggling. He's he he laughs uncontrollably where he goes all week. And I just hold it, I go, that's my left hand. Like, I'm not even trying, Stevie. This is my my weaker hand. And I go, can you feel the power? Can you do you understand what you're dealing with? All right, you've got a long time before you're gonna step up to the champ. All right, just remember that. And I push him down. I'm rough with him. What do you reckon you got? 10 years? Oh man, I reckon it'd be less than that. Oh yeah. Oh, fucking high. I'm like I told him, I said, you know, I tell him, I go, do you know why I go to the gym, Stevie? Every do you know why I go to the gym every day? He's like, why? Yeah, because I'm gonna stay stronger than you for the longest time. The longest time I'm gonna be stronger than you. And I go, I want you to always think about that. I want you to always go, oi, I'm gonna step up to the plate. I'm about to cop it. I need to bring my A game. It's good. Now, I think around, I reckon around 15, 16, they'll start to get stronger and start to push back and then, but even like even from a perspective of you can bash a 16-year-old? Oh, 100%. 100%. But you ask a 16-year-old, like, no man, I'll give you a pressure.

Robby:

Ah, dude. We got a relative, people don't know what this. But he can do bash.

George:

If if your relative is watching this, you will also get a 10 grand bonus.

Robby:

He reckons even even not just. But he also reckons he can bash anyone. Yeah. Like anyone.

George:

Testosterone's flowing.

Robby:

I think that like if he if you ask him like who can't you bash, he'll be like, he'll name like the heavyweight USB champion, and that's it.

SPEAKER_02:

John Jones.

Robby:

Like you bash anyone else, no, that's just it. He's the only one. Like, he's dead serious. He's dead serious. Like, reckon he's like, I'll bash Jake Paul, I'll bash Andrew Tate.

George:

Yeah.

Robby:

I'm like, dude, like you you won't. Oh god. Is he big guy? He's big, he's bigger than everyone's bigger than me.

George:

Yeah, but is he is he like 6'3 and he's like 5'10.

SPEAKER_02:

No muscle.

Robby:

He's a rake. He's fat. That's even worse. Anyway, sometimes I don't want to bash him. You should just yeah, just to show it. Alright, let's do it. Let me show you. I'd be like, I'm not even someone you need to fear. Yeah. There's people out there that'll crush me. So good. That's something you need to teach people that listen.

George:

Yeah. So um I I do that on purpose and hold him down. But yeah, I think around 15, 16, he'll start to he'll be faster, you know. He'll be he'll start to get a bit stronger as well. But I always want him to be in the back of his mind. I said, alright. Got to be careful around the object.

Robby:

Can you walk past him and bump him?

George:

No, not yet. It's gonna happen though.

Robby:

Oh yeah.

George:

Yeah, yeah. Like he's I'm waiting for him to do that to me. And then I'll just I will fucking wreck him. Oh man, I'm gonna give him the big yeah, he'll be on the ground. I'll give him the biggest corky. Like he'll be limping after that. Like he'll be upset. He'll be like, Whoa, you have to take us out. Like he'll be up, he'll cry. Make him cry on that day.

Robby:

That's a good relationship, but yeah, I think so too.

George:

Yeah, I think so too. And look, he's doing jujitsu too. So he's starting jujitsu. Yeah, he's been doing it for I don't know, six months, twelve, twelve months, something like that. And um that's that's a lot of jujitsu. Yeah, yeah, it's been doing it for a while. He enjoys it. And he's I I think that'll come into play when he's a bit older too. Would you do jujitsu? I would do a martial art, yeah. I would I I say that. Just one, just one of them. Just a single one of the there's so many memes about jujitsu as well. Have you seen those?

Robby:

It's like someone breaks in your house and they get on the floor, it's like, come on, that's like so jujitsu is very like a very gay swap.

George:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Robby:

Yeah, have you seen all the ones like the they're like two um two kickboxes about to enter the shells, and they're like, Alright bro, and they've kind of fist bump and they go sit down. Oh, I've still that one. Yeah, and then they're like the two jujitsu guys, I'm like, all right, wait, so that's when they asked them walking to the train shower.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right. I've seen that one. So good, so funny, so funny.

George:

But yes, I would do martial arts. Um, I just I don't know, just gonna fit it into my schedule, and it's something new that I haven't I've done a little bit of it, but not not a whole lot. Not enough to say I'm trained in any way whatsoever. But um, yeah, I enjoy watching it. I think I enjoy the physical, like the exercise aspect of it, working hard, learning a new skill. I think it's a good skill to have being trained in a martial arts. I think it's a really good skill. 100%. Yeah. To be able to uh probably one of the best things you can do, yeah.

Robby:

If you want to do a sport, like a physical activity, I reckon that's better than most sports.

George:

Yeah, yeah. Do you know what else is a great sport? What? Subscribing to this podcast.

Robby:

Is that a sport?

George:

It is, yeah. It just it just came out the other day. Just um on the National Sports Network. And if you're listening to this podcast, that's exactly what you should do. You should be subscribed to it because many of you listen, but some of you are not subscribed. So, how are you always going to get all the episodes that we drop here drop week in, week out, and this is your opportunity to do so. And also, again, we're loving uh all the support and everyone being a part of this journey that we're on, and also bringing you exciting and great content that you're listening to or watching. And if you are watching, definitely on YouTube hit that subscribe channel because we would love to keep doing this for the longest time and bring you some quality content.

Robby:

And and you got this week, and you go next week, and then that's it. 2025, almost called it 2020, huh? Can you believe COVID? It was five years ago. What's that? You don't remember? No, I don't remember. I mean 2025's done in Dustin. The work year is officially done. It'll be Christmas, then it'll be New Year's, then a week will pass, and then you'll be back at work, and then you'll be like, okay, let's go again.

George:

What a life. What a life. What a life. Yeah, I um I'm excited. Excited for the future, excited for the present, grateful for the past. Just trying to think of all the other things.

SPEAKER_02:

And and everything else.

Robby:

And everything else in between. Whatever it is, I am it.

George:

I am that.

Robby:

All right, guys, thanks for listening. Um yeah, get after it, subscribe, share it with your mother, and see you in the next episode.

George:

We will see you on the next one. Thanks, guys. Bye.

Contributor

George Passas

Host
Contributor

Robby Choucair

Host