SYE2 - From Bible College to Boardroom: Tom interviews Ashley Monk - Screw The Commute

SYE2 – From Bible College to Boardroom: Tom interviews Ashley Monk

Ashley Monk is an up and coming entrepreneur in the Indianapolis area that's been in the marketing game for roughly two years. But in four months, she's laid the foundation to begin establishing her own digital marketing agency and with a background in ministry. She's an example of how grit, discipline, and ambition trump formal education as she paves a new way for herself and others. She's also enrolled in our school and we're really glad to have her.

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Screw The Commute Podcast Show Notes Episode SYE2

How To Automate Your Businesshttps://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/

entrepreneurship distance learning school, home based business, lifestyle business

Internet Marketing Training Centerhttps://imtcva.org/

Higher Education Webinar – https://screwthecommute.com/webinars

[03:19] Tom's introduction to Ashley Monk

[08:36] Her Digital Marketing Agency

[12:45] Going to Bible school

[18:27] College classes and getting a job

[21:37] Inflating grades and useable skills

[25:26] Getting skills that are in demand

[27:36] Transitioning into her new business

[29:49] Attending Bible college as a Beauty Queen

[35:00] Parting thoughts and next steps

Entrepreneurial Resources Mentioned in This Podcast

Higher Education Webinar – It's the second webinar on the page: https://screwthecommute.com/webinars

Screw The Commutehttps://screwthecommute.com/

entrepreneurship distance learning school, home based business, lifestyle business

Screw The Commute Podcast Apphttps://screwthecommute.com/app/

Know a young person for our Youth Episode Series? Send an email to Tom! – orders@antion.com

Have a Roku box? Find Tom's Public Speaking Channel there!https://channelstore.roku.com/details/267358/the-public-speaking-channel

By It Mediahttps://byitmedia.com/

Internet Marketing Training Centerhttps://imtcva.org/

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Home Based Business, Lifestyle Business, Passive Income, Professional Speaking and Online Business

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entrepreneurship distance learning school, home based business, lifestyle business

entrepreneurship distance learning school, home based business, lifestyle business

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Episode SYE2 – Ashley Monk
[00:00:09] Welcome to Screw the Commute. The entrepreneurial podcast dedicated to getting you out of the car and into the money, with your host, lifelong entrepreneur and multimillionaire, Tom Antion.

[00:00:24] Hey everybody this is Tom here with our second special youth episode. I really love our guest today but let me tell you about our youth episodes. I plan on featuring outstanding youth who are starting and running businesses and are making a difference in the world. And right now there are a lot of youth who are making a difference in the world but I'm not sure the difference is all that good for them or anybody else. So I really like the ones who are making a good difference in and I've run into a young woman who in only four weeks in my school was helping other businesses make a difference. So you'll meet her in a moment. Now I encourage anyone listening to this to send me notice of outstanding youth who you think would be good candidates for a special episode on screw the commute and they. And when I say youth I'm talking about maybe up to early 20s or so now they should be running or starting a business or a nonprofit. And I'll run it by my secret board of directors and we'll select the least one young person a month to feature. Now also my school is approved by the Department of Defense for their scholarship program for military spouses. So this is just an announcement. So if you you know any military people please send them my way. The school is really perfect in that. Not only can the person learn at home they can legitimately work from home even if they're deployed to some faraway land. So we really want to help out our military. Now today's sponsor is that distance learning school the internet marketing training center Virginia. That's IMTCVA.org. It's a distance learning school and please don't even think about retraining yourself or sending your kids to college and to you check out our webinar on higher education. I do not want you wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars and putting yourself and your kids under crushing debt. So the webinar is at screwthecommute.com/webinars and you can also just click on the webinars button. One more thing I've got a great freebie for you just for listening to the show. It's my twenty seven dollar e-book called how to automate your business. And just one of the tips in this book have saved me over seven million keystrokes and that was as of a couple years ago. So it's probably seven and a half million by now. So check that out at screwthecommute.com/automatefree we'll have links to everything in our show notes for this special youth episode for April 2019.

[00:03:20] All right now let's get to the main event. Ashley Monk is an up and coming entrepreneur in the Indianapolis area that's been in the marketing game for roughly two years. But in the four months she's laid the foundation to begin establishing her own digital marketing agency and with a background in ministry. She's an example of how grit discipline and ambition trump formal education as she paves a new way for herself and others. She's also enrolled in our school and we're really glad to have her.

[00:03:54] So Hey Ashley how are you doing.

[00:03:57] I'm great. Thank you for asking. Super excited to be here with you today.

[00:04:01] Oh me too. Me too. I was so thrilled when your dad told me you were interested in the school and you've been in there. How long now.

[00:04:12] I'm going on. It's really been only two or three months now since that pretty short.

[00:04:17] Yeah. Yeah. But I'll tell everybody what happened after about four weeks about being in the school what happened to you.

[00:04:23] Oh my goodness. It's been fantastic. So long story short I think even being young my generation really does have kind of grown up with all the bells and whistles and. I am really the social media in the digital generation. But with that being said we've had this at our fingertips that I think as I've kind of grown up it's kind of been hard to grasp the foundation behind all the tools that have been at my disposal. And so I was so interested in the school because even though I have learned a lot along the way I never had that set this just a steady foundation to really grasp the tools that I was using. So I started with a school. It gave me so many tools just right off the bat that even though I knew and was familiar with certain platforms I didn't have the resources to use them and the school gave me all those things and so after that I took the plunge and kind of working and actually grew and do a little bit of a small business. And so I'm now making about eleven hundred dollars a month outside of my full time job just taking on different marketing clients and I'm excited to start taking steps to do that full time.

[00:05:32] Yeah. You were all in there about four weeks at the time and got to see the thing is there's a lot of the small business owners are a little older and they're just pulling their hair out all of this trying to keep up and they know they need all this stuff but they have no clue how to do it. It's just agonizing. And so somebody like you comes along you know youth is revered when it comes to this kind of stuff because you know young people came out of the womb like swiping tablets and cell phones you know so. So people just started asking you to help and giving you money for it right.

[00:06:10] Basically yeah I offered I work with a lot of small business owners and I just started to offer to help people doing it for free because I had a knack for it. Hadn't had any background or training obviously my degree is in Bible. So then a question you have at exegesis or anything when it comes to scripture you can ask me but I have no formal marketing training or business training whatsoever. And so anyway small business owners approach me I would graciously help them in any way that I could. And I just got good at it and then people needed more help than what I was just showing them here and there and it's kind of led to a small client base.

[00:06:47] Yeah. And. And then that will grow very rapidly for you when word gets around that's for sure. But but you know a lot of young people appear to be cleaning up on Instagram and places like that but a lot of them aren't really turn it into money right yeah.

[00:07:03] Correct. Oh my goodness. The whole influencer generation thing. I think there are so many if you're not familiar with the term an influencer is basically someone that amasses a large social media following online and has their different levels of influencers but some can get to the thousands in the millions. And what's so interesting and just mind boggling to me is they hear they have just by taking great photos and having great content online they have this huge audience and they're not doing anything with it But there are so many that are spending all this time and they they've this audience and they're not using it or leveraging it to their advantage it's crazy.

[00:07:42] Yeah and even. I mean with you helping any small business with even a small percentage of the audience if you're focused on turning it into a business that can be a game changer for a small business.

[00:07:55] Yes I agree Tom and I found myself kind of in that same fatal mistake before I started your course because I growing up with all of these platforms naturally. So many of my friends and my community I just grew up and with that it kind of again created an organic following that I had online. But again I was just posting stuff about life this and that and I was posting all these great photos. I had no and this posting content that served my audience and engage them but never once was I really trying to curb a profit from that. And so once I got on your course I'm like oh my gosh why am spending so much time doing this. They're not like it just it was like a no brainer kind of moment.

[00:08:38] Yeah. But there's just so many people out there that are in that same boat that really good at this but they're not good at the marketing and turning it into money and that's what we're helping to do in the school. So tell us about your plans for your digital marketing agency. You have a name picked out or what's what's your plans for it.

[00:08:58] I do. So it's just really funny how it's kind of all flowing together but I've kind of basically started from scratch. So I did I started another company last year which I'm still passionate about but passion does not always lead to profit is what I've kind of come to learn. over the last year. and I've loved doing that. And but anyway even when I built my website there too I used the drag and drop builder didn't know anything about the backend or things for SEO like what I learned in the school. And so with starting a digital agency I've implemented a lot of those tools that you teach tom about having a managed WordPress being self hosted using a different domain and host. I've implemented all that and just kind of been working from the ground up. So I it's crazy that business is coming in I don't even have a website yet but it's almost done. So my company's name is it media. And so we're basically just a single agency focused on providing full service marketing packages but at small business prices that business owners can afford. Because why should you spend time if you haven't grown up with these tools and if you're like an experienced mental health professional or you're in the finance world why should you have to spend more time and learn all these tools when they're changing every day and how much easier would it be just to hire someone to do that for you. So I'm kind of like your onsite marketing professional on your team. But covering those bases for my clients.

[00:10:29] What's the the actual domain name.

[00:10:31] Yeah it's byitmedia.com.

[00:10:54] Okay. So I hope that you also bought if you haven't I hope you run over and do it buy. Because if somebody else. Buys that domain part of your efforts will be sending people who misspell it over to them. So once they go buy that immediately. Yeah. See this is the kind of thing we learn in this in the school that you know you're jumping in so fast. These some of these little details will really kill you right there. Could be a part of your marketing is going sending people somewhere else instead of to you and they don't know the difference when they get there. So. So make sure you pay attention for everybody listening. Anytime you use like the number two in a domain they make sure you get the numeral and the multiple spellings of the word to buy all those domains. If you're going to do that or the word for you know you've got it for you are you've got four and you've got the number four. So you just don't want to be sending people spending all your efforts driving traffic and then people go to the wrong place when they hear that they're just clicking on it doesn't make a difference. But like this is a podcast. And if they try to go directly instead of going to the show notes a lot of people will they won't even know their misspelling because by it is also sounds normal. BUYIT. That's a typical thing I'm going to go buy it you know. So. So I want you to get all of those so so we get the maximum number of profits to you. My buddy Ashley.

[00:12:38] That's fantastic. Thank you for that I will be. Go Daddy eaten all those up that's for sure.

[00:12:47] So take us back a little bit. How did you decide to go to bible school.

[00:12:52] Yes. So growing up I was always very involved in my local church and just love we're able to help people and serve them well. And I really want to be a pastor for a long time. And so that was really my dream. And so when I went to college I don't like to always go with what everybody else is doing. Yeah I like to do my own thing and if there's a more efficient or a more cost effective way to do something I will find it and I will go that route. And so I did one semester on campus a formal education at a Bible college and I just I decided it wasn't for me I just started writing all these questions like why am I paying all this money to get the same education now that online school is so popular when I could go online. Why am I not going to a school where I can work through college and get experience. But all that to say I was so passionate about ministry and I just wanted to do ministry. I didn't want to have to sit in the school and sit in a classroom all day. I was like I just want to go out and get to do this. So I ended up I was in Florida at the time I moved back to Indiana and ended up going and finishing school online while also working at a church full time. And so I enjoy. I love the church that I went to. I just really started to feel this maybe even though I love it and to do this like maybe this isn't what I necessarily want to do full time. And that's another challenge that. And what I loved that you said at the beginning of the episode about looking into your program before you invest so much money in your education. I was so grateful for the education my parents provided me in no doubt having a bachelors degree is has opened doors for me that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. But I think in 10 years that's going to completely just be out the door. But even my job now I didn't need a degree to do and I get compensated for more than I did when I work in ministry. British Ministry doesn't always very well anyway. But all of that to say I started to think about those things. And so thankfully and gratefully while I was in school full time I was also working full time and I ended up getting a job at a church that I connected with. Back in Florida again great church. And I was working full time going to school. And after just being in the organizational process I was two years in I was like I don't know. Even though I love being here and serving here. I love helping people but I don't know if this is the outlet or the vehicle that's gonna be best suited for my skill set to help people just kind of have a realization. There are so many different ways that I could do that. And this is a great one but it doesn't have to be the end all be all. And to getting married. Financial struggles. Those were all things about life. Shoot I might need to kind of reconsider an end of the day life. Most important ministry is to my family. I was about to get married and so the most important thing to me was serving my husband to be well and just figuring out what that looked like. So I transitioned into my career in property management now. Working with a family that I've been in forever. Amazing amazing people. And that was really how I shifted from and just had that epiphany moment shifted from ministry to property management. But the way I fell into marketing through that whole debacle was I had to market my office space right. So I get paid on commission and these leads aren't always going to generate themselves so I had to kind of get boots on ground and start employing some guerrilla tactics that figure out how I was going to be able to keep my office and in doing that. Fell in love with marketing and came across the school through my dad who I know in your circle as well. He got me on board. Like oh yes I need to do this. And I had the epiphany that I can still love and serve people well through marketing. And it's just been a really fun way and cool to help people and to see small businesses flourish in an area that I'm finding that I'm excelling.

[00:17:03] Yeah. He's even talking about getting your brother into it.

[00:17:06] Yeah. I think my brother my brother brother's on that cusp of. He's about to go to school full time. My dad is like he really should look into this. And I would agree. I mean there are still a few jobs out there. I mean if you're going into law or if you're going into the medical field where you're obviously you need to have. I hope if I'm going to my doctor that they know how to approach me. But honestly business and the job market everything is cheap. I mean the world as we know it is changing every single day. The marketing landscape is changing every single day business as we know it. Everything is changing so quickly. And these colleges move accredited program. They just can't they're not accredited programs by these colleges and universities cannot keep up. And so in my field and ministry and obviously physical study that field doesn't change. So how do I send ministry that would serve me well and I did I learned so many soft skills in ministry that I've carried over now into what I'm doing. But overall I mean if you're in a school for business or marketing. My question would just be why. Like why are you in to pay fifty thousand one hundred thousand. All my friends are crippling in debt right now. They can't find jobs. So they're moving back home with their families and of which is I mean they're doing what they can and it's just it's astounding to me just how much the world has changed in how formal education can't keep up.

[00:18:29] Well some of the big authors in the educational field you know because I don't want to be accused of always hawking my school. All right. But some of the big authors in the educational arena that were in that system for years and years and years are saying that maybe 20 percent of the people get a job in their field that they that they went to school for if you're lucky. And in many most of whom are competing for jobs at Starbucks. So. And another big thing that when people watch a webinar that I just mentioned in our opening. They don't count as the cost of going to college the amount of money that you lost from not being in the workforce which is estimated just average about 40 thousand dollars a year. So if you go to a four year college you're already one hundred sixty thousand dollars behind just from that. Not counting the where the tuition that you don't even know how much it's going to be. And the extra fees they throw on and the worthless courses you have to take and all that stuff.

[00:19:42] It's so true and I look back and my parents. We got a laugh but we still cringe.

[00:19:48] Well your dad cringes you know he seems a little bit about how much he paid for your education.

[00:19:53] Well we just can't even believe to my one semester. That I lived on campus have room and board and tuition covered I think costs more than the next three and a half years to finish.

[00:20:05] Which makes you good. Oh it makes you so sick to your stomach when you think about that. And thankfully switching feel again and to what I was making entry level ministry positions depending on where you live. I mean some pay less than this. I would say anywhere from 30 to 40 thousand dollars of your salary. And I mean that's that when you're paying student loans and for most Christian colleges that's about thirty thousand dollars a semester to go to. I mean by the time you calculate all your expenses. Oh my gosh. That's not that's not sustainable and I think any adult knows that but a lot of young adults don't do that and then parents just want to support their kids and we live in a generation where the American dream is still alive and well and parents wanting to support them send them there. But gosh I think when you're 18 and you're graduating high school though I think it's crazy too that the government even allows these type of loans to be taken out at such a young age because you don't know the value of money. High school. Teaching any even high school they're not teaching personal finance skills business foundations as much as they should be here. Visual courses. Maybe there's a handful across the country that are but I don't. I just think so many of these students I am fortunate enough that I did decide to work and I think that's alleviated a lot of the pressure that my parents had and tried to support me. But a lot of my friends did it and not bashing that that is completely their choice. They're entitled to it but not if these schools are. Unfortunately I think inadvertently they're setting up young adults for failure.

[00:21:39] Well I'm not even going to say inadvertently because I think you might know that I have you know kind of a consumer advocate role and an entire scam show we're developing in Hollywood and some of the things I would consider downright fraudulent that they're doing. And one of them and this is again not me reporting this. I'm just telling you about it but I didn't figure this out because there's a site called Gradeinflation.com and they follow these schools over many years and they're inflating grade point averages now to make it look like they're doing a better job at teaching even though they followed two thousand kids I don't know if you heard about this but they follow two thousand kids through a complete four year college on multiple universities. They weren't all at the same place and forty five percent of them reported that after four years they did not learn one usable skill that they could use in the workforce. Yeah but their grades make them look like geniuses because the schools were inflating the grade point averages over time. It's all documented in that webinar. I told you about and they were reporting. Listen to this Ashley. They were reporting that they were spending. An average of eight hours a week total. That's in in totality. Preparing for and going to class and study. The rest of it was partying and eating. So I don't know if I'd want to mortgage my house to pay for it now when I could have a kid like you out there making eleven hundred dollars extra a month on the side. In a couple weeks it does. And still be proud of the work you're doing too. So. So it's uh it's crazy out there. I feel bad you went through that but I mean like you said you learned some soft skills and makes you such a wonderful girl. But you know it's it's a shame to be a wonderful girl and broke.

[00:23:45] Yeah it is crazy and we're fortunate enough now. Had I not switch fields and I oh I'm going to show you just which is not even we couldn't figure it out but. I just can't even believe I think my husband and I are at a household income of roughly four right around the six figure mark and had we stayed there like we would be. I almost wonder if we'd be below the. I don't know. I don't know where you're living it's like gosh how do you even afford it. But yeah like you're saying so we're the only friends that I think college has served them well it could. It was not what they learned or any of the skills they learned at college. It was just the relationships that they built. And I asked some of them I'm like OK. Like did your school help you make those. Like what did that look like. How did those help you excel. Know where you're headed. They're like No I was just really proactive in having relationships with my professors and looking and creating networking opportunities that have led to jobs and so it's not even the schools that are helping place these my peers and job the proactive work that they got and the ones that haven't done that have struggled. So I would say any kind of program like your school or any kind of like my husband's setting to be an electrician right now like hard skill programs that will actually lead to revenue. I definitely the way to go so many college degrees I've heard it said many times are about the same as high school diplomas now and they're a lot more expensive than a high school diploma and I just couldn't tell you how many people I know can't find a job or they're looking for a job because they're making it's like well under 40 thousand dollars a year.

[00:25:22] They'll be working for you pretty soon.

[00:25:25] You never know. That's right.

[00:25:27] Hey you know what I was laughing here a little bit because I was just going to bring up an example of a I think it was in the Wall Street Journal I saw an article where a young woman was taking a lot of flack from her friends but she went into an electrician apprenticeship program and she's making like 30 to 40 dollars an hour as an apprentice has her own place. Didn't have to burden herself or her parents with all this debt and she's got a skill that's going to be in demand forever you know rather than some soft thing that though nobody wants you know.

[00:26:03] So yeah all of our friends went to probably nicer schools than we did. My friend my husband didn't graduate. He. Well I think that back. He went to a community college and he graduated with his two year diploma but then switched gears to this and just were what. A few years out now and to be over six figures when most my friends owe more than that and their entry level doesn't make that. But yeah I think about some of these technical skills to like my husband learning in that there are these trades are dying and they shouldn't be die because I don't know about you but I don't know how to rewire my house or. when I'm out of power I'm at a loss so either way why hasn't that to you that's a very scalable business that while yes there's some grunt work and that's the thing too I want it my generation. I just think there's gosh the ones that succeed are the ones that still have ambition and grit and that that's just lacking. And I think people are it's really easy to blame the millennials. But at the right time to for all the adults in your audience listening to a lot of it does come from the parents. Yeah.

[00:27:13] Yeah. Yeah. In an effort to make it easier on their own kids. They made kids that can't handle pressure and don't have drive and were given everything. So I'm against that giving kids everything. I think every kid on earth should have to work at a restaurant for a while to get the value of service and and the hard work it takes to earn a good living. So how do you think it's gonna be before you transition totally into your new business.

[00:27:42] Oh man. Well I am taking baby steps.

[00:27:45] I'm not getting any younger over here. I want to be able to watch you graduate.

[00:27:53] I planned to be done the school I am going through the. I have every I wanted to implement everything I do and that's what I love about it. It's so hands on so I should be done. I'm planning to finish on August so I'll be done. I think that's roughly six months so that I can really really take in everything and make sure that I'm applying it well.

[00:28:14] Looking at the electives and things.

[00:28:17] Yeah they're fantastic. So that's my goal there and then for my digital agency my my goal where I'm kind of the direction I'm headed would be to be able to do that full time in the next six months. So that is where I'm shooting starting to figure out what that looks like. How many clients I need to get there I'm looking at different coworking spaces and networking opportunities and things like that but I'm I'm ready I'm excited and there is definitely anyone listening to that maybe maybe thought about doing something like this. Even though I think the marketplace appears over saturated. There are so many just small on you know this tom there's so many small just niche opportunities for people to jump in or like Facebook ad agencies that just do Facebook ads. Here we will just do graphic design or only do social media management. There are so many opportunities and I don't think anybody has lost out there. very much is kind of. a place for everyone and to a lot of the major cities and the major hubs like New York San Francisco Dallas I'm sure they're a bit more competitive but. the suburbs. Let me tell you no one knows how to do a lot of these things. If you're working and they've been in business for a while. So there are so many opportunities.

[00:29:34] Yeah. They're desperate to dump it off on somebody because the small business owner is just trying to do their business and they know they need all this stuff but they're just clueless and they don't you know they don't have the time to just take and learn it. So they're happy to dump it off to you. So now one thing I forgot to ask you about especially when we were talking about you went to Bible college but you were also a beauty queen. You don't always mix those two in the same sentence. But what about the pageant stuff. What was that.

[00:30:08] Oh my goodness. I loved it. It was super fun. So I was really involved in the Miss America Organization and that helped me so much with scholarships to pay.

[00:30:19] Don't you Need a hundred thousand dollars per gown just to walk out.

[00:30:23] There are definitely ways to do it. It can get pricey if you don't do it right. But if you borrow things and you may. There are so many it's so funny to talk about because I think when you see movies like Miss Congeniality I guess it's getting old now or movie that show pageants. There are so many different stereotypes about the girls that compete but really what I found and I granted a lot of those stereotypes as well. I kind of took on they were hesitant but so my mentors just really encourage you know like you should really get involved you should look into this. And so I said OK. I'll go out one time and just not have any expectations or misconceptions and throw everything I think out the window. And I loved it really.

[00:31:05] Is that a pageant Miss Conception. I don't know if you want to brag about that.

[00:31:25] When I competed for the Miss America organization they were all washed away because that was really where I found a great community of. I'm still involved with a local program to this day pouring in and trying to mentor amazing young women because a lot of them are. there. Competing for scholarships. They're wearing gowns. Maybe they weren't a problem or that they can borrow for somebody else. And of course when you go to state there are more scholarships and. sponsorships that cover. some of those costs. Well it was an incredible networking opportunity for me especially the interview skills on there serving me right now as I talk to you. I think people think it's all of this little sparkles in tiaras. I do still have my crown though I did. I won a local title and I got to compete Miss spirit of Indiana. But what it takes to win some scholarship money but most importantly just the interview skills to that really you have to do for this organization. Now other pageants are different but this is very much. They've actually rebranded Miss America has any way and they've taken the word pageant out and now a scholarship competition. So they've gotten rid of swimsuit. Everything about it is more really based on getting scholarships and less of that glitz and glamour. But if you've got if you know any young women to those who are listening and that are aspiring to have resources to pay for their education but also want some hard skills like I can't tell you Tom the contacts that I made that are involved and that donate to his organization as well as the interview skills you go through to compete every time you compete you have a 10 minute press conference style interview where you're asked very challenging political questions questions about your community issues that are going on and that has served me very well in job interviews.

[00:33:28] Well I would assume that you answered better than the most famous interview ever. If you know what I'm talking about.

[00:33:35] Oh my word. I would hope so.

[00:33:38] I hope everybody has a map of India. And you know she said yes.

[00:33:51] Somebody that you see involved they're just oh they're so embarrassing but oh man they're out there.

[00:33:59] Well it's been so good. Hey will you come back after you get your agency going full blast and give us an update.

[00:34:05] Oh yeah. I would love that I'd be thrilled to use my feet to the fire. That's for sure.

[00:34:10] All right. So. So you keep after it in the school I will see you graduate. And you said what August you're slated to graduate.

[00:34:18] August is my sharp cut off so if I'm not close by then you better believe I'll be pulling all nighters and long weekends to make sure I get it done.

[00:34:27] All right. So. So it's been so great. So we're going to have your your Web site in the show notes and you're going to go try to buy up every you know every similar synonyms so that you don't send marketing to everybody else. And but this Internet stuff is a constant learning curve. I learn stuff every day because new stuff comes out like crazy and so it's a it's a constant evolution of things like this. So I'm not saying you missed anything. I'm just saying that's just another thing you got to pay attention to. If you're doing this. So tell your husband I said hi. And any parting thoughts for people out there that are thinking about going to school or not going to school or what kind of skills they need to get.

[00:35:14] Well I would encourage any parent who is listening or anybody who is about to go to college is listening or knows anyone about to go to college just to really look at your options. There is no shame in taking some time off or taking maybe a semester or a year off and really really exploring. I was stubborn and hardheaded enough that I think I knew exactly what I was going to do forever and really I was not the exception to the rule. And I think it's really hard as you graduate high school just to understand outside of your bubble outside of your perspective that you've kind of grown up in. everything that exists out there. And there are so many untapped potential opportunities not only within digital marketing but other fields that are growing. And so my encouragement to anyone listening or exploring even if you're not in your 20s even if you're in your. 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s you have not missed the boat. There are plenty of. And I listen to a podcast that was great about just people that were in their 60s and 70s who figured it out will live life that need to be starting businesses because they've got the experience and wisdom that they can pour in and partner with someone maybe younger to help get them off the ground. But. to anyone going to college. My encouragement would be in turn to work. I think both you go to school without ever ever even having work that work work a few different jobs and really explore opportunities that are incredible just like Tom has with the school where you can learn some of these hard skills that will get you the jobs you need. Because I don't know that formal education is the solution for everybody.

[00:36:56] Really great. You're ahead of your time. Out of the mouths of babes come some of the the the most important things. And me saying is one thing but you're right in the thick of it. And you telling people of your age group about this I think should carry a lot of weight with them because you you're right there with what they're going through. You know it's been so long since I went through any of this. I don't even remember my name. So thanks so much Ashley for coming on. And we're going to keep keep an eye on you.

[00:37:32] Thank you Tom honored to be here as well thanks so much.

[00:37:35] All right everybody. And we'll catch you on the next episode. Make sure if you have any youth that you know of that are doing great things or getting started doing great things I want to know about it because we want to highlight them and help them out for sure on a special episode of screw the commute. Special youth edition so don't forget to get your freebie at screwthecommute.com/automatefree you'll get the we sell it for twenty seven dollars all the time e-book how to automate your business and then also I've got a special little gift there I think you'll really like so go over there to screwthecommute.com/automatefree and we will catch you all on the next episode. See ya later.

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