COVID-19 Impact in Madrid

Today, we are talking with one Nieto from Madrid and we are going to talk a little bit about what's happening in my trip, but most of our discussion is the kind of opportunities that come out of all this change and chaos that we're seeing and how do we make the most of that. So that's what we're going to focus on. But we're going to start off with, Mmm. My little introduction here. Mmm. I'm not sure exactly when one started working with bloodies anytime. It was a good few years ago and we were very happy to always welcome you back to our studio here in California, movement therapist and trainer.

He started work as a manual therapist and then he began to explore complimentary treatments and that what group drew him to [inaudible]. He was [inaudible] training in 2002 and is now the polarities, the Pollstar licensee for Spain. Yeah. Today we're going to explore these to pass by what's happening in the trade, but also about how the Corona virus is creating opportunities amongst all of this care. So that is what we're going to do. But before we start, I just want to say we do not know the answers to everything. Oh, try and the, um, great at answering questions. One last question here, which is a little bit sad about this one. I'm curious to know, do people know anybody who has the Corona virus? You know, is it a friend of a friend? Do they have it themselves? If they had it? Um, this is my very unscientific way of kind of looking at how this thing is spreading around the world and just kinda share those with, and we were about, yeah. Third of people have a friend who's got it. Another third. I know this is not going to add up, but I have a friend of a friend and the rest don't. Yeah, we've been running this a few times there and it's just getting more and more widespread amongst our community. Well, I'm going to start off with what's happening in your world, what's happening in Madrid? Well, it's not looking very good actually. So I think after we've, we're basically following what happened in Italy. [inaudible] that was a, was an East still pretty bad.

So we are kind of a a week later then Italy and probably a bit worse than, and then instead of a death rate and everything. So it was really dramatic. Two weeks off chaos in hospitals. Mmm. Intensive care unit. So that was like the most, most scary moment. But after, yeah. Week or a couple of weeks of this very, uh, severe lockdown that we are, we are suffering started in March 14th. Yeah. Mmm.

So that the numbers started to, to change the, so now we could flatten the, the famous curve. So we're reaching the peak at the beginning in April. So, so now we're still confined. Mmm. But, but the number of [inaudible] uh, infected people on Mmm. That is still kind of tragic. So, so we are getting out of there. So we have at least another week of confinement and the government says it's already that we will be at least for first week of may. So there's going to be a long, long journey for us. And, and again, it's, it's, it's been very ah, severe here. Cause, uh, for instance, the kids cannot get out home for any reason.

So some mines have been home, uh, four, yeah, a little longer because the schools were closed a week earlier than then the lockdown. So they've been at home like 40 something days. And so we have very grateful because we have a little backyard and staircase and they play and they make like Fords and so they, they've done everything possible. Yeah. So they're, they're okay. But I'm, I'm, I'm thinking in this, you know, Europe, sometimes people live in, in 30, 40 meters apartments, like in interior or not. So that, that, that's painful. So how old are your children? So I have three, it's a nine, seven and five. So, so yeah, I don't get bored. Okay. Yeah. Oh, so when, when you say things are locked down, does that mean you can still go to the supermarkets or what? What are you, and that's basically, that's basically all you can do. So you can go to your closest supermarket and, and get like real groceries, not something that you feel like, uh, so people usually go, uh, once a week and get the groceries for, for the whole week. And then you can go to the pharmacy.

If you're a doctor or you are part of the essential workers, you can go to work with all the precautions that you should take. [inaudible] and me as a, as a business owner, I can go to my studio by myself. The studio is closed, but I can go there. I can have some classes or meetings or record my own sessions or videos. So, but that's it. It's, eh, most of the people are doing, uh, work through, uh, online. Okay. Mmm. So yeah, it's pretty, pretty much quiet. And there's certain tick here. Not a lot of activity. Are you allowed to go for a walk or exercise? No. Nothing.

Zero. Zero. Yeah. No, no, no. You can, you can walk your dog. Uh, but it has to be, uh, really like around your, uh, your, your place. So you don't do, if you are far walking your dog, the police can call and say, okay, where do you live here? Okay, this is your ticket for you. Um, and actually that something very strange happened at that, here is what we'd call them a balcony. All these people, like some people looking at the balcony and saying, Oh, home do, can be there. So, so, so it's, it's been this situation of people taking this very seriously. Mmm. Um, I dunno. It's, it's a, it's a, it's, it's a strange situation, but that is really tough. Uh, it's tough because it's very strict I think apart from China. Mmm. A couple of weeks in Italy that it was like ours.

I think we have the most severe lockdown in the world and, and probably it's going to be the longest, I think because we started very early and we're still, uh, tend to thank you. Go [inaudible]. So I assume then you can't go to a restaurant and pick up food and take it home. Well, you can do pickup. Yeah. You, you can do big cap. Uh, but you know, it's not like, it's not like USA that it's really, really common. And, and of course we have these, these uh, Hmm, that forms these, uh, pickup platforms that, right. The driver, uh, like food, but it's not as common. So we are more like cooking at home or going to the restaurant.

And I'm being there. So, so they're, the offer is not too, it's not too great. So for instance, a McDonald's, it's completely closed. Mmm. Uh, all the big, it's a places, uh, our company, I closed some others, they remain open so they can, but for instance, a, a huge company like McDonald's close, they want to, they, they'd be close to the end. So, so it's quite, quite MTN. And what a lot of fun. Davidson, right? When you go to the supermarket to get your food, do you have to wear a face mask? Uh, do, uh, it's not mandatory at the beginning. They say that, um, it's okay if there's not protests, protect the others. And there was controversy about it, but now I think with the new information they got, they understood that face Mark face mask is something that, that is interesting to have. But they couldn't, the government couldn't get for [inaudible] every one. So they cannot force you to have one. So you can, you can go to, to the supermarket and you will have Globes and, yeah. Do you have yours? This is my homemade one here. Oh, it looks good. It's fabric. It's or, yeah, a friend of mine made it and uh, yeah, it's not an end 95, but it helps. It's good. Yeah.

In Los Angeles, that's the recommendation. Is that, yeah. So, but not medical grade one, which impacts people who really need it. The hospital world. Yeah. So I would say when I, I'm the one who goes to two groceries and [inaudible] I would say 80 or more than 80% of the people have masked. But for, for instance, I couldn't get one. So I have, I have no access to it. I couldn't find Mmm. Uh, existence in the pharmacy process. So I don't, I don't know how to get a mosque. So last week they started to give a mask for free on subway, on the buses and train stations. Uh, some, some, some little towns are delivering the mosque in, in the mailbox of the buildings. So more and more people are, are getting access to masks. Uh, but still it's, it's not mandatory. This is, there's no way, there's still not enough supply for, for everyone, I guess. Yeah. Thank you.

So when it comes to your studio, obviously is being closed, I think you said since the 13th, 14th of March. Yep. Yeah. Well what's happened to the people who work there? Your teachers? Because it's a, it's a mandatory lockdown, so, so you are not, you are not allowed to open. They, we are in some sort of a state of exception or state of emergency. I'm not so sure how, huh? Do you say it in English? Um, so, so the government has this, uh, different rights or powers. So they shut down all the business that were not essential. But, uh, all your employees that they cannot, uh, work, they, they go to an unemployment leave. So they go home, they get [inaudible] a, I think it's a 80% of [inaudible] there salary. Okay.

Mmm. And that, that kind of benefit, it's not against your own record. I mean, in, in Spain you are accumulating unemployment. So if you work for 10 years, maybe you have two or three years of unemployment. I'm not so sure how it works. But this, uh, unemployment leave that you take, that you get during this crisis is not going anywhere. I mean it's, it doesn't reduce your rights. So, so for the business owner, you basically don't, don't have any staff expenses do you? If everybody's at home. Okay. So in, in our case, we keep, um, partially a couple person at the studio that they helped me on. I'm full time there person who is helping me with [inaudible] video editing or social media on a little bit of marketing and communication with my clients. So I as needed some help. Okay. So I have a, a full time staff and a couple of um, Marshall, uh, workers now from a team of 12 that we are usually and the rest of me, they are home. Um, and getting this, this, uh, a four for the government. That is, it's actually really, it was really tough too.

Put your team that you love so much on a swim computer, like not even in person and say, Hey guys, I need to let you go forward for a couple of weeks because, uh, because you know, this is, this is Ciro potentially zero income from the studio in the school. So that was a, that was a tough situation. But that's me really bad because these people that, that they really gave everything for me and they still do. They are helping me even though, yeah. Home are very, very willing to help. So. So that was one of the toughest part. Yeah, definitely.

Yeah, it's tough. Are you teaching, you're streaming classes online? Do you have that ability? Are you still connected with your clients? Yes. So, so when we realized that we were just about to, to be shutdown, Mmm. So a couple of days before we organized like a little set at this studio, two to film and record, so material. So the first thing I wanted to do is to have especially Mmm.

Like rehab style material, like very slow base and analytic, uh, exercises for my older people. I really want then to have something that they feel they can do. So that's the first content that we created. And then I created a couple of tutorials and some classes so the students will have very quick [inaudible] in between. We were able to react. So, so after the first weekend on Monday day, they have this site and they will go there and, and get that content and they are, they appreciate it very much.

So in a motto of three, four days, we organized everything through our, uh, schedulers of where to stream life classes and to start providing some classes. And, and slowly we have been doing it for the last three, four weeks. We already have to have taught, um, like 50 classes or something like that. So, so it's, it's been a, it's been a lot of of activity lately. Yeah. Adulation is fantastic, right? Yeah. Thank you.

Can you get me, I don't if you don't want to answer this, I totally understand, but you have some sort of indication of how much revenue you've been able to build up with your online. Is it like a quarter of what you were making before or half or so? So in, um, in, in March, we, we had all the membership from, from the clients, so half the month they could, uh, took it at, at the studio and the other half was there's a recording, the content's on their life and their online classes. So, so basically most of the people say a one, this is something unexpected. It's nobody's fault. So I don't want to return my money back so it's okay, let's leave it that way. And so March was normal revenue. And in April we were able to, uh, [inaudible] like between 40, 45% of of income. So most of the people that, uh, that they were doing like Gribetz and they were very attached to equipment and more conservative. Maybe they say, no, you know, this Alliance stuff is not for me, but okay.

Another group of people, they say, okay, I love what you're doing and do an exercise every day. I love that connection that we have in, we want to support you. So we created like a special, uh, discounted membership so they can have this, these classes live and recorded. We still recorded a lot of material. Um, so we, we were able to, to record almost 100 gigabytes of content in Oh week. So it was huge.

So we made a lot of videos and we organize it for them and they were extremely grateful for that. So, so I was so surprised and I made three the scenario so worse what I think is going to happen and the best case scenario. So we went over our best case scenario. So clients were amazing that they, some of them, they say, okay, I go for privates and I pay all this money. I want to stay [inaudible] can I say what? Yeah, yeah. I want to help Bureau you, you've been there for 15 years for us and, and we will figure it out. So, so that, that, that, that was really awesome. So one of the, one of the lessons [inaudible], uh, that I, that I've learned is, is something that I believe at forever that is not about having clients.

It's about, it's about making a community. It's a collective of people that they had the same injuries, that they have the same lifestyle or way of understanding life. So when these things happen, this, this community, this collective response, and we help each other. So, so that's what I felt. Um, I felt more connection now with the whole group as a group then, then [inaudible] individual clients, you know what I mean? So, so that was, that was really, that was really, really cool. Really interesting. That's fabulous. Congratulations. And thank you. Appreciate you.

They love you. So, uh, yeah, we love, we love them too. You know, they're great. They're the greatest students in the world and always so grateful to have this, this community. And that was, I was so surprised because you're not the [inaudible] the moment of, okay, April is going to start and the studio is closed, so what is going to happen? Um, but they, they responded, I'm much better than I thought, so, but yeah. So cool. Yeah. One of the jokes that people shared with me is all of those people that I've always said I don't have, I don't have time to get fit. Well you have plenty of time now cause there's nothing else to do. You know, maybe watch an eight.

Yeah, it's a very, very different kind of, well, I know that you have a, another business that you're involved in. It's called bye if I've said that correctly. It's your, yeah. Would you like to talk a little bit about what happened with that? Yeah. So, so that's, that's, um, yeah, that's a super cool story that I have with the, I have, with the founder of this company. So when I was just a baby, when I was like 19 or 20 years old, I decided that I wanted to open, it's second of the third [inaudible] in Spain. So I, I, I told my mom, Hey mom, I want to open a a studio. I want to, I'm going to become a [inaudible] instructor and my man look at me and say, why? What's [inaudible]? What is, what is the band that [inaudible] play? You know, so, so nobody understood what is what it was. Yeah. But at time, so, so, but I met Brent, Brent Anderson in 2001. And I took a course with him and I changed my life and, and I fell in love with the method and as a, as a manual therapist, physical therapist is what I wanted. It's what I wanted to do.

So I didn't know I didn't have money. I didn't have idea how to open a business. I, I [inaudible] a teenager basically. So I met this guy Diego and say, okay, they will you, you are a, uh, he was one of these.com intrepreneurs at belay late nineties. So he was the one who were putting the wires from the internet in Spain at the very beginning. So he helped me a lot and we raised some money. We opened the studio and after awhile, you know, that the partners, we got the money, we got the, it wasn't very nice, like we didn't like the [inaudible] how the project evolved. So, so I decided to, Oh, and they were also went, uh, leave to do other projects.

But at the time we struggled to manage what we wanted to do. It was very difficult to organize the business and the schedule and staff and payroll and payments and everything. So, so we had this, this little sensation of, ah, if we could have a little more help that maybe this business will, that's right. Right. But anyway, so after 15 years, uh, they always been doing like three, four startups, very successful, like seeds all over, all over the world. And he calls me and said, you know, what, do you remember that project that we had, eh, in Madrid in 2002? Uh, yeah. So I want to finish that so away. So as it was. Okay, cool. So do you have, may I say yes. So, so basically from the perspective of a studio owner, I decided to, to create and to conceptualize what we really need to, to, uh, to run a a Pilato studio business, eh, in a very fast, easy way and very honest way. Like no racing prices, prices every year, just being nice and, and support the community.

I feel we can improve the community by providing this kind of technology to two people. So, so we started to do in it and we did it. Um, and now we basically started to develop our business in Latin American Spain. And it's going really, really well in Latin America. We are leaders now and, and in Spain we are called leaders [inaudible]. Um, and one of the things that that Mmm, we were able to do with this is when, when the coronavirus crisis happened, I, I talked to the team, I say, Hey guys, we need to move very fast to make very easy for the people to string classes to do soon [inaudible] uh, to do webinars like this. And so we really need to be able to company because this is going to stay, this is going to be more common than that is useful. And, and they react very fast. Um, so with the same authentication on the same amen. Sane interface that people know there is yes. Of out of the sudden found a class in their schedule and that class is not a, uh, impersonal class is a streaming class through YouTube life or assumed class.

So people were like, what is this? It's, it was so cool. So I, we made it in a week. So, so that's, that's basically one of the factors that made me keep [inaudible] most of my revenue because people saw, okay, I keep [inaudible], Hey, my subscription because I have this access to the videos. If I cannot see them alive, I can see them recorded and scroll back to the day. That class was a four and, and took it. So, so it was great. So I'm, I'm really, really happy for that. It is just a us audience. This is a competitor with mind body online. Is that a good way of describing your business? Uh, yes. I, I would say it's, uh, it's that kind of business to, to manage, uh, movement studios or salons or any, any service to do that requires an agenda and a schedule. Amen.

Splines all this stuff. Yeah. So, so yeah, but I don't think if after this we are the same thing anymore. I mean I think the company has shifted the focus. So must you be the best in [inaudible] streaming virtual classes? Uh, online classes that I think the company will be something different. Uh, um, I'm not so sure. So, so probably both. Do you think that change would probably going to impact a lot of other politely studios as well?

Do you think they're going to [inaudible] I have to reorientate what they're doing. Mmm. In my opinion. And this is completely personnel. I think they, they shoot, I mean, I mean [inaudible] just do your, should change because you know that the most common situation is that we will experience kind of outbreaks of this virus probably more locally, but from time to time, maybe we have another, uh, a crisis in Justin Madrid or just in Barcelona or just in LA [inaudible] and they do need to close the city. Mmm. And that probably happened more often than a hundred years that was there. They're really by one in, in 1918. Mmm. Um, and then second reason is we are probably, we're, we won't be allowed to touch that much. We won't be allowed to be as crowded. So if you have 12 reformers in your class, you maybe can use three or four of them now because you need to keep the distance. Okay. Uh, some people will be very scared and they say, okay, maybe I don't, I don't want to go to a blood studio. I don't want, I don't want to go to the gym.

So you don't really know how people are going to react. Yeah. Uh, so I think you have to be, you'll have to be ready to, to open your, your scope. If you're losing part of your business on site, maybe you can get a new line of business by doing education or maybe I can teach a $2 classes, but for the whole Latin America population, I mean, it's, it's, it's a different way of understanding the situation, right? Mmm. And, and I think people should be to be ready to, to adapt to change. Um, okay. Mmm. Some people are stealing this a fear zone, like, you know, at the beginning, everybody now is out of its comfort zone. And after comparison [inaudible] Oh no, that we have fear. So, and people remain there in fierce on and they have free, see, they, they, they don't know what to do.

But if you step a little a little bit away from fear zone, what you get is not panic or disaster. You have learning zone. You have a learning center. So we, we should be, uh, understanding that it's normal to be scared. It's normal to have fear. But, uh, this a scary and complicated situation is gonna provide us a lot of, uh, wisdom and learning opportunities and we should embrace that we are going to make mistakes and we're gonna finish wrong and we need to try and narrow a couple times. But then we have the focus and the determination and we believe in what we're doing. We will, we will the, okay, we will fry at the end. Yeah. No, I think in a funny way, you know, just today's webinar for instance is one of the things that we were forced to change too. It probably is anytime has always been in the business, find that talent to our studio in Santa Barbara and videoing it and retaking and retaking. Whereas now, you know, even the life business and you know, the amazing talent we work with is all over the world. So it's, the world has changed and yeah. You know, you mentioned new normal, I think there's going to be a new normal yeah. It won't be the same as the normal we had a month ago.

Absolutely. And let me, let me tell you, I have to say these Joan and I know it's maybe some people will be very happy if I say did that. What I really believe. Okay. Is that, that you guys, uh, you don't personally on Christie, what do you create it at the lattice? Anytime. How many years ago? Nine, 10 years ago. 10 yes, 10 years ago. I remember the first news about the lattice anytime and everybody was like, what is this? This is going out room quality, this is going to not destroy the lattice. And it was like people were very scared. And then after a couple months, people realize, wow, you can provide high quality [inaudible] teaching instruction, education, good quality. You can meet people from all the schools, you can have thousands of classes from an, from amazing people.

And now people I ready to go to their screens, to the TVs, to their phones. [inaudible] [inaudible] anytime and now this situation, we are much better adapted to what we're doing very fast now because we were already prepared thanks to coolattas anytime. So, so big. Kudos to you guys. I think you saved the industry instead of of, uh, I just strain it. And you've, you've been, uh, very, very important for us as largest teacher. I truly, truly believe that without you, uh, most of the Peloton studio where like in the panic zone, not in the fear zone, in that panic stone and completely not knowing what to do. [inaudible] you showed as the way 10 years ago, you can provide the highest quality education through a screen. So, so congratulations. Well, I'm thank you so much for those kind of words. That's on behalf of Christie and I see Christie's in the chat here, but thank you so much. It's so true. I just have to say I couldn't, I couldn't keep it. I know sometimes we'll say it's not very polite. It's not very, how do you say in English?

Maybe it's too bad to say a compliment like this, like very openly, but I couldn't, I couldn't tip it. It's like it's here in my heart and I had to share with you and with as much people as possible because I believe in that. I believe that you were instrumental in, yes. Yeah. Well it's like everything. You do it with the community and you know, so many people who have helped us over the last 10 years and we hope that we've helped so many people that we've touched throughout the world as well. Okay. Yeah. I think the, I am sort of blushing. Thank you. Why? It's one of those things that the world is changing here.

Mmm. You know, I kind of thought I was talking to my brothers and sisters are in their seventies and right now that world is very different. They have a different view of it. They don't, you know, they're in the United Kingdom and I don't want to take what they say is high risk trips to places. You know, down in the UK is not as strict as it is in Spain, but it's really, really changed how they're thinking. You know, they're spending a lot of time in front of a screen. Um, they still are able to walk much further so they get a lot of their exercise just by walking around that neighborhoods. But um, yeah, it's, the world is not, I don't think it is going to be quite the same. Yeah, no, the w w what I really think is some, some people had, how does this limitation about I cannot do plastics online. If I was to try, if I, if I had tried to, uh, start streaming classes and online classes and some classes with my clients on March 12th this year, they would say, I do. I do crazy.

What did you so Siro Siro percent and now I have so people, so, so much people doing streaming classes. Yeah. Mmm. Having a even more commitment than before because now instead of [inaudible] twice a week for reformer classes, they are doing five days a week math classes or movement classes with myself and I'm part of the team and they just had to do it. It's like, okay, it's the new normal like you say. So yeah, again, it's a, it's another opportunity to understand, we can empower people, we can provide safety, security, confidence to our students and say, okay, you have to be autonomous. You have to take care of yourself and joke. [inaudible] uh, say it. And Brent always reminds me, this is Joe GOP his word. You should be able to have [inaudible] whole body commitment.

Discipline is not going to, the lattice video is going, ah, to your own place and, and, and do your staff and an exercise and healthy lifestyle and sunshine. I know, I know all this stuff. So I'm still on the call. Brandon, would you like to join us just for five minutes, but I can't let you be on the call without like making your panelists. That would be, that would be awesome. That would be really awesome. If you have to leave. Let's see if can do this. We should do it. He's still away. No way.

Yeah. Don't make me cry just for you. Oh. Oh man. This is awesome. Wow. What a surprise. This was improvised. [inaudible] improvise. Yeah. I didn't know he was going to really improvise. Oh, this is Dave Bryant. It's been so long. I know, I know.

Good to see you John. Wow. Anybody here? This is ask Brent anything. That's what we can do or we can quiz him on anything new. Like we have three hours for questions super. And it never ends. Brian, how are you? Uh, doing actually really well. You know, it's, um, it's certainly an interesting time. I've never been grounded for this long. I was thinking like, uh, since I've been grounded, there's probably like six trips that I canceled just in the last two months and I'm grounded through the end of the year pretty much.

So what I'm finding is that I am healthier and exercising more regularly and uh, enjoying my relationship with my wife lot more and, and, uh, doing a lot of farming. You're in North Carolina, so if I'm sore somewhere it's because of, you know, using a pickax or, you know, fixing a tractor or something like that, but a different lifestyle. We're doing well, thank you. And, and very healthy and, um, abiding by all the rules. We're really trying to set an example, you know, of 'em, you know, staying grounded, wearing a mask when we go out to go grocery shopping and, and uh, you know, you've been telling our kids stay home, you know, you'd be responsible just to share with people. Brian is lucky enough to have this amazing, um, property that he lives on in North Carolina. I don't know if you want to do a little description of where you live. I could show it to, that's out my window. But it's a, it's a beautiful farm and it has a school on it that was for massage therapy for about 25 years. And um, Juan has taught there a number of times and, um, beautiful space and beautiful energy on the farms.

So everybody's a [inaudible], you know, we're growing veggies and raising chickens and collecting eggs and hopefully get some goats and lambs by the end of the year. So yeah. Wow. There's a different lifestyle for the city. Slicker. You know, I've been a city slicker my whole life, so yeah, no, I look forward to visiting things, get back to a new normal, whatever, however we describe this. Can't wait. I've sure enjoyed your topic and wants sincerity of what's going on in Spain. Um, you know, just, uh, you know, it's a, it's a time that we have to create the hope. Mmm.

Oh, where do we go from here? And I think that, you know, there was a lesson that I learned a couple of weeks ago that I shared with one. We did a little of a webinar a week or so ago about, uh, you know, technology today. Yeah. But I remember I had a patient and I needed to see her. She was hurting a lot. She had a severe sciatica down the hospital, no relief. And I'm thinking like, you know, I've known for my hands if I can't use my hands, what am I going to do? And um, and I knew that's not true, but that was the story in my head. And I finally did a zoom meeting with her. And um, you know, we are so much more than thinking that we can only teach first.

And I was able to get her to lay over the bolster in on her sofa and create a little bit of traction. And she said, Oh, this is the first time that I've had relief and you know, four weeks. And I've tried all the medications and I just realized that we're really about our training. We're really about understanding something much bigger than thinking that we have to be in person. And Juan certainly has exemplified that. He's been, I'm just an amazing leader in using technology and spinning off a great work that you all have done. It, uh, [inaudible] a lot of these anytime and being able to create diverse products for diverse clients, we still feel that each client is unique, right? And has different needs. Some can do fine with a broadcast class like we have on ploys anytime and some need a little more catering or as one calls it a Butler. All right. I call it gum holding, but um, everybody's a little different.

So showboat. Thank you Brian for joining us. If you can stay then perhaps one and brand we get double value today and answering questions. Is that okay? Brian, can you stay with us a few minutes? I can you in a few minutes. I do need to get to another meeting pretty soon, but this is so much more pleasing and satisfying. So please both of you to see if you can answer this.

I'm combining a little bit of Carina's questions with Rosemary's here. Do you have any advice on how to convince older clients or those that are a little bit more technologically resistant to try online? Mmm, yeah. Lots of customers are saying, Oh, I'll wait until I can come back to the studio. How do you get over that? You know, that resistance to trying something new. Um, so, so when, when, when all of these happened, one, one of the things that I really wanted to do is to make sure that every one of my clients were yeah. Feeling supported and, and that, that they were connecting with them. So, so we w w we get a lot of people that went very quick to their live streaming classes. Some mothers, they prefer some, they assume like more private staff, but some other were like [inaudible] say no. So, no, no. I, I waited too.

I went to the studio and then I pick up the phone and say, okay, why don't you do it? Yeah. Uh, given, uh, worked for my garden and climbing up and down stairs. So, okay, you're doing exercise. It's still, I'm going to send you a short video for standing work or whatever it is, uh, every two or three days on WhatsApp. It's okay. So yes. So I'm still, uh, I have no revenue for that person, but I, every two or three days I send a little video and I send it through WhatsApp because it's what she can use. And as she is very grateful, I did the exercise, I needed some help, I couldn't finish. And, and we are, and I am in communication with 80, [inaudible] 75, 65, 67 year old through this. So now what I'm doing is I can, I can provide support, I can help, I can be of value. So how do I adapt to what their clients need? So what I think is important, I don't want to lose connection with this, with these people because I know they need it. And I don't care if they're doing [inaudible] just working on their garden or doing their dishes. I don't, I want to make sure that they are moving and they feel that somebody looking after them. But I, I didn't have the, the formula too force them to take the classes. I to the people who tell me in each of the I don't want to do it.

I couldn't convince them to do it. Some people just prefer to wait. I recognize this and some clients they want to wait until they have their equipment on there. Teacher understood it and everything. Cool. Brian, do you have anything to add? Yeah, I think, you know, it's an individual thing and I think part of it is just holding their hands. We have a 96 year old is doing one on ones with our [inaudible] teachers, you know, over zoom and she's happy as a Lark. No, she was one of those people that said she would never do it. Then it was funny, I was talking to Joseph Quinn who a lot of, you know from all of these metrics. Yeah. I hope you don't mind me sharing the story, but he said, you know, his mother older than age and a very non tech and he said that, uh, you know, she had this group of friends that she'd get together with down at the coffee shop. Yeah. They'll get together every Monday morning at 10 as a group to get together and meet. And uh, you said sure enough man, she figured out how to do zoom meetings and they have their coffee meeting Monday morning at 10 o'clock. You know, here's a group of like six, seven ladies over 80 years old. Um, you know, using zoom to have their coffee chat. So I, I think that, you know, a lot of it is just the fear that one was talking about.

I think when you can hold their hand a little bit and call them and talk them through, like, you know, you have, you know, I've done this with my mom, you know, she's 84. You have your phone go up here. It takes a little while. Find this, click that, you know, I think a bigger concern I have is people who actually don't have technology available to them. So where we've had a bigger challenge is people who just don't have a smart phone or their phone, their smartphone is dumb. You know, it's so old, it's not smart anymore. [inaudible] um, you know, so it doesn't have access. I mean it's really hard. They couldn't handle the streaming on their phone or they don't have a computer, you know, they, they simplify. So I think that might be our next challenge.

I think they want to have it and they certainly, you know, technology is being made easier and easier and we've been calling them and walking them through it based on what equipment they have to make sure that they don't have a reason to not enjoy that time with their teacher. Thank you Brian. Thank you. One of the other things that we've had in other conversations is start off with whatever technology did that, let's just assume it's an older client for a minute. Is used to using. So if they can do, I dunno, FaceTime with their grandchildren, then deliver it on FaceTime, don't expect them to channel. Um, you know, WhatsApp is incredibly common, broadly used in the, in Europe and most of the rest of the world but not so popular in the U S so most people within Europe have a lot of experience with WhatsApp. So find a platform that does that.

Other people have advised us that [inaudible] part of your business development, your marketing is to spend 20 minutes with that client, showing them how to do it, get on the phone and do that customer support and help them through it because there's a real loneliness with those clients. They have a real need to it, but they're scared of the technology. And maybe that's what you need to to break through. [inaudible] I was just going to say one more thing on that and you know, we've, we've been calling it all of our licensees and educators and studios and just encouraging you to, you know, if you thought that making a newsletter once a month was enough for contact, it's not now. So [inaudible] making phone calls is getting your list out, calling 10 clients a day and just checking on them and seeing how they're doing. You know? Cause right now what we're really in the Moda is preserving the community while we're on shutdown. I think this is what you're doing, employees anytime to preserve our community. Like how do we, we're not going to have a PMA conference this year.

How do we preserve this community is reaching out. How do we, how do we stay connected? So a lot of this right now, why we're shut down, you know, we have time. So pull that list up and call them and, and express your concern for them that these are things that free, that we provide one, provide a lot of free things too. You're providing three things to people. We're providing free things. Yeah. And letting them know that they're on our mind, we're thinking about them and they're dealing with loneliness. I mean imagine some of these clients of ours that are completely shut down and by themselves and no external contacts.

So that phone call makes all the difference in the world. Yeah. Okay. A loneliness. We're going to talk a little bit next Thursday about, um, mental health. We're talking about mental health for [inaudible] professionals, but it's just as you know that loneliness is part of that family of things can touch on that. I have another question before you have to leave brand. Um, for both of you. How do I encourage my older clients to try and Matt when they are used to the support of the equipment? [inaudible] yeah. You know, all right. We spend most of our time trying to get them to be able to get down on the ground, right? I mean, that's, um, we, we know that the sign of longevity is somebody can get up and down off the ground by themselves. Yeah.

So it's one of the leading predictors of wellbeing of individuals over the age of 70 is that they can get on the ground and get up by themselves. And this might just be those times where we started testing that. Now what I do is create props. Like, okay, show me a picture of your living room. Okay, you got a coffee table here and have Sophie here. Can you get down in between them? Remember how we practice rolling to your side to do side kick on the trapeze table and now you're on the floor. So now from sidekick, can you roll over into a quadrant pet position like we do on the reformer?

So I think it's, it's just, you know, saying like, look, this is, it's time to, you know what, or get off the pot. Like let's get on the ground and let's practice these things, but let's make sure there's safe things around you. Um, they can help you get up and then if they really can't do that, um, by all means, I'd rather be doing something in their bed or on their sofa or a sitting in a chair or standing behind a chair. There's a lot of other mediums that we can, I've been seeing the most amazing creative videos. I saw somebody doing seated chair work with a but the dishwasher on the sink counter and I saw, you know, just these amazing creative spring loaded cabinets doing shoulder series instead of the tower bar on the trapeze. They will, so just be creative with them. Like find a solution, you know, let them have some kind of sense of accomplishment. Oh, my advice. Cool one. Yeah, I am, I think it's in, in the same, in the same direction. What we have been doing is, um, in, in, in our classes using, uh, equipment. So we have been using chairs a lot, one chairs, sometimes a couple of chairs.

And we do amazing, uh, creative, uh, very versatile, uh, staff with, with chairs. And we also are using towels. We are using, uh, paper plates, a slide and different things that they have at home two to make sure that they have a little feedback or something different and maybe that they are maybe bored or, or scared of off of the mat to have, to have new opportunities. We usually, we used to Mmm. Utilize that, the wall quite a lot within our classes. So we use the wall red nose because uh, we, we create, Oh. A lot of exercise using the wall and the wall is an amazing, is, is a, is an incredible tool. So, so we're doing classes, Mmm. Using that, that kind of element. So, so we're not using TheraBands or footballs or nothing. So now we are in different now different focus.

Today I was teaching my son classes two 50 do people, it's like a party class that we do with all the clients on Friday. And we weren't taking flip flops well in our hands and we were doing different movements, so, so do, don't, don't make it fall so you keep it. Mmm. And I could say, okay, it's something, no, I want you to pick a free flop. So I want to pick something that, you know, that is soft, that is a light. And everybody. Huh? So it's not related to fitness.

I think one of the most important things [inaudible] physical activity. She would be incorporated in our life. I mean [inaudible] not that you stop your life and start doing exercise and physical therapy, that's fine. But the more you incorporate physical activity in your own life, you don't have to spare time to exercise. And that's actually the most healthiest way of being, uh, active and, and being okay. So, so I'm very used to find, uh, little moments in their life. So they don't need to get new time to exercise.

So it's a little bit of their activity. You're brushing your teeth and you're doing he racist, you are in the shower and instead of doing days you're gonna do with the other arm, things like that. So, so for me it's very familiar because I've, I've been doing it for for a long time. All right. I truly believe in that. Oh, thank you. Do you have to drop off? Um, I just got permission from Elizabeth to stay on with you until you want me off. Thank you. Thank you Elizabeth. I can, I can drop off if you will, if you like. And I know we have a couple more questions.

We're probably going to go maybe another 10 minutes. I'm sorry to everybody. We had a technical challenge and we started a little bit late today. Um, but we'll try and wrap up in about 10. I'm Sandy had a great question is about compensation. Mmm. Can you give, give me some insight into the renumeration to your instructors? A live stream class, a tape class that has reruns.

Um, do you pay royalties to your instructors? Um, are your staff contract or employees? And how do you maintain quality control? There's a lot of, uh, so this question, um, do you want to try and start with that one? So, so the way we were doing in Spain, basically the only way you can, you can have staff is a, being an employee. So independent contractor, it's a, it's, you can do it, but do you, you can have Providence. I mean it's, it's illegal. It's not that it's illegal, but it's in between, uh, situation. So it's not, it's not, it's not the best. So, so most of them, Oh, all, all my, uh, my staff is, is an employee. So they, they get their salary every month if they teach 80 classes or eight.

So it's the same, it's the same, right. So, Mmm, for, for the lifestyle student app. And also our studio is basically membership-based, like subscription base. So I would say 95%. They pay there monthly feed or monthly subscription and they get unlimited classes or two or three classes. So what we have done is we created on a special package that is discounted.

It includes a recorded videos. They live classes twice a day. They, a little tutorial meeting that I do with, uh, students every, every week. So if they have any questions, sometimes they don't have question, I talk about them, about pain or training me or what I believe is most important for them. Do an exercise on the lockdown. And then we have this party, classism. So, so that's included in the price. So that CC, I know what I'm going to get at the end of the month. The Tapit class, they're recorded, classes are free. They just scroll back. So some people, so we usually are teaching the class at 9:00 AM so people can have it from 9:00 AM, uh, after that. And they can also come back to, to the class. Okay. Mmm.

And the quality control is basically two teachers. They're the one, but I have a partially working, I'm myself and we meet every week with say, what are we going to do? Uh, we know, but the line of work that we are following, the levels that we are providing, so so it's very easy. It's just the two of us and, and quality is kind of ah, guaranteed. Yeah. Do you have anything to answer add to that brand? So should we go to the next question? You know, I mean I've been talking to our studio owners and, and the franchisees about, you know, how we move through this and you know, different marijuana. A lot of them do have independent contractors and uh, I know that in for example, Russell who runs our flagship, uh, has been running classes and he has made it so that it is senior teachers are able to work directly with their clients one on one and then they offer a certain number of classes. So the one on ones are using the same package. He just, they've always had their stuff in one on one sessions and we really haven't received any kind of flack about that. The group classes, they're keeping to a limit of 10 people on the zoom classes with it are being taught. And I really like one's idea of, you know, projecting classes as well. So the difference between having a um, you know, a class, it's one on one session that would be normal and use their normal package pricing. And then there are those that are um, you know, small group classes that the teachers actually not even demonstrating is watching the students through the, the zoom windows and giving cues and giving them all that personal contact that we can do with verbal imagery and auditory imagery.

And then, you know, the idea of broadcast and I think is fantastic because we can get the price down lower and they can have it over and over again. And you know, it doesn't infringe. I had somebody who was trying to record the smaller group classes and the problem with that was they were recording clients who, you know, you can't record and reproduce things with your clients without their written permission. And so that plus it's not pretty to look at. It's not, you know, it's not a class anybody would really want. I would want to take it. I like taking the prerecorded classes if I'm going to take something that I'm coming back to. Mmm. And I think that we also have to provide a number of free services. So, you know, we were doing things, I was creating a meditation almost every day for the first two weeks and English and Spanish and sending those out so that everybody could send them out to their people for free. And um, I know that we did a number of free classes trying to help studios that, you know, Shelly did quite a few and just people would call us up from different students around the world that we're struggling and we would do like, you know, pay what you can pay. So I've seen that quite a bit. I think that's probably, you know, for anybody coming in new to do things, I think that's where we got to go for a while. I don't think the financial hardships are going to get easier over the next two months. I think they're going to get more difficult. And you know, I think that's just a good thing to do in the community.

We're all going to be suffering, figuring something out in the future. Right now I don't think it's as much about generating revenue is as preserving community and hoping that, that we have these things in the future and again, we need to have that trickle effect of something coming in to cover some of the bills we can't get rid of. And I think that the beauty of this is what wants said is the future can open up a whole nother level of revenue stream, um, with the technology. And what we've seen with [inaudible] is fantastic of just so simple to have as many of those options as you want to choose and make it available to your clients. So that's been really cool to observe as well. So I think that mixture and the teachers are getting paid for the [inaudible] classes that they're teaching. Sure. Yeah. You know, or an experience, a plot is anytime about paying royalties. It's a really, really complicated mathematical problem to solve.

So it's not something I would be [inaudible]. Yeah, I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just saying if you chose to do royalties, two instructors for streaming their videos, just bear in mind is complicated to manage that whole process. If they're good enough, can they send them to you John and you guys just figure it out. Oh, Jay's is on the GSR. On the F line here. Anybody can always email me. I try and answer all the emails. It usually takes me to the weekend to get catch up, but it's John Apple Audi's.

Anytime they'll call me welcome to email me with. Okay. If I can answer, I'll do my best. Um, the other, the other part of that is I think most people out there are paying for the teachers' time. So even if they re record the video of them teaching, I think that just generally paying for the time, that seems to be the model that I'm seeing most of them. Um, Debbie has a question about the future here. I'm thinking forward to when studios are allowed to open. If masks are required, what do you think about doing polarities? Wearing a mask? Would it be uncomfortable or clients accepted?

Is it going to be too hard for us to teach wearing a mask. Any thoughts on that? Well that's good. It's a lot more comfortable. Uncomfortable to be dead and sick. Wow. I dunno. Uh, I dunno. Let's see. You, you know, one of, one of the things that it's driving me crazy, but the thing is like, it looks like everybody knows the future and what's going on.

What should I have been done? You know, there's, we have all these experts saying this is going to happen. We should open, we should bogged down. We should, nobody knows nothing. So w this is completely new, so I don't really know what is, what is going to happen. A four, yeah. Teaching if we will need mask or not. But again, if, if if you, what you have to do is what you have to do. So, so it's like brand says, if this is a really something that protects ourselves and our students to not be in SIG or spread the virus and [inaudible] we find ways to have fun with it. It's like, it's like people were like Jacqueline with toilet paper and doing an exercise with toilet paper. I know you'll make a joke with the mask and and people after a couple of days they will. They will be okay. I, that's my, that's my, my vision of it.

Yeah. You know, from a, from a medical perspective and just quickly interjected here is it, you know, we don't understand this virus fully. So the virus is what we call slippery. There's thousands of Pronto but this one's slippery, which means it changes and is going to be evolving quicker than we can probably produce vaccines and [inaudible] likely to have global shutdowns again. But we are going to have regional isolations I think that are, you know, predicted on a regular basis. And I think actually we're working right now on a release of, you know, so you're going back to the studio, what now? You know, so it's, it's going to be things like that I would imagine not only having masks available, but why don't you brand your own mask. The it will come in and have some simple mass made.

The main thing is just to keep you from breathing on each other. [inaudible] Mmm. You know, in, in habit, you know, there's enough people like I know balanced body, it's the other manufacturers are making sleeves to go around the cuffs, but there's also people that just buy your own cuffs, you know, come in with your little bag, your plots, his bag, and it has your mask and it has your little socks and it has your, um, straps that you use to hook onto the equipment when you're taking class. Uh, you know, you might be having classes with five people in it instead of 10 and having every other machines base down or we've talked to some studios about sort of getting rid of their group classes for now I'm in the studio and just expanding their equipment to be able to have more space around their private sessions and to focus a studio on the private and continue to do the virtual. Um, I know Russell rented out like 10 Legros just one of his clients and they're doing reformer classes at home virtually. So we just gotta be creative. But from a health perspective, um, there's nobody really in the medical field that would tell you that wearing a mask in public is not necessary. I think that was more of a need based on the lack of supply that there is. Um, the mask is [inaudible] an essential personal protection equipment that, that we need when we go out, if at all possible. Better to put a bandana around our face then not to have anything.

I'm John's cotton Facemash is perfect. You know, again, it's just trying to minimize our exposure and until we have vaccines, um, we're going to be dealing with these things and that's 18 months out and we're not going to be shut down for 18 months, but we're going to have to have those practices. So please do not feel any way. I mean, I beg you not to think of going back teaching and doing Pilates in public without a mask. I beg you not to do that. I mean, whatever you gotta do, just don't, don't, don't take that risk. Thank you Brian. Well I'm, do you have anything I could ask one, his last closing question and he's got a thing in the chat. I'm going to answer you after I've heard from one here. What would be kind of advice to folks? Uh, yeah, it's, uh, we, we met, um, we made a little event in 2018 and brands, it was there and we call it play [inaudible] and we made a little conference and it was all about, ah, movement and play and everything was gameified everything in between, from the very beginning, even before the event started, we were playing like nine months in advance. Uh, and it was so much fun.

And then I was there. So, uh, I w I, I think an a, what we are going to do is to do a play meeting. We need to change the way we do conferences. Now. I'm truly, we will find ways of [inaudible] ah, online. But, but I would, I would love, I would love to, to come back to that time. Actually, I'm not really missing it so much. Uh, you know, when you, I remember, you know, I know the conference with brand in, in 2015, it was like 200 people hugging each other. Like when, when I don't know if Mike, if my kids are gonna leave that in their lifetime because I think world has changed so much. So, so we were 200 people hugging and crying and sobbing, all kinds of fluids, but nothing contentious. Mmm. And then I'm already missing that, that, that contact, you know, Brent and I are very huggy and we love grappling and fighting on huggy and it so, so that, that physical connection is important. It's really important. So, so let's see, see what happens. But we will adapt. We will be fine. So, so don't, don't, I don't believe in romantic ideas of the past and the past is, you know, it's, it is what it is. Um, and let's say, let's take the best of it. That's, I think that's, that's the only thing we can do is right. Thank you. Yeah. Thanks to you guys. I'm going to wrap up. Thank you so much, brand for us, dragging you in. At the last second. That was awesome. Thank you so much for joining us from a Friday evening and Madrid coming to Madrid and having topis and having a glass when things are each our new normal. Um, for everybody who's on this, um, we did a dance party dance to me as part of play. We did that a couple of weeks ago and we're in the process of putting it together again. I think this next one is going to be themed on eighties music.

It's kind of getting close to the my generation of music and the look for that. We'll put it up on our website move. We'll share that with everybody. But I'd love to see if one and I can collaborate on a, you know, maybe as a 55 minute play class and the prompts you have flip flops and I don't know why. Yeah, we can lay there. Well the nice is he has a beautiful space to do that from John, so you know, he can, he can lead a great plane play experience. Cool. Thank you both so much. Really appreciate it.

Thank you for everybody who is online with us. Thank you for joining us. Thanks for the patients of dealing with the tech hiccups. It happens. See you next week. Really only on Tuesday, she's going to talk about how to teach online. She's got some great ideas for that. And then on Thursday, uh, we're talking about mental health and how to keep, um, feel positive about all this change. Thank you both so much. Thank you. Thank you. Bye bye everybody.

Uh.