Rating: +3
Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that as our operations started to grow and flourish in the U.S., our executives in Oz found themselves basically working 24/7, with the difference in time zones and the fact the U.S. is a day behind.
We also had a structure that operated “head offices” in Australia, the U.S. and the UK. That sounded good in theory, but in reality proved to be logistically unsound. The costs and efforts of building and keeping team, while keeping everyone aligned from a corporate perspective led us to decide to headquarter in the U.S., and shut down our regional offices.
That decision has proven to be great for us, especially being based in Las Vegas. First of all, we have access to great facilities for our training, and it is a destination that is easy and relatively inexpensive for our foreign coaches and trainees to get to.
The idea that I’m in hiding in the U.S. is just laughable. I still have my Australian passport, and I travel back to Oz three or four times a year. My folks are still there, and all my mates are, too. In fact, some of the reporters down there can’t wait to get a line on my whereabouts so they can come up with a story that sensationalizes who I’m hanging out with or where I’m eating a steak.
That’s one thing about living in Las Vegas that appeals to me. In Las Vegas, no one bothers you because there is so much going on – people really don’t care. I remember running into Kid Rock at one of the hotels and to the guests and team there, he was just another guy with a room looking for a restaurant. He may have had the penthouse suite, but he wasn’t written up in any rag or hounded by anybody.
I suppose I could turn the whole thing around and make a case that I could still be chasing people around Oz for money, but what’s the point? I still love Australia and will continue to visit and work there, and I’ve got a high enough profile that people down there know when I’m “in town,” so to speak.
In fact, I’ve got a seminar tour lined up for later this summer, and I look forward to getting back to the place where great things started for me – and hanging out with some of the people who helped make my success possible.
