Harrison Hightower: From Pharmacy to CEO: My Bold Career Pivot | DSH #1510

And put this out there and that kind of stuff because there's that element of like, what are people gonna think?

But what are people gonna think that I've been in school for this long to be a pharmacist and now I'm doing a tutoring company?

And I finally realized, like, you just kind of quit giving a shit what people think, but you gotta put yourself out there and do it.

But it's like then when I started winning in business, then I got more confident.

All right, guys, we got Harrison Hightower here today in Las Vegas, owns a tutoring company, right?

Yes, test prep.

Yes, appreciate the opportunity to be here.

She means a lot, yeah.

Yeah, I know it's an important thing for a lot of uh students these days to get into universities, right?

Absolutely, yeah, it's like pretty much the ACT and SAT, those are like the big standardized tests that they use to kind of gauge, you know, student readiness for college.

And a lot of universities will use that to determine merit scholarship money as well.

So, did you start this company because of what you went through when you were a student?

Yes.

So, basically, you know, how I got into this whole space, you know, I grew up in Jacksonville, Alabama, which is a very small town like northeast in the state.

And, you know, to be honest with you, Sean, I went to just a very small rural county school.

Like, man, I had like 70 people in my graduating class.

Wow.

And I was in a situation where, you know, my parents didn't have a college fund in place to pay for me to go to school.

And I found out in about 10th grade that, as far as like the big SEC universities, if you had a certain ACT score and a GPA, they would pay 100% of your tuition.

And so, you know, I took the ACT for the first time as a sophomore and I made, you know, a 22 out the gate, which is like slightly above average, but nowhere near what you need to get a full ride.

What is it out of?

So it goes up to a max of 36.

Okay.

Yes.

And so at that time, back in 2014, you needed a 31 to get a full ride to Auburn.

And that was kind of always my goal growing up as a kid.

Like I grew up going to some Auburn football games and things like that.

And I was like, man, I really want to get out of this small town and I want to go to Auburn to go to college.

And so I basically bought like five to six different strategy books and I started just learning the ins and outs of the test because one thing I quickly realized was like, you know, I made straight A's in school, but the normal high school curriculum did not cover the bases I needed for the ACT.

And so I basically just started doing trial and error with all these different strategies from these different companies and books.

And I kind of like pulled everything together to like what I thought was the best approach to the test.

And, you know, I kind of just kept testing throughout my junior year into senior year.

And I just climbed the ladder from the 22.

And, you know, next test, I made a 27.

Next one, I made a 28, 29, 31.

And then I finished at a 32 composite with a 33 superscore.

Nice.

And so that got me the full ride to Auburn.

And I kind of just naturally started helping people with the test.

Like my brother Reed over there, you know, he started at a 22 and I kind of helped him out as well.

And he got up to a 30 and got a really substantial scholarship as well.

And so, you know, from there, when I was in school at Auburn, I kind of just naturally started helping people with the test.

And it just kind of grew from there.

I went to school to actually become a pharmacist and, you know, basically got my undergrad and Pharm D from Auburn and

started the company while I was in pharmacy school in 2021.

And then when I graduated, I, you know, realized I was way more passionate about helping students and kind of felt like that was my, you know, real calling and passion.

And so I kind of just went all in on the company in 2021.

And, you know, we've grown, you know, a good bit since then.

And I've been, you know, very blessed with everything.

Well done, man.

I could see the ROI, right?

Because the tuition for Auburn is how much these days?

Yeah.

So right now for a four-year degree at Auburn, you're probably looking at about $50,000.

Is that in-state or?

Yes, in-state tuition.

And then out of state is significantly more.

Yeah.

Significantly more.

Like it's very common for a lot of these students, Sean, like if they're going to an out of state school, I mean, you're looking well into the six figures.

Yeah.

So for me, if I'm a parent and I have kids that want to go to college, I'm like, okay, should I invest 5K in prep or however much it costs for the chance to save 50?

Oh, yes.

I think it's worth it, you know?

Oh, 100%.

You're, you're absolutely right.

And I've always told parents that transparently.

I'm like, look, even if you choose not to go with my company, invest something in standardized test prep because the ROI is better than any kind of college fund you could start.

Right.

For sure.

And it's really not hard to get your score up, to be honest.

It's like a lot of, you know, people in school, it's like, you know, they do super well in classes like chemistry and physics and calculus.

And, you know, they can ace those classes and then they take the ACT for the first time and make a 20.

And they're like, what is the disconnect?

And so when I started kind of breaking the test down, like I quickly realized like it's knowing how to take the test and having the right knowledge about the correct content.

And so I was able to really consolidate those things down and, you know, figure out a streamlined approach that was then able to be replicated with other students.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

Because you have some people that it's like they can go take a test like that and just do well off the bat, but they can't necessarily break it down in a way that someone else can.

quickly understand and apply, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I was always a fan of tutoring slash mentoring because

at least in a public school setting, you're not getting that one-on-one attention ever.

Right.

What was your personal experience with standardized tests very much different than yours so like you you had 70 kids in your class i had 700.

wow so each average classroom was like 25 30 kids so there's no one-on-one attention so with tests i would get like b's and c's sure but if i had like a one-on-one coach mentor the grades would have been better honestly right so i did get a tutor and uh it helped me in science sure and math right so did you do that for like specific classes in school or for standardized tests as well i did it for sat too but yeah i did it for classes and then sat i went up like 100 points, 150 points, went from like 1700 to 1850.

That's stout.

Yeah, that's awesome.

So for me, that was enough.

I wasn't aiming for like an Ivy League.

So that was enough for rockers.

Yes.

Yeah.

So you fully understand like the benefit and kind of how that works.

And I always tell people too, it's really like the value of time.

Like when you can work with a tutor or a professional that's kind of been there and done that and they can save you the trial and error.

Because it's like for me, Sean, like in the town I grew up, like there weren't a lot of tutoring options.

So it's like I had five five or six different books that were like, you know, this thick.

And I'm sitting there reading through it and trying to figure it all out.

And I'm like, man, if I had just had somebody that could have broken it down for me, you know, perhaps I could have made my transition in two months as opposed to, you know, a year and two or three months on my own, you know?

What are you seeing colleges lean more towards these days?

Is it SATs or ACTs or do they want both?

So it's kind of regional.

You know, it's like we're from the southeast and there, most of the high schools and universities utilize the ACT.

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But a lot lot of colleges will take both.

You know, and the SAT, I would say, is probably more popular, like in the Northeast, up around New Jersey, New York, stuff like that.

And then over here, like near the West Coast, it's like, it seems to be kind of split.

Like I talked to some people that do ACT and then some like yourself that do SAT as well.

Interesting.

Yeah.

But most universities, it's like they'll normally take both.

Okay.

Yeah.

I never even thought of taking the ACTs growing up in Jersey.

Like it never even wasn't.

was asked to me right yeah it's definitely a regional thing and kind of just um you know whatever the people before you are doing, it seems, you know, because it's like, you know, where I grew up, it's like the SAT was, nobody took the SAT, which was kind of crazy to me, you know.

Dude, I sub nightmares about that test.

What is it, six hours or something?

Four hours?

It's about, yeah, about four.

I think they lowered it.

They did, but they got rid of the SA, right?

Yes.

Oh, my gosh.

Well, and it's something, too, you know, the national averages now are like the lowest they've been in like 30 to 40 years.

And so both the SAT and ACT kind of like, they, you know, shorten their formats and everything, which I'm honestly not crazy about.

I think it's also because attention spans dropped.

100%.

A hundred percent.

And that's something I have parents ask me about on a weekly basis.

They're like, you know, what do you think is, you know, attributing to this?

And I'm like, I think it's just the culture of, you know, social media and TikTok.

And it's like, you know, when you and I were growing up, it's like,

you know, it wasn't like that.

You know, we kind of, we grew up in that last generation of like normal old school type education.

And then all the social media came on the market.

And it's like nowadays, these kids in high school, like they've had an iPhone in their hand, you know, since they were three years old.

That's crazy.

Yeah.

They came out when I was in like middle school, I think.

Yes.

And they were still banned from the classroom.

So and are you, are you 28?

28, yeah.

Okay, so we're the exact same age then.

Yeah.

Yeah, middle school, right?

Yes.

Yeah.

And it's crazy because like, man, I can remember like, you know, Facebook comes out and then Instagram came on the scene and Snapchat.

And I feel like you and I are like in a very unique position because we like, like, grew up like right at that transition where we had like the last bit of like the old way of life.

And then we went through like the transition while we were

teenagers, which like there aren't a lot of people that have that perspective.

No, that's a good point because I did grow up playing outside a lot, no technology.

We would call people on my house phone to set up like play dates.

Right.

You know, when I was a kid.

And now it's like kids are just on their iPad or their iPhone.

For sure.

What's your overall like take on that?

Like seeing that?

So for me, it's like, it's not going anywhere.

So it's like, you got to adapt.

So just have more self-discipline.

Yes.

So like when I'm on my phone, it's intentional.

Right.

I'm not using it for like a waste of time.

For sure.

Like if I'm scrolling, I'm looking for interesting podcast guests.

I'm looking to learn information.

I'm looking to DM people about business, like stuff like that.

Right.

For sure.

And you've obviously leveraged it very well.

Yeah.

So it's all about intention.

I think a lot of kids are not using it that way, though.

You know, I agree with you for sure.

And it's something that's why like I try to do my best to, you know, like we have like our business account on all social media platforms and I try to mix in at least some TikToks about some somewhat educational content and raising awareness about, you know, standardized tests and tutoring.

Because I'm like, man, if these kids are going to be on TikTok all day, maybe they'll at least come across one video about scholarship money and that kind of payoff or something, you know?

I'd imagine it's very difficult being a teacher right now, keeping everyone's attention like on you.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And it really just comes down to what you said.

It's about just being intentional with your time, you know, and it's like, I know some administrators I've talked to at different high schools, they're kind of implementing like cell phone policies and everything where the students have to like put it at the front of the room so they can, you know, focus on the lesson and things like that.

And that's really what it's about is just having the discipline to focus on the task at hand, I think, more than anything.

For sure.

What's your opinion on AI tutors?

Sure.

So, you know, and that's obviously a super hot topic in our space and everything.

And I think that, you know, it really depends on the student.

student, but I feel that people will always benefit from like the human interaction and explanation.

Because at least what I've seen, it's like there are still a lot of issues with chat GPT and stuff where it's like more advanced, like math equations and explanations, like it can't get it exactly where it needs to be on a lot of problems.

And one thing that AI, I don't think, will ever solve is the accountability.

Where it's like when people have a real person, you know, live tutor that they've paid for, it's like, hey, like like I'm paying this tutor.

I have this time blocked out.

Like I need to study before that session and I have to show up and I have to be productive.

And so I kind of think it's like people that have a personal trainer where it's like all the workout information is available online and Chat GPT can make a workout plan.

But it's the accountability of having a trainer that's meeting you at the gym at 5 a.m.

and pushing you that helps a lot.

And one thing that we do, you know, a lot is like we're here to help, you know, students with the mindset and, you know, accountability, not not just teaching the content and one thing we do with all of our students that are at the university level we try to just give them a lot of guidance on how to be successful students outside of just that class i like that because a lot of tutoring companies man it's like they make it so transactional where it's like okay you hired me to be your chemistry tutor yeah session starts open the book you know work some chemistry problems goodbye that's what happened to me yeah and we we don't operate like that like we really get to know the student their needs their goals what they want to achieve and you know we try to help them well beyond just solving that you know chemistry problem and things like that yeah i like that approach because if you see the tutor as a person you don't want to let them down exactly right you have that emotional connection it's like getting a trainer at the gym yes you don't want to let them down once you hire them for sure you know and it's one thing too that you know i like that you brought up um

you know, the fact that you graduated with closer to 700 people.

Yeah.

Because a lot of students are in that same boat at the high school level and university level.

And I feel like so many students, it's like, you know, especially if they're you know they're more shy they they're not comfortable you know talking to a lot of people that can be tough for a lot of students and you know they might not have the confidence to go up to the teacher and ask a question

yeah and and so like you know when they have like a tutor that's like there to see them on a weekly basis and really invest in them i've seen so many kids like just really like blossom in their confidence and their ability because somebody finally believed in them and showed them like, hey, like you can, you can do well in calculus.

Like you have what it takes to do this.

And I'll be honest, like I've had some parents email us before that, you know, they're like, hey, my kid moved to Auburn to go to college and they didn't know anybody there.

They had no friends when they moved.

And they're like, you know, seeing your tutor every week was a great influence and a great impact on my child.

And it made that transition good.

Wow.

And I'm like, man, that motivates me more than anything.

You know, it's like,

yeah, for sure.

Yeah, because I always tell people it's good to be book smart, but you want to translate those skills into the real world.

Absolutely.

Into making

absolutely well and i'm glad you brought that up because that's something that i've been on you know more of a kick here lately is like kind of realizing that you know i started you know this company because you know i had a good experience with the act and kind of learned that game and you know in doing that i've kind of fallen fallen in love with entrepreneurship and business and real estate and all that kind of stuff and i'm starting to mix in some of that on my social media and it's kind of blown my mind because it's like you know i might put a little reel out about you know real estate investing or something I hope you guys are enjoying the show.

Please don't forget to like and subscribe.

It helps the show a lot with the algorithm.

Thank you.

And then I'll have some like 18 and 19 year old people like sending me messages like, hey, like, tell me more about this.

I'm interested.

And, you know, getting DMs from guys that are like, hey, I'm about to graduate from college and I'm going to start a business.

Can you give me some advice?

And that translation is like super rewarding.

I love that.

And that's kind of what I've like realized is like, you know, I have so many students in our ecosystem that it's like, if I just plant those seeds about those things, a lot of these kids can get the lesson at 18 or 19, where I didn't figure out a lot of this till I was like 25 or 26.

That's how I feel about the younger generation right now.

They have so much access to information that we didn't have.

We didn't have AI growing up.

We didn't have Instagram mentors to look up to or whatever.

Oh, for sure.

For sure.

Yeah, it's a different era, man.

Now it's like the opposite issue.

It's like too much.

You got to be more selective.

Yes.

Well, I think that's a great point because it's like now, you know, you see so much like conflicting stuff on Instagram and TikTok.

And, you know, how it's like in entrepreneurship, there are like these kind of like just bandwagon businesses where it's like everybody's like, ooh, like drop shipping on Amazon.

Trending businesses.

Yeah.

And like sometimes like people just need like somebody that's actually done it for real.

Yep.

And they're not trying to just take your money to get you on some BS program or whatever.

And so I feel that like the real mentorship of talking to somebody that's been there and done that and can help you like, you know, see through the smoke and mirrors and everything too, like that, that's very beneficial.

I only hire mentors with experience.

Right.

Like for me, it doesn't matter about age or like what you look like.

It's all experience.

100%.

Like if I'm looking for some clipping expert, if you're 16, but you've done clips, clips for Mr.

Beast or whatever, like I'm looking for that experience.

Right.

Yes.

So don't discount the age for sure.

Oh, a hundred percent.

No, and I agree with that wholeheartedly that it's, it's really about like just looking at what somebody's done, like hands-on, real experience.

And

it goes a long way for sure it really does dude my main editor i think yeah he was in college when i hired him so he was 17 18 and he's driven over a billion views to the podcast are you serious but i hired him because he had experience clipping for other shows and got a lot of good results right that's incredible crazy right yeah these kids are you can really get talented quick these days like i don't believe in the 10 10 000 hour rule anymore because i think you can get really good really fast with all the information these days no i agree for sure you know and and i feel like uh you know you and i like we were at a good spot because it's like at least by the time we were, you know, 22, 23, it was starting to get there, you know, and it's like, I got into business because I just started listening to, you know, like Brad Lee, you know, some Grant Cardone stuff, you know, guys that just planted seeds about, you know, being your own boss and working for yourself.

And that kind of like opened the gateway for me.

And then it's like, you know, you start watching some YouTube videos and, you know, researching and all that kind of stuff.

But, you know, you're so correct that it's like now the kids, I mean, they can get it so so much faster.

Yeah.

You know, and how, how consolidated the information is on Chat GPT and everything.

It's, it's a different ballgame for sure.

I'm learning so fast these days.

I summarize three books a day on ChatGPT.

Right.

It's awesome.

And it's like each one is a huge takeaway that just explodes either my personal life, my dating life, or my business.

Yes.

Like it's nuts.

Right.

Like you couldn't do that a few years ago.

No, absolutely.

You would have had to read the whole book.

It would have taken weeks, sometimes months.

Uh-huh.

Like it's nuts.

Yes.

What would you say like are like the top three like most impactful books you've read or either summarized?

So $100 million offers, definitely.

It's great.

Great book.

Layla's coming on the show.

Okay.

Yeah.

They live in Vegas.

Oh, really?

That's awesome.

Their HQs out here.

Yeah.

How to win friends and influence people because I was a huge introvert growing up.

I couldn't talk to people.

So now it's so easy to me to converse.

Right.

I think that book played a major role.

And then probably a health one just because I neglected my physical health early on in entrepreneurship.

So,

what's a good health one?

tony robbins life force right that's a good one because i think you need health is mental physical spiritual 100

you need all of that and i neglected uh mental and physical at first right right yeah no i like those and and i agree that um how to win friends and influence people that's an amazing book fire book yes everyone should read that book yes and anytime i meet somebody that's like uh you know maybe high school or college age and they ask me like you know harrison like you know what books do you think i should read to just you know kind of start learning some of this stuff and live a more impactful life?

And I'm always like, how to win friends and influence people, number one.

And then, if you want like financial insight, you know, rich dad, poor dad.

It's a good one.

Really good book there.

And I really like atomic habits a lot too.

That's something that taught me a lot about kind of like just, you know, goal setting and the reward systems.

And that kind of helped me a lot, man, because I don't know about you, but for a long time, I struggled with the

like, I'll be happy when mentality.

I had that too.

Where it was like, you know, man, like I was in school at Auburn and it's like, you know, I'll be happy when I get accepted into pharmacy school.

And then you get into pharmacy school and it's, I'll be happy when I have my doctorate and I graduate.

And then you do that.

And it's that constant like thing.

And I think, you know, like reading Atomic Habits and kind of looking at my own experience, I finally realized that it's like.

like you're never going to be happy when you reach the destination.

It's realizing that it's the process of getting there.

yep and i think just understanding that it's like you're constantly going to be setting that next goal and it's like cliche but it's like when people say like you have to fall in love with the process like that's what it is yep you know that's so true dude for me it was my identity was tied to money right so i was like i'll be happy when i hit this amount at first it was 100k hit that then it was a million right wasn't happy then it was 10 million dollars yes most depressed i've ever been uh-huh for sure so i'm like bro it's not like this doesn't work like there's no limit to that for sure like it's never, I'm never going to be happy, even if I'm a billionaire.

Right.

No, and I, I was kind of the same way for a while, too, because, you know, I didn't grow up with money or, you know, extravagance or anything like that.

And, you know, I feel like when you grow up that way, it's like you kind of think that, oh, yeah, man, when I have a hundred grand or this in the bank account or I'm driving this or whatever, everything's just going to be amazing.

And it's like you start to check some of those boxes and you realize like.

it's not it not at all yeah

so i i would caution kids to that view because a lot of people view life that way right they tie their money to their identity It's not everything.

What would you say like now, like in everything that you've accomplished and where you're at now, what would you say is like the

most impactful like element that like fulfills you now in your work and what you do?

I would say it's, it's this, dude.

It's the impact.

It's the people I'm meeting.

I'm meeting the most interesting people in the world, having conversations with them, giving them a platform, even if they're canceled.

Like I'm still willing to have a conversation with you.

You know, Tate's been on, Fuentes, all these people that have been quote unquote canceled um and just seeing the messages the feedback the comments from that and how it's changing people's lives right i would say that keeps me going for sure you know that's awesome so for people watching this to like translate that i would just like do a bunch of stuff see what gives you the most fulfillment

and um figure out how to monetize that too yes that seems to be what what's worked for me for sure because i've done a lot of businesses and it was always about money and i never felt like this passionate about it right you know well, it's something I mean, you know, I can definitely see that in you know your content and what you put out and everything.

And I'll tell you, I've been super impressed by just the volume that you do.

Yeah, it's like I'm like, oh my God, like, I'll see how many people you interview in a day.

And I'm like, dude, that is yeah, today we did,

I think five or six today.

It's awesome.

Yeah, yeah, but it's not, but it's like, you know, that like it takes like a level of fulfillment to drive you to do that.

Yeah, you know, dude, last week was, I was dealing with the health issues.

I think I texted you.

I couldn't laugh, cough, or hiccup on the episode.

Are you serious?

I had the sharpest pain.

I've had a bacterial infection.

Oh, really?

So I had to sit through like 20 episodes like that.

Oh, my gosh, man.

Yeah, it was rough.

But I'm just locked in, bro.

I'm so passionate about getting these interviews.

I felt bad also because people flew in and stuff.

Right.

So I'm not going to cancel on like six people a day.

Oh, for sure.

Well, I'm glad, glad everything's going better for you and glad you're able to do this for sure, man.

But life's a balance because, yeah, when you work too hard, even to this day, sometimes I'll skip the gym for like two weeks straight and I'm like, shit, like I feel terrible right now.

Right.

Yeah.

Well, and I'm big too on, you know, fitness and working out.

And, and I was kind of like you growing up where, you know, you mentioned earlier that you were like introverted in that kind of stuff.

Yeah, I still am.

Yeah.

And me too, man.

And it's like, you know, I grew up, dude, I was so introverted in, you know, junior high and not the most confident and stuff like that.

And really the big thing that kind of got me out of my bubble was, you know, I started lifting weights and doing like, you know, bodybuilding and stuff like that.

Like I never did competitive bodybuilding, but I did, you know, the routines and and the meals and all that kind of stuff and it was like seeing that like i could work at something and make progress and then people started to notice that it's like man like you look like 20 pounds bigger and you're this and that or whatever and that started to kind of get me out of my shell a little bit so it's like anytime i meet somebody that you know you can tell they're struggling with their confidence or their mindset i'm like like man just start going to the gym I think as a man, it's important to look physically appealing, right?

Oh, yeah.

Well, and it's something too, like to me, it's more important than money too, because like, you know, i'll see some guys that have you know successful businesses and maybe they're worth you know 500 million dollars or whatever but i'm like dude like if you're overweight and you're unhealthy and you're a walking heart attack like what is the money worth yeah i i don't work with people like that actually no matter how much money they have if they can't take care of their themselves yes that's a red flag to me for sure yeah because it says a lot it does it does dude yeah confidence is an interesting one i struggled with it a majority of my life

i don't know if you did too but oh yeah it's something now.

I feel like I'm pretty confident.

But yeah, lifting helped, going to events helped, having conversations, doing the podcast.

Sure.

I don't think you can learn it through a book.

I really don't.

I know there's a ton of books on it, but it's, it's something you got to do.

Right.

Well, and it's something that's all about, I think, like small wins at first.

You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

Like small wins where it's like, you know, I was like super skinny when I started working out and it's like, you know, you go to the gym and you're kind of embarrassed because you have like tens on the bar.

That was me.

You know, I couldn't add any plates to the bench press.

Yeah.

And then it's like, you get to the point where, you know, you put quarters on there.

Now you're benching 95 pounds and then you hit 100 and then you finally get the plate on there.

And then you work up to 185 and 225.

And it's like, everybody had 225.

Oh, yeah.

I appreciate it.

You know, but it's like, it's like those incremental wins like that.

you know, and then that kind of translates to like business too, where it's like, like, I know one thing I struggle with is when I was starting like the tutoring company, you know, you got to keep in mind, Sean, like I'd been in school for like

five years at that point.

And I had my undergrad in biomedical sciences and I was in the doctor of pharmacy program.

And I'm on the track where it's like, man, I'm going to be in a white coat for the next 40 years.

I'm going to be working in a hospital or a drugstore.

And, you know, the tutoring company started growing.

And at first, like, I had an element of like, should I post this on Facebook and put this out there and that kind of stuff?

Cause there's that element of like, what are people going to think?

What are people going to think that I've been in school for this long to be a pharmacist and now I'm doing a tutoring company?

And I finally realized like, you just got to quit giving a shit what people think and you got to put yourself out there and do it.

But it's like then when I started winning in business, then I got more confident and I'm like, I'm going to put more out there and I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that.

And that's one thing that like, you know, man, we try to really do for our students and kids is like help them get those small wins and get them to see like, hey, like maybe you made a C on your first chemistry exam this semester.

Let's try to get up and get a B on the next one.

Right.

And then the student sees that, man, I got a B, like you can make an A now.

And then you start to see like that confidence shift in the students.

And that's like the most fulfilling thing to me.

Yeah.

It's like I've gotten to a point where it's like, you know, don't be wrong, like I still have milestones.

I want to head in business and that kind of stuff.

But it's like when I see like,

you know, a young person gain that confidence and even like some of my staff members and tutors where, you know, maybe they're working like a shitty job that they don't like and they're making 10 bucks an hour.

And then they come work with us and they're making significantly more.

And you start to see them grow their confidence.

And now they can take their girlfriend to the nice restaurant in town and do all this.

I'm like, that motivates me more than me getting it now.

And that's something I've been very blessed with because it's like, as we grow as a company, it's like we're helping a lot of students, but we also have a really big staff of people that are upperclassmen in college and graduate programs and stuff like that.

So it's kind of shifted where like my role is not as direct like one-on-one with the students, but like mentoring our staff and helping them grow and develop.

And so that's like what gets me out of bed every day.

I love that.

Yeah, it's cool to see the impact you can have on your employees' lives too.

Yeah.

Like my team's pretty lean, but people that are a part of this right now, like one of our editors is in the Philippines.

She was able to move out here.

Really?

Because we were paying her.

So like, I guess in the Philippines, it's a big price discrepancy.

But yeah, she lives in the U.S.

now like all from the podcast pretty crazy right yeah yeah my uh editor was in college debt now he's out of debt oh yeah it's like dude that's crazy well and and like when they tell you that like that feels way better than looking at your bank account right yeah like no zeros like we said earlier are gonna like impact me to that degree of helping someone escape debt that i that i just met like right for sure but it's like i feel like too man it's like when you have that like epiphany and you realize that in life like that's when when things start to get good you know it's like if and I think about times where I've been like my happiest, it's always when I'm focused on helping other people.

You know what I'm saying?

It's like anytime I start thinking about me too much and I let go of like the mission of helping other people, that's when things are not aligned.

Facts.

You know what I'm saying?

And that's really like my goal.

And it's like, you know, I've had people ask, like, what are your goals in business?

And do you want to grow and exit and this much money or whatever?

And I'm always like, man, I just want to help more people every month, you know, through our online platform and our tutoring and and our mentoring and this and that.

Like, that's, that's my goal.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

I'd imagine there's a few big players in the tutoring space that buy up the companies, the smaller ones, like Kumon, right?

For sure.

Yeah.

Kumon's one of them.

Sylvan is, is that another one?

Yeah.

And, and those are, those are big franchises for sure.

And, um, you know, we, we just have a super personal touch with everything, you know?

Um, but yeah, no, there are some big players in the space for sure.

And, and I've had some people reach out and ask and I'll get emails about, you know, do you you ever think about private equity and this and that whatever and i'm like man i'm enjoying this too much yeah you know it is a scary route to take because then you start losing some control for sure it becomes all about the margin too

yeah i've been getting offers too on the pod oh really i'm sure yeah but i'm trying to maintain control as long as possible right but the offers are getting tempting lately right yeah but like i said i don't want someone telling me who to have on who I can and can't work with.

Right.

That would defeat the whole purpose of a podcast.

Yes.

And that's like the thing about entrepreneurship in general.

It's like, you know, we do like our own thing because we don't want to have a boss.

We don't want to be told what to do.

And so it's like, I've, I've heard of a lot of guys that, you know, will sell their company and they'll have a deal where they have to be there for like another year.

Two years.

Yeah.

And they're like, it was so miserable.

Yeah.

Every time.

Yeah.

I never found someone that was like, those two years were amazing.

Right.

Like they're all miserable.

They're all like waiting on that second check or whatever.

Yeah.

I don't want that.

Yeah.

Well, and I feel like, too, I've talked to some guys that, you know, they'll exit and they'll get out of it and they kind of just lose their entire sense of purpose.

Yep.

You know, and I'm like, to me, it's like, and I think part of it too, it's like, if you're ever doing your business and you stop enjoying it, like, you've got to realign something.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

So, yeah, that would probably be the time to sell it if you're not passionate about it anymore.

Because then why would you keep doing it?

For sure.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Where can people find the company and find your socials too?

Yeah, man.

So I'm on Instagram and, you know, all social media is Harrison Hightower.

And then our company is High Prep Tutoring and Test Prep.

And so they can find us there.

Websites highpreptutoring.com.

And the big thing I would say that would benefit most

students and families out there is going to be our online self-paced virtual course, High Prep Academy.

And that's something that we launched about six months ago.

And that covers.

all of the major bases you need for the ACT.

It's an interactive technology that has, you know, video modules and questions and it really forces accountability because the students have to, you know, go through the module, get the question correct, and then it'll let you go to the next one.

And so that would be the thing that's probably most affordable and most accessible for most of your audience.

Nice.

So if you have anybody listening that is either in high school or has a child that's in high school, like check us out there, highpreptutoring.com, and we'll be happy to help you there.

And if anybody needs help in any kind of difficult middle school, high school, college course, we'll be more than happy to help them.

I love it.

For sure.

If If you took the ACTs today, what would you get, you think?

It would be high for sure.

I mean, 36, I would say.

For real?

Yeah.

I mean, just, just because it's to the point now where I've seen just thousands of questions.

You know, it's not, and it's not really an element of like, oh, like I could do it because I'm that smart or whatever.

It's like, just, I've seen so many scenarios that I don't think there would be anything on the test that I hadn't already encountered.

I have this question with my friends all the time.

I'm like, yo, if we took the SAT today, do you think we get higher or lower?

I think most people get lower.

Oh, because most people are so far removed from it.

They're removed.

They don't study as much.

Like, I think we're getting dumber, honestly.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, and it's, it's something too that, you know, the whole culture has just changed so much, man.

It's changed a lot.

But, you know, I guess there's really only one way to find out, Sean.

You might have to go take it one more time.

four-hour test.

I literally still have nightmares of me naked in school taking tests.

Like, that's how much I used to hate taking tests.

Right.

Yeah.

Like, dude, that essay will forever haunt me.

For sure.

Was there an essay on the ACT?

Yeah, it had a writing section, but it was optional.

And most of the universities in the Southeast, like, they didn't really use the writing score for anything.

So I took the writing test on my first one and I never took it again after that because I just was like, I wasn't crazy about writing.

Like, I enjoy, you know, writing and reading and stuff now.

But at the time, I was like, man, I don't want to write an essay on this random.

Yeah.

The prompts were always the weirdest things too.

Like, I don't even remember.

It was so obscure.

Well, and I, and that's, that's a good point.

And I think that one element that's so hard about the SAT and ACT is like you're having to perform on topics that are not interesting.

Right.

And that's where like a lot of our strategy comes in, where it's like, we teach you like, this is how you speed read a passage in a very short time frame.

This is what they're looking for.

on the answers to the questions.

And it's kind of just giving the student direction on like, hey, I know this is boring.

I know it's not interesting.

And I I know it's not fun, but this is how you play the game.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I literally just learned about speed reading yesterday from a ChatGPT book summary.

Yeah.

Shout out to Jim Quick.

There's a book called Limitless by Jim Quick.

I'll have to check that out.

Have you heard of sub-vocalization?

So when people read, they pronounce the words in their head.

Yes.

So that actually slows your reading speed by 2x.

So there's a way to speed read without sub-vocalizing all the words.

Yeah.

What was like the big thing that you gained off of what you saw in ChatGPT?

So there's, you have to be really really good with prompts because you could just type basic stuff on ChatGPT and get basic answers.

So for me, when I summarize books, I summarize each chapter and I ask for actionable advice from each chapter to apply to my life.

Right.

So it's not just a book summary.

It's actionable advice.

And that's the key difference because a lot of people read books.

They don't apply anything they learn in the books.

Yes.

That's a really good thing.

So, and you're saying too, that it's like you're constantly tying it back to how can I best utilize this for my life?

Right.

Where Chat GPT knows you and what you have going on.

Exactly.

That's really cool.

Yeah.

So it's all about the prompts.

Look up good prompts.

Look up good ways to prompt.

Copywriting is super important on ChatGPT.

Because I used to start off and I was like, this is basic answers.

I was just typing random sentences.

Right.

But as it gets to know you better, dude, it could be your therapist.

It could be your health coach.

For sure.

It could be your book summarizer.

Like there's a lot of uses to it.

Yes.

What, you know, with where it's at now, like, do you still read like books in full length or do you probably audio books?

Yeah.

Okay.

I was never a big reader, but in the car, I'll listen to an audio audiobook one 5x speed um when i'm at the gym or in the sauna right yeah yeah i'm an audio there's different types of learning as i'm sure you know so for me i'm the audio one yes i was never the the reading type yeah i i would say that i'm primarily audio for sure but i still enjoy reading but i've always been um that's why i've been so huge on podcasts always yeah because i can be in the car at the gym and i'm just constantly listening and learning And it's like, I feel like I'm getting something done while getting something done.

100%.

You know what I mean?

But it's like reading a book.

It's like you have to kind of stop what you're doing and sit there and hold the book.

It is tedious.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And you've got to travel with it.

Yeah.

I'm big on podcasts too, though.

Yeah.

I listen to Diary of a CEO, School of Greatness, Lewis House,

Andrew Huberman, obviously Rogan.

Right.

Or Mosey.

There's so many good ones, dude.

Let me ask you this.

If you had to pick just one, what would you say is your favorite?

Just one.

So it's seasons of my life.

So right now, in my current stage, as I'm growing from eight to a nine-figure business, I would say Diary of a CEO.

Right.

But when I was growing from seven to eight, I'd say Alex Romozi.

Right.

And then six to seven is more just mindset stuff.

That's more like maybe mental, maybe goggins,

like a mental podcast of some sort.

Yes.

There's different stages for everyone.

Absolutely.

What about you?

Yeah.

Matt, I love all those that you name for sure.

I like Bradley a lot.

Drop them.

I used to listen to that one too when I was earlier in my entrepreneurship journey.

He's kind of what got me started.

I like that a lot.

And another one that I feel like is slept on a lot is Rob Deerdeck.

And, you know, I don't think he's even actively producing them anymore, but it's like he had a series that he did.

And, you know, he scaled some companies really, really big and he did it quickly.

And one thing I learned from Rob is like how you look at like your time.

You know what I'm saying?

Where it's like when you start growing a company, it's like there are certain things that like you need to stop doing and things you shouldn't be doing in your personal life because they're slowing the growth of your company and where you put your focus.

And like, man, if you go back and listen to some of those episodes, I mean, it just blows your mind how automated and streamlined he is in the metrics he uses.

Wow.

Like this dude measures like every aspect of his life and all these things.

And so I started listening to that and really kind of doing an analysis on like, where am I spending my time?

Is this helping me reach more people and grow the company and do that kind of stuff?

So I liked that one a lot.

And I would say those are the big ones.

You know, I obviously listen to you a ton.

Thanks.

I just love business, entrepreneurship, and just kind of life talk more than anything.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Rob is an amazing host.

I've seen him as a guest on a few big shows and how he schedules every five minutes, I think, on his calendar.

Like that's super impressive.

Yes.

Yes.

I'm not that extreme, but I do believe time is really valuable.

Yes.

Like as I get older, I'm like really conscious about it.

Right.

What about Dan Martell, Buy Back Your Time?

Have you read that book?

Yeah, I've read it.

I've summarized it on Chat GBT because you also need to refresh your memory too with books.

He's also been on the show.

Right.

And dude's a beast.

I think he's doing like 20 mil a year now.

Yes.

It's insane.

Like, shout out to Dan.

It's awesome.

And he built that fairly quickly within three years, I believe, to build that to 20 mil a year.

Yes.

And that's the power of personal branding, which in the rise of AI, keep telling people to start personal brands.

Yes.

A lot of work's going to be replaced soon.

Oh, for sure.

And that's one thing I'm trying to lean into more heavily now is, you know, put more stuff out on my personal page and stuff like that.

Because, and one thing too, it's like people want to do business with people they relate to, you know, and I feel like that's one thing like about, you know, you, it's like, you know, we've listened to your podcast for a long time and we've always liked like your open-mindedness and having all these different guests on and sharing perspectives.

And so then it's like when, you know, you guys sent me a DM, I'm like, I want to go on the podcast.

That's cool.

But it's because I knew you, your personal brand, I see what you're doing.

And that goes a long way.

Appreciate that.

That goes a really good time.

That's good feedback for me.

Thank you.

Yeah.

You know, for sure, man.

No, I think you're doing an amazing job and the quality of everything you put out is top-notch, too.

Appreciate that.

You're a really good conversationalist, man.

You might have to start your own show if you don't have one yet.

Man, I know.

I was talking to, you know, your producer out there, and he kind of mentioned that.

And I feel like I would enjoy it for sure.

You're really natural, man.

I don't tell that to a lot of guests.

I appreciate it.

Yeah, we flowed really well.

Okay.

Awesome, man.

Thank you for that.

You have to be the first Alabama podcast.

Yeah.

This is only the second podcast I've done, man.

Wow, that's impressive.

Yeah.

I went on Bradley's podcast uh back in late March.

You're starting off with two bangers, yeah, man, pretty much.

Let's go.

Do you know which reel it was you guys saw that got this kick in?

Or it must have been about mindset or something, but either way, like Brad has really good guests on his show, and to start with that one is pretty unheard of.

Like, usually, people got to work their way up to Brad's show, right?

Right.

Well done, man.

Yeah, no, and I got to give a good shout out to Brad there, man.

Like, we, uh, you know, he owns Lightspeed VT and they do like uh, you know, interactive training systems and technology.

And this is a really cool story.

This is a cool story.

So I'd been listening to Brad for like five years, man.

Yep.

And I was like flat ass broke driving in my car to pharmacy rotations and I had like an hour commute to a certain rotation at a hospital.

And I would listen to one episode in the morning, one episode at night.

Wow.

And I was just learning all this entrepreneurship and business and mindset.

And,

you know, so I started my company.

That started going well and everything.

And Brad started doing like this live segment on Instagram and he called it Brad Vice.

And it's like you basically call in and just ask a question.

And so I was sitting in my office one day in Auburn and I opened Instagram and I see he's live and had a phone number you could call.

And I'm like, I'm never going to get through.

Like there are thousands of people on here, but I'm going to dial the phone and see what happens.

And so I call in.

And it's like, you know, if you get selected, you're going to hear a beep and then you'll be connected like 10 seconds later.

And so I'm sitting there there working on my computer answering emails and then my phone beeps and I'm like, oh shit, I'm about to get through.

This is crazy.

And so I get through and I didn't even have a question prepared.

Oh my God.

You know what I'm saying?

And so, and so I was thinking, I was like, well, I own a tutoring and test prep company.

Brad has a technology that builds courses.

And so I call in and I'm like, Brad, do you have anybody on Lightspeed that's doing ACT or SAT courses?

And he's like, no, but I've been saying for 20 years that somebody needs to do that.

You and I need to talk.

And he gave me his email address.

And so I sent him an email and we got connected.

And, you know, everything worked out really well.

And, you know, we partnered with Lightspeed to build the course.

And so I flew out to Vegas to film some stuff in the studio for the course.

And he gave me the opportunity to come on the podcast and everything.

And, and I got to give a huge shout out to Brad on that, man.

He really, you know, kind of opened that door and he's been a good mentor to me there for sure.

I'm going to give him his flowers too.

Cause when I was watching his show like five years ago, like you, I probably watched it for like two years straight.

Oh, yeah.

You know, probably 100, over 100 episodes yeah well and and i think that man that's what i love so much about podcasts because like you feel like you know somebody yeah they call it a parasocial relationship yeah which i know is viewed negatively with in in terms of like celebrities but with podcasts i think it's very respectful like when people approach me it's always respect yes and and it's like and it's crazy too because and obviously i i don't have any level of fame or anything like that man like i got i don't have you know hardly any followers on instagram or whatever but it's like what is that like for you where it's like, you know, like, you know, that person has listened to just hours and hours and hours and they know everything about you.

And then it's like you meet them for the first time and it's like just ground zero.

It feels good.

So for me, I actually don't reveal much on the show.

This is way more than I normally reveal.

Usually I spotlight the guests.

Yeah, for sure.

So they're not like a fanboy mentality ever.

It's, it's always like respect.

Like, what was it like interviewing this person?

that person.

And it's all like, we're just trying to grow with each other, you know?

Right.

They're trying to better themselves.

So am I.

Right.

So it's all love.

it's all respect yeah are you to the point now where it's like i mean just everywhere you go it's just like it's getting that way used to be just like vegas i would get stopped at restaurants and stuff now i noticed at airports and like other cities yeah and now i'm even noticing at restaurants in other cities so it's it's definitely getting there what what is that kind of transition like

It was like shocking at first.

I think after the Tate one is really when it blew up.

Like people were stopping me non-stop after Andrew Tate came on.

And then the Fuentes one was another.

It's like ebbs and flows too, because people forget quick these days right right so I've noticed when it's like like a Charlie Kirk or Trump Jr.

like it'll be a lot more than normal but right it's getting up there man oh yeah and you're so tall man you can

show it in public plus my like I'm just like no one looks like me I got an agent afro like oh yeah so I'm pretty recognizable but it's cool it's like one of the side effects of of the impact it's gonna be that and I know some people don't like that my fiancé is pretty private but I realized when I was gonna do this that would be a consequence right for sure You'd have to give up some privacy.

Yes.

Yeah.

So would you say that, like, up till now, like you've balanced that pretty well, though?

Like, keeping it.

Yeah, I'm not at the extreme levels.

Like, I'm not rolling with like three security guards like some people have to these days.

I think that's when it gets weird, like where Chaparazi's following you, like Bieber.

Oh, yeah.

Telling them the fuck off.

But we'll see, man.

Yeah.

We'll see where this thing goes.

But I appreciate your time.

We already told everyone where they could find you, but anything else you want to close off with?

No, that should be it, man.

I mean, I would say the big closing message, man, is, you you know, to any young people out there listening, man, just, you know, stop caring what people think.

Do what you're truly passionate about.

And, you know, if there's ever anything you're trying to accomplish or do, like, lean into mentorship, you know, lean into mentorship and find somebody that's kind of been there and done that and let them help you and guide you and save you time.

Because, you know, one thing I've kind of learned, man, it's like, you know, you feel like a lot of those people like, oh, like they're not going to want to give me their time or do this or do that.

And I found that a lot of people, like, they're happy to help you, you know, and that first step is just picking up the phone and dialing, sending the DM, reaching out.

And so I would just encourage all young people to kind of start looking at life that way and realize that, you know, you can achieve whatever you want if you put your mind to it.

Facts.

They're not going to come to you is the key point, too.

You got to make the effort.

Yes, for sure.

Absolutely.

Well, check them out, guys.

Check out the test prep company.

We'll link it in the video.

If you're a parent and you want to send your students, thanks for coming on that.

Hey, thank you for the opportunity, Sean.

I really appreciate it, man.

This was awesome.

Thanks for watching.