Table Fables Founder Rebecca Ginger Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Table Fables Founder Rebecca Ginger
The Table Fables founder Rebecca Ginger is my guest today, on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots business coaching podcast.
She is a lady who first connected with the show as a listener.
However once she told me about her dreams for the future with Table Fables and the hustle she is showing daily then onto the show she came.
Added to how she wants to change the lives of millions of children across the world then she wasn’t going to be only a listener anymore.
This is a lady who is moving forward to where she wants to be by hook or by crook.
How The Dots Joined Up For Tables Fables
As she says “I was very dyslexic as a child, and rather failed at school, until the last year when I worked out a system to remember things.
After lot’s of hard work I finally made it to a Producer Director and ended up winning a film documentary award at ceremony.
This was the same ceremony where the BBCs classic programmes Blue Planet and The Office also won.
Then I went on and created, produced & directed the longest running show on MTV uk which is still loved by teenagers and all skate boarders around the world.
My children must never know I was involved in it!
However at this point i felt it was time to take some time out, so I slowed down to raise my 3 children as TV work and children aren’t a good combination.
Which lead med to my passion project. “
The work that will be her legacy is called Table Fables, which has been created to help children everywhere learn their times tables.
Not in a boring way, but in a fun and enjoyable way, against the classic repeat in a drone until you fall into a coma method.
Table Fables Her Legacy Work
TABLE FABLES are fun memorable short stories that teach children the times tables.
Children remember the numbers by recalling the funny story, with their mantra being LEARN FUNNY.
The technique is based on the peg memory system.
This is when children get the ability to remember the numerical position of items on a list, in or out of sequence.
The peg system has been proven to be one of the most effective memory aids used to date.
Each number, from 1 to 12, is represented by a character.
Two characters (e.g. 8 Snowman & 3 mouse) interact to create a funny, short story, which reveals the answer.
This has already helped hundreds of children already and hopefully millions more in the future.
So what gave her the idea to start helping children across the world?
Was it her own childhood struggles or simply a business opportunity?
And where have the been the key areas of growth that our listeners can duplicate in their own online ventures?
Well let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Rebecca Ginger
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Rebecca Ginger such as:
Rebecca shares how the idea for Tables Fables first came to her, due to her own children s difficulties.
We discuss why the validation of others was such an important part of the growth process of her business.
Rebecca reveals how powerful Upwork was for her business by finding affordable talent that helped grow her business quickly.
and lastly….
We both reveal why our own childhoods education was less than inspiring, and why the world is changing for the better in our kids lives.
How To Connect With Rebecca Ginger
Return To The Top Of Tables Fables
If you enjoyed this episode with Rebecca Ginger from Table Fables, then why not listen to some of our favourite podcast episodes such as Travis Thomas, AJ Leon, Kavit Haria or the amazing Daniel Hayes
Or if you prefer just pop over to our podcast archive for thousands of amazing episodes to choose from.
Audio Transcription Of Table Fables Rebecca Ginger
Intro [0:00]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling join up dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK David Ralph
David Ralph [0:25]
Yes. Hello, good morning, everybody. Good morning. And welcome to another episode of the motivational show which is join up dots and good to show in it in it. I feel I feel it’s it’s moving on a pace and certainly the Guests are getting more inspirational as well as is today’s lady who first connected with the show as a listener. Now, however, once she told me about her dreams for the future, the hassle she’s showing daily and how she wants to change the lives of millions of children across the world when she wasn’t going to be a listener anymore. This is a lady who is moving forward to where she wants to be by hook or by crook, and she says I was very dyslexic as a child and rather failed at school until the last year, when I worked out a system to remember things after lots of hard work, I finally made it to produce it director and ended up winning a film documentary award ceremony where the BBC classic programs blue planet and office also one banner went on and created, produced and directed the longest running show on MTV UK, which is still locked by teenagers and all skateboarders around the world and I looked it looked out and I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t find it. So I’m gonna I’m gonna get that on the show. Now she says my children must never know I was involved in it. So as long as I don’t listen to this podcast, I won’t have a clue. However, at this point, I felt it was time to take some time out. So I slowed down to raise my three children as TV work and children on a good combination, which led me to my passion project. Now this is the work that will be her legacy, and it’s called table fables, which has been created to help children everywhere learn at times tables in a fun and enjoyable way against the classic ones well, as well, for for you remember that in a drone until you fall into a coma method. Now, table fables are fun, memorable, short stories that teach children the times tables by giving them a hook to remember the answers children’s remembers the numbers by recording a funny story with their mantra being learned Finally, that a technique is based on the PEC memory system, which gives children the ability to remember the numerical position of items on their list in or out of sequence. And the PEC system has been proven to be one of the most effective memory aids use today. Each number from one to 12 is represented by a character, two characters, he ate snowman and free mouse interact to create a funny short story, which then reveals the answer. So this has already helped hundreds of children’s around and she wants a million she wants millions more in the future. So what gave her the idea to start helping children across the world, her own childhood struggles or simply a business opportunity, and where have been the key areas of growth that our listeners can duplicate in online adventures? Well, let’s find out as we bring on to the show, to start join up dots with the one and only Rebecca ginger.
Table Fables [3:11]
Morning. Thank you so much. That’s the best intro of my life. So thank you very much.
David Ralph [3:19]
It’s a delight to have you here because most guests don’t actually connect with me by email and say, I show you my pants if you show me yours, but I tell you what, that gets me to the front from the list, you you, you pass by Gary vein, a chart you pass by Richard Branson, you pass to everyone, because I bet they don’t look as good in their pants as you do.
Table Fables [3:40]
Well, I sent that off, because you inspired me to be funny, I was a bit of a low point I was a bit oh my goodness, I’m not having fun here. And I listened to one of your shows, and you’re all about, let’s have fun. Let’s you know, just have fun in what you were doing. And, and suddenly that day, I just, you know, I just saw this, I was sending lots of intimate, you know, emails to people. And they weren’t funny. There was nothing funny about them. And so that day, I listen to your show, and a change the style, I wrote emails, and every email, I just put something funny, you know, beginning or the end or something, and I sent one to you, you know, because you’re always talking about you know, in the back of your garden in your underpants. I just thought you know, why not? Let’s You know, I’ve got I’ve got great pant selection. So you know, you’ll never see it, but it’s a good it’s a good plan selection.
David Ralph [4:28]
Well, that’s what we want. That’s what we and in my head in my head. I’m already there which which is the main thing. So So business being fun. That’s That’s why I wanted you on because I love what you’re doing. I love it with a passion because I know going through school. I don’t think it’s as bad as now as when I went through school. You know, when I was at school, it was just trying to dodge basically paedophile teachers and lunatics. I they were just like dreadful people who drone down all the time. Now there seems to be a lot more engagement with the teachers and a lot more fun. But this this is how you learn, isn’t it? This is it’s not just how you learn, it makes you want to learn and by making you want to learn you learn quicker.
Table Fables [5:11]
Yeah. Honestly, it’s me, I was exactly the same school when we were so boring, it was so dull, and they have drastically changed it now they have you know, that really trying. But weirdly, the fundamentals of what they’re teaching, you know, the English and the math, they are still teaching it the same way that we were back then. And that is what I’m so passionate about changing. I’m like, Come on, guys, you know, we’ve been doing this for hundreds of years. Think think of it think outside the box, you know, changes up a bit, you know, because offer teachers who were you know, a teaching, they’ve gone through the system, they were the ones that the system worked for. So that’s why they became teachers. And but there are only about four people in the class who are like that. And the rest of them, you know, you know, they learn different way and they want more fun, they want to be challenged in different ways. And that is what, you know, table fables is all about and have massive, massive ideas about how to do physics, chemistry, and all those other subjects that nobody talks about, and you know, has not changed fundamentally nothing’s changed in education. Apart from the bit more interactive now. With Yeah.
David Ralph [6:23]
Well, I hope so. I hope so. You know, we used to have a teacher called Rousey I don’t know parentheses around, but Rousey I’m braver now. So I’m going to name you on the show. But brassy was a PE teacher that used to send you on really long runs, and then go through your bag and eat your pack lunch. And when you come home, and you had to get changed you you had no lunch and you couldn’t report him. You know, it was like they were I’m touchable. Hopefully things have changed here. But browse, browse, see if you’re listening to this show. I know where you live? Well, I don’t really but I’m gonna I’m gonna find you and get me lunch back. So we’re back out. So when did you get the idea for this? Because in many ways, you had the sexy job, you were creating your and you were getting awards, and you is up there with the movers and shakers in TV? Why did you want to pivot? Was it as simple as you wanted to raise your children? Or did you just get bored of it?
Table Fables [7:20]
No, I think oh, my dad died when he was really young. He dad died at 41. And so when I had kids, I was a bit like, you know what, I could die 41 I don’t know, I’m not gonna have that many, you know, I might not have a how many years? So I said of, you know, TV is great. And it’s brilliant, but doesn’t really give that much back or change the world, that amazing news. So I just wanted to give I want to look after my kids. And so that’s what I did. I sort of gave up to do that. And I don’t think I regret that the moment it’s, you know, you know, they’re paying a lot of the time, but I’m really pleased I did. I did do that. And then you know, and how I got there then got the idea was my children were trying to they’re all dyslexic. We’re all flexible family cartoons, or very good genes, depending how you look at it. And they were trying to learn the timetables, and they couldn’t they just couldn’t remember them. They would you teach them one day and they couldn’t remember them the next. And at the moment in the UK, back in the day used to do rote learning. They don’t didn’t teach rote learning at all in schools anymore. And they don’t actually teach timetables, they’ll test you on a Friday. But everything is left up to the parents to do now.
David Ralph [8:35]
So they don’t do the droning you sit in a room.
Unknown Speaker [8:39]
Yeah, I
Table Fables [8:41]
don’t do that. Some schools might sing them very well sing the timetables, which kind of works. But if you’re trying to do eight times 12, you want to sing a whole song to try and get eight times 12. And you know, it doesn’t come off instantly.
David Ralph [8:55]
Rebecca, I cannot think how you can sing times tables basis each other basketball word on the microphone show is your singing voice.
Table Fables [9:04]
Now, I think it’s really rubbish technique. So I can’t I don’t know any of the songs. And I’m really bad singer, you really
Unknown Speaker [9:11]
want me singing on
Table Fables [9:12]
the show. It really doesn’t work anyway, that’s but that’s the only other method out there, this rote learning or the singing? And I was just like, Oh, geez, this is this is disastrous. Nobody thought about this. And so I got down on the floor. My kids were in tears. They were going they were constantly bottom of the class and, you know, repeating seven times seven is 49. And they can remember when I told them the next day or the next week, totally forgotten. So I got down. And it just drew pictures and stories, you know, head droppings or farting? Who you know, things that kids find funny. Yeah. And I literally just had to draw them once. And then you will remember it and I was going Oh, geez. Okay, excellent. And I saved that for my oldest child. He went from the bottom of glass, the top and he, you know, became an eight, a star student in math. And I said, forgot about it. And then my daughter came long The same thing happened and she was crying. And there was more websites then. And we went on them. And it’s every website that’s out there. He says seven times seven days in if you don’t know the answer,
David Ralph [10:11]
is that the only time table you know he’s?
Table Fables [10:15]
Yeah, well, eight times 12. Whatever you want to whatever you want to go for? I can’t do it. I cannot do that the business Newman and the Navy and Mackay
misnomer that tongues fall office 96. Okay, I’ve got
David Ralph [10:28]
it that’s in my head. Yeah.
Table Fables [10:31]
So that we you know, and anyway, the ones that are out there all the websites that are out there at the moment, they’re all, you know, eight times 12, or, you know, seven times three, or whatever it is, if you don’t know the answer, you just repeatedly failed. Nobody’s got any other system of remembering. And so I, you know, I, you know, my daughter was crying again about Jesus, how did I teach my oldest son? What do they do? I drew pictures and story. So I got down game and drew some more pictures and stories. And lo and behold, you learn them instantly went from bottom, the class, the top of the classes at Jesus got to be something in this. And my friends were How come your daughter was really rubbish at math. And now she’s really good. And so what I drew pictures and stories, and they said, What can you teach my child? I mean, all right, then. And so then I started teaching their children. And then I got better stories, I think to two people, and I went into schools, and I taught them. And basically, it just LED on from there. And we went, you know, from my friends, children up to teach in schools. And then finally, we, you know, got it together to get a website going. And that’s where we are at the moment.
David Ralph [11:34]
So with this whole thing with business, generally, there is an avatar that needs to be created. And you have to define your customer, you need to know their problems, so that you can provide a solution for them. And if you can provide an affordable solution to many people, it’s a great business to have. Now, more often than not, I find that through join up dots the actual avatar, is the person creating it, they actually have the issues I can understand but problems, do you think that you wouldn’t have been able to come up with this idea if you hadn’t had that problem in your own life?
Table Fables [12:09]
Yeah, definitely, you know, if if my kids were all sort of, you know, amazing at remembering, you know, they’re awesome kids, it’s normally about two or three kids, the top of the class, and you can tell them the timetables once. And they’ll remember them all, you know, you might have some about three or four times, and they’ll remember them. And, you know, this was definitely a problem we had. And I found a solution. And then I figured out that lots of other people had that problem. And you know, and we could talk really fast and kids love it. Kids love so much when they’re doing it. And it’s just such a joy, you know, and also they go from the bottom of the class in mass, you know, to the top of guys, but then their whole confidence comes up, they go, Oh, I’m not stupid after all, because that’s what kids think we think I’ve failed that. And it’s the thing that you’re tested on that, you know, the most times stables you know, you can write an essay and get good, you know, one tick or two ticks, but times tables, you either fail or you succeed. Anyway, so we bring the confidence up and everything. They’re not only good at math, then they go Okay, I’m not stupid. So I might be going to English or geography or whatever other subjects they’re learning.
David Ralph [13:18]
I don’t understand though, Rebecca. We’re live now is why we have to teach people these things. You know, because we’ve got a calculator. I could do. Yeah, seven 856. Bang. I actually did that in my head. Yeah, you’ll be quite impressed with me. Yeah, that was the paedophile and the child, I put that two of them together and created a story. I shouldn’t say these things. But yeah, but there’s there’s lots of there’s lots of tools out there now. But once you leave school,
you never you never I don’t care.
But I don’t know that 812 says 96? Or, well, I’ve learned that now, you know, I just do these kind of things. Why do you think schools have to bang this sort of testing in on subjects? Maybe the kids don’t want to know, the kids want to know how to blow things up. They want to know, the sort of exciting stuff, they want the fun stuff that will help them learn.
Table Fables [14:09]
Okay, well, I can tell you, I mean, I didn’t know my kids, because I just couldn’t remember them. We didn’t do rote learning, slightly hippie school, they just didn’t do it. And throughout your life, you use them, you you probably knew them, you know, because you’re good at rote learning. So you never know, where they come in useful that either come and useful when you go to the shops, and you’re trying to figure out which bag of apples is cheaper, you know, when you’re going for a job and you’re played in, you know, 12 months salary, you know, you know, you’re trying to figure out, right, how much per month Am I going to get, you know, you don’t want to get a calculator out for all of those things. And also, we’re getting into computer digital age, where math is us, you know, programmers or anything. And if you have to get your calculator out for every time you do seven times eight, or four times three, or whatever it is, it slows everything down in your life. And if you’ve got that knowledge at your fingertips, and it’s there, you never have to think about that. That’s just something you know, it’s like, it’s like reading, you know, if you had to sound out every single, you know, word when you’re an adult, it would take ages. And I think it because a lot of adults do have those skills. They don’t register how important they are, if you didn’t have them, you know, even working out with the babysitter money was tricky. At the end of the night, when you’re a bit drunk. And you just you don’t know your at times tables or whatever, if you’re just going oh my god, what is how you know, and you’re trying to go back to them? You know, five times a and then it’s, it’s complicated. And it’s so much easier. Life is so much easier if you do know
David Ralph [15:42]
them. And don’t you just give a 20 quid for a quick round?
Table Fables [15:49]
Well, you could do you absolutely could do. But if you’re when you’re slightly drunk, it’s just a lot easier if you just know it. You’re just
David Ralph [15:56]
tired, aren’t you? You’re tired, you’re going
Table Fables [15:58]
yeah.
David Ralph [16:00]
Pound 56. And you’re not going to get a penny more. All you’ve done is sit there drink me out and watch me TV all night. You haven’t played
with it? Right? Everybody gets ideas, and we have ideas all the time. And why I wanted to have you on the show was because you’ve done something with it, you’ve taken it through that path to something that is tangible, is out there is providing value. What was the hard bit at the beginning? Was it the personal belief that this could be bigger? Or was the belief there was the enthusiasm there? But then the technical aspects bog you down? Where? Where was the obstacles?
Table Fables [16:40]
Okay, I think those goals were everything at the beginning, it definitely was tricky, because you’re a bit like, I might just mad, I might just, you know, is this really an idea Am I you know, it’s so left field, you know, it’s you know, doing, you know, stories and cartoons to try and remember your times tables, you know, and you I did have to do a lot of market research, you know, and luckily, my way of market research was people coming to me, and I was teaching their children, and you know, for free at first and then they start paying me and it just it just sort of snowballed or you know, every time I taught these kids and the kids would give me such amazing feedback. And then the parents are giving me such amazing feedback, because they’ve literally these kids go, I can’t do math, I can’t do math, I’m rubbish at maths Aren’t you know, and their confidence was just so short, you know, from seven, eight. And then suddenly, the parents would see them transformed and they would get name would give me all the positive feedback to sort of keep going.
David Ralph [17:39]
So it was the validation of others that really saw your do.
Table Fables [17:44]
Yes, absolutely. I definitely needed that validation. And then, and then launching the website, geez, that that’s that, to me was a great stumbling block, because I’m getting quotes for animation for you know, 40, 40,000 pounds upwards to just to do quite simple animation. I was just going Rajiv, I saw that I was trying to raise money, but investors were going well, you’ve got to prove this theory before we give you any money. And so it was sort of chicken and egg, and I just couldn’t figure a way around this. And then I found up works up works really did save me. Because you can find animators on there and you can find programmers and you can find everybody. So that was a massive tool. That when we found an animator in Poland, who’s amazing and did some, you know, amazing work for you know, a fraction of the cost. And then that made it possible then then we could go right we can do
David Ralph [18:39]
this. And and what are you saying to the animator in Poland? 12 pounds 56. That’s all I said, Okay, you know,
Table Fables [18:47]
I was telling you, it’s all it’s all up front, you you agree a price beforehand, he does the work, you you pay the money. It’s you know, it’s such a simple sort of tool. And you know, it was it was pretty, it was great. We enjoyed working with each other. So it was good.
David Ralph [19:03]
Well, let’s play some words. Now let’s delve back into the story. And this is Oprah Winfrey,
Oprah Winfrey [19:08]
the way through the challenge is to get still and ask yourself, what is the next right move, not think about, Oh, I got all of this stuff. What is the next right move. And then from that space, make the next right move, and the next right move, and not to be overwhelmed by it. Because you know, your life is bigger than that one moment, you know, you’re not defined by what somebody says, is a failure for you. Because failure is just there to point you in a different direction.
David Ralph [19:40]
Now, I think that is really great advice for anybody starting a business, but certainly in the online environment, because there’s so much when it techno technology sort of slows you down. And you think at the beginning, you’ve got to be a master of everything to get it going. So explain more about up work, because I know a lot of people out there will be thinking that they’ve got to become WordPress experts. And I need to, you know, know about sales funnels? What did work, Give You
Table Fables [20:10]
Up work out what changed everything, I think it was just, it was a way of, basically, it’s a website where you go and find experts in that field that you need, and you can interview them online, you can find out the previous experience, you can have references, and you can set the budget, so it doesn’t spiral out of control. It basically gave us the tools to go right week, we can do this and we can move forward. And so you weren’t sort of blindly panicking and going, Oh, my God, what do I do? You know, and if I need a marketing person, you know, I haven’t actually used it for marketing, I’ve found somebody else but you know, you can find them on there, or you can find, you know, people to design your website, everything is there and everything is possible. Um, for me for small businesses, that really changed my outlook on it all.
David Ralph [21:06]
Yeah, I must admit, I used up work quite a lot to be honest, on things about I can do but I can’t be bothered. You know, I used to set up membership sites, and I can I can build all those myself. But I just look at it now. You can get some guy from Pakistan, pay him 80 quid, and it’s job done. You know what the problem is, we bought work, I don’t know, if you found this was the translation of your vision to fruition, if you’ve got some in your head, but you can kind of see and you can almost taste it. But it’s difficult to translate that to the person so that what they come back with is really, really good. How did you do that? How did you make sure that the work was going to be to the level that you wanted?
Table Fables [21:50]
I think I think that was all in the interview process. A I made sure that their English is really good, because I think that’s a massive stumbling, but I think I’ve got to learn Pakistani, or you know, or, I’ve got it, you know, I said, we can actually communicate, and they really understand the nuances of the language. So that that was one really important thing for me. And then I chose for the example that animator, I definitely chose him because of his styles. There’s lots of animators out there, but I had a very clear vision of what style I wanted it to be in. And so that kind of cut down a lot of the problems. And then, and then it was trying to get the humor in there. And you know, you know, I would love another 40,000 pounds to change the animations more, and I’d use the same animator, but you know, we could make even better. But that was it was it was quite simple. We just work through it. And I would just give them clear instructions. I think because I was a director producer in the past, it was fine. I can I can tell him exactly what I want and how to change it. And and so that was an easier process, maybe for me. And and and then I’ve just found I found other people who were doing the design of the website, and I found them in the UK. And I made sure that they were in the UK. And so I found a Martin in the communication is really easy, but he’s still a reasonable price. And you know, and it and it works.
David Ralph [23:13]
Yep, I agree with you. And I think where I work with does great work is its quality work, you can go over to Fiverr, which I use as well. And more often than not, you have to sort through a load of crap. As you know, I’ve got a new podcast art cover coming for the thousandth show. And I basically designed it myself and went over to Fiverr. And I said, Look, this is what I want. But I just want you to make it look better. I want it to be exactly like this, but just better, you know, more polished, and it came back totally different. And I went back to him and I said, No, I told you I just want it looking like that. But better. He said, Oh, I didn’t understand I went How did you understand? Just do it like that. And then it came back and the dots which you would expect to be round look like rugby balls. And I came back and I said it’s not join up rugby balls it’s join up dots Just give me round things and I will be happy. And it took me about three or four guys to get it but I don’t think I would have had that in up work. I think you know the processes is experts, isn’t it? It’s more adults more than some kid in his bedroom knocking out a few dollars each month.
Table Fables [24:25]
Yeah, I think I do have actually a you know, I’ve not not said but to my business partner is she’s an amazing graphic design herself. So she can do certain things and give them to, you know, say up work. People said look along these lines. So it’s already sort of graphically done. And she’s amazing. She’s a compliments me and all the stuff technical and graphic design he stuff. So you know that that is a huge, you know, bonus for me. So that does cut a lot of corners. But yeah, I think Don’t be too cheap on artworks, or all five, I’ve never used that. But yeah, I don’t, don’t go for the T one. And it works go for somebody medium or good. Okay, you’ll get great things,
David Ralph [25:08]
and I’ll bet your business partner wouldn’t have gone the easy route, I bet she would have learned Pakistani and Mandarin, you know, just you know, she she put that extra effort in,
Table Fables [25:18]
she might have done she might have done, they might have taken a much longer, much longer. I’m taking the easy route.
David Ralph [25:25]
Let’s think about it as as a process again. So you are with the kids, they come and do maps, you vent decide that you can solve that. And then you realize that it’s there’s validation. But there’s a bit between creating a product and actually getting it out so that other people see it, which is a big piece of work. And I’ve struggled with that myself, even with a podcast I listen to but I’m millions. I’ve still had products that I put out and not one person signed up for it, you know, how have you managed to get the ball because once these things get going when it does get easier and easier. But at first, but when you’re trying to get customers, and it seems to be the marketing that you’re doing is taking away all your profits, how you’re doing it?
Table Fables [26:12]
Well, we Yeah, word of mouth was was great. And I think you know that does it spread slowly, but it does get there. So that’s, that’s what we you know, so doing. And we’re going into lots of schools, and we’re demonstrating it. So that’s what we’re doing. And then we’ve also got a marketing agency in New York who are doing all the Google AdWords, and, you know, and Facebook, AdWords and Facebook ads, and things like that. But we are then going to employ I think a marketing agency and a PR here as well. So that’s sort of where we’re going at the moment. But we need to be better at that. So I think that’s our learning curve at the moment.
David Ralph [26:53]
Now I’ve got a podcast which is beautiful because it’s um, it’s it’s marketing, right? It’s Thank you, Rebecca, Thank You can say that again. And it connects with people. And so they can hear your voice and they start to trust you. And so you don’t have to do an awful lot of selling. In a podcast sense, people generally come to you and they’ve already sort of warmed up. But I have a big problem with marketing companies, but are willing to set up AdWords and the return on investment isn’t there? And they constantly are saying, Well, once we get more data, once we get more data will be able to fine tune it and the cost per click is going to be better for it. Have you had fat as well, where you’re not actually getting the results back and you’ve had to move to different agencies? Are you struggling in that regard?
Table Fables [27:43]
Well, we’ll start from the very beginning of that journey. So I think I can see that that might happen. And that you might have to find a better niche, or you know, you have to drill down and really find out who it is that enormous of education sector is going to be really good at that. So I can see this journey is going to be long and sort of winding and you know, we’re going to we’re going to fail a lot. And we’re going to learn a lot. And so yeah, I’m I’m you know, I’m prepared. If something’s not going to work, then I think maybe have to change it and you have to move on.
David Ralph [28:16]
Yeah, so yeah, we’re on that journey. And then you’re happy with that you’re you’re you’re excited by the journey, you’re not seeing it as obstacles, because I speak to people through join up dots and they say to me, oh, I started this business. And I found out I was just, you know, putting too much money out. And I said, so why were you putting the money out? Why? Where were you get into profits back in? Oh, well, I hired this person. And I hired that person. And I think to myself, stop, stop over links, and then focus in on the 5%? Where are you going to get 5% of the most rewards for the cheapest. Now yours, I can clearly see it. It’s going to be parents, it’s got to be parents, because kids to be honest, don’t give a monkey’s you know, Evans, they’re the ones that are the ones going I want my kid to be better. And I want both. So that is your 5% isn’t it to find the parents, and especially the parents, but I’ve got peer group of pressure. So at nice schools, and they want their son to do as well as Tom Cruise’s son and all that kind of stuff, you know, that is your audience? Have you sort of drilled down to 5%?
Table Fables [29:26]
Well, that’s what we’re that’s what we’re trying to do at the moment, we know who we need to aim to. And we’re, we’re we’re getting better at that we’re getting every day, we’ll get that going. Right? Okay, we got to drill down to this, and we’ve got it, we’ve got to change opinions, we’ve also we also really are in schools, and schools are using it. And so we’ve got to drill down on that. And we’ve got to, we got to change teachers opinion, slightly the route, there is a different way. And the schools that are using absolutely love it, and the kids adore it. And it gives the teacher another way of teaching the children. So for example, before the they would have said, you know, five times eight, and the kids are gone, I can’t remember. And now they go snowman and the snake and the kid goes, Oh, yeah, I remember. And then they go 40. And then they have the answer. So teachers are loving it because it gives them another way. And that’s something else to say to the children. And that’s what we’ve were really massively working on at the moment is trying to change teachers opinion that there is another way there’s something different out there. So you know, we’re really sort of focusing on them, as well as the parents
David Ralph [30:29]
are Come on teachers get with the program, I know that you’ve got restrictions, I know that you’ve got these targets to set a new one child has to be up to level one and four and five, and nobody understands blows. I go to open evenings. And I basically dribble out of one side of my mouth because I don’t understand what you’re actually saying. Make it clear for me make it clear for the kids and Mikey bomb, rip up the targets. No one cares, just get the kids to come out at the end with a passion to do one thing. And then they will have a head start on everyone. They don’t have to know when Oxbow river is and they don’t need to know all the kind of stuff that you’re teaching, unless they want to be in a mountain climbing club or at least they want to be that focusing on what they want to do. Do as well as you can and get them really passionate about I think I’ll tell you, Becca, I had a guy on the show the other day. And if you haven’t heard him he was on Casper Craven, who is a saving guy. And he took his family. Yeah, yeah. Now, if you haven’t listened to it, listen, this is great. This this episode. And I was pretty good myself all about one of these kids hated doing schoolwork. And so he was on a boat and he was floating around the world. And the kid’s name was Columbus, which is brilliant. You know, you actually called a kid and name what works in a mode of transport. You know, you can’t do better than that. And the keep goes hard. I want to do this. I don’t want do this. And so after about five hours looking at the books, I said, Well what do you want to do? You know, let’s do fishing. And he started to show his passion for fishing. And when he started to build a business around fishing, that one little thing and we’ve all got that, haven’t we? Every single person Rebecca you know what is your excitement? What is your moment when you got all give me a room of people I’m going to put a pen selfie because I love talking about this.
Table Fables [32:28]
I love playing games I love If I get people around for dinner or if I get up always make them play games, stupid games, whatever is you know, passing an orange getting in there. I don’t know putting key on a road down vanity shut up up jumpers, or whatever, wherever I do, and everybody hates me for but they always
David Ralph [32:48]
play a part in the middle of the room. No,
Table Fables [32:49]
definitely not.
Maybe my 60s I might try by the moment. No, I’m not. I’m not
David Ralph [32:57]
doing it. But I’m hoping to have I imagine they do. They do
Table Fables [33:01]
they do. They must be over my biggest thing. Is it right? Okay, we will start playing this game. If you don’t, if you don’t ask if you don’t laugh, then fair enough. It’s a rubbish game. I’ll stop. But they always always, they always crack up. And over the years. They’ve just got used to it and they will play my stupid games. And I just think it’s so important if you are laughing, what you know what, why why not laugh, it’s, you know, dance and have fun. And I want to bring that to teaching. That is my big, massive passion. And I think teaching needs to be shaken up again. Massively, yeah, go fishing, go learn new times cable fishing, or go go learn English fishing or, you know, do something and then you will learn along the way.
David Ralph [33:45]
I I
agree with you. You know, my whole mantra is business made fun. I think that every single person can do something, you know, you don’t say to a kid, you know, when he’s five years old, you know what you want to be when I grow up. And he says to me, you know, I want to be bored out of my skull for eight hours a day in a in an office, just living at brand doing accounts that you know, no one ever says that they all want to do. You know, I want to be a rocket scientist. I want to do this. I want to do that. But that gets to a point, you know, and I say to my mates, I’m actually going up to London on Friday night to meet some people that I started work with when they were 16. And every time I speak to them, it’s kind of Oh, at least it’s a job. Oh, I’ve only got another five years and then I get profit or I’ve got you know, it’s it sounds Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring.
Table Fables [34:38]
But did you did you enjoy your job your insurance job when you did it? I mean, did it was all rubbish. I mean, because I quite enjoyed all my jobs I’ve done I’ve always found enjoyment even first waiting tables. It means me somehow. So I didn’t know I was I think you can find enjoyment in your job. But maybe not passion. I wasn’t passionate about waiting tables by always enjoyed it.
David Ralph [35:00]
Yeah, I think you’re absolutely right, you can always find a way of making a task more fun. And that comes down to mindset. When I was in insurance. I loved doing the stand up presentations, the training, I love doing all that. Because it was the kind of show off element of me that kind of came out and sort of thrive. The actual building all the courses when they come up to me and go out David there’s a new regulation change in data protection, and we need it train down. I used to be Oh my god. Oh my god, do we really can’t we just say you know, just just ignore it just know, we couldn’t fat bit. I hated absolute with a passion. And more often than not, I hated it. Because I used to try to make it fun. I used to think more How do I make this fun so that when people come in to the training course that I don’t really want to go to anyway. Because when you in an office, you get tapped on the shoulder and go, Oh, you got training for two hours? Oh, have I? Because all you can think about is that you got to come back and you have two hours behind on your work. I always used to think how do I make this fun. So at least when they come out, I’ve had a good time. And that was my that was my Achilles heel really, Rebecca, that it drove me to distraction, but it became more and more difficult to find new ways of making incredibly boring subjects fun. So I had to quit and start my own thing. And since I’ve started my own thing, I always find all the time. Well, no, it’s not fun all the time. And I will say that to everyone. But I would say 80% of its fun and 20% is a bit of a grind.
Table Fables [36:32]
Well, I think you your show definitely reminded me to have fun you know, I you know I loved it. And I do still love it. But I you know I went through a couple of weeks This is not having any fun and remember listening to your show and just was going oh my god David so right, if I am not having fun. What’s the point in any of this? So thank you for that I’m I’m definitely have a lot more fun.
David Ralph [36:55]
And do I get enough pants image now do I get that sent to me, you know,
Table Fables [37:01]
I’ve def I’ve done I sent you a pants one of me in my bra. Walking with a whales and being inspired by the kids. My daughter took me one of me in very hot wheels this weekend. So
David Ralph [37:15]
I gave you enough focus. I’m supposed to be a professional podcaster. And I’m using my grooming techniques to the best of my my ability. I don’t know what’s going on. So So where are we now then Rebecca. So you’ve got the marketing company, you’ve got the website, you would like to have the images? And if they’re never gonna be good enough for you, I can already sense you’re always going to be looking at it and thinking yeah, I want to do better and better. But breakeven, are you building a profit? Was it Yeah,
Table Fables [37:48]
yeah. Well, yeah, we are building a profit, very small profit at the moment. But we are building and we we just need more people to know about us. I mean, I suppose that’s every, every businesses like that. But we agenda I’m so passionate. And I can’t tell you when I take these kids. And they are the bottom of the class. And today somebody rang me up this morning, and mom said, Oh, my God, we had a timetable test, I forgot to revise. But she could still remember her times tables, and she got 20 out of 20. And she said, Thank you so much. And I think that’s the biggest thing about table fables. It has a longevity that other techniques don’t have. So you will tell. You know, you’re to give a timetable two weeks ago, and two weeks later, they’ve got a test. And they’ll forgotten if it’s just a number, but because we given him an image. And it’s like the Tom and Jerry image, you know, kids love cartoons, and they’re funny. And as they say, the head gets chopped off. And as we’re in this pose, they’ll remember the answer. So two weeks later, and you forgotten to revise the kids will still remember. And so then they don’t feel stupid, and etc, etc. And so we just need more people to know about it. We need teachers to be open about the idea. Give it a go, we give it away for three months for free to schools. You know, try it out, see what happens. And that’s what yeah, that’s what we are. Now we’ve we’ve just got to let more people know about it.
David Ralph [39:15]
And how how much is well, I know how much it is because I do my research. Tell the listeners,
Table Fables [39:20]
okay, well, it’s 599 for a month, and you know, that’s like two cups of coffee, okay, two cups of coffee and your to your child can definitely learn in a month, anyone, any kid of normal attainment, can learn all the times table, they can do it in four sessions, actually four hours, and but in a month, they will learn everything. And then that’s it, you’re done. You’re done. I mean, I would say take a year subscription out because you’re going to have tests for that year. And, you know, they might they might forget a couple of stories that have to, you know, practice. But we also do dividing as well they can. So all the stories are just backwards. So dividing is suddenly really easy, which is dividing is so important. It’s like fractions, its percentages. It’s it’s in everyday life. So always do the timetables and dividing all together. That’s
David Ralph [40:10]
what we always teach anyway. So yeah, so we’re basically saying 66 quid for a whole year, and your kid will come out like rain man at the end. Yes,
Table Fables [40:19]
yes, it’s going to transform your kid and then your kid can follow whatever passion they are have, because they no longer think they’re stupid. And they think they are ace. And you know, they’re amazing. So what what you know, it’s so cheap, two cups of coffee, or and your kid thinking they’re
David Ralph [40:36]
superheroes, or an empty cup from Starbucks. That’s what we’re saying. Yes. Yes. So it is it is cheap. And of course, this can be a great gift for grandparents to give their grandchildren, their own kids, uncles and Auntie’s. So it’s not just people that have been doing the old hoity toity business and having offspring. It can be anyone where we’re all we’re all actually aren’t we across the world banging out children.
Table Fables [41:04]
Nobody stops there be stopped. So don’t just keep doing it.
David Ralph [41:08]
Well, as well, if you haven’t seen my house, you haven’t seen my house. I should be more focused on on chasing the wife around the house. And maybe now I’ve had I’ve had enough. I don’t want any more kids. Rebecca, do you? You’ve had three,
Table Fables [41:22]
three and three. I’ve done now. How many of you have
David Ralph [41:25]
got five and two grandchildren? And and to be honest, I always say to people 90% of having kids is rubbish and 10% is gold. Yeah, and the 10% is gold is when the real Don’t you love it when they meal and they just lying there quietly and up also protective about them?
Table Fables [41:49]
I totally agree. The very loving and really nice and yeah, yeah, they’re great. And then you know, when they’re getting better when they get all feisty and horrible again. So you know,
David Ralph [42:01]
be a great business when they just make your kids sick for a little bit, just just so that they become cuddly. And just, we was on a plane once and my son is really calm. He never has peaks and troughs, you know, whatever’s happening. He just kind of plods along like he or you know, he just know, ups and downs at all. And we were going to Florida and my son was about I don’t know, two. And my wife said, you know, where we give him some sedative, and then it’d be really calm on the plan. And so I said, Does he really need to set it up? He’s very calm on the plane Anyway, she said, Oh, it’s a long flight. It’s a long flight. We give him this and it’s called Bennigan’s. Never Forget it, Finnegans. And on the packet, it says 97% of kids will be soothed and calmed by this. And not one place, did it say 3% or turn into lunatics. And my son was in the 3%. And for 10 hours, he was literally bouncing off the ceiling. It was a dreadful time. So um, yeah, if anybody could do that, as well, to just sort of, I don’t know, putting our kids into a coma on long haul flights be good as well. When it?
Table Fables [43:06]
Yeah, well, I have I have felt again, I’ve never tried it because I heard those stories of those 3%, then people do. So you know, I was always scared. You gotta try it before. You gotta try it before the flight. Any parents out there. Don’t, don’t try that stuff on the flight.
David Ralph [43:24]
Yeah, just put some blankets on the walls, and lock your kid in there for about three hours and just feed them on biscuits with Bennigan’s on underneath the door, and then see what happens. And if I start smashing it down, like jack nicholson in the shining, and their face coming through, and you know, don’t do it on the plane, just you know, especially advice. And Rebecca and Leah both got kids, we’ve, we’ve, we’ve been there, we’ve been doing it, and we know these things. And so we will share we will share with you.
Table Fables [43:53]
The Great advice, great parenting advice, I’m sure people were you know, all around the world.
David Ralph [44:02]
Well, I’ve got get back on the show, I’ve lost track of it all. And this is the part of the show that we are going to call the Sermon on the mic, when we’re going to send you back in time to have a one on one with your younger self. And if you could go back in time and speak to the young Rebecca, what age would you choose them? What advice would you give? Well, we’re going to find out, because I’m going to play the theme. And when it fades yo up, this is the Sermon on the mic.
Table Fables [44:50]
Okay, I’m gonna go back to when I was 24. And start first started working in TV. And I thought I was rubbish, I just didn’t have any confidence that I could succeed in this world, everyone seems so intelligent and sparkly and funny. And, you know, I sort of plotted along and I sort of, you know, didn’t put myself up for jobs I want to sort of go back to that 24 year old and shake her up and go, you know what you can do this, you might not be brilliant and writing scripts, and you’ll be hopeless, you know, live directing. But you are great other things. And you’re great at storytelling, and you’re great at getting stuff out of people. So you know, you get the best out of them. Believe in yourself. And also don’t think that ambition is a dirty word. I think I thought back then, you know not to be pushy. And you know, that was not the way to do it. But I think put yourself up for every job. Have those failures and have those successes, but put yourself out there and really, really believe in yourself because you are good. And you’ve got you’ve got a talent.
David Ralph [45:58]
Great advice. And yeah, you have got talent, you know, you go on to greater and greater things. And it all starts with the moment of start, doesn’t it? Rebecca, it all starts with that moment when you go, actually nobody else is going to do this. I’ve got to do it myself. And it’s not easy. Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult. But it moves, it moves on and you look back and you go My god, it’s only taken me three years, and I’m already here or it’s only taking me six months or whatever, however long it takes. You know, I’m at four years now with join up dots and it’s now but the show is really going up exponentially every month. But there was a long time I felt nothing was happening. But I was just plowing through just doing show off the show off the show. And you get there, don’t you but you got to start.
Table Fables [46:43]
Yeah, you do, you do have to start and you have to keep going. And I think I think why I’m so passionate about this is that I really want to just change kids lives. And I desperately want to get this successful. So that I can actually go on to some other subjects know, to physics chemistry, which have just never been tackled for years, I’ve got some really funny ideas for doing those and to you know, infuse teenagers to go, okay, actually, if I want to go and blow something up, I might need to know something about physics before I go and blow up or chemistry, you know, so I just I just have a passion that education needs to change, and it needs to move on. And I think you need sort of innovators in that space to change it and to move it on. And people maybe the old in the education sector can see something, you know, in a different way.
David Ralph [47:35]
Rebecca ginger Education Minister for the Conservative Party, get in and that she because you could if you got in at the front end, you could change things. Can you?
Table Fables [47:47]
That’s That’s true. I haven’t thought about a political career. I you know, but you know, maybe after the show, oh, my local, local party.
David Ralph [47:58]
Yeah, absolutely. That’s the way to do it. Well, Rebecca, what’s the number one best way but our audience who’ve been listening today can connect with you.
Table Fables [48:05]
Okay, it’s table fables.net. So just table fables.net. And you can there’s a you know, Information button now you can email us. So that’s the best way. So yeah, just go on there, have a look round. Get your kids to try it, they can try free for seven days. It really does change to live. So that’s what we want to do. And we want to make sure they have fun while they’re doing it.
David Ralph [48:28]
We will have all the links on the show notes. Rebecca, thank you so much for spending time with us today. joining up those dots and please come back again when you got more dots to join up. Because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures. Rebecca Jean, Jeff, thank you so much.
Table Fables [48:45]
No, thank you so much. So thank you very much.
David Ralph [48:50]
Rebecca ginger one she lovely. She was actually sitting in a Commodore when we started. The sound was dreadful. And so I kept on moving around our house saying better, better, better it was when you’re playing with a kid warmer, warmer, what cold got warmer, and so she had to sit in a car door to record that episode. But yeah, she’s got a passion she’s got a passion to help people she’s got a passion to make a difference in kids lives. And it really is good table fables go over it and have a look. And I’m saying this or testimonial videos because we as I said, we’ve all got kids, and we’ve got an ability to gift a kid you know, a better way of teaching and a better way of learning and stuff. I thought it was brilliant. And that’s why I asked her to come on the show and I’m sure that you’re going to be hearing a lot more of her on join up dots because she’s got something she got something extra. Until next time thank you so much for being on this episode of join up dots love having you here love having your ears. And until next time, I’ll see you again cheers
Outro [49:49]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are wants to become so he’s put together an amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneurial practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to join up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on join up dots.
