Shelby: [00:00:00] My mom always told me growing up, um, that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. And that was a big motivator for me, especially like starting learning music later than other kids that I was competing against. And I just felt like there was a lot of things that came so much easier to other people that I had to work really hard at.
And, um, I feel like that really motivated me to just always work hard and just kind of keep going and not just rely on things to fall into place. Just keep going, and then eventually I did see results
You are listening to the Go Earn Your Salt podcast, brought to you by Salt Electrolytes. On this podcast, your host, Riley Rogers, explores the stories of people who get after it, get things done, and earn their salt. You will hear from high achievers who discuss what makes them tick, how they got to where they are today, and where they're headed tomorrow.
Perhaps this [00:01:00] podcast will help you go earn your salt
Riley: Today I've got Shelby Murdock from Blackfoot, Idaho here. Shelby is a, a music teacher. She's a friend of my daughter Libby's, and she's go-getter. And I invited Shelby on here today 'cause she's got just some really cool, uh, business ventures that she's part of, and it seems like every time I turn around, Libby's saying something else about Shelby, and, "Oh, she's doing this now, and she's doing this now."
And so being the Go Earn Your Salt podcast, that's a, a, a podcast for those who are just out there getting after it, Shelby is one of those. So Shelby, welcome to the show.
Shelby: Thank you so much for having me
Riley: Yeah, Super excited. so tell us about growing up, who you, who, kind of who you are and what life was like as a kid
Shelby: Yeah, so I grew up in Shelley, and we had, um, I was really lucky to have my grandparents right next door and, um, my other set of grandparents just down the road, and [00:02:00] then my great-grandma right next door. Like, we kind of almost shared a driveway. And we had lots of property, and, um, I just ran around outside.
I had so many animals and pets and, um, yeah. I, so grew up like that, really close, uh, family and really good, um, school district. I had lots of fun friends. Um, my, so my great-grandma that lived next door, I got to spend a lot of time with her, and she actually lived to be 100 years old. And, um, she had so many cool stories, and there were so many times after school I'd just run over to her house.
And, um, so she was really influential in my life. And, um, she told me about my great-grandpa, who I, I had never met, her husband, and, um, he actually passed away when they were both around, like, 50 years old, so she lived about half her life without him. But she would tell me stories about him and how [00:03:00] he actually played the fiddle.
And he played music and, um, just had a really good natural ear and could just pick up anything. And, you know, they'd come home from church, and he would just play the closing hymn by ear on their piano at home. And she wanted to play piano really bad, and she couldn't. She would try and learn and, and it just didn't come as naturally to her, and she would always tell me about how frustrated she was about that.
Um, but anyways, that really motivated me music-wise, and then a little bit later, that's when I started to pick up the fiddle and play, and we'd go visit her and play for her. And, um, yeah, that's a little bit about my up- upbringing.
Riley: That's pretty cool. So that, that music inspiration was started with your grandpa, huh? That you never, never even met
Shelby: Never met, yeah. And we, uh, we had actually later tried to track down his fiddle, um, 'cause I really... You know, like, when you're playing fiddle and you start to, like, shop [00:04:00] around for really nice fiddles, you realize that, like, the fiddles that are older, the better. And so we tried to, like, find my grandpa's fiddle, and also I just wanted to have it back in the family.
But we couldn't... We weren't able to track that down. And, um, anyways, so yeah, I felt lots of connection with him through that. Also, my, um, mom's parents, so my, um, grandparents on that side, that grandpa played the bass in a 1950s honky-tonk band. And, um, his big upright bass, he would tell stories about how, um, they'd put it on the roof of their car and, like, hold it with their hands out the window
Riley: Oh
Shelby: heading to gigs in Island Park and places like that.
And, um, so that really helped me connect with them and, like, help motivate me to start learning music as well, and kind of, um, I don't know, kinda connect the generations and get some motivation that way.
Riley: That's pretty cool. I, I think, man, you talked about him putting the [00:05:00] instrument on top of his car. I think of my daughter, she's always worried about the temperature and the humidity, and
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: like, "All this stuff affects the instrument." So she's always afraid to fly with it. She has to take it with her and put it-- It's very specific, right?
She's very protective of her instrument. So to hear people strapping it to the top of the car just seems like a different planet.
Shelby: Yes. So something kind of unique about that bass too, so my grandpa had some photos of him and, um, and his bandmates, and, um, him with his bass. And he ended up, um, selling the bass, and then he ended up starting actually a business hi- of his own and, um, really grew that. And it, um, was a very successful business, passed down a couple generations.
And, um, anyways, so he kind of left music in, like, the background and, and didn't really play very much anymore. And then I came up and started playing music, and he would tell me these stories. And again, we tried to track it down. Couldn't track it down. [00:06:00] Asked around, 'cause I mean, a bass is a lot more unique of an instrument than a fiddle.
Um, like it's kinda hard to lose a bass. Um, anyways, we had tried tracking it down, couldn't find it. And then, um, probably I think it was, like, about six or seven years ago, I put on this little fiddle camp, this little day camp, um, at ISU for local kids and community members. And I hired this local fiddler from Firth, his name's Vince Crofts, to come instruct at it.
And I had heard his name lots of times but never really had the chance to meet him, and so that was a perfect excuse to get him to come teach and kinda get to meet him. And, um, my mom was talking with him during one of our breaks, and my mom was telling him about her dad that played bass. And he's like, "Who was your dad again?"
And she said, "Wes Hudman." And he's like, "I have his bass." And we were like, "What?" And yeah, he had... My grandpa had sold it to someone, who had sold it to someone [00:07:00] in the same community. And then Vince h- Vince's son was learning the bass in high school, and so he bought it for his son. And, um, anyways, it was just the crazy, craziest story.
We were able to find it, and we went and visited him, and I got to play it. And then, um, we saved up our money, and a couple years later he sold it to us, and we have it back in the family now.
Riley: That is so, so I'm curious 'cause in my head, an instrument would just be a commodity out there in the world. Like, how do you, how do you know where to even go to, to find these things?
Shelby: Yeah. So, um, like just like where to f- like buy an instrument?
Riley: the way you talk about it, it sounds like, and Libby's done this too, she's talked about like these certain instruments people are able to track down. I'm like, how... One is how do you know? Is there records of it, like who had it? Or is just, you're just kinda banking on people to, to remember who had it before them?
Or what's the... How's that work?
Shelby: So with my [00:08:00] grandpa Hudman, we were really lucky to have some photos of him with it, and then also I think just that it had happened to stay in the same community, and so, um, people remembered his name. And he was, um, like, he was a pretty well-known business owner, and he had a really big business in the community.
It was called OK Trailers. It started out as OK Tires, and then he, um, started into, into camp trailers. And so I think people just remembered his name and associated it with that bass. Um, so we got really lucky with that. But, um, with instruments, so, like, guitars you have, like, Gibson, Martin, Taylor. You have, like, those name brands.
But with orchestral instruments like violins, cellos, violas, basses, you have some good name brands like Eastman. In fact, we finally qualified our business to become a, a dealer for Eastman Strings this last year. And, um, so, like, that is probably the best well-known quality brand. But after that, you don't really have, [00:09:00] like, as big of manufacturers that create those instruments.
It's lots of, like, um, handmade instruments from luthiers and, like, the trade that they learn. Um, and so you can't really go off of brand. Uh, you kind of go off of more of the maker. And the way that those instruments are priced is really weird too. Like, it's not priced off of how good the instrument sounds.
So it's not like a $10,000 violin is gonna sound better than a $5,000 violin. It's really weird. Um, it's more based off of, like, the pedigree and the maker and who they had made violins for and, like, um, kinda more brand. Or not brand. Uh, what am I trying to say? Status maybe.
Riley: Yeah
Shelby: and so it kind of gets tricky when, like, I have students that have, you know, their student models or their student packages, and then they're ready for that next step of, like, their lifetime quality, you know, violin.[00:10:00]
It's really hard sometimes to find a violin. So, like, you have to go talk to makers, go talk to s- several violin shops. Um, I have a couple friends who buy and restore vintage violins, and usually, like, the older the wood, the older the instrument, the more warm it sounds and, like, the better tone it has 'cause the, the wood has aged.
And so, um, yeah, so I have lots of friends like that that buy old violins and restore them. And so... But yet again, like, they are one of a kind, so you don't know what each one is gonna sound like, so you just have to shop around and play them and find one that really speaks to you. And it's kind of, it's kind of a fun hobby.
Like, I love when I have a student that reaches that level, when they're ready to, like, get that quality violin, 'cause I love helping them shop for it and find it and hearing so many unique stories about each violin and, like, wondering where they came from. So, like, my violin is, like, over 200 years old, [00:11:00] and it's just, like, so cool to, like...
I don't know much about it, but I, I love to imagine, like, where it's been and who's played it and also, like, it's gonna outlive me, and so, like, who's gonna play it after me? And, like, I'm just a little piece of its history, and it's just really cool to imagine that and imagine, like, the stories behind each instrument.
Riley: So just hearing you talk, there's like a, um, oh, just a nostalgia in your head. Like you've got, you've got this interest level and this, like you said, you're imagining and you're picturing this thing outliving you and you just being a small part of this fiddle's life. There's almost a, like a folklore that goes on there,
Shelby: Mm-hmm.
Riley: as you talk about it.
And I, I imagine that started as a child too, huh? Where you started realizing, man, there's more to this than just I bought a fiddle."
Shelby: Yeah. Yeah, totally. There's, there's so much more to it, and, um, that's kind of... It's [00:12:00] interesting. That's what's been, like, a big motivator for me business-wise is... And it's kind of hard 'cause I think musicians, I don't know if it's personality or if it's, um, from learning this historical music, we gain, like, an appreciation and, and nostalgia.
But, um, I realize that sometimes, like, we are, we pay so much homage and tribute to, um, tradition that sometimes we're not willing to challenge tradition or bring things to the next level. So that's been kind of interesting, like, as I've been starting my business, like, finding that balance and, like, being able to know when to challenge it and bring it to the next level, but then still pay, um, tribute to tradition and, and keeping those traditions alive, too.
But Yeah
Riley: No, th- this is interesting to me because is something that my daughter Libby has bumped into, is this balance between like, "Well, this is just how we do it, 'cause we've always done it this way." [00:13:00] like, well, wait a second. Y- you need to think about a bigger picture here. Does this actually make sense, or is this just a tradition?
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: you're saying is resonating heavy with me, um, and probably with a lot of people that listen to this show, because there's a lot of, lot of business folk here or, you know, a lot of people and athletes or martial artists or those kind of folks who listen to this podcast and, and I think we all have that.
It's like, are we doing something just because it's tradition or, or do we wanna buck this a little bit and maybe start making some change here? And some of it's, you start making a change and then you realize, no, that was actually a valuable thing. We should probably keep that. I don't, I don't
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: away.
Shelby: Yes
Riley: talk about, I want you to, to start to go into what, what got you started in business? Like what, where'd the business mindset come from?
Shelby: Yeah. Um, so I started playing when I was, like, around 11 or 12. Um, kind of funny [00:14:00] thing, just this last week I realized, I'm like, "Oh my goodness, it's been exactly 20 years since I started playing." And, um, I've been going back through photos trying to, like, figure out the exact date that I started playing, and I couldn't find any documentation.
But anyways, I started playing around 11 or 12, and, um, I fell in love with it. I, I just... Something about it spoke to me. My... Both... So I have two older sisters, one's 16 years older than me, and the other's 10 years older than me, so I was quite a bit younger. Um, I have kind of like three moms, and, um, I loved it, though.
I loved, I love, I, I love everything about it, and I'm still so close with my sisters. And, um, they both did dance. They did, like, competitive dance, and my oldest sister actually taught Irish step dancing. And she had her own business. She had a dance studio, and I did dance there, and that's actually when I kinda fell in love with Irish music, and she talked about how cool it would be to always have some live fiddlers to dance to.[00:15:00]
And, um, her daughter, her oldest daughter, is only six years younger than me, so I'm kind of closer in age to my niece than my sister. But, um, at the time, she was, you know, four or five, and my sister had found a fiddle teacher that lived just down the road from them. And so her four or five-year-old daughter started playing fiddle, and, um, that's when I...
it started to spark my interest too. I was like, "Oh, I kinda wanna do that too." And, um, started playing, and my sister, um, she was just busy with kids, and she ended up closing her dance studio and, um, focused on raising her kids, and she did some other kind of business ventures too. But, um, so she was kinda motivating me in that way too.
But she was a big motivator when it came to music, because she would show me, like, how to sing harmonies and how to listen to, like, all different styles of music, and we would get together and jam. And she ended up starting learning too, because she was attending all the lessons with her daughter, and I started playing [00:16:00] too, and so we kinda had our own little family band and would learn that way.
Um, where was I going with this? Sorry, I kinda went on a tangent.
Riley: We were talking about kind of where you got the business, business mind
Shelby: Okay. So I, I fell in love with music, and I knew I wanted to do, teach music lessons. And I loved my teacher, and she was very motivating, and I was like, "Oh, that would be such a cool job." And, um, I saw my friends start to get little jobs here and there, you know, at restaurants fli- flipping burgers and stuff like that, and I was like, "Man, teaching music would be, um, a really cool job.
I wouldn't have to flip burgers, and I could kind of make my own schedule." And so after only about, like, a year of playing, I had, um... A neighbor asked me if I would teach her daughter. And so I started teaching her daughter, and I loved it. And I loved, like, planning little things, and we'd go play at rest homes, and I, I just found so much excitement in, like, little trinkets and ways to [00:17:00] make lessons fun.
And I-- That's when I first started my business. And it's funny because at the time I didn't realize I was starting my own business. And I taught out of my parents' basement, and a couple years into it, I had, like, 30 students. And I taught all throughout high school, just in my parents' basement, fiddle and guitar lessons, and would plan little recitals in our backyard.
And my sister, I got my sister to make me a logo. She's an incredible artist. And I got her to make me a logo at one point, and we were joking 'cause I wanted it to be Shelby's Music Studio, and we they joked that it was Shelby's Music Basement 'cause it was in my parents' basement. But, um, anyways, so I, I taught all throughout high school and had some amazing students, and I still am so connected with every single one of those students.
And I've played for their weddings, and, um, they've gone on to play [00:18:00] professionally. And, um, one of them, like, I literally started teaching her, I think, when I was in ninth grade. She now, um, is a fiddler for the band Perry and tours all around with them. And, um, a couple other students have studied music in college.
But, like, the coolest thing is that they all still play music, and it's fun to still be connected with them and watch them grow. And it's just so crazy 'cause I'm like, "I didn't realize at the time what an impact they would have on my life." And, um Like, yeah, I just was so young, and like at the time, I didn't realize how big of a deal that was for someone my age.
And, um, I kept teaching through college. I studied music education at Idaho State, and I knew I wanted to teach music, so that's why I did that. But I had all these students, so I would drive home on the weekend and teach them on Fridays and Saturdays, and then come back and go to school during the week.
And then, um, after I graduated from college, I [00:19:00] taught in the public schools for one year. I taught orchestra. And it was, like, amazing. Like, it was the best opportunity. Um, the school was super supportive, and they let me bring in all these guest artists, and I taught fiddle, and I got to, like, create the classes how I wanted to.
But I still had this passion for private lessons, and I... The school actually gave me Fridays off so that I could teach my private students all day on Fridays. And, um, I just was like, dang, I have all these private students that I, I just love teaching, that I feel like I could help develop so much quicker.
And so I decided to stop teaching after that first year, and that's when I opened Snake River Strings. And I had people asking me like, "Oh, who do you recommend for guitar? Who do you recommend for, um, voice? Like, we want someone that teaches that same style or that same way that you do." And so I opened Snake River Strings, and [00:20:00] I still taught, but I hired some other teachers, and some of them were actually, um, some of my more advanced students.
And I trained them on, like, here's how I teach. These are some of the approaches I take, and kind of developed more of a system that way. And, um, that's kind of the beginning of Snake River Strings, and that's when I, I feel like my entrepreneurship brain, like, opened up with that, and that's when I started to look at everything different.
And that's when I was like, wait, I have been running my own business for all these years. I didn't realize I was doing these things. And like I kind of took more of a, I don't wanna say systematized approach, but like I just tried to, like document things and like create systems and processes and, um-
Riley: like how you say that's not a systemized approach. That's like the definition of systemized
Shelby: I didn't realize it at the time, but, um, yeah. And then I- I've just grown from there, and, like, it's completely rewired my brain of the approach I've tried to [00:21:00] take in, um, challenging tradition and, and growing more than just myself and how it kind of create... Thinking about how can I multiply myself, and how can I actually take what's in my brain and, like, actually write it down and help make it so that other people can do that too?
Riley: Okay. Okay, so this is, this is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to talk to you, because you talked about multiplying yourself, right? And systema- system... It's systemizes the word, not systematize. That's, I think systematize we'd all know what we meant, but that's not the right word. Um So this, this multiplication, this systemizing of things, first talk about how you, how you decide what things to document so that you can pass them on, because that's difficult, especially something like you're talking about an instrument, right?
Because there's so
Shelby: Yes
Riley: it's, it's almost like [00:22:00] Jell-O sometimes as far as the trying to get ahold of it. It's like how do you, how do you even start with systemizing that?
Shelby: Yeah. So, um, I systemize my philosophy more than, like, the actual pedagogy of how to teach. So, um, kind of a little bit... Uh, let me ki- let me take a step back for a second. So with Snake River Strings, I noticed that, like, music education was stuck in the 17th century, and, um, because, you know, as musicians, we like to pay tribute to tradition.
But I was like, music is so important, and we need musicians, and it is so important for the development of just human beings and, um, so much more than just playing a song. Like, you learn so much more by learning an instrument. Doesn't matter what age. It connects generations. You learn, like, time management and delayed gratification and, and [00:23:00] goal setting, and, um, you also learn history through, like, the music and, and the artists and the composers.
But anyways, so it, there's, it's so important, and I was like, how can we compete? How can we bring music education to the next level? Because there's so many other things competing for kids' time and attention and, um, there, and there's lots of fun things too, like competitive cheer and dance and football and jujitsu and all these things, and I feel like music is not as accessible because it's hidden.
Like, you drive around and you see a T-ball game or something like that, you know? But music, it's, like, the actual learning process is very personal and happens over a long period of time, like in your bedroom practicing, and then you really only see the end result at, like, a big performance or something like that.
Um, so I'm like, how can we make music more accessible and realize, like, hey, that looks fun. I want to do that. And, um, so
Riley: about, um, [00:24:00] like little wins? Is that what you're trying to almost celebrate the little...
Shelby: Yes.
Riley: much of it happens in the dark, right? You're just, you're by yourself doing your thing. You're improving, but no one sees it
Shelby: Yes. But like little wins, but then also through like active marketing. Um, before places like Snake River Strings, really the only way you could find or a... Like, if you had a child that was interested in learning an instrument, um, most of the time it was like if the parent had played an instrument before, took piano lessons or something growing up, so they knew how it worked, and they could like seek out a teacher.
Like, they knew like to call the local symphony or the local college and find a teacher that way, or if they were lucky enough to have a neighbor or someone that taught nearby. Um, so that was really the only way to learn music or to access learning music before. But now, like through our active marketing and like, um, making it more accessible and having multiple locations and, um, bringing the best teaching, I feel like it's more of an [00:25:00] option for parents, and they're like, "Oh, that looks fun.
Like, I didn't realize like that... Maybe that would speak to my child, or maybe that would be good for them." So, um, yeah,
Riley: So describe
Shelby: more accessible.
Riley: is, 'cause we know the name, but so
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: maybe a little bit more, 'cause I'm, I'm picking up some hints of what this thing is, but talk about it
Shelby: So, um, kinda going back with, uh... So I noticed this need, and, um, I was like, "We need to bring music education to the next level. How can we do that? How can we make it more accessible?" And, um, so what I do, so Snake River Strings is a, I call it a modern music school. Um, and I have, we have, right now we teach over 21 different instruments.
We have over 50 instructors. And something that's kind of different about us is that, um, just kind of the business side, the way I structure things, they're not 1099 contractors. They're W-2 employees. So I, I pay my employees as hourly employees. They're paid for, [00:26:00] um, m- you know, whether a student doesn't show.
They're paid, um, if a student cancels with less than 24 hours notice. They're paid for recital time. They're paid for their lesson prep. Um, and also, like, I want, I expect them to be a team. It's not just a random person, and I just will rent out a space to whoever wants to teach. I, um, I, I really try to build our team and do different trainings and, um, we have these values that we have defined, and, um, it's an acronym.
It stands for FRETS. Um,
Riley: fun.
Shelby: and it, F stands for fun, R is results, E is evolve, T is togetherness, and S is surprise or surpass. And, um, so we apply those values to us as employees, but then also our students as learners, and parents as like, um, you know, facilitators or like, um, influences. [00:27:00] And so, and also, like, in our marketing, all of that, like, that's kind of what drives our approach.
And so, um, we also collaborate and do really fun, um, big recitals and practice challenges, and we try to create more of a community. I had people that wanted to... And that's kinda where the togetherness comes in. I had people that wanted me to, um, teach, you know, just rent a space and teach. Um, or also I taught out of my home, and it was really hard because I didn't get challenged.
Like, I didn't have other people to network with and to, um- bring like the next, the latest teachings to and like bounce ideas off of. And, and, um, I also like missed out on, um, just that togetherness, like the bigger, being able to have funner, bigger recitals and being able to bring in guest artists and different opportunities for students.
And so we really try to do that with our employees. [00:28:00] And, um, I've also kind of built a system so we have receptionists and admins that handle all of like the day-to-day like billing and cancellations and makeup credits and communications and, um, you know, text message reminders, all of that so that our teachers can just focus on what their strength is, which is teaching and what they're passionate about.
Um, but kind of, I, sorry, I've kind of gone on a couple tangents. I remember earlier you asked, um About, like, how I teach someone to teach.
Riley: Yeah
Shelby: when I, when I employ my, or when I interview my teachers, I look for people that will fit our values, but then I also look for someone that's passionate about what they do.
And, um, because I don't want to say, "You have to teach this one way." Um, we have teachers that teach rock and roll. We have teachers that teach classical. We have teachers that teach jazz. And, um, I want them to be able to teach [00:29:00] what they're passionate and excited about, because that's gonna relay over to the students, and that's gonna be contagious and hopefully help them develop that same passion.
And so I really let my teachers teach what they want, but I have this, like, philosophy and these values that we're like, "Okay, how can we take this approach? How can we bring this best practice and, like, this motivation and these strategies, um, while still teaching, you know, the actual content is what you're passionate about?"
Riley: Yeah
Shelby: that was something, like, growing up being a fiddler, I ran into a lot of times where there would be classical violinists that were just kind of snobby and kind of judgmental towards me. And it kind of bugged the crap out of me, because I was like, "I have devoted just as much time and energy to this art form as you have to yours.
It doesn't make it any less legitimate." And, um, so another big motivator when opening Snake River Strings was like, I want to help [00:30:00] students develop a love for music. It, there's no, like, "This way is the only correct way, and this is the only legitimate style of music." Um, it's really cool. Like, I'll walk down the halls at Snake River Strings, and in like one room I'll hear, like, Hank Williams.
In another room I'll hear, like, AC/DC. In another room I'll hear someone playing, like, an old-time fiddle tune. Or another room I'll hear Bach. Like, it's really cool, because everybody's personalities are so different. And so, and learning music is sometimes difficult, and you have to learn delayed gratification.
And so you have to find what speaks to the student and help them develop and gain that same passion and excitement. And, um, so yeah, I really, with Snake River Strings, I, I don't want it to be this, like, staunch conservatory. Like, we, we take the approach of like, music is fun, and music, um, should speak to you, and you should be able to play the music that you love.
And it will be difficult, but, like, you'll remember your why. And, um, [00:31:00] you just gotta stick with it, and it'll bring so many amazing opportunities and, um, just so much amazingness to your life.
Riley: the other lessons you learned through music that are more than just music, right? There's... And that's one of them, is that, that ability to just put your head down and continue doing a thing even though the, the progress is so incremental day to day it doesn't feel like you've learned anything new.
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: over time, you start to realize, oh, man, no, I've spent, I've spent the hours it takes to this into something that is, you know, it teaches you that resilience and that, that, uh, I'm losing the word for it. But that, just that ability to pursue it and continue on
Shelby: Yes.
Riley: what, right? You're just
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: that discipline
Shelby: Yeah, my, so my niece, the one that started, um, when she was four, she says, like she vividly remembers times when like she was crying 'cause she didn't wanna [00:32:00] play. And like her mom made her practice, and there were like dried tears on her violin. And, um, anyways, she's like, "But I..." But then, and when she got about, I think it was like 16 or 17, that's when like everything finally started to click, and she had this talent that was so unique to her that no other kids her age had.
And she's like, "I'm so grateful my mom made me stick through that, because now I have this skill and something that will be with me the rest of my life, and something that's very unique to me." And, um, music takes a while, and it's different for everybody. Some, some people pick it up really fast, some people it takes years.
Um, but like it will get easier eventually, and then you'll realize like, "Oh, my gosh, that was so worth it. Like I'm so glad I did that. That wa- I'm so glad. That was so worth it." Like how many adults do you meet that are like, "I wish my mom wouldn't have let me quit piano. Like, I wish you, I wish I would have stuck with it"?
[00:33:00] And, um, no one regrets sticking with an instrument. I've never met someone that regretted that. Um, and that's funny 'cause, so that same niece, she started running marathons like two years ago, and she really motivated me to start long distance running. And I have never been athletic, and, um, I have fallen in love with long distance running, and I think it's because it takes those same, that same mindset.
Because you kinda zone out, and you just like, you're like, "I just gotta, I just gotta run." And then before you know it, 20 miles have p- have passed, and you're like, "Whoa, I just did that. That was so cool." And, um, yeah, so I, I definitely see those skills, or not skills, but maybe mindsets transitioning to other things in my life too.
Riley: I think that's all, that's amazing 'cause I, I've seen that common thread in so many, so many places. Like I told you at the beginning of the podcast, this is, we have a lot of athletes and business owners on here [00:34:00] because they, they have that similar mindset, right? And music is always something I've talked about that it's like I watch my daughter and the amount of hours she puts into it, and the level of skill that she's developed over the years and how it's been slow progress over time, but it's...
She's just stuck with it, now she's very good, right?
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Shelby: Yeah
Riley: this, um, this mindset th- of athletes and business owners and musicians, it's all hard stuff. Like you don't just go into it knowing what you're doing, and then you don't pick it up. Like a kid can go out, I think, and play certain sports or do certain things and pretty [00:36:00] immediately have a level of fun with it.
Shelby: Mm-hmm.
Riley: But man, the first time you start playing a piano or you start sawing on a fiddle, it's not that way. It's,
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: a little bit fun, but it's also very frustrating, and so that ability to learn how to push through that frustration until you can develop the skill is, I think, ridiculously important and in people's development.
Y- I mean, you already said that, but
Shelby: Yeah. Yeah, I think it's, um, yeah, there's definitely balance in all things. I think that, um, you know, I'm, I'm always trying to ask that question of like what is the best, what is the best thing or best activity for a kid to be involved with that's gonna help develop them and help their brain, you know, help them be successful adults that contribute to society and create beautiful things.
And so, um, I'm always like, "Okay, how do-- what, what is the answer and how do we help kids?" I personally think music. Obviously, I'm a little [00:37:00] biased with that. But, um, I'm always like, "Okay, how, how do we help make music accessible? But then also how do we keep that motivation going?" Whether it's music or sports or, um, whatever activity, but like it's gonna be a roller coaster and so like how do we keep, keep that going and keep that motivation, and what is it that makes people successful?
And what is it that makes people stick with it long term, and how can we help develop that, and how can we help each child get that same skill to be able to stay with it and, and actually reach those results? I think everybody probably battles with that. But
Riley: Well, what is it? What is the thing that
Shelby: I don't know. I don't know what the thing is. I think finding, I think finding your passion. Um, a lot of times parents will be like, "Oh, I want my kid to start with piano." And then I'm like, "Well, uh, like why?" And they're like, "Oh, I just heard that's what you start with." And it's like, no, like you can learn the same skills and the same like important things in any [00:38:00] instrument.
So like what are they drawn to? What are they excited about? And they're like, "I don't know." And I'm like, "Well, have you showed them YouTube videos of different instruments? Have you taken them to concerts and see, and like see what speaks to them? What kind of music do they like to listen to?" And, um, helping them find what they're excited about, and then kinda sticking with that.
Because, um, if you're constantly changing around, then you're not ever really gonna stick with something long enough to like master it or to finally reach that point where it's like, okay, it's not as hard, it's more enjoyable now. Um, so like sticking with something, and then, um... So finding what they're excited about, and then when it does get difficult, they still remember their why, instead of being forced to do something that they're like, "I didn't even pick in the, this in the first place."
Um, and then just not, not making it an option to quit. I, I know that sounds kind of weird. I know some people are like, "Oh no, I don't wanna make my kids do this." But, um, you just have to [00:39:00] value it and show them like I, this, this is important to me. Like with my kids, I'm trying to teach them to brush their teeth right now.
They are terrible at brushing their teeth every day, and it is a fight every day. I have a six and a four-year-old. And, um, I maybe should have prefaced with that. They're not 16. Trying to get them to brush their teeth every day. Anyways, six and four years old, trying to get them to brush their teeth every day, and it's not an option for me to quit.
Like they- in order to be a good adult, they need to have these hygiene habits, right? And so like it's not even an option to quit. Like I just am like, "No, we, we need to brush our teeth every day." And so I think ta- kind of taking that same approach of like as a parent, I really value this thing, and we're...
Like sometimes we're gonna be really great about it, sometimes we're gonna slack on our practicing. Um, but that's just life, and we need to have grace with ourselves and just stick with it, and it's those little bits, 1% every day, that ends up accumulating and making a big difference. I really like... [00:40:00] Have you read Atomic Habits?
Riley: Mm-hmm
Shelby: I, I love Atomic Habits, and, um, you know, just that 1% every day. And also, there's so many great, um- uh, pieces of advice in that book too for, that can apply to anything. But like I love like habit stacking, for example. So like, you know, when your kid comes home from school, usually they have a snack. And so it's like, okay, every time they have a snack after school, let's just tack on guitar practice with that.
And so like they have a snack, and then we practice guitar, and then we go outside and play. Um, so like finding like little tricks like that to help get in a good habit, and you're gonna have good times, you're gonna have bad times, but just sticking with it in the long run, um, hopefully will pay off
Riley: I think that's a cool, just a cool mindset, that whole idea of having grace with yourself. 'Cause you, you do go, it ebbs and flows, right? You have these times where, where, you know, you talk about you being a runner. There's, there's days when running's easy and it's fun, and you're just like, "Man, this feels great." [00:41:00]
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: days when you're just, like, slogging through the mud, and it's just like, "I'm just gonna go put the miles in just to put the miles in. I don't even wanna be doing this. I got other things I, wanna do," right?
Shelby: Yes
Riley: glad you did it afterwards
Shelby: Mm-hmm. Yeah, totally. And it's the exact same with practicing. Like, some... And I think, like, I, I know a lot of musicians get, like, imposter syndrome or, like... But I think it's because music, like, you really, a lot of times you only see the end result. Like, you don't necessarily hear, like, a lot of people sound like crap and, like, we squeak.
And, like, when I, when I practice, I don't always sound performance ready. And, um, I, yeah, just realizing, like, sometimes you're gonna have good practice sessions, sometimes you're gonna have bad. And, um, it's that delayed gratification thing, and just that, like, goal setting of, like, you just have to do a little bit every day, and then after a couple months you're like, "Oh yeah, like that, that is easier now."
And I really try to make an effort to point that out with my students, and that's one of the things that I really encourage my teachers to do too [00:42:00] is, like, take videos. And, like, help your, help the students realize... 'Cause, like, especially when you're a kid, like, you don't have a lot of, like... I don't know.
Time is kind of a weird concept, and, like, you don't have a lot of, like, "Whoa, I, I actually sound better. This is easier now." So, like, really helping point that out of, like, "Remember two months ago when you couldn't even do this?" And, like, "Now you can do this." And that's what also creates motivation too because it's like, "Oh, like, I did this.
I can do this again." And so, um, yeah. Helping document and point those things out and, and just keep going
Riley: I think that's neat 'cause that's the, that's the, oh, kind of the idea of competing against yourself, right? You're, you're competing against you a year ago, and are you improving? Yes. 'Cause we, we, um, I don't know if Libby's told you, I'm a jujitsu guy, right? And I,
Shelby: Oh, that's cool
Riley: done this for a long time, and that's what I'm always telling students in that world too, is like, know that you're [00:43:00] still fighting against the same dudes that were beating you up when you came in here at the beginning are still beating you up because they're progressing at the same... They're staying right ahead of you, right? Now, what you need to ask yourself is how you would do against you a year ago. And could you kick your own butt? Yeah, you could. And
Shelby: Yes
Riley: of that is, is a great thing. It's, uh... And what we get in the jujitsu world is we'll get someone new off the street comes in, and they've never trained. And so then our guys who have been training for a year and feeling like they're not making progress get to go up against someone who's never trained
Shelby: Yes.
Riley: this is easy to- with that one."
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: thing. Like, you're, you're... The parallels in the music world to, to martial arts. Same thing goes with business, you know?
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: some hard knocks. You're gonna learn some experiences, and
Shelby: Yes.
Riley: So,
Shelby: Yeah. You also learn, like, well, it's interesting 'cause, like, competition isn't necessarily bad. Like, it's sometimes good to have that [00:44:00] and to push yourself, motivate yourself. You have to find balance in it, but then also, like, that's why one of our fr- our, um, values is togetherness, because it's so important to share music together, to also, like, build community and get to know the other students, because that's what's also gonna, like, give you a little bit of motivation too.
Like, growing up... So I didn't start playing till I was 11 or 12, and then I started going to fiddle contests, and I felt like every kid in a fiddle contest started playing when they were four, and they were homeschooled. So they were so good, because they just, like, played music all day. And I remember just feeling like, "How am I gonna catch up?"
And, but that's what motivated me so much, 'cause I wanted to catch up, and I wanted to do good. And, um, I was still pushing myself, but then I, I didn't want to show up at a fiddle contest and be like, "Oh, man, I'm playing the same songs as I was last year." Like, I wanted... I took pride in, like, I, I want to learn new songs, and I want to show [00:45:00] up and be prepared and put my best foot forward.
And if, if, as long as I do that, then whatever happens in the competition, whatever... You know, there's so many things at play. Whatever happens, I can't control that stuff. But what I can control is, like, being prepared and showing up prepared, and the time that I put in it. And then I can be at peace with myself, knowing that I, that I, I tried my hardest, and whatever outcome happens, happens.
Um, so I feel like that was really good for me growing up, to kind of learn that. And then definitely, it's hard, like, as a business owner not to compare. Like, all the time, I just feel, I feel like, "Oh, man, they're doing so many cool things," or also like, "Oh, I should be doing this. I should be posting more on social media.
I should be, like, staying up on all the trends. I should be doing this." And it's like, ah, there's... Don't forget about all the things that I have completed today. And, um, yeah, I'm still learning that balance.
Riley: No, that, is a balance there. I, I do appreciate you saying that because you do wanna be [00:46:00] challenged by other people, but at the same time you don't wanna have it discourage you because you haven't done the thing that they've done. Because you've probably done 10 other things they haven't done that they're looking at and going, "Man, I wish I would've done something that Shelby did," you know?
Shelby: Yes
Riley: guess, you know, kind of bringing this back around to, to some of the stuff you've done with Snake River Strings, and I, I just wanna frame this. A lot of times when people start businesses, they basically give themselves a job, and they do that job until their schedule's full, and that's when they hit their ceiling, right?
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: done is you've started to involve other people in it so that you can delegate a lot of this stuff out, and then you actually built a company. So now there's a bunch of people being employed, there's a lot more students being able to learn because you're not limited by just your schedule, right?
Shelby: Yes
Riley: I think that is one of the coolest things because a lot of times... D- are you familiar with Dave Ramsey?
Shelby: Mm-hmm.
Riley: Okay, I've, I've heard him talk to people about, um... They'll be school [00:47:00] teachers, and, and you, you kind of went through a year of teaching school, right?
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: they're, they're always complaining about the income that a school teacher makes. And he goes, "Well, let me reframe that." He says, "I'm a teacher
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: but I teach millions of people,
Shelby: Yes.
Riley: bit.
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: I'm not limited in my income. My income's really good because... But we do the same job." And that to me is, that's where it's at. That's, that's, on some scale, that's what you've done, is you've went, "My schedule is full in the basement, let's build a bigger thing
Shelby: Yes
Riley: and delegates."
So talk about maybe where that inspiration came from and what,
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: what you've done with it. I think it's cool as crap.
Shelby: So I, my husband has been probably the biggest influence with that. He is so great with, um, some- so have you ever read the book Surrounded by Idiots?
Riley: No
Shelby: It, it's a really great book about, [00:48:00] um... So y- my husband is a reader. I am not a reader. I hate reading. Um, I just like, I, sometimes I just can't sit still long enough to read.
And, um, I'm, I'm always like, "Oh, I should be doing this." Um, anyway, so he read this book and, and, uh, got me to read it. And it basically talks about how like, you know, you think you're surrounded by idiots, but it's just because there's different motivators or different things that speak to them, and, um, different ways that they view the world.
And they're not idiots, it's just that they have different personalities. And it's basically like the DISC, do you know like the DISC,
Riley: Uh-huh
Shelby: uh, personality profile test, whatever? Um, so it's like, you know, assigning... And not everyone's gonna fit 100%, but it's kind of trying to figure out what color they are, their personality, and what motivates them.
Um, so my husband is a yellow. He loves, um, like people, and big picture, and vision, and he gets really excited by that. I'm a red. I love checklists. I love just like completing tasks. And sometimes it gets frustrating because we're so opposite in that way, [00:49:00] but also we balance each other out so well. And I definitely get stuck in the day-to-day a lot, and I definitely get stuck in like I need to get this checklist done.
And he's so great at helping me get out of that and being like, "Wait a second. Like, take a look at this, and like what is actually gonna move the needle today? Like, what is gonna actually, um, make a... Instead of just checking this off, what's gonna actually make a long-term change?" And so that, having that mindset I think is honestly what really changed my business and, um, my entrepreneurship.
It was like, "Okay, how can I do this so that in a way that I don't have to..." What, what am I trying to say? If I'm having to sit down and do this thing once, how can I do it in a way so that it solves it and I don't have to ever do it again? Or I, I document it so that someone else can easily do it. And so like if I'm gonna sit down and do something, how can I do it so that, yeah, I d- like it- it's, it's [00:50:00] reproducible.
And, um, yeah, so he's been a huge influence with me with that, and he's what really helped me kinda see like, "Okay, how can I create this?" And instead of getting stuck in like, "I'm so busy, I'm so full," what are some things that are gonna actually make a difference in the long run? And so, um, sorry, remind me again what your question was.
Riley: Well, it was just that. It was, it was how you, how you basically, um, you took the, took the lid off that whole schedule thing where you were just full, and you started to build it into systems that then you could pass on. And you just mentioned that,
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: things so that other people can do it. And I think about, uh, in my business, and it was, it was freaking hard when I started. Um, I've got another company besides the electrolyte company where we work on automobiles and do fleet maintenance stuff for, for trucks and cars.
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: And I documented that entire business over a course of about a year, and it was every little [00:51:00] nitpicky thing we do. But I, I have a piece of paper in a business manual that documents who does it, when they do it, why they do it, and w-what the step-by-step to doing it, every individual task is, you
Shelby: Yeah, that's cool
Riley: it was a massive amount of work, it felt like in my head. But once that was done, ability to, uh, that to someone else and, and... I actually tested it on Libby. She was like 10 years old when I was doing this, right?
Shelby: That's cool
Riley: a sheet of... I can't remember what it was, uh, how to file our quarterly income tax at the time, or our s-sales and use tax is what it was. And I made this sheet, and then I just handed it to my 10-year-old, and I said, "Do this." And she got on my computer and did it.
Shelby: That's cool
Riley: my taxes for that month, or that month or quarter, whatever it was.
Shelby: That's amazing
Riley: it took her 15 minutes, right? And the next time
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: because there was a th- there was now a path to walk on. And that was such a revelation for me to just like, "Man, you document [00:52:00] this crap, training someone is very easy."
Shelby: Yes.
Riley: Yeah.
Shelby: Yeah,
Riley: love that you're saying it, and this sounds like you've done a ton of this stuff.
Shelby: Yeah, and it's definitely hard because, like, when you are first starting that, like, it's really hard not to get overwhelmed 'cause it's, there, there's so much to do. And you do, like, I, I, I saw a reel the other day, I was like, "I gave up my 9:00 to 5:00 to work 24/7." And sometimes that feels true. Um, but like, also the kind of the cool thing about it, though, is that, like, you are building something for you, and, like, you are building something so much bigger than just yourself.
So, like, it is a lot of work, but, like, when you start to say, like, "Okay, how can I do this so that it creates a system that is reproducible so that, like, I don't have to keep doing this little thing again?" Um, like my husband, he loves QR codes, and, um, he created these, like, QR code stickers. And so, like, I had an [00:53:00] employee, I, it, it was several employees.
I don't know what was wrong, but at a couple of our different locations, like, everyone was like, "How, why isn't the Wi-Fi working?" And I'm like, "Oh, just restart the Wi-Fi router." And they're like, "How do I do that?" And so just little things like that. So what I did is I just put a QR code on the Wi-Fi router, and it was like, "How to restart Wi-Fi router," and it just, the QR code took them to a YouTube video.
And so just little things like that so that... And now it's freed up... It took a lot of time to do that, but then now I'm not getting those text messages of like, "How do I restart the, the Wi-Fi router?" Um, so yeah, it's those little things. Again, 1% better each day, and over time it will pay off.
Riley: Yeah, I think, gosh, I think that's beautiful. Um, other business ventures. So I, I'm, I'm super curious here. So you've, you went from being a teacher fiddle lessons in the basement.
Shelby: Mm-hmm.
Riley: You did a little stint as a school teacher, but then you [00:54:00] built Snake River Strings, which now you said has over 50 employees.
And how many locations?
Shelby: Four.
Riley: Four.
Shelby: Yep
Riley: So super impressive just based on that. But then you've got this other thing going on that Libby mentioned to me, um, Sounds of Summit. Is that
Shelby: Yeah. Yeah.
Riley: is that?
Shelby: Um, so that one, I didn't really necessarily mean for that one to happen. It kind of fell, fell in my lap. Um, so we started getting, um, a lot of inquiries for musicians to play for people's weddings. And, um, I think a lot of people were like, "Oh, I want a violinist at my wedding. If they're good enough to teach, they can play for my wedding."
So they just searched for music schools. And so we started getting a lot of inquiries for that, and, um, I started booking weddings and, um, sending my teachers out to go play for these weddings too. And a lot of us, like, already play in, like, quartets and stuff together, so it worked out really great. And, um, that ended [00:55:00] up just growing.
And we're really lucky, like where we live, we've got Jackson Hole like two hours away this way, and then Sun Valley two hours away this way. And so both of tho- both of those are really great, like, destination wedding areas. And, um, yeah, it grew enough that two years ago I, I created my own separate LLC.
And, um, yeah, this last summer we played for 108 weddings in Jackson Hole and Sun Valley. It works out great though, 'cause like our instructors, um, you know, sometimes it kind of slows down a little bit in the summer. Some students will take the summer off or something like that. And so it works really great to help supplement their income.
Plus, they love getting a chance to go perform instead of just being stuck teaching all the time. They love to be able to go perform and see some cool venues, and we just have lots of fun playing the music too. So,
Riley: I think
Shelby: yeah.
Riley: a cool thing that you... It's something that people need to understand. When you're involved enough in a community, you start to [00:56:00] recognize these underserved areas, right? And that sounds like exactly what you've done, is you were involved in this music community, but then all of a sudden you started seeing this thing happen where you had a pulse on it.
When, when people started to schedule these weddings, you're like, "Well, heck, no one else is doing it."
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: So it fell in your lap, is the way you put it. Now, that's, that's an understatement. I mean, you just had to, you still had to build a business around it, and you still had to systemize that, and you still had to, had to create it.
But one of the,
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: other things you mentioned I think I'm geeking out about is the, the summer lull, right? And that's, uh, Libby will see that, where, where her students will be traveling. They, they do, families do stuff in the summertime. Our martial arts school does that, where summertime's slow, slower, because of the people travel and camp and do all kinds of other stuff, and so they're not there. recognizing those, that flow, that pattern, and you going, "Well, hey, I've got all these people that are kinda twiddling their thumbs this time of year. Here's another [00:57:00] opportunity for them," is... The recognition of the, the need there is, is, is genius to me.
Shelby: Yeah. And of course my husband, again, he's so great at like motivating me big picture, 'cause I get so excited. I'm like, "Oh, I wanna go play for this wedding. I wanna play for this wedding." And then I end up booking out like every single weekend and I'm like playing all these weddings just 'cause it sounds fun and I have fun at them.
And my husband's like, "Hey, you should, you should pass those on. Like get s- get some more people trained to go play those so that that opens more bandwidth for you." And, um, he always definitely keeps me in check with that 'cause I, I love... I don't know. I bite off way more than I can chew all of the time.
And then, and then I regret it later. I'm like, "Oh, I'm stretched so thin. Why did I do this?" And, and, uh, he definitely helps me stay in balance and stay in check with that
Riley: Do you, Um, what's the conversation look like between the two of you when he's saying, "Hey, it's time to delegate some stuff"?
Shelby: Um, I definitely fight back. I'm like, "No, no, I, I got this." Like, I, I can, [00:58:00] um... Like, I, I definitely, like, just 'cause I get so stuck in the day-to-day and I, I get in, like, my little, I don't know, routine almost, and, like I enjoy it and I love it, but I sometimes forget, like, wait a second, am I, am I... Is this the best way to spend my time?
And, um, Tate is so great at, like, he d- like, he's not, um, rude about it or, like, forceful about it. He's just like, "Hey, is that the best way?" You know, he just kinda keeps me in check and, like, plants the idea. And then I usually, like, kind of fight back, and then after a couple days, I, like, think about it. I'm like, "Okay, actually, I think he's right.
I think, like, I should." And then I start to make a little bit of changes, and then after a month, I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I'm so glad I did that. Sorry, babe. You were right." And then, and then, uh, I, I make those changes, and then, then it does pay off in the long run. That's one thing that I've learned to appreciate about him, too, is that, like, sometimes it drives me insane because he is so big-picture, and I feel like [00:59:00] I get stuck doing, like, the little checklist things.
But then I've learned, I'm like, wait, that is such an amazing thing about his personality, and that's why it works so well with me. And sometimes I don't wanna hear it, but then I'm like, "Okay, yeah, actually, that, that will pay off in the long run. I should consider that." And I've learned to, like, appreciate that, and, like, we work so well together because of that.
Um, actually, my husband, he was able to quit his job a year and a half ago. He worked, um... So, like, he was in agriculture all growing up. His, his dad was a farmer, a potato farmer, and he grew up working on the farm and, um, driving tractor and doing everything, and he really wanted to farm. Um, and then, like, when we were first married, that's when we kinda realized, like, farming maybe wasn't an option just because of some, um, like, different things, the way the farm was structured and just, like, bank loans and how that all works.
And so he got a job, um, at Spudnik Equipment, and they're a manufacturer of potato [01:00:00] equipment here in Blackfoot. He loved that job. And he, um, really built... So he started in maintenance, and, um, maintenance and reliability is what he called it. And they, they were so far behind in production, um, but then, like, something would break, uh, a machine or something would break, and then they'd go in, and then they'd get f- more behind.
So, like, his biggest goal when he took that position was to be proactive in maintenance instead of reactive, and it boosted their, um, uh, their production times and, like, made... It's so funny 'cause you wouldn't think that would make such a big impact, but it, it, like, saved the company so much money, and he really turned that around.
And then he, um... So he has some really great stories with, with, like, process and documenting and, like, um, planning and stuff like that. And then he moved, um, to another position, um, after that with, um, development and, like, training. And, um, he [01:01:00] does, like, c- coaching. And, um- Uh, like just employee development. And he d- he created some really good training processes and stuff like that.
Um, so he had a, a lot of great experience and learned a lot working there, and we kind of reached a point, though, about a, a year and a half ago, where we were stretched so thin. And like, my businesses were growing, and he was busy with work, and, um, our kids were sacrificing because, like, we would work until like 11:00 at night.
He would come home from work and then help me with my stuff till like 11:00 at night, and, um, we just felt so stretched thin. And so we decided, um, just to take a chance on ourselves, and it was really hard for him to leave his job because he loved it and felt so fulfilled there and just really respected everyone there.
Um, and so it was definitely a hard decision, but we were like... He, he said that, um, he was like, "I don't want to reach my retirement and say, [01:02:00] 'Why?'" And then, like b- he imagined being like at his retirement party at Sputnik and being like, "Oh, what if? What if I would have tried that?" But he was like, "If I..." He said that, like, if he did try it and then it didn't work, he could always go back or he could always find another job.
And so we decided to take the, uh, take the risk, and he quit there. And, um, it definitely was kinda hard at first, like our different personalities and trying to learn to work together and be together 24/7. But, um, I, like it has been amazing and has completely turned around our lives. And it's been a year and a half now, and we feel like we've really gotten in a really good routine and a good, um, what am I trying to say?
Just like work, work relationship as well as still being able to balance our families. And, um, so that's been kind of cool, uh, in the last year and a half too, and something that's been really cool to be able to take that jump together and take that risk, like, or investment on ourselves and our family.
Riley: [01:03:00] So question for you. When, when it was time for him to quit his job, what was the, was the... I mean, you, you mentioned being stretched thin,
Shelby: Mm-hmm.
Riley: but what was the thing there? Was there, was there like a milestone you were... to reach in your businesses before he quit his job? Or was there, was there... What was the plan there?
Shelby: Um, we never really had anything super in mind. I think a lot of ... It's kind of like a trend now. I feel like a lot of women are like, "Oh, I wanna start this business and grow it so my husband can quit his job." I feel like that's... And everybody always asked me if that was my goal, and I was like, "No." Like, I took a lot of pride, and like I wanted it to be my baby and it was my thing.
And he was really great at like supporting me in it, and like there were so many times that like I would just complain and like just like stress out, and we would just spend like evenings just talking about it, and he would help me walk through stuff and, um, like, you know, having difficult conversations with employees or having to fire someone, you know, stuff like [01:04:00] that.
And he would help me walk through that. And then, um, anyways, but other than that, I was like, "No, this is my baby." Like, I want this thing. And, um, so yeah, we never really had like a certain... It was more maybe pride. I don't know. We never really had like a certain thing that we were like, "Once we reach this step, then we can do this."
Um, he felt super fulfilled in his job and loved it, and then I felt like that with my s- with my s- businesses as well. Um, I think ultimately it just kinda came down to like our kids and our family life, um, was kind of sacrificing. And like our kids, like your kids grow up so fast, and those years are so short.
And so we're like, "We really don't want to sacrifice that." And, um, so we had like, "Okay, how can we find this balance? How can we, how can we do that?" And we decided that, you know, taking the cut of his income was worth it so that we could spend more time with our kids. And, um, but like we were like, "That's the worst case scenario," you [01:05:00] know?
But even better than that, he's able to spend 40 hours a week helping me grow this now too, and that's what's happened. He's been able to help me grow this. And, um, we have an online store as well where we sell instruments, and so that's been kind of his baby is like s- And we sell instruments all over the United States and ship them all over.
So he, um, that's been his baby, and he's taken over like that process and creating, um, processes. And we have an employee with that now that does all of the shipping, and he's built like vendor relationships. And anyways, so we're really glad we took the, the risk on ourselves. And, um, yeah, we have more time with our kids now too.
Riley: I love it. That's, um, that step is always nerve-wracking, right? And I think,
Shelby: Yes
Riley: times people jump ship too early. they get excited about their new venture, but it's not really producing an income big
Shelby: Yes
Riley: 'Cause you, you took, I would venture to guess, a [01:06:00] fairly substantial income cut on his end, which, you know, maybe you've replaced that now, but maybe you haven't quite yet.
I don't know. Um, some businesses take a little while to build back up into that. So did you guys have, um, did you have savings set aside or anything like that to, to make that transition?
Shelby: Yeah
we had a lot of savings, and in our savings, we like to keep a- about three months worth of, like, operational expenses in our savings. Um, and then, um, what was I gonna say? Oh, I, I'd always, I had also been in business for six years, too, before we had, we had done that. And I also, um ... So we had built that, and then I also wasn't teaching.
So I, um, like, as I've grown, I've got less and less students because I take over more of the, you know, instead of being caught in the day-to-day, I'm taking over more of the bigger picture things and more visionary things. Um, so I don't teach at all. And we were kind of [01:07:00] like, we kind of budget crunched and we're like, "Okay, worst case scenario, you know, I can just pick up four or five more students."
Um, and we kind of, you know, had some backup plans like that. And, um, yeah, like we definitely didn't, uh ... I, I think a lot of times, like, when people start businesses, they're like, "Oh, I'm gonna go all in and do this," but sometimes that over-leverages yourself and then it creates stress. And I think it's much better to, you know, start small, start with some, um, smaller projects, prove you can do it.
You will stretch yourself because you're gonna be trying to do a million things at once, but then once you start to do that, then you can start to cut back in other areas. Um, so yeah, I, I think doing that really helped.
Riley: I, uh, I 100% agree. I, I think it's such a cool thing because you, you do get nervous 'cause you do see that pay cut coming. But if you've prepared ahead of time, and you have some savings, and you have a backup plan, and you have, you have all these things in place, these safety nets, [01:08:00] then you don't go into it stressed out.
And I think that stress will, would, will make people underperform. You go into things scared. P- I think people can hear the desperation in your voice when you're trying to sell something to them.
Shelby: Yes
Riley: all this underlying stuff that kind of undercuts you if you jump ship too early. But yeah, you guys, sounds like took that, took that far enough along to where you had the business built up to a substantial and a place where it was a responsible move. You were still nervous
Shelby: Yeah. Yeah.
Riley: as you would've been had you jumped early
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Shelby: Yes. Um, yeah, it's kind of... That's one thing that's sometimes kind of addicting about entrepreneurship is, like, and you have to be careful about it because somet- like, you get nervous, and you, um, take these risks, and then they end up being positive, and you're like, "I'm so glad I did that." But then sometimes that gets addicting of like, I, like, it worked out.
Like, what, what's gonna, what's the worst that's gonna happen? Let's do it again, you know? And so you just have to stay in, in check. But, um, it is really cool being able to, uh, um, bet on yourself. And then, like, you know, you're [01:10:00] in full responsibility and 100% in the driver's seat, but that's al- it's freeing, but then, and scary, but then also, like, the most rewarding thing ever, and, um, really cool
Riley: I had this, you know, this, this thing I've said for years. In fact, had a new thought just in the shower this morning. But I- there's just this thing that I tell people all the time that they'll, they'll ask me, they'll like, "Was it scary to go out in, on your own?" And I thought, you know, for me, I've been self-employed my entire adult life, and so the way I've always viewed it was a job is the most risky thing you can do because you have one customer who pays you for your services. And the second that that one customer says, "Well, I don't, I don't need your services anymore..." y- you've been fired. And so going out on your own, creating your own entrepreneurial, um, y- or your own business, now you've traded that one customer for maybe hundreds. And, you know, in my, uh, automotive business, we have hundreds of [01:11:00] customers, like 300 customers. And so any 10 of them in a given day could fire me, and it's not gonna affect my life. So I felt like
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: that is way less risky than, you
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: But that's me, right? Now, one of the things I was suddenly... I had this kind of little epiphany in the shower, was I'm sitting here thinking, "I know a lot of guys who had careers, that worked their entire career in a job, and they, you know, they got a retirement fund and all that kind of stuff, but they're-- that's all they have to show for it is maybe a pension that comes from this job." uh, I, I, I thought, "Man, my job, I can sell my job." Like, I could... It's a thing I built. You talked about building a business, right, in this. And, and I thought, "I'm building something, and now I have a job. I do stuff every day. I still work just like they do." But at the end of that, I could sell this thing I built if I build it correctly, document the systems, and make it, [01:12:00] make it scalable. I, I think that's fascinating. And I, like I said, I'm seeing what you guys are doing, and I'm like, "You're, you're building a whole bunch of those. It's great."
Shelby: Yeah. So we actually, um, like a year ago, we had a company that wanted to buy Sneaker Restrings, and that was a very interesting process to go through. Um, and just seeing, like, how, how they value it and, like, and how they pull those numbers and, and, um, that's been, like, a huge motivator for me. A- and as I've been, um...
Anyways, long story short, we didn't sell. Um, we kind of took their offer, and it was, it was amazing offer, but then we were like, "Wait a second, like, what if we continue to grow this? Like, are we, are we gonna make that much? You know, w- we're so young. We still have several years we could do this and probably make that plus more."
And so, um, we ultimately said no, and then I think that's when that also was a motivator for my husband to quit his job, too, [01:13:00] because we were like, "Let, you know, let's go all in." But, um, it's been interesting, too, just kind of having that in the back of my head of like, I need to create this so that it is valuable.
What adds value to my business? Um, instead of just, like, I love this. This is fun. I think that's important, too, but then also, like, documenting those processes and then also running my books. I do all of my own bookkeeping. Running my books in a way that, like, I can easily pull those reports, and I can easily see those numbers, and,
Riley: Mm-hmm
Shelby: being a...
Like, I feel like, like I know that the value is there now, too, and I have those easy access to those numbers, and I know I'm not just making a gut decision. I have data-driven, um, decisions. And, um, kind of like running it in the back of my, of my head is like, "Okay, if I were to sell this tomorrow, is everything, you know, like, is this really adding value?"
So that's been
Riley: That's
Shelby: a, an interesting experience.
Riley: That's an awesome insight right there 'cause you're [01:14:00] I always laugh 'cause we, we keep things so buttoned up in my companies that when we go to the accountant at the end of the year, like, we, we don't have any debt. So when he says, "Let me see your, your balance sheet," I'm like, "Well, you can see it, but there's only an assets column.
There's no, there's no, uh, liabilities column," right? There's nothing in that. And
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: me, but we've been there for 10 years now, and he finally, finally come to the realization that we just don't do the, the debt thing, right? And, and
Shelby: cool
Riley: our entire year's worth of business in one sheet.
It's one profit and loss sheet, and it's all right there, and it's like, it's so simple and buttoned up that we just always know the numbers. We know exactly where we're at because of what you just said, you know? It just helps you keep... it's less scary, and it's easy for you to, to figure out what things are worth and if your systems are working, if they're scaling right or they, 'cause it should create a clean result in the end. Um, you mentioned results as one of your values, right? And, uh,
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: that's the R in Fritz,
Shelby: Yeah. And, um, I think it's really [01:15:00] easy, too, to see... So, um, we had just the one location in Blackfoot. We opened in 2019, and then, um, we just had that one location, and then in 2023, I actually opened two locations. Um, in February, we opened Pocatello, and then in November of 2023, we opened our Ammon location.
And then 2024... Was it 2024? Yes, 2024, we opened our Rexburg location, and then we haven't opened anything since. And I sometimes am hard on myself of like, "Oh, but like we haven't opened another location." But then I look at the numbers, I'm like, "Wait a second, that's like external growth and like maybe what other people would see."
There's so much more growth going on on the inside that's not visible. Um, like building these processes and like, um, solidifying our, um, business plan, like our, like our numbers and our profits percentages, and, um, really [01:16:00] like defining roles and like job positions and like def- defining all of those so that it is more repeatable later.
And, um, we just bought our first commercial building as well, and so like the... I'm, I'm trying to be like, "Wait, there's so much more going on growth than just external." And so like trying to re- um, align my, I- my definition of growth too, uh, has been, um, good too to like redefine that and like realize, "Wait, I am growing more than just what I used to think would be growth."
Riley: No, that's, that's a really cool realization. I, I'm curious when... 'Cause you're, you're talking a lot about the processes and documenting things and, um, what do you feel like is the amount of change? I guess if you could, if you could quanti- like put a, put a, a number to it, much [01:17:00] faster is it to train someone in a given function than it was prior to having that written out in those jobs, uh, job descriptions defined?
Shelby: So much quicker. Um, so we, I, I used to just use like Google Docs and Google Drive, and like I had like just some like training pages that I'd put together and we'd kinda work through it. Um, we recently developed what's called, uh, I don't know if you use Slab. Do you know what Slab is? It's like a wiki. Um, it's like a wiki page where you can create different, um, articles, and you can choose like what employees have access to what articles.
And so that's where we've been documenting all of our systems. And it's really cool 'cause you can just search by keywords. And this was all Tate's idea. This was all my husband's idea, and we built that. And, um, we, um... So we just hired a new receptionist last week, and it used to be like when we'd have, when we'd hire a new receptionist, I would spend like upwards of two [01:18:00] weeks with them, um, like getting them trained, shadowing them, getting everything.
And then we started to develop this, and, um, the last receptionist before this last one, I spent, um, two days with her, and then she had access to all of this. And then this receptionist that we just hired last week, I haven't spent a single day with her. She, um, we have our... Well, we kind of got lucky this time around because our other receptionist, um, isn't leaving until two weeks, so she's able to shadow.
But like I feel confident and I know that those processes are documented and that they, everything's right there. And so I still am gonna check in with her just 'cause my own, like I wanna make sure things are set up and I, that trust tax a little bit. But for the most part, like everything's there, and it's been so much smoother.
And, um, anytime they have a question, they just go there. And then if it's not there, they ask me, and then when I'm answering [01:19:00] it, I write it down, so then that way it is there next time.
Riley: Okay. right there is the thing, right? If, Yeah
Writing that thing down as it's happening so you remember to a- put it into the description is, is the thing I think people need to hear, probably in the whole podcast right there is, as you're making these things, like, if you wanna recreate the wheel every time, just keep doing what you're doing.
But if, if you want this crap solved long term, like you said, so you don't have to keep coming back and doing it again,
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: And then if, if your documentation at some point isn't complete, that'll show up, and then you write it down and you fix it. You know, it's...
Shelby: Yeah. And there will always be... That's something that I've been struggling with lately, 'cause I've kind of got to the point where, like, I have a lot of things documented. There will always be exceptions, and there will always be, like, you can't answer every single little thing. Like, there will always be a weird situation or something like that, but that's kind of your job as a [01:20:00] leader, is, like, to have discretion of knowing when to break the rules.
Like, you make the rules, and then also knowing when to break them. Um, so th- that's kind of empowering, too, just being like, that's, that's just part of being a leader. Um, but then still having the majority of everything written down is cool, too
Riley: you, have you run into that where you had something in your head All put together and then one of your employees comes to you and says, "Hey, I don't think that's gonna work," and you had to, had to change it? '
Shelby: Cause I think like, "Oh, this," and then... But I think being willing to listen to them is important because they have, like, a different perspective than you, and they're sometimes, they are in the day-to-day. And a lot of times when I'm creating these rules or policies, stuff like that, like, they're the ones that have to enforce them.
So I want them to be confident with it, too, and, um, I don't want to ask my employees to do something that I wouldn't feel confident doing. And, um, I always try to make sure to put myself in their shoes and, and listen to them. And yeah, [01:21:00] there's been lots of times, too. And yeah, I think just being able to have discretion and knowing when to break the rules, um, because, like, we're all human, and, and your employees are people, and you need to treat them well.
And if you treat them well, they'll, they'll treat you well, too
Riley: I think so. I think, you know, realizing that they're the ones dealing with the situation on a day-to-day basis, and they will get more efficient at that thing than you are.
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: to admit to it and just go, "You know what? I'm gonna trust what you're saying here because you do it every day."
Shelby: Yes.
Riley: I think the first... Go ahead. Go
Shelby: oh, no, you go ahead
Riley: No, I was just gonna say the first time that my guys, um, I gave them my truck, and I had my truck organized the way I like to use it, but then I let them have it for a couple months, and I come back to it, and I'm like, "There's stuff in different places, guys." I... And there was that part of me that was just like, "I'm gonna make them put it back." And then I realized, like, they're the ones doing the... They, they use this thing every day. Why should I even care? [01:22:00] But I had to have this conversation with myself and be like, "All right, Riley, shut up. You let them do it the way they wanna do it 'cause they're
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: result done."
Shelby: So there's, um, we- so one of our values, surprise or surpass, um, this has been a huge part of our company culture. Like, I... So there's this book, again, my husband told me about, and I read it. It's called Unreasonable Hospitality, and I highly recommend it, especially if you're in the service industry.
It's about this restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, and how they went from, uh, being... So they're in Manhattan, I think, and, um, they went from being like this new restaurant to winning like best restaurant in the world in like five years or something like that. Like this crazy, um, amazing award in such a short amount of time in a very competitive restaurant area.
And, um, so this book is about the owner and like [01:23:00] what he did and how, how they, how they were that successful, and it's all about legends and being unreasonable, unreasonably hospitality, uh, unreasonable hospitality. And, um, so we try to incorporate that in our business, and, um, not just for our customers, but for our peers and coworkers and employees and bosses and like we try to do it everywhere.
And in this book, they talk about legends, and legends are little things that they would do and celebrate to help make someone's day better. So, for example, um, and like the cheaper, like the less money the little act of kindness c- did cost, but like the bigger impact it had, like the more they would celebrate it.
So, like the goal is like you don't need to do a lot to make a big difference in someone. So, for example, like some of, some of the examples they gave in the book was, so at this restaurant people had to make reservations, [01:24:00] and they would ask, you know, what they were celebrating or something like that, and one customer was celebrating like his first like million-dollar business deal or something like that, and so the waitress went to the dollar store and got, um, several 100 Grand candy bars and hid it underneath his seat.
And, um, the, the guy, like when he came to the restaurant, was just like so blown away. Like they don't remember what they ate. They don't remember like that, but they do remember how they felt, and they left amazing reviews, and everybody... Like, that's why the business was so successful. Another example was, um, the restaurant is like near the airport or something like that, and so a lot of people that go to visit New York will stop at this restaurant before heading to the airport, and this, uh, couple was on their way to the airport, and they were just kind of talking about how sad they were that they never got a New York hot dog.
And, um, they were like, "Oh, we're on our way to the airport headed home, and [01:25:00] we're just bummed we never actually got a hot dog." So like the waiter literally ran outside, bought a $1.50 hot dog off the street, and like came back and put on- on the plate, and they were just blown away. And so, like, in the book they talk about, like, it doesn't matter about how much it costs or, like, um, how much, uh, you know, how good quality the food was.
Like, what the people truly cared about is how you made them felt- feel. And, um, so we try to incorporate that, incorporate that in our business, and we want to surprise and surpass what the customers expect. Um, and, like, go above and beyond to do those little things that, like, doesn't take much from us, but makes them feel seen and creates a memory and makes them feel like an individual person and not just another number.
And so we try to do that, and I do that a lot for my employees, too. I try to do that and help create that culture so that they in turn do it for their students, [01:26:00] and it's been really fun. And we try to celebrate those legends, like in our employee meetings and, um, like our weekly Zoom chats and stuff like that, and try to give shout-outs for ways that people go above and beyond and do these little things to make people feel special, and that's been really rewarding.
Riley: That's, uh, yeah, that's pretty cool. My wife is really good at that kind of stuff,
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: and, you know, seeing these little ways to give people a gift that's special. I am terrible at it. Like I- I'm so... You talked about your husband's kind of personality traits versus yours and,
Shelby: Mm-hmm
Riley: and that's something that my wife and daughter do super Well, and I'm like oblivious.
I'll just... Yeah, it's, it's so funny. Have to rely on them to, to tell me things sometimes like, "Hey, this was so-and-so's birthday. You gonna tell them happy birthday today?" And I'm just, like, "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I guess I should do that." Yeah, it's
Shelby: it's just, it's really cool 'cause, um, sometimes our, our, some of our employees were struggling because it was just like, okay, another [01:27:00] student, another student, another student, and they were kinda struggling with fulfillment. And, like, just reshaping that thought process and, like, helping them kind of distract and think of, like, "Okay, how can I do these little things?"
has completely shifted their perspective, and they feel so much more fulfilled now in their job as well. And, um, so yeah, it, it's just been cool to kinda see that culture build in our company.
Riley: Oh, that's, that's amazing. I, I could just continue this conversation forever 'cause you're, you just, the way you guys think is so along the ways of what goes through my head every day. And again, that's why I wanted you on here, 'cause I, I just, I'm so impressed with what you've done.
Shelby: Thanks
Riley: this point in the podcast, Shelby, I usually switch gears and I ask some more kinda almost rapid-fire questions, a, the little, little bit more to get to know you.
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: game?
Shelby: Sure. Yeah
Riley: Okay. the name of this podcast being the Go Earn Your Salt [01:28:00] podcast, just like on my shirt here.
Shelby: I love it
Riley: what does that, what does that phrase, go earn your salt, mean to you?
Shelby: Hmm. Go earn your salt. Um I'd say it's like going out, putting in your work, uh, doing your best, and like taking pride in what you create and, um, letting that be a part of you, um, and who your personality is. Like, you're, you're taking ownership and you're creating something that is you, and you're, um, you're earning your income, but then you're also earning like your impact that you have in the community and, um, yeah, by something that you've built
Riley: You're earning your income and you're earning your impact. I think that is cool. That's, a good way to say that. What [01:29:00] advice would you give listeners to better earn their SALT?
Shelby: Hmm. I'd say take a chance on yourself. Um, what's the worst that's gonna happen? Um, take a chance on yourself and you'll be surprised, um, and you'll be so glad that you did
Riley: Wonderful. Shelby, outside of music, what is your favorite pastime?
Shelby: Uh, lately it's been running. I love running. But then also I love fishing too
Riley: Yeah, what's your... Are you trout, bass? What are you? Are you a fly fisherman or are you
Shelby: Yeah, so, um, I grew up being a bait, bait fisher, and my husband's a super avid fly fisherman. And he taught me how to fly fish, and it's taken me, like, four or five years to learn how to cast, but now I love it. And, um, and, uh, it's... I've actually told him that I want him to do a workshop for my fiddle students on, uh, bowing 'cause, like, when you, when you [01:30:00] bow on the fiddle, it's kinda the same as, like, casting a fly rod and, like, just learning that feel and, like, how to load the energy into the stick and have the stick do the work for you.
Um, it's very similar to bowing. But, um, yeah, I just love going out in nature, catching some fish, and then sometimes it's frustrating 'cause it's like, "Okay, this is not working. What, what other, uh, what, what else should I tie on that works?" And sometimes you don't catch anything, sometimes you do, but it's still good time spent
Riley: I love that. Yeah, fly fishing's a great thing. Shelby, what's something quirky about you that people don't know?
Shelby: Ooh I don't know if... I, I feel like people probably know this, but I'm a foodie. I love food. Like, I love tacos, I love steak. I, I'm always constantly thinking about food. And, like, when we go to, when we go to fiddle contests or when we travel, I'm always searching out, like, cool, unique restaurants or places, like hole-in-the-wall places to go visit that's very [01:31:00] unique to that town, and I'm always planning our trips around, like, places that we can stop and eat along the way.
Riley: That's pretty cool. So in, in all your memory, what's been your favorite little hole in the wall you've found?
Shelby: Ooh There's a lot of them. Uh, it, it's not far from here. It's one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall places. It's in Shelley, and, uh, it's called Mix, and it's this little building. Like, the ceiling is, like, really low. Like, you- when you stand up, you feel like you're gonna hit your head on it. But it's been there...
I'm pretty sure it's been there for, like, over 100 years. And, um, the people that own it, like, they're the ones on the griddle cooking, and their daughter's serving, and the food is always so good. The buns are homemade. The hamburger patties are from, like, a local, um, meat processing, uh, w- I don't know what you call it.
Anyways, um, so yeah, it's all local, super good. I just have a lot of memories around, like, [01:32:00] family and, and meeting them there to eat. So I'd say that place is probably my favorite. Yeah
Riley: We'll have to tag him in here, 'cause I think... Yeah
that, that's, uh, that would be great. I did notice at the beginning when you, uh, you said you were from Shelley, I... There's a, a friend of mine that lives in Shelley,
Shelby: Oh, uh-huh
Riley: we were at a big, we were at a big jujitsu camp here last weekend, and somebody asked him in front of the whole group of people, like people from all over the country, they asked, asked him where he was from.
He said Idaho Falls. And I,
Shelby: Oh.
Riley: man, I, I heard what you did there," 'cause nobody knows where Shelley's at, but I guess you, you just picked the nearest big city.
Shelby: Yeah. I, I feel like I did that growing up too
Riley: I love it. It's funny. Okay. Sh- Shelby, what's your favorite naughty food?
Shelby: Naughty food? Um, I don't know if this is naughty, but, uh, coffee. I love, like, iced lattes with tons of sugar and tons of cream.
Riley: Oh, [01:33:00] this is why you run, right?
Shelby: Yeah. When I went with Libby to get coffee, and she was like, "Just coffee." And I was like, "What?" Like, "You don't want any cream or sugar? Like, are you sure?" She's like, "Yeah, no, this is good." I'm like, "Dang, I need all the caramel and the whipped cream and all of that."
Riley: this funny It started out as a joke when she was a little girl. I always told her that."
real men drink their coffee black, when you grow up and you're, you're looking for a man, you gotta make sure that he doesn't put creamer in his coffee 'cause that's for sissies.
Shelby: That's my husband.
Riley: took that serious.
Shelby: Yeah. That's my husband. He drinks black coffee, French press black coffee, and I'm just like, "How? How can you do that?" I don't know.
Riley: the best. Oh my gosh. Do you have a nickname?
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Shelby: Yeah, it's B.
Riley: B
Shelby: Like shell B
Riley: Oh, Shelby P? Where, that, who, who gave you that?
Shelby: Um, I don't know. I, my grandma to- uh, uh, always told my mom that I should s- that she should have spelt my name S-H-E-L-B-E-E instead of B-Y. I don't know why. But anyways, so my grandma thought my mom should have done that, and my mom didn't. And then my [01:35:00] grandma always bought me bumblebee things growing up, like a bumblebee, like, jewelry box or a pillow with a bumblebee on it or something like that.
So I think that's just stuck. They've just called me Bee
Riley: Goodness. uh, my middle name is B. Officially my middle name is just
Shelby: Oh.
Riley: B.
Shelby: Oh, that's cool
Riley: I didn't find that out until, like, two years ago. It was always Bryant, but they, um... On my birth certificate, it's just B.
Shelby: Just be, huh
Riley: found that out, like, it was, it was probably three years ago. I was like, "Holy crap. I always had a middle name, but I guess I don't."
Shelby: That's funny.
Riley: used to call me The B.
Shelby: The B
Riley: that was, yeah. It w- Uh, scariest moment of your life
Shelby: Oh
Hmm. That's kinda tricky. I'd say, um, probably, well, uh, it was scary when my husband quit his job, but not, like... That, I wouldn't say that was the most scary. [01:36:00] Probably the, the scariest part, point in my life was when I was in labor with my second baby, um, Margaret, and, um, at one point the nurses were just, like, they couldn't find her heartbeat, and they just, like, flipped me over, and, like, they jabbed this, like, I don't even know what it was.
Um, I don't even remember what it was. Anyways, they jabbed this shot in my leg, and it was, like, adrenaline basically, and it was just a really scary point, 'cause I was just, like, I felt so out of control. And, um, they, they f- found her heartbeat a couple minutes later, and, like, everything was fine, but after that, like, my...
I, I don't know if it's the adrenaline that they, like, injected in me or whatever, but I, my, I was shaking and I just, like, felt so panicky after that. And yeah, that was probably, like, the scariest moment of my life. But everything ended up being just fine, and she was born healthy, and, um, she's m- my four-year-old, so
Riley: Dang.
Shelby: yeah.
Riley: I love [01:37:00] it.
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: that's a great name for a kiddo. what's been the most valuable learning experience in your life?
Shelby: Hmm. Valuable learning experience. Um
I think, uh, I, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. My most valuable learning experience was deconstructing my religion that I grew up in, and, um, because it made me question, like, everything about myself, and, like, what my previous view of the world. And, like, deciding for myself instead of what someone told me.
Like, why am I here? What is my purpose? Um, why... Like, where are we going? And like, what is, like, my impact with my children, and what is my impact with the community? And why should we choose good and love and all of those things, like deciding those [01:38:00] things for myself. And it's caused me to question and, like, just kind of learn to question everything and decide for myself why I'm doing something instead of just because it's culture or just because it's tradition or just because someone else does it or everyone else around me does it.
Um, yeah, I'd say that's been... And it's given me a lot of confidence in like, "No, this is... And this is why I do this thing, and I've decided this for myself, and I'm at peace with that." And so, yeah, that's definitely been my, my strongest learning mo-moment. Yeah
Riley: Yeah
You know, we, we kinda Teased with it off, off air, but my wife went through a similar experience like that. And, uh... Well, and I would say I did too, because just, just coming to a faith in Christ was a big deal for me. I was 19 years old when that happened, right? And, and
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: I had to question my whole life.
Like, do I do the [01:39:00] things I do? Why do I talk the way I talk? Why do I act way- Why do I decide things the way I decide things?" And you know, that all
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: you know, start, "Was it just tradition? Do I, do I do this just because that's what I saw? Or is this, or do I have any reasons behind the crap I do?" It's
Shelby: Yeah. Yeah, the biggest... It, it all started for me when I had my first baby too, 'cause I'm like, "Oh, I am influencing someone else's life now. Like, it's not just about me anymore, it's about my child too, and like, who- the impact they're gonna have on the world." And then so yeah, it just made me, like that, it was a huge learning moment, 'cause I was like, "Wait, I'm influencing a completely, a completely another human now too."
And so yeah, I was like, "I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to parenting, but I'm gonna be willing to learn and admit I'm wrong, and, um, seek out learning and, and be willing to try again."
Riley: That's, um... such a big deal when you talk [01:40:00] about, you know, now there's kids involved, and you realize you're responsible for these other people. That was always something that hit me hard, too, when we s- started having kids 'cause, you know, I had my own faith. I had to really start thinking about, like, "How do I describe this to them?"
'Cause for me there was, you know, some experience that they won't have, because it was my experience and they're gonna have their own. But how do I teach them, again, the why? Why do we make decisions the way we do? You know, why, why do we believe these things? Is it just the tradition? You, you mentioned that in music, too, right?
It's
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: that tradition, why it's there, so that's a common thread in your world. But it's, Yeah
it's important, you know? I... And then, then when you fail as a parent, being able to admit it and go to your
Shelby: Yes
Riley: We actually have a term around here. We call it the dad fail, 'cause I've
Shelby: I love that
Riley: right, guys, I'm sorry. that
was a dad fail. Here's where I screwed up. Forgive me," 'cause I... Yeah.
Shelby: Yeah. I'm so grateful. I've had some really cool conversations [01:41:00] with even just my six-year-old, and like he'll ask me stuff, and I'm just like, "I don't know." And, um, I think, I hope that he values that, like me saying like, "I don't know. I don't know everything." And then a lot of times too I'll ask him like, "What do you think about that?"
Or like, "How does that make you feel?" Or like, and it's interesting to hear his take 'cause he's unbiased, you know? Like he, he's not, he doesn't have different things feeding him of like, "No, this is the correct way." And so it's, it's very interesting and really cool and unique to hear him discuss that and have those discussions with him and help him develop that.
Riley: Yeah. I think sometimes kids are processing a lot more than we think they are, and that, that, um... Yeah, coming to the real reason why we do things. And that can be anything, but up, you know, why, why do we do it? Yeah
I think that's important questions to ask, and
Shelby: Yes
Riley: uh, Yeah
ultimately, you know, finding the source where you need to get those answers is important too.
But like, [01:42:00] man, there better be a good reason why you're doing the stuff you're doing, 'cause if it's just tradition, then it's worthless, right? It's like
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: I shouldn't say worthless 'cause there's some value in tradition as long as it produces a result. We're coming back to results again.
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: I love it.
Shelby: Full circle
Riley: um, something in your life where you could pinpoint, like, the best advice you've ever received?
Shelby: Ooh Hmm. My mom always told me growing up, um, that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. And that was a big motivator for me, especially like starting learning music later than other kids that I was competing against. And I just felt like there was a lot of things that came so much easier to other people that I had to work really hard at.
And, um, I feel like that really motivated me to just always work hard and just kind of keep going [01:43:00] and not just rely on things to fall into place. Just keep going, and then eventually I did see results
Riley: Say that phrase again. Hard work
Shelby: yeah, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard
Riley: That's one of the best phrases that to sum up... Yeah, that, that fixes a thing I've been thinking about for a long time.
Shelby: Oh, good.
Riley: Yeah
you see that a lot in athletics, right? Where you have someone who just, they've got the genetics and they've got the giftings and just the whole proprioception and natural talent, and they just never go anywhere with it. They could be world-class, could be the best ever, but they just don't because it's easy for them, and so they, they don't work hard. And then you see, I mean, that whole movie Rudy was built kind of along that, right? Like
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. I love it. who in your life has influenced you the most?
Shelby: Hmm. I'd [01:44:00] say probably my sister, my oldest sister, Shirelle. She, um, she motivated me to get started with music. Like, reflecting back, like, that's what kept me in music too, was her. And, like, she was always showing me, like, cool songs, and we would sing stuff. She would help plan different performances, and so she motivated me that way.
She also motivated me and inspired me through business, 'cause she had s- a couple businesses that she ran. Um, she also was an incredible, and is an incredible mother and inspires me that way. And she's, uh, her and I actually just ran our first marathon together back in September, and it was really cool. Um, you know, she's 16 years older than me, and she's a grandma, and she literally ran her first marathon.
And, um, we just stayed together the whole time and just chatted and, like, kept each other running. And then [01:45:00] at the end, we finished the f- we crossed the finish line, like, literally holding hands, and it was just the coolest thing. And so, yeah, I'd say she's been the most influence and motivation in my life
Riley: That's, that's amazing. Shelby, what's a, what's an item on your bucket list? Something you wanna do before it's all over
Shelby: Ooh, I have a lot. I, I, um, I recently got into hiking, and I really want to, I really wanna summit the Grand Teton. I think that would be so cool. I want to summit Mount Borah in Idaho. I think that would also be really cool. Um, one of my bucket list items was that I really wanted to win the National Fiddle Contest, and I actually did that this last summer.
Riley: last year. Yeah. Great job
Shelby: yeah. I don't know what else. I,
Riley: a
Shelby: The, kind of the interesting thing is that I just feel really content and just really happy with [01:46:00] life. Um, and I'm just kind of like, I just, I love being able to experience it, and I'm just experiencing it every day, and I think it's the coolest adventure. So I sometimes have a hard time with like, "Oh, I need to do this thing."
Um, I have a couple things, but I just listed them. But I ha- I don't have anything more that I've thought about past that.
Riley: that's, that's good enough. So, um, your favorite book of all time, something you think someone should, like everyone should read?
Shelby: Uh, I like Atomic Habits. I think Atomic Habits is great, and just so many concrete like do these things. You know, I'm a red, I love checklists, and it spells out like try habit stacking, do this 1% better each day. And, uh, so yeah, I really like it, and I think it applies to so many things in life. Um, one thing that it...
So a kind of our, our slogan at Snake River Strings is become a musician. And in Atomic Habits, they talk about like identifying with the goal. So, um, he [01:47:00] talks about, you know, this lady that wanted to lose weight. She identified like with her friends as like, "Oh, she's just the one that always orders salads."
And so, and she ended up losing a lot of weight because she like identified as like, "I'm the healthy one." And, um, so like I really help my students identify like becoming a musician instead of like, "I'm taking lessons." It's like, "I'm becoming a musician," and like identifying... 'Cause I, um, I was known in high school as like the fiddler, and like I always did the talent shows and like even I run into people that like I went to high school with or maybe were a grade younger, and they're like, "Oh yeah, you were the fiddler."
And like, I think that's... 'Cause like when you hold yourself accountable to that, it's like, "Oh, like I, I better practice. I better be good at this if that's what I'm known for." You know? And so, um, that really helped motivate me, too, and I really like that part in the book. And so we try to help our students become musicians, and there's so much more to becoming a musician than just learning an instrument.
Um, it's all of [01:48:00] those awesome, uh, personality traits as well that you can develop, um, that kinda ties into becoming a musician as well.
Riley: That's fantastic. I, I think that identity, that's a, that's a good point. Um, 'cause w- we talk about that in martial arts all the time, and it's... And with, business too. If you identify as that thing, then you're gonna make decisions like that thing. And we, we talk about becoming a good student of the, of a martial art, right?
It's a, you're gonna get good at jujitsu, you've gotta study it, not just in class, but you've gotta, you've gotta be paying attention to it outside of the class, and asking questions and finding answers yourself. Being a student, that's what being a student is, right? You just, you study.
Shelby: Yeah
Riley: Yeah
I think that's awesome.
That's awesome. Well, what's next? Where are you going from here?
Shelby: Ooh, that's exciting. Um, I- I'm gonna run another marathon. I thought that I was gonna be done af- I was like, "I'll just check it off my [01:49:00] list and be done," but I loved it so much, and it was so enjoyable. And so I'm gonna run another marathon. I've actually got my husband running now too, which I never thought would happen.
Um, and so for sure that. I really, really, really wanna open some more locations, especially around Idaho. Um, so we're trying to get our processes in place, and so I'd love to open more locations. Um, I'd love to, uh, I really wanna invest more in commercial real estate too. I think that- that's a really cool investment.
And, um, I I'm currently teaching my kids music, and I, um, I'm not forcing them to, but I just really hope that they enjoy it, and I hope that it becomes a part of them. And, um, so I really look forward to that, and I would love to one day be able to just, like, sit down and jam with them. I think that sounds so fun.
Um, so I hope that that is coming next. [01:50:00] Um, yeah, continue growing my businesses. My husband has been developing some, some of his own businesses too, so I'm really looking forward to helping support him and helping him grow those as well. Um, 'cause he's been so great at supporting me, um, and, like, really helping me develop as a person and also develop my businesses.
So I'm really excited to help him with that too.
Riley: Oh, that's awesome. That is awesome. Well, listen, I almost forgot this. I got these two guys here.
Shelby: Oh, yes.
Riley: 'Cause I wanna plug these on here, 'cause this is, these are some books She- Shelby wrote. you talk about these things a little bit and what you got going on there?
Shelby: Yeah. Uh, my husband was actually teasing me 'cause he was reading this book... I don't remember what book it was. It was some type of motivator book, and it was... He had the audiobook playing while we were ri- driving in the car, and he... And it was like, "Maybe one day you'll write that book or you'll run that marathon."
And he, like, paused it and he's like, "You [01:51:00] did both of those things this year." And, uh, he helps me... He helped me feel pretty confident about that. But anyway, so yeah, I, I wrote my first book and published it earlier this year. Um, and it is my personal teaching pedagogy. And, like, what I did, um... So, like, I talked about with Snake River Strings, I've documented a lot, like, our- my philosophy, and I wanted to create a book as well for actual, like, fiddle pedagogy that I could share with other teachers that aren't just teaching, um, at Snake River Strings.
And so I basically took... I actually, um, uh, rented a hotel, like, in our... in Idaho Falls, so not very far. And I went and locked myself in there for, like, three days and got it all down. And, um I, 'cause I've taught for so many years and seen so many people learn, I wanted to get written down, like, okay, if I have a student that is starting from absolute zero, here's what I [01:52:00] do at every lesson.
And, um, I wrote down everything, and I even included, like, practice recordings and videos, play-along videos, um, teacher tips, parent tips. I even included, like, little worksheets and coloring pages and the things that I usually print off to supplement. They're all in that book too. Plus a music theory workbook, plus even, like, lesson notes of...
'Cause, you know, teachers usually write down, like, "Here's what you should practice. Here's what you should accomplish this week," to kind of help guide the parents too.
Riley: Yeah
Shelby: you just have usually a lesson once a week, and then it's the student's job to go home and practice that every day in between. And depending on the age, like, the parents really need to help facilitate that, just like I help my kids brushing their teeth.
Um, and then as they get older, they can kind of get more independent with that. But anyway, so I, I included even all of that so that everything is spelled out, everything's written there. I have my own personal teaching method. I have combined... So I've, I've done a lot of Suzuki training. Suzuki's really popular.
[01:53:00] It's great for teaching kids, like, ages three to five, and, um, teaching kids through ear. But it is teaching kids classical music through ear, and it's also a whole philosophy. Shinichi Suzuki was a philosopher and had some really great outlook on education and child development and early childhood education and all of that.
Um, so I recommend looking up him as a philosopher too. But anyway, so I took that philosophy and that method and the training I've gotten in that in the past and combined it with my American old time fiddling experience and, um, also my, like, music education degree, like studying, like, more of the classical music and music theory and all of that too.
So I tried to combine all of that, and sometimes learning music is not black and white, even though the music is black and white. No pun intended.
Riley: Yeah
Shelby: it's, there, like, a lot of times you just have to trust your teacher. Like, you'll get music and it's, you'll [01:54:00] learn a song and it's like, "What does that even mean?
Like, why do I put my finger right there?" And a lot of times as a teacher, you just have to be like, "Just trust me. Like, this will all make sense in a couple years once we learn this thing, um, or this theory thing." And so I've tried to spell out the book exactly so that, like, it adds on every lesson. There shouldn't be anything that's weird in there that you have to just be like, "Just do it and I'll explain later."
Like, it, it adds on in a s- in a cohesive, sequential order. So it's using all of that with a Suzuki approach, but teaching American fiddle tunes and fun tunes that will speak to the kids. Like, I have Baby Shark in there. I have some kind of cool, um- like songs that trend on like TikTok and stuff like that.
Um, and as well as American old-time fiddle tunes and, um, just like cool historical tunes as well. So, so yeah.
Riley: rad
Shelby: I, I, I [01:55:00] really want to, once I get a little bit more time, I want to develop some teacher training courses and start offering some teacher training courses for that. And, um, so yeah, so I can help kind of prep some teachers, even if they don't teach with Snake River Strings, kind of how to teach and use this method with their students
Riley: That's fantastic. There you go documenting stuff again, right?
Shelby: Yeah. And I mean, I hope that, um, you know, I haven't had a ton of time to promote it. I need to promote it more. But um, you know, the, it's something that I've done once, and I will always have, and I will always be able to sell or promote or get other teachers to use it or share or use in my own teaching.
Um, where before I was having to recreate that every lesson and reprint off those materials and stuff like that, but now it's all compiled in one spot, and they just buy the book, and it's all there
Riley: That's so rad. That is so rad. So I want you to send me, uh, links to this stuff so people can,
Shelby: Okay. Yeah, they can
Riley: [01:56:00] Strings, one, find the, the wedding venue, um, Sound to Summit, and then
Shelby: Yeah.
Riley: they can find your books.
Shelby: Perfect. Yeah, they can order them on Amazon and Amazon Prime, two-day shipping, delivered straight to their house, so
Riley: And we'll, we'll stick all that in the bio so
you guys can just click on that. But
Shelby: Sweet.
Riley: for coming on. It's been rad
Shelby: Thank you so much. This has been fun.
Riley: Yeah, I, I think it's neat what you guys are doing. I, I'm genuinely just kind of in awe of. And again, I, I only hear it through Libby most of the time, but now I got to hear it from you, so thanks so much
Shelby: Well, thanks so much for thinking of me, and I'm, uh, I'm flattered that Libby talks about me. That's really cool. I think the world of Libby. She's, she's amazing
Riley: Yeah, she, she looks up to what you're doing and she's got a lot of that same mindset, so you guys will be... She'll be, she'll be, uh, tagging along and getting advice from you for a long
Shelby: Aw, that's sweet
Riley: All right, Shelby, go earn your SALT.
Hey, you've just finished up this episode and I wanna know, are you or someone you [01:57:00] know a getting after it, go earn your salt type of person? If so, message me directly on Instagram at the Go Earn Your Salt podcast and perhaps we can have you on the show. Also, if you like this content, leave us a review, subscribe, and share with your friends, and perhaps this podcast can help you and them go earn your salt