Below Deck and Beyond: Hugo Ortega on Yachting, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience

28:36That's kind of a fun place to be I think. It gives you a big enough yacht that you have more amenities, right? You've got the jacuzzi. You might have a pool. You have multiple tenders and toys. You don't get that when you get into like a$5 million yacht that's really just going to be to get you from one place to another. But of course, when you get into the multiple hundreds,$150 million,$200 million, I mean, it's amazing. You've got 30, 35 crew. You can have, you know, even your smaller boats, which we call tenders, at that point are worth$3,$5 million alone. and just the range that you get. Like on a boat like that, crossing the Atlantic is even half a million dollars, 600 ,000 in fuel.

29:15But you can really go anywhere in the world. You get a self-sustained island. I mean, anything that you need, you have a board, and there's no problem in getting it.

29:25Hugo Ortega:Do you ever think back when you're at the helm and think, oh, my gosh, I'm responsible for something of such value value compared to growing up in the Bronx and just sort of you know does that ever daunt you does it ever cross your mind just wow what a different position to be in in terms of financial responsibility let's say because it's quite extreme right yeah yeah it definitely is I think more so I don't usually think about the value in that context but I always think of like wow like look how far I've come and look at how different the surroundings are look how much prettier the place that I'm looking at is so I am very aware and I try to be very mindful how fortunate I am just because you know it is such a jump and it is so different and I think of it a lot too when I go back to visit like very recently I was back visiting my grandparents and I was just like wow I've I've become a lot softer by being on really pretty nice yachts like that's what I prefer now you know I don't really like being in this context anymore so so it's interesting because um you work so hard to get somewhere and then also that changes you too and um i i love what i do i love it feels good being on those boats it feels good being in in those places it's um it's really addictive i'd say yeah so let's talk about tv let's talk about below deck right because obviously you had to do all of this in order to even be you know in the uh in the picture for being on below deck and you know it's a huge reality tv show i've also been looking if we were talking before we pressed record ironically i also interviewed captain sandy yawn who was also an incredible star on on below deck and i know there are different franchises etc of the program but how did the tv opportunity come about for you hugo well they're always recruiting in the yachting industry so in well if you just look on social media whether it's facebook instagram you can see every time that they're hiring and every time that they're looking for new crew.

31:30So at the beginning of my career, I think I just wasn't paying as much attention to that. So I didn't really look into it. And there's also a bit of a stigma in our industry that if you get in too early, then you kind of kill any chances of working on yachts after that. And me being so decisive in getting into this industry, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't even have tattoos at first because I don't want to limit myself in any way. I want to make sure that I'm always working on yachts. So, you know, it was kind of in the periphery, but I've always also wanted to be on television.

32:00I've always wanted to be have a life that's entertaining. Right. I showed you that I've blown up my life quite a few times. Whenever I see something, I'm like, I want to go do that. So eventually the curiosity got me and I was like, I want to go see what it's like. Right. I've seen, like I mentioned, 90 meter yachts. I've seen 30 meter yachts. I've seen private. I've seen charter. I want to see what it's like when we do it on TV now. Right. I want to like see everything that this industry has to give me and has to offer. So I applied and I started getting in contact with them. And, you know, it took a while.

32:32I think we were in talks back and forth and sometimes there was schedule conflict. Sometimes it was yachts that I couldn't step away from. But then ultimately, I think now, what were we in? September. So that was last summer. I got the tap on the shoulder and they said, hey, are you interested? I got a straight text. It just says, hey, are you still interested in Below Deck? And I was like, yeah, yeah, definitely. And within 48 hours, I was in a plane heading to St. Martin. Wow, wow.

32:57Hugo Ortega:So what was that first experience like then? Talk us through it because it's what you see on the TV and then there's a reality, right? I know it's a reality TV show, but still, I'm sure there's some differences between what is portrayed to the viewers versus, you know, what the reality is of kind of being behind the scenes, shall we say? I think for me, I'm someone who really likes structure. I really like to be briefed ahead of time. So I was really surprised because I was kind of just dumped in there. Right. And I was kind of waiting for the, hey, this is how it's going to be. You're going to do this or like whatever.

33:30And I was just like, all right, here, have fun. You know, your bags are on the dock. And it was kind of I was very shell shocked. You know, I stepped on board and suddenly there's all these cameras in my face. it felt like everything was fast forward yet also in slow motion. Like I just was completely like fish out of water. It was overwhelming sensation overload. They walked me down to my cabin. Suddenly I'm meeting all these people again, cameras in my face left and right. And it was, it was an experience. It was, it was a lot different than when you normally join a boat, which is a lot slower process.

34:02Someone picks you up at the airport. Well, you still get picked up at the airport, but you know, you, you meet one of the crew, they slowly tell you about the, the, the captain and everything. And then by the time you get there, like you already feel like well acclimated where this was kind of felt like I was just like pushed into the water. And then suddenly I started swimming back up to the surface and, um, there's really no, no background. So that was, that was a really interesting experience because you then slowly just start getting used to the cameras and they kind of fade out of existence.

34:30But it was, um, it was a very shell shocked experience yeah it was I was very cross and what was so so so when you were on the TV I mean how

34:43Hugo Ortega:how was the public response to to kind of your your your time on um on Below Deck I think I've had a very very um positive reaction to to my experience on the on the show I tried to come in and and just be the same professional and and approachable person that I am in regular life And I think that showed through very well. And I think it also really helped because they got rid of a crew member because they felt like the deck operations weren't operating the way that the captain needed. There was safety risk. They needed someone who had a lot of experience. They needed someone who was very professional.

35:18And it was kind of a good marriage, right? Because I wasn't going to be the person that comes in and just like sleeps with a ton of people. And, you know, I'm very much a professional. I very much care about my career. so I think it was like the right person at the right time and I really filled that gap so that led to a really good relationship with me and the captain and all of that and then also he brought me a lot of respect from the team so all of that I think gave a really positive showcase on the TV and that's kind of what people walk away with saying they're like oh wow that guy's really professional he's very knowledgeable I've received an overwhelming amount of really good feedback

35:51Hugo Ortega:from people yeah so so that was last summer then that you actually had that did the first and so So we're talking 24, right? Summer 24. Correct. That was May, June. Yeah. Sorry. April, May. And then I left in June. Yeah. May 2024. Yeah. Would you go back again? Do you think or not? Yeah. Yeah. I definitely go back. I like to joke that it's almost it almost makes regular yachting boring in a way because then you're like, where are the cameras? Where's the where's that wrench and spanner that gets thrown in last minute or, you know, those requests that are out of control? Cool. It adds another layer of nuance and fun, I think, into yachting.

36:29It's interesting. And I think it's not an or question, right? It's more of an and. Like, would I do it again? Yes. And I also love what I do. It keeps me engaged. That's the kind of person I am. I like to always switch it up and do something different.

36:43Hugo Ortega:Yeah. Well, and talking about that, I wanted to touch on the Super Yacht Sunday that you have going on. So Super Yacht Sunday school, isn't it, actually? Correct. The three S's, very powerful three S's to go with the three B's of Braveheart. Brilliant. So what inspired you to start that then, Hugo? Tell us a little bit about it, you know, and so that we can get a bit more flavor around this part of your journey. Yeah. So if you haven't picked up already, I like to, I think I like to chase novel things. I like to overload my plate and I like to just keep things interesting. So in light of that, probably around the same time, I was thinking Below Deck sounded interesting.

37:26Then COVID hit. And then I was sitting there thinking and I was like, you know, there's a lot of different ways that you can take your yachting career. But the way that I was foreseeing it, there's a famous kind of contract you can do. It's called rotation, where you work part of the time on the ship and then you go home. home for two months, three months, you know, really depends on what it is. And usually what people do is they'll start up a side business, or they'll have real estate, or they'll do something like that in those periods. So then they're kind of staying busy, but then they also have money coming in on both directions.

37:53And you also have to be aware of that maybe you decide to have a family and you want to just permanently be on land, right? So I was already becoming aware of those things approaching 30. And I was seeing that during COVID, there was so many people that were working from home, you know, jobs that you never expected, people that were corporate, people that were, a lot of people were finding ways to work from home. And I was thinking, and I was like, you know, yachting is amazing. But if I could find something that I can work from home when I'm not yachting, you know, that would really be the perfect marriage.

38:26Because then I've always been someone also that wants to keep traveling. So when I get off of the ship, I want to keep traveling and doing other things. So I was like, if I could have a job that even lets me do that, then I really will have hacked my life in the perfect way. So I started looking into it and reading into it. And, you know, how do my skills work with it? You know, I was looking to do I do something with engineering, consulting, like what makes sense? And then, you know, the more research I started doing, I realized that there was a big gap where I have a bunch of knowledge that I'm picking up.

38:54And I have picked up about yachting. Is there something I could do with that virtually? Right? Like, can I help people with that? Because one of the biggest things that you can do is if you can pass on your knowledge or do some kind of coaching, like that's always going to work remotely. And then like everything else I do, I started reading a ton about it. I started diving into podcasts, videos, whatever. And I, I stumbled into the world of course creation. I stumbled into coaching online and that really resonated with me. I was like, well, I'm someone who I, you know, I worked really hard to get to where I am, but my career before this was not yachting, was not boating, was not anything.

39:29You know, I come from the Bronx. I didn't even have a boat. So like if I could do this, I think I'm probably a good spokesperson to show other people that they're also good candidates to do it too as long as they have the resolve, the drive, and the desire. So I just went down that path, and I kind of didn't look back. So I started, like I said, looking into it. In 2022, at the end of the year, I was just stepping off of my first yacht as captain. While I was on that boat, I started piecing together my website. I started putting together like some base materials. and then when I left that I was like I'm going to take a little break and I'm just going to go into this and see how far I can take it and that's what I did for 2023 and most of 2024 before going back to Below Deck I was just working on that business I started expanding turning it into a course business turning it into a coaching business and then fast forward to now we've helped over 300 crew and then we also have done yacht management now I've also done direct recruitment as well for over 100 crew so that business that just started out as you know just let me kind of download all of my information and see who wants to to benefit from it has really grown into like a really big thriving community and now it's even opening doors for me in the yachting world too

40:41Hugo Ortega:i love that you know i mean you you i love the reinvention you know and i think sometimes people think there's only one career and and i i mean i've reinvented myself as well you know started off as a government economist in Whitehall in London then I went into the travel industry and you know worked my way up from being a graduate up to becoming the CEO to then jumping out of corporate becoming an entrepreneur an investor you know a podcast host which I never would have anticipated so you know I think it's it's really interesting for people listening that you know I like a plan I know you like structure as well you're an engineer your brain works that way right you like a plan you like stretchy and i'm the same but i also like you believe that sometimes you just get an idea and just kind of go with it a little bit and and see where it might might lead and in your situation there you know with with super yacht sunday school it's really turned you into an entrepreneur right right and an entrepreneur's mindset of taking risk and starting something and kind of pivoting and changing and and i love that because you're right the education space if you can take your experience and help other people um achieve their dreams because you come from a lived experience of having learned the mistakes the you know what works what doesn't work etc it's a it's a fabulous thing to do and i'm very similar because brave bowl brilliant started as a podcast and was the name of my podcast it's now the proud brand of one of my businesses you know and we also do executive development strategy work we work with with um executive boards in large kind of corporate organizations right the way through to mid-sized businesses that want to maybe exit and sell all the way through the organization structure so what started as the name of a podcast has now become this whole ecosystem of strategy leadership development high performing teams and I can see a similarity with what you're doing there which I think is fascinating and so if you were Hugo if you were um someone was listening to this and thinking I've got an idea because you started as a side hustle really and then that's turned into something pretty significant right hasn't it what advice would you give to someone that maybe is thinking oh i've kind of got an idea how what would you say to them how would you you you suggest they they approach a change like that themselves i would suggest if you've got an idea for for a side hustle whether online driven or whatever it is one of the biggest deterrents is just thinking about it too much right like of course do your market analysis figure out if it's a good idea but at that point once you have yes or maybe at least to those like start because so many people just get stuck in that phase, right?

43:31Should I? Would I? Is it a good idea? And they just let it keep going, right? I mean, even my idea, I'm sure, I know I'm not the first yacht crew that's ever thought of this, but I'm sure as hell the first one that's taken it anywhere near this kind of length. But the only way that you can do that is by starting. And then once you start, just keep moving the ball forward, right? Sometimes it's going to feel like you're pushing it uphill. Sometimes, some days you feel great. You get a lot of achievements and you're pushing it downhill. But the point is to just keep pushing because if you don't, then eventually you're going to get to a point where you get stuck or where again you get disenfranchised with it and you just go, ah, it's not going to go anywhere.

44:08But consistency and finally starting, I think those are the biggest things that I could push to anyone.

44:14Hugo Ortega:Yeah, no, I think that's great. You're right. Sometimes we get frozen by fear, don't we? Or we haven't got the perfect time or I'm too old, I'm too young, I haven't got the experience or the market. And it becomes all blame, essentially. We're blaming other people. we're blaming an external situation when actually you just got to own it and go I'll give it a go and what I love about your journey Hugo is I don't think you'll be looking back on your life with with too many regrets because you've made those changes and I just think my god life is short we have no idea how long we're going to be here hopefully it'll be a long journey but it might be a short journey and imagine having a life full of regret of not giving it a go even if you fail that's fine but at least you'll learn something and you'll you'll have tried it you know um and i think that's fantastic what you've done because you've done that multiple times right not just once yeah yeah i think i'm i'm just always if i see there's a better door or at least it's going to give me more opportunities i'm really not scared of opening it because uh it's just like like you said life is short and i like to have um i think there's a lot of power in having options, right?

45:24Like even there's times when I was working on certain yachts and you're like, oh man, like this one isn't all it's cracked up to be. The owner's not great. The pay's not great, but you get some people that stay there because they're like, I need the money or I need this, just like in any other part of life. But when you open doors, you know, when you go from, okay, instead of working that nine to five, I'm going to work on yachts, make tips and travel. Cool. That was a door that opened. But then I was like, Ooh, actually, you know, if I did the TV thing that opens up more doors. But then now with the business, it's like I can actually my finance, my ceiling on income is so much higher now with that, that it makes it so yachting is a nice to have, I can come do it because I love it.

46:01I love being on the water. But I don't have to feel shackled to it because there will come a day where it's not feasible for me or my obligations elsewhere be too big. But thankfully, now I have this that I can lean on, you know, and I like having that power it feels very um it just feels very freeing yeah yeah and also multiple streams

46:21Hugo Ortega:of income right it's a smart thing to do you know that's what we have i have multiple businesses you know and multiple investments because there'll be times when you know we have we have a real estate business and sometimes you know property is great other times it's more difficult you know and the market's not so strong and if you're relying on one thing and it might be a job and all of a sudden you're not required anymore then that's a shock you know so i think it's a very smart thing to do for anyone listen even in a small way just think about you know creating multiple streams of income um and trying stuff and learning and you don't have to always go all in you can test and learn you know i think it depends on your appetite for risk i mean you're quite a risk taker Hugo right I can see yeah yeah I do like this I it's weird I'm uh very much like you said systematic I'm an engineer but I'm also much more risk averse and much more adventurous than a lot of my counterparts I kind of I'm either the most adventurous risk-taking engineer or I'm the most um like SOP driven adventurer I don't know but I do have to test the waters a little bit and then burn the bridge because then it really gets me off my arse to go do it you know yeah absolutely what is it tony robbins says i'm gonna i'm gonna be with tony at date with destiny in december which i'm very excited about i think he says if you want to take the island burn the bridges um i you know no way back if you've got no way back you'll make it you'll make it work no plan b kind of thing so but you know some people are good without other people less so but i like your idea test a little bit and then burn the bridges that's pretty cool that's pretty cool so so hugo So in terms of what's next for you then, you know, you've obviously had a fabulous journey.

48:03Hugo Ortega:What do you see as the next five, ten years for you? And how does that marry up with, you know, you talked about professional life, but how does that marry up with personal life as well? Because when you're at sea for a long time, I guess that might be challenging as well personally, you know, in terms of relationships. But what's next for you personally and professionally? Yeah, that's a good question. So right now I run the business with my partner. So we do do this very hand in hand, which is good. because it, and she also has worked with me on yachts, I think for the last, well, the whole time we've been together.

48:33So for six years, we've been doing this together. So thankfully, at least my personal and professional meld, and then we also can step away together. But for the next five to 10, I mean, my whole ethos and reason mission statement for doing this is I want to help, you know, connect crew and give them the resources they need to flourish using technology. So I've got ideas for, you know, not just the coaching and helping them directly into the industry, but I've got things in play and plans to help that whole lifestyle throughout, you know, helping them find jobs, helping them find places to stay, really just the whole experience, redefining it with technology while continuing to grow Super Yacht Sunday School and continuing to do, you know, a little bit of freelance captain work.

49:16this portal has opened up a lot for me because now I'm even looking at even like my brokerage license for selling yachts because now I've got so many eyeballs that I can really help make strides in the industry and do innovations because once you already have the audience and they're already engaged and they already trust you it's easier to help them in different ways so kind of learning how to juggle all that will be a trick but that's what I'm looking at basically helping people along the journey even coaching them out of the industry like hey if you want to do an online business, this is how I did it.

49:46Come learn from me too. So really just everything I know, give it back to crew and also just help their experiences with a few different tech. And that's professionally. I guess personally, what I'm working on is getting my digital nomad visa for Spain. And I want to kind of base myself and live in the Mediterranean because I really like that lifestyle. It's a lot more relaxed. And I think with the online business and also the yachting, I can kind of be sipping rosé on my corner of the world over there and just really enjoying life without having to struggle too much. I think that's what's next for me, to take a breather a little bit and do that.

50:23And then also, like I was mentioning before, now I'm 34, so I'll be transitioning into having a family, getting married, all of that. So I want to make sure to get all these levers in a way that they're, like you said, creating the income I need to sustain that lifestyle so I don't have to be at sea for long periods of time. because I love yachting. I love what it's given me, but I'm ready now to make the seat part, you know, nice to have and an extra, but focus on the other parts of my life and business where I can give the most to the industry because there's a ton of captains out there, right?

50:54And I think I do a great job and whatever, but I think my calling now is to help improve the industry and work on everything that I've already started and let, you know, my students and the other people handle the actual groundwork of getting the yachts to and from.

51:08Hugo Ortega:yeah yeah so it's really disrupting the sector using software as a service in order to in a fragmented marketplace to to actually disrupt things but make the lives of anyone that's in that in that industry better and you know more lucrative and financial etc and i love your choice on the lifestyle side myself and my husband actually we made a decision when i came out of corporate you know what kind of lifestyle do we want you know we don't have kids and we said well we want to be out of the uk in the winter because we hate it so three months of the year we do not spend in the uk you know last year we're in lisbon this year we're going to be down in turkey and antaglia for three months but we consciously set our businesses up so that i can run them from anywhere in the world and where my clients are sometimes they're in australia sometimes they're in asia sometimes they're in the states i will travel and be where i need to be at the time i need to be but the the day-to-day you know operation can i can run from anywhere right so i i really like your life by design philosophy um that's super cool and yeah it's great so i'm going to come to some few few last questions hugo because you know all credit to you you've had an amazing career and huge congratulations but it won't all have been easy through this and you know what what's been the darkest time for you what's been the most difficult time when you look back for you either personally or professionally because it all sounds wonderful doesn't it but you and I know you and I know that the journey is is full of highs lows rainy days sunny days not easy to achieve what you've achieved so I think it's quite interesting just to touch on some of the more challenging areas that you've had to overcome through that in order to create this amazing career in life that you've achieved I think I'll do twofold because on the one side But working on yachts itself, you know, again, it's very easy selling the sunset.

53:00Everyone thinks, wow, all the beautiful photos on Instagram, the countless bottles of rosé, like it must be all fun and games. And it is great. Don't get me wrong. But I mean, you're away from family for the holidays. You go through periods where you work very long hours, very hard. And sometimes it looks like there's no end in sight. Right. Like we were talking about a private vessel. Sometimes you don't know when the boss is going to leave. He just comes on and well, let's figure it out. so you know your body gets goes through that turmoil there's the emotional turmoil of a man my friends my family the people getting married people having kids and you you come back you're kind of like fish out of water because you don't really connect with certain people you did once before so there's a lot of um difficulties with that lifestyle you know it comes with a lot of highs but you sacrifice a lot and i think that's something for people and i try to tell my students too there's a lot of sacrifice there um mentally and emotionally if you're going to work on a yacht And in any kind of working at sea, right, there's the just you unplug from society and that comes with its own mental strains.

54:02So that's one side, right? That's that's the the negative to yachting, I'd say. And then with entrepreneurship, again, that comes with the darkness that at the beginning, if you're used to having a steady paycheck, if you're used to knowing what's going to happen tomorrow, like all those things go out the window. there's a lot of fear can I do this self-doubt you know questioning yourself really taking yourself to extremes in terms of like having to learn a lot of new skills to do things that make you uncomfortable right like it's a lot of it's a very testing time and there's a lot of times you go should I do this should I throw in the towel can I do this then you go in your high you hit a lot of sales or whatever it is and then you have a new set of difficulties because it's an ever-growing, but then so are the challenges, right?

54:52They're always catching up behind. It's never smooth sailing in either direction because when something gets easy, then you have to tackle the next thing or else you're not going to pass that point. So I think entrepreneurship has definitely been a test of patience, has definitely just really helped me get in touch with myself more because you start seeing what is it that your hang-ups are or your limiting beliefs. And all of that is almost like a psychiatric analysis I've had to do on myself, which I didn't have to do when I was working with my body and just, you know, looking pretty on a boat.

55:24Right. So I think I think both of those have been have been an interesting struggle. And again, with any kind of success, you also you lose friends, you lose a lot of contact with people because sometimes it's because of the time investment or sometimes just because it wasn't a good fit. right and then you you kind of have to swallow that pill and you you know as you go higher right heavy is the crown and more lonely is the seed and the people around you yeah no thanks for sharing

55:52Hugo Ortega:that because i think it is important you know this podcast it's all about pushing out of our comfort zone and you know you're not going to get to that brilliant state and you know without the struggles as well and it does involve being brave and taking those bold news and some of them will pay off some of them won't pay off and you know so it's great I think to be able to keep it real as well and to share you know to share the reality of this this crazy journey that we're on because as you say it's not all sipping champagne at sunset is it at all it's hard graft and commitment and risk and doubt and all of that good thing and I you know I always say with the with the clients I have and the businesses that I've been fortunate to run myself you know I've had thousands of people on my team all over the world but you know there's always three elements it's always leading yourself starts with you leading your teams and leading the business you know it doesn't matter what sector you're in you've always got those three elements um and if you want to scale up then you know that requires a different set of skills again you raise your standards and then you're on to the next thing like you were saying the numbers get bigger the risk gets bigger that you know but the reward is also bigger potentially so um yeah that's a great a great perspective Hugo thank you very much for sharing that I appreciate it um so Hugo last few questions for you um as you look back through your personal professional life what's the best piece of advice that you've received would you say I had one captain who he told me this piece of advice and it stuck with me he said if you want to be better than 90 percent of the people out there maybe 99 you just have to give an additional 10 percent right he's like there's so many people that take something to a certain level and then that's good enough you know whether it's in their professional life in their personal life whatever people naturally will just get to a certain point and go oh that's enough for today and if you just push push through that and it's not even like you have to do twice as much effort you just push another 10 whenever you're feeling too tired or whenever you're like duh do i do i need to spend more time on this business um do you know oh is this enough for today like just another 10 and suddenly you're a superstar you're the guy that they're calling again or gal right you're getting called again you're getting booked again you're getting referrals it's not that much more that you have to do but you just have to push through that limitation and that kind of lazy lazy desire that you have to just kind of let it sit there and I found that true in yachting I found it true in business and I try to remember it whenever I'm feeling like I've done enough yeah yeah that's that's really good advice I like that that's it that's a that's a new one for me I've not heard that before I might steal that Hugo that's great

58:32Hugo Ortega:absolutely we're paying we're paying it forward aren't we so that's that's amazing and hugo if you could describe this year in one word what would it be and why if i could describe this year in one word i would say very trying um in terms of like it was just it's a lot it was a lot of growth in a lot of different places that i wasn't expecting um you With the onset of the show, with the growth of the business, and also balancing being a captain, I was stretched in a lot of different directions. And I learned a lot about myself. And I had to go down places that I didn't even expect to go. Like with the show and seeing how it is to be on the public eye and get criticism and get praise.

59:17All these things were very different, right? Because I've spent, even with my business, it's run on social media. But still, like I wasn't under the my personality was never under the public eye. Right. That was never something that was being examined or talked about. So it's just been interesting to I felt like this year really went from being an entrepreneur, went from being a captain to then finally being like a person in the spotlight or a person of recognition in my industry. And it feels good. It felt great because, you know, it's the culmination of everything that I've done. But it also led to a lot of personal growth as well.

59:52Hugo Ortega:yeah well there's a yin to every yang isn't there you know we can't we we don't we can't have the appreciate the sunshine without the rain sometimes so um yeah no thank you for sharing that though because yes a trying trying as a as a word for this year i'll be interested to see what next year's word is hugo when i ask you next year amazing okay so we have a brave ball brilliant playlist hugo i love music and it's great to see what people are into um in terms of music so is Is there a standout song that you would naturally go to or an artist that you love? I'm a big fan of Daft Punk, the French house DJs.

1:00:31So Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. I think that both kind of fits your brand, but then it also would be great to have on a playlist as well.

1:00:39Hugo Ortega:Lovely. Great choice. We've not had that one, so well done. We will add that to the playlist. Wonderful. And final question, Hugo. What does Brave Bro Brilliant mean to you? I think brave bro wow I tripped up with that the triple B I think brave bold and brilliant again is taking the first word is the kicker right you have to be brave enough to take the risk or to try that idea or just really to to step off of whatever you were doing I think that is usually almost always the first step in achieving something really great because whatever's gotten you to where you are now isn't exactly going to be what takes you to the next level So you have to be brave enough to step off the path because if it wasn't something that required braveness, then everyone would be doing it because everyone is naturally going to flow to the easiest path.

1:01:28So being brave enough to follow your dream or disregard the naysayers or do the thing that no one else has done before and then just kind of boldly sitting in that decision and following it through. And again, consistency, working harder than anyone else and moving forward a little bit every day. That's how great strides are made. And I think that's the factor and the key to success.

1:01:52Hugo Ortega:Amazing. What a way to end, Hugo. Thank you so much. Honestly, I've really enjoyed our conversation. I think the best is yet to come. I can't wait to see what the next phase in your journey is going to look like. So thank you for being on Brave Bold Brilliant. Thank you so much for having me.

1:02:09Hugo Ortega:Well, I just want to say a big thank you to Hugo for sharing his incredible journey from engineer to super yacht captain. and now empowering others to design adventurous lives for themselves. And Hugo's story is a powerful reminder that fulfillment comes when we step outside the expected path and choose courage. So for our listeners, if you're ready to stop playing small and start scaling your own success, I'd love to support you. And at Brave Bold Brilliant and Jeanette Linford Associates, we work with entrepreneurs, executives and business leaders to accelerate growth, make bold moves and achieve results that last.

1:02:52Hugo Ortega:So if you've been inspired by today's episode, take action. Reach out, connect with me and let's explore how you can build a business and life that is brave, bold and brilliant. So until next time, keep pushing, keep pushing those boundaries and leading with courage.

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