Breaking Barriers in Business & Life

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in this episode I'm interviewing 
Samuel Brooks worth Samuel and I

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get into everything about Apprentice right 
the Good Bad and the Ugly he talks about

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what The Apprentice has taught him about 
black men in business it's really one you

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don't want to miss Samuel has literally 
featured in GQ in Forbes in the times he

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is a proper successful business entrepreneur 
you've got to tune in and listen to this one

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[Music] Samuel I'm really happy to have you 
here today thank you on The Apprentice When

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I Met You in 2016 you were one of the more sane 
and credible candidates if I didare say I mean

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there are obviously there are good candidates 
on there I think everyone that goes on there is

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good but I think you were one of the stronger 
ones I think that everyone goes in there with

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different agendas everyone goes on there with 
different intents how they want to perceive them

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how they want to be perceived how they want to be 
portrayed so I that plays on their minds as to how

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they act and you find that after a lot of them 
are nothing like how they portrayed themselves

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to be or because they had an idea of how they 
wanted to be perceived out in the public or an

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opportunity to be in a spotlight they come across 
certain way which doesn't always do them credit

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but um I found that once we kind of broke down 
the walls over the weeks they were all kind of

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say just how they how they portrayed themselves 
in that moment sometimes it was it was intense

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but I think you were pretty much and you still cuz 
I've seen you at like networking and events and

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stuff like that I think what we saw on TV with 
you like just calm controlled focused you are

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that person and you weren't acting I I've never 
really cared about Fame I've was growing up as

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a purpose-- driven person so my understanding or 
what I was taught to believe growing up is that if

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you believe in something and you do something 
for a reason everything else will follow what

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what I liked about you is that you were like once 
you saw the you like yeah no I'm not doing this

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it's for me and you walked to get onto the 
show understandably knowing TV you he need

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to come across a certain way for them to even 
consider you and select you so I think the way

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I potentially came across in the interview stages 
and the way I was on the show yeah producers kept

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pulling me to a side are you not going to talk 
are you not going to come acoss this way are

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you not going to say this say and they wanted me 
to be that arrogant Brash they did sales person

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that was just rubbing people the wrong way but 
that's actually not me so there are moments of

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that as a sales person where you will show that 
kind of like that that that that that Zeal they

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show that kind of character but that's not me in 
general I'm quite a chill and quiet person so I

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think that really really frustrated them it got to 
a point where I pulled aside for a few occasions

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with they're like I a not going to do the same 
I'm no it is TV so to be fair I understand that

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they're making entertainment but if you're like 
also a credible business person you're in the

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corporate world and it's formal and you know and 
how you come across the the professionalism and

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that it's important then that's going to become 
an issue because you don't want to be portrayed

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in a certain way and being really silly and you're 
not able to do when you know you can and then you

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see things that would make you look like that 
cuz you want to protect your brand and then

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you know that your brand is at risk actually of 
being you know toyed with publicly and then that

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will affect your professional life because some 
people's careers have tanked yep because of the

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cuz they've come across so badly people don't 
realize how demanding like the the the no TVs

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the no music the no reading factual books that 
woking up at random times in the morning not

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eating properly not being able to talk not eating 
I couldn't it was difficult not being to talk when

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the Camas weren't rolling being in silence um just 
being dragged around from location to location

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without no real idea as to where you were and 
why you being taken certain places it's it's a

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lot mentally which people don't realize and it all 
plays into great TV but not actually realistic and

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there's a lot of dos and don'ts that you can and 
can't do on the show as you're aware um so a lot

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of people come across a stupid and then people 
think it's their ideas that they presented when

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they're actually given option so let's go back 
a little bit let's go back to your childhood

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childhood was really really chilled really calm 
growing up so we we I moved from London straight

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to Barry and Barry is like a small town at the 
outskirts of Manchester grow going to a high

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school at that age where there weren't many black 
kids in the scho school um a lot of the kids were

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very ignorant with their perspectives of what 
they expected from black people I remember the

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first day of school I went to the playground and 
the whole well basically the whole school gathered

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around my true brother and I and they wanted us 
to rap because they thought we were DIY R school's

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cousins and we're like whoa there's only so much 
the school can do a lot of it falls the parents

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and the education that the parents gifted them in 
their homes and their understanding of Britain and

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their understanding of the history ofit and again 
and if the parents have been in one place in one

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thing and they only know that they're not open 
to the world they're not they're sort of living

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in their narrow and it's very narrow-minded bubble 
that's that's just not really stretched in the way

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EXA should be exactly but um I just feel as though 
Britain is changing but not in a positive way

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mainly due to the mindset and the non-acceptance 
of other cultures and um different races and

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different um belief systems um I'm I'm not a 
politician so that's that's not an answer for me

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to but you're allowed a view you know allowed your 
you're allowed your view and and you know you see

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things in the way that you've seen them actually 
you know what so I've been working throughout my

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school in life so I did like um 16 I worked on 
MAR expensers which was a really good experience

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I did Street fundraising um drawing in uni as 
well just so I could really um I loved sales

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but I wanted to really understand what it would be 
like to sell in different regions different areas

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of the country how objections people would have 
how we could overcome on them and I really honed

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my skill Sal skills from talking to different 
people in different walks of life on the Streets

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of London you putting yourself out there had to 
I was spatter I was I was chased I people threat

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to you were spattered yeah yeah yeah how did you 
deal with this I never allow that moment to ruin

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my day and it was difficult but I knew that in 
that moment in that moment Something's Happened

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there's another 8 hours left of the Working 
Day why would I allow that 10 seconds to run

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my 8 hours and it's something I just constantly 
had to and I'm happy I went through that street

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fundraising experience was it really trained 
me for that so when I'd go into like Co Center

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roles or sales roles or shop floor selling cars 
selling for Cliff trucks whatever I would sell

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because of that experience it just helped me I 
never allowed a moment okay but that okay someone

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spits at you how how do you control yourself my 
dad always always tell me whenever you whenever

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you're in situations like that put yourself in 
other person's shoes so growing up I was I think

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during my early teens I was a very very I got to 
a point where I became very I know not angry but I

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had a lot of energy and I knew I could physically 
dominate a lot of people so I was um not scared

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of things I was very yeah and I'd always get into 
situations where my dad would be like listen in

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that situation where you've got annoyed somebody 
yeah put yourself in their shoes so let's say

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we're having disc discussion and you've got really 
angry and you've tried to attack me or whatever's

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happened my dad would say to make call let's take 
that isolated situation think about logically

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maybe she had a really frustrating day maybe she 
was annoyed was at home you don't know what she's

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encountered with her parents maybe her boyfriend 
maybe her husband you don't know what's happened

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to her life maybe she's being abused so she just 
wants to take a frustration of somebody else put

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yourself in the person's shoes and think of 
all the situations they can encounter as to

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why they'd react the way they'd react the moment 
you do that and you have empathy in situations

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like that you always react differently yeah it's 
wiser well then try it trying to pass someone

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one yeah okay so you are now the CEO of remotely 
yes how did this happen yeah so um during the

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pandemic um I was an account director at the 
guardian and I notic it's a lot of businesses

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were massively struggling to grow their businesses 
we encountering a lot of difficulties especially

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during that period um fortunately unfortunately 
I was then fured for a period of time so it had

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me it gave me a lot of time to think after the 
initial discussions with organizations and the

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things they're encountered and what they work kind 
of going through and I thought to myself how can I

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support or help a lot of these businesses that 
are struggling so massively during this really

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really difficult period um coincidentally well um 
along that my wife and I used to travel to Ghana

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which is our um um our home country yeah every 
year and if we had go to Ghana I would see that

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there were young people who overly skilled and 
overly competent that were they they were never

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granted opportunities now as horrific as Co was 
on the world at times I like to call it a great

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equalizer um but it leveled the playing field 
for a lot of individuals in different parts of

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the world who couldn't gain opportunities but were 
able to gain them because the opportunities were

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open up to everyone across the world so I thought 
myself that eure moment when I was walking up find

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down my living room why not why not match these 
two opportunities why not get these organizations

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who are struggling to find the right people 
competent skilled individuals in the UK why

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not match them individuals in Ghana who can do the 
roles really well and as everyone's working online

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why can't they do it that's a proper entrepreneur 
right there like you know something opportunities

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and disaster going on but come on let's you know 
and and in a tough moment as well for you you

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below you sort of everyone's down what I had as 
a concept and an idea yes it was challenging or

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difficult going to a country I was not born in um 
I I never lived in didn't fully un understood the

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language understand the language can speak it but 
living in a country where go back yeah like don't

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the minds people how they grew up what they 
experienced oh my goodness but you probably

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needed that injection back to really you know 
submerge and understand the needs yeah it was

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a lot but um luckily we had a good team of 
individuals we hired really good people we

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we we were very blessed and very some will say 
lucky um with opportunities that came our way

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and from there just grew and grew and grew and 
now it's become a recognizable well recognizable

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Global brand in the industry that we're in and 
hopefully this recognizable you've appeared on

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Forbes GQ you guys have won awards it's more 
than recognizable so you're doing really well

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so you're flying so what is the goal with remot 
the goal is to ensure that we hire a million plus

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people in the continent of Africa um that is the 
long-term goal continent of Africa yes yes that's

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the goal um Beyond we want to stop brain drain 
from Africa so the best talent from leaving our

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continent Africa can't grow as a continent if the 
best people in the continent are constantly trying

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to leave to go to Europe or go to America or go 
elsewhere because then who's going to develop the

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you want the countries to be building themselves 
up exactly and the only way that can happen is

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if the best talent is kept in Africa you need 
to give them the best opportunities then they

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won't want to leave who wants to leave their 
Hometown or Home Country to go abroad if the

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opportunities are there where they are so we aims 
to bring them the opportunity so they can earn

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more increase the GDP of every country we're in 
in doing so increasing average wages increasing

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living standards eradicating poverty gaining more 
opportunities for individuals paying more putting

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more money to economies that weren't there before 
helping governments helping everybody so everyone

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just continue to flourish and grow the content I 
can see how having an objective like that is just

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so much more interesting and emotionally drawing 
if you chase something for a passion you chase

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something that make impact everything else will 
follow do you think Lord sugar is kicking himself

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because he should be looking looking at something 
like this and going well embarrassing isn't it I

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doubt he even knows it exists I don't know that's 
also a problem that's also a problem yeah you know

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what he's um well he missed out didn't he let's be 
let's be honest um you know what when I went on or

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did he or or are you better off yeah when I went 
on to the show my my aim was to never win it that

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that that was always my thing which I always 
discussed that for me it was just a platform

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interesting my mom used say to me you could 
be the greatest preacher in the world you

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could be the greatest salesperson in the world 
you could be the greatest whatever is in the

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world if you don't have a platform nobody who 
a message and nobody will see who you are yeah

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so for me the reason I'm eternally grateful 
to the show and to goodform the platform it

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afforded me I couldn't have got anywhere else 
at that time in my life so um it was great for

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me and obviously he's gone on to do extraordinary 
things in his business career and he's gone into

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work with different entrepreneurs it probably 
would have been a mismatch at the time anyway

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based where I was I don't see it happening I've 
seen some of your LinkedIn posts and there's one

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for example where you bring the kids into work and 
there's all it's like a nice Vibe and everything

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that you wouldn't that probably wouldn't work 
let's be clear okay so so so you decided to

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apply um because you wanted this platform and 
your um your sales pitch was that you know you

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have a god-given gift to sell the funny thing is 
I didn't actually apply for the show my wife did

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to disgrace myself in front of the country I 
am good but I I did know it's not an arrogant

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thing I knew I'd get picked for that show Once I 
went through the process which I ended up getting

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picked and um from there it just kind of went went 
upwards so yeah yeah when you know you you know it

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you feel that that confidence and you absolutely 
need it to to to get ahead of all those people

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it's it's the toughest interview you could ever 
have in your life honestly was one of the best

0:13:59.560,0:14:10.240
experiences of my life only because I it showed me 
um I think that if put up in very very difficult

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situations situations and around individuals that 
I didn't I wouldn't ever on a day-to-day basis be

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with in the real world no yeah that would be fine 
and I think you only know the measure of your

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character until you're put in the most difficult 
situations I've seen in business in work in life

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when managers or directors are screaming at teams 
because Something's Happened and how people throw

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people under the bus how people react no matter 
how pressured the situation they remained the same

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and that's what it showed me about myself that 
no matter what people do to me on this process

0:14:46.440,0:14:52.640
I would never Bend or bow to producers to nor 
sugar can record and show different side to me

0:14:52.640,0:14:57.480
I'm going to be me if you like it I'm going to 
be my true authentic self you wrote an article

0:14:57.480,0:15:03.280
for the guardian and you titled it it my time on 
The Apprentice taught me a lot about black men in

0:15:03.280,0:15:08.280
business yeah there has always hysterically been 
a narrative painted of black men and perceptional

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black men and you see that play out when you go 
into certain areas when you walk through certain

0:15:12.720,0:15:17.960
streets at certain times how people react to you 
how people perceive you what people will think of

0:15:17.960,0:15:22.880
you before you've even opened your mouth and um I 
think that that narrative especially play through

0:15:22.880,0:15:29.360
media is very powerful if I say to now name three 
prominent Asian business person you probably name

0:15:29.360,0:15:34.520
name three prent caucas name them name three 
black businessman you probably struggle and

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it's it's simply because opportunities aren't 
being granted to a lot of black males and females

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who I do think it is hard for black females to 
actually break through break through the glass

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cing as black male I do feel as though there 
is there there is a very thick glass ceiling

0:15:50.120,0:15:55.600
that stops a lot from breaking through and you'll 
see a lot of black males who for 10 20 years you

0:15:55.600,0:15:59.600
look through their LinkedIn or look through their 
experiences they only ever sales EX they're never

0:15:59.600,0:16:03.840
allowed to progress and when you speak to them and 
speak to it's never that they're not competent or

0:16:03.840,0:16:07.880
they're not good enough they're just not granted 
opportunities now there reasons for that if you

0:16:07.880,0:16:12.400
look at management structures and teams yeah which 
why I would emphasize on if you're a leader in a

0:16:12.400,0:16:18.240
business it a lot of it doesn't always necessarily 
coming out to racism where this is hindering a lot

0:16:18.240,0:16:22.560
of black males is that they're not being able to 
grow in organizations so if you're a black male

0:16:22.560,0:16:25.840
you're not grow in organization and you want to 
set up a business when you do aent you set up your

0:16:25.840,0:16:30.640
business you're setting up your business from from 
very limited knowledge because then you've never

0:16:30.640,0:16:36.160
had any real leadership experience management 
experience growing understanding of all of growing

0:16:36.160,0:16:41.080
a business at top level so how can your business 
Thrive at that level if you've never managed at

0:16:41.080,0:16:46.560
that level so then it's stopping so many black 
businessmen from progressing and growing because

0:16:46.560,0:16:50.520
they've never had experience to even growing 
corporate organizations and that's what the

0:16:50.520,0:16:54.240
article is really speaking on the opportunities 
the lack of opportunities and even when you look

0:16:54.240,0:16:59.960
at um diversity pay Gap reports across different 
organizations there's disparity regards to what

0:16:59.960,0:17:05.320
black people are paid in regards to Caucasians 
doing the same jobs and the way they're treated

0:17:05.320,0:17:11.680
the complaints the it's been happening for 
decades from when my dad first came to the UK and

0:17:11.680,0:17:17.560
he complaints about working what places up until 
now and um things are changing things are getting

0:17:17.560,0:17:23.120
better as the years do go on but um it has stopped 
a lot of black males from progressing and growing

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when you have a truly diverse organization whether 
it's from a disability perspective um whether it's

0:17:27.680,0:17:35.000
from a um race perspective whatever it may be it 
allows you to open up the mindset of the people

0:17:35.000,0:17:40.720
in the business to better serve different and 
bigger groups and um that's where I do feel as

0:17:40.720,0:17:47.320
the um organizations even on shows like Apprentice 
that could potentially happen just so we can see

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that growth yeah I think expanding opportunities 
granted to individuals as to to black males which

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I'm I'm yet to see yet as winners yeah in the 
investment stages of the show yeah I like it you

0:18:00.560,0:18:05.480
know let's let's be fair and square with everyone 
you know everyone especially if it's a competition

0:18:05.480,0:18:10.520
let's give everyone the fair chances and life and 
whatever it should be a fair playing field and

0:18:10.520,0:18:14.200
come on let's go who's working the hardest who's 
putting in the hours who's got the passion who's

0:18:14.200,0:18:18.560
got the drive you know who and then you know it's 
right it's like Sprint you get on the line you

0:18:18.560,0:18:22.920
know running race and it's all it's all fair and 
square yeah 100% And even a fairness even begins

0:18:22.920,0:18:27.360
from the especially on shows like The Apprentice 
the fos would even begin from the the recruiting

0:18:27.360,0:18:32.560
process like you said pick people to fit into 
certain stereotypes you find certain people are

0:18:32.560,0:18:36.920
picked to fit into those stereotypes where you 
find there are so many credible young black men

0:18:36.920,0:18:41.600
who could have been picked and brought to the show 
yeah but they aren't because they don't fit into

0:18:41.600,0:18:47.560
it's not the narrative Nar exactly so what's your 
work life balance like do you have a good work

0:18:47.560,0:18:53.040
life balance or not really I like to think I do um 
I'd have this amount time to do this and I spend

0:18:53.040,0:18:58.840
this much time with the kids and I will ensure 
that I'm structured so that I don't just work 20

0:18:58.840,0:19:09.040
47 there I was slipping into that but then I 
found that I can't keep using excuse I'm busy

0:19:09.040,0:19:14.200
I'm busy I'm busy because if I keep using that 
excuse It's a mindset thing I will always be busy

0:19:14.200,0:19:18.240
whereas when I started to think you know what I 
can do all these things I can spend enough time

0:19:18.240,0:19:24.120
with the girls I can go on family holidays I can 
work and grow raise a family I I kind of grew up

0:19:24.120,0:19:28.520
in a business environment where we saw the most 
successful businessmen as guys who are never ref

0:19:28.520,0:19:33.680
found guys though the woman would be at home with 
the kids and the family and you would have to be

0:19:33.680,0:19:38.320
out doing and I was like that's not fair because 
I've seen my wife run a business be a lecturer

0:19:38.320,0:19:44.880
look like you look up the kids she's got her going 
she can do it all and two of us we can both do it

0:19:44.880,0:19:51.520
so what do you think you have in your personality 
that's accelerating success like genuinely what

0:19:51.520,0:19:58.840
is it what is it I'm I'm able to work with 
individuals and help them to grow and that

0:19:58.840,0:20:05.640
allows them to take on a lot more than they 
would have before so um that personality trait

0:20:05.640,0:20:11.360
that I have has helped me to grow because I'm then 
empowering people to do a lot more which gives me

0:20:11.360,0:20:17.400
a lot more time yeah whereas if I was almost like 
a micromanager or I was a bit like um I don't know

0:20:17.400,0:20:21.400
all over people it wouldn't allow me to grow would 
allow them to grow now end up being more busy

0:20:21.400,0:20:27.760
so um that s an empathy and allowing people to 
understanding people and being good at sales let's

0:20:27.760,0:20:33.160
be honest yeah yeah you can't really not be good 
but you know what I think I'm a good self person

0:20:33.160,0:20:39.360
because I am so good at people people gauge honest 
people and if I'm sending something I'm talking to

0:20:39.360,0:20:45.840
and you you can see my eyes I'm a genu person yeah 
and because of that and just my values and morals

0:20:45.840,0:20:50.040
exactly the values of morals right when you're 
an individual where you have a vision and you

0:20:50.040,0:20:55.280
just want to and you have and you're authentic 
and your heart's pureing what you want to do I

0:20:55.280,0:20:59.320
find that when you're trying to set things up at 
times and a lot of people know they this one of

0:20:59.320,0:21:05.960
the biggest reasons for organizations not failing 
are co-found disputes and it's a huge huge issue

0:21:05.960,0:21:12.120
it's a big deal yeah and I think um one of the 
early lessons I had in remotely especially were

0:21:12.120,0:21:16.000
the individuals that I brought on to support me 
in building things because you find that if you're

0:21:16.000,0:21:22.920
building something quite big the human heart is 
very difficult to read read and individuals become

0:21:22.920,0:21:28.200
jealous about you from realizing oh they they yeah 
they can become jealous they can become bitter

0:21:28.200,0:21:33.080
they become angry and when you're working with 
individuals and you don't really see the jealous

0:21:33.080,0:21:38.720
of what there another person's perceived success 
so let's say for example we're set something up

0:21:38.720,0:21:45.080
and you're a CTO and I'm a CEO and you're seen 
that I'm P perceived to be seen as the leading

0:21:45.080,0:21:52.200
light something it can play into someone's psyche 
and I've realized that jealousy I believe stems

0:21:52.200,0:21:55.960
from not understanding your true calling if 
you understand what you've been called to do

0:21:55.960,0:21:59.800
and you understand what you're meant to do as an 
individual you can never become some you know what

0:21:59.800,0:22:05.480
you're doing when you don't know what you're doing 
you find yourself floating all the time I've seen

0:22:05.480,0:22:12.080
people that I've helped set up i' I've brought on 
board to help me set up this business go away and

0:22:12.080,0:22:17.280
want to set up their own business doing the same 
thing but your dream was always be an actor it

0:22:17.280,0:22:21.240
shows that you don't understand what your true 
calling is you're just doing whatever it is so

0:22:21.240,0:22:26.720
that you can gain perceived success but then 
you're not as an individual fully understanding

0:22:26.720,0:22:30.800
what is that you want to do and I realized that 
with the with the human heart it's difficult to

0:22:30.800,0:22:37.200
read and as a Founder as I'm growing as a Founder 
as I'm learning more I'm starting to really

0:22:37.200,0:22:42.080
understand I really want to understand people's 
wise when I'm doing things and that's helped in

0:22:42.080,0:22:46.160
these challenges if I understand your why yeah 
like get what is you're looking for I can help

0:22:46.160,0:22:50.000
lead you and get you to what you're looking for if 
we have a discussion from the beginning stage and

0:22:50.000,0:22:54.160
you cannot tell me why it could become difficult 
because if something happens and you don't really

0:22:54.160,0:22:59.920
have a strong why to why of doing something your 
heart could go in any any which Direction and as

0:22:59.920,0:23:04.720
a Founder it's it's so important that you 
understand want BR people strong ways yeah

0:23:04.720,0:23:10.360
someone that's competing with you in some ways 
and that's I would call it a type of insecurity

0:23:10.360,0:23:14.320
yet it's not finding their calling but it's also 
a type of just feeling insecure about who they

0:23:14.320,0:23:19.400
are not really knowing who they are but just not 
feeling comfortable completely with who they are

0:23:19.400,0:23:25.160
because first of all why would they join with you 
if they weren't comfortable in the first place um

0:23:25.160,0:23:32.160
so you working through anything difficult now now 
um challenge not there's always challenges in life

0:23:32.160,0:23:37.240
what's the main challenge now with remotely I 
think one of the main challenges is as we're

0:23:37.240,0:23:44.680
scaling the business um it does become more and 
more challenging um managing more and more diverse

0:23:44.680,0:23:51.280
people it and I see more diverse people different 
from different walks of life ages um and as anyone

0:23:51.280,0:23:56.960
know the the most difficult or challenging 
thing is managing people yeah um it's a unique

0:23:56.960,0:24:01.080
challenge but it's beautiful all the same when 
you're managing people um working with different

0:24:01.080,0:24:04.280
people and seeing their grow through certain 
areas of their life seeing them develop seeing

0:24:04.280,0:24:09.760
them grow see them change their mind so rewarding 
but it's not easy the same way as when you have a

0:24:09.760,0:24:14.320
child in the first two years of a child's life 
they seemingly trying to kill themselves every

0:24:14.320,0:24:19.720
single day a new and creative ways just to be the 
finger in a plug just to be nuts and you see that

0:24:19.720,0:24:24.040
growth it's worth the journey but it's difficult 
all the same and I think that's what it's like

0:24:24.040,0:24:28.880
when you're growing a startup which is our baby 
and when you're working with people people in that

0:24:28.880,0:24:34.440
startup it's going through that process of them 
coming almost like kids to toddlers to infancy

0:24:34.440,0:24:40.000
it's very tough and going through that process is 
challenging but very rewarding and um I do have

0:24:40.000,0:24:46.000
gray hairs now I do have sleepless nights but it's 
all so rewarding for anyone listening um who wants

0:24:46.000,0:24:52.760
to become an entrepreneur and follow you know 
in footsteps what what tips do you have for them

0:24:52.760,0:24:58.600
what would you what would you say make sure you 
keep going with your idea for at least 18 months

0:24:58.600,0:25:04.600
wow 18 months at least 18 and it was very specific 
with the 18 months not a year or two at least 18

0:25:04.600,0:25:09.120
months once you go past the 18mth period you can 
assess and see whether that D actually works or

0:25:09.120,0:25:14.400
not and don't stop before them because you will 
see dips and don't get too encouraged with any

0:25:14.400,0:25:19.160
spikes you see just keep going and don't keep 
up before then after that period see where you

0:25:19.160,0:25:23.440
are that's why I say to a lot of entrepreneurs 
because you find that a lot of times entrepreneurs

0:25:23.440,0:25:28.480
can either get overly excited what what they see 
in the first three four five six months or get

0:25:28.480,0:25:33.120
discouraged by what they see after the first year 
and after the first year if we took that approach

0:25:33.120,0:25:37.960
we probably wouldn't have got to way we got to 
yes we grew and we we did extraordinarily well

0:25:37.960,0:25:45.720
but it wasn't I I'm very ambitious person I wanted 
to do more so and again in the first year where we

0:25:45.720,0:25:49.600
were looking for funding we did get funding then 
obviously after that we had load of offers come

0:25:49.600,0:25:53.000
towards us I could have become discouraged 
but I would have known was I received all

0:25:53.000,0:25:58.640
the people that came to me not wanting to invest 
or not believing in the idea different industry

0:25:58.640,0:26:05.360
who messaged me direct messaged me telling me that 
one of them said the idea was chronically um fled

0:26:05.360,0:26:10.560
and I'm like dude ding there was no need to even 
say that you could just chronically some some

0:26:10.560,0:26:16.160
people just how wrong was he yeah chronically and 
I I always I always remember that one specifically

0:26:16.160,0:26:20.680
because he was an inqu industry expert it's 
tough when it comes from someone like that I

0:26:20.680,0:26:26.200
when they bring you down I I I didn't care it was 
more so I it got me thinking what must he say to

0:26:26.200,0:26:31.120
other people who may maybe don't the resilience 
I have and how does he approach or speak to these

0:26:31.120,0:26:36.440
individuals if you're in this in quote perceived 
position why would you say that thank God you

0:26:36.440,0:26:41.960
didn't take that personally no no no no and I was 
like why would you say that and it's a case where

0:26:41.960,0:26:47.040
there was so much that was said and done to us in 
that first year where individuals now have come

0:26:47.040,0:26:52.960
back to me for apologized or messag me or say oh I 
heard this about you that's not true or I perceive

0:26:52.960,0:26:57.400
this about you that's not true and for me it's 
a case where if I had stopped after the first 12

0:26:57.400,0:27:01.440
months none of this would have been seen But was 
we kept going after the first 18 months you've had

0:27:01.440,0:27:06.080
all that practice though your whole life you've 
been rejected you had to move to these locations

0:27:06.080,0:27:10.680
or you were treated a certain way and you know 
you've you've been you've been facing with it's

0:27:10.680,0:27:16.680
almost like it's pre prepared you it's laid a very 
good foundation for you to be like strong now and

0:27:16.680,0:27:21.160
exactly you know you're like okay and your support 
network too which is so important your wife you

0:27:21.160,0:27:27.840
know your dad your mom those your families is it's 
truly a blessing to have that you said on LinkedIn

0:27:27.840,0:27:33.800
if it's for you it won't pass you yes do you 
really believe that I genuinely do if it's for you

0:27:33.800,0:27:37.760
it will not pass you and I know a lot of people 
be like yeah I've had opportunities that I should

0:27:37.760,0:27:41.840
have had that have passed because I don't believe 
in that but for me it's a case where if you look

0:27:41.840,0:27:46.960
at it from a a a a really Faith l perspective or a 
different perspective things certain opportunities

0:27:46.960,0:27:52.160
will come to you that in that moment you really 
want and then when they do pass you're like oh

0:27:52.160,0:27:58.240
why didn't it come why did I get and you keep 
pushing on diligently and with perseverance

0:27:58.240,0:28:03.440
hard work and then you understand why you didn't 
gain opportunity there were certain jobs I applied

0:28:03.440,0:28:08.720
for before I um got the guardian role that I 
really wanted I didn't get them and I was like

0:28:08.720,0:28:13.920
why wouldn't I have got that role why this why 
that if if I hadn't have got the guardian role it

0:28:13.920,0:28:19.520
wouldn't have led me into setting up remotely if I 
hadn't done C some of the roles I did initially it

0:28:19.520,0:28:23.480
wouldn't have given me an experience in regards 
of sales and sometimes you want something and

0:28:23.480,0:28:28.480
don't realize it's actually not the best for 
at that stage of time and the life EXP you're

0:28:28.480,0:28:34.600
going through whether it's um through struggle 
or whether it's through um a lack of or whether

0:28:34.600,0:28:39.320
it's roles that you don't particularly like or 
around people you don't particularly like or man

0:28:39.320,0:28:43.160
you don't particular like it shows something about 
yourself that you need to work on characteristics

0:28:43.160,0:28:48.360
you have you need to work on and hone because I 
believe the environments that you're put in show

0:28:48.360,0:28:53.400
you who you are and then once you know who you are 
it's up to you to change aspects of yourself to go

0:28:53.400,0:28:57.280
to another level if you've worked in a real where 
you've seen yourself you're not a very patient

0:28:57.280,0:29:02.120
person and that work environment showed you that 
you then know in order to get to next level in

0:29:02.120,0:29:06.840
your life you need to become more patient you can 
take as a life lesson to grow or to stay where

0:29:06.840,0:29:11.200
you are and I see that the people who are the most 
successful see that like you know what I love that

0:29:11.200,0:29:16.600
working experience was so horrific but it showed 
me who exactly who I was I'm taking that lesson to

0:29:16.600,0:29:21.520
become a better person so I'm with you on that do 
you think people should be allowed to take their

0:29:21.520,0:29:26.400
kids to work do you think we're human beings and 
we live in the real world and I think that a lot

0:29:26.400,0:29:33.400
of times we we we create this I don't know this 
idea of business and that's not realistic yeah

0:29:33.400,0:29:38.200
we the pandemic showed us that though certain 
people could not hide away from their kids in

0:29:38.200,0:29:43.800
the pandemic and their kids would jump onto video 
calls burst into rooms it was it showed us that's

0:29:43.800,0:29:47.880
the real and the dog and the cat everything 
everything would be shown everything would be

0:29:47.880,0:29:52.080
exposed everything would be revealed and I think 
why have we just suddenly taken that away now that

0:29:52.080,0:29:57.520
the pandemic is somewhat over and now we're back 
in offices and suddenly oh it's back to that level

0:29:57.520,0:30:03.160
of what is perceived professionalism is it though 
because if you got a mother who is struggling to

0:30:03.160,0:30:08.080
find Child Care on that day but then your business 
is going to struggle because she's going to have

0:30:08.080,0:30:13.560
to stay away from the office so that she has 
to look after this child wouldn't it be better

0:30:13.560,0:30:17.680
if you let the child come to the workplace so she 
could do the work but at the same time look after

0:30:17.680,0:30:22.800
the kid there's certain things that just should be 
allowed to happen for me my son come to the office

0:30:22.800,0:30:29.360
he was amazing he spoke he he spoke to babbled 
with everybody playing and laughing joking the

0:30:29.360,0:30:33.960
girls coming in got to show them um what my office 
actually looks like because they've never been to

0:30:33.960,0:30:38.840
G before so like oh this is what you've been doing 
all these years I'm like yes kids this is real and

0:30:38.840,0:30:44.800
the HR um our head of people brings her kids in 
the other people who have brought their kids in

0:30:44.800,0:30:50.160
and it's it's beautiful them doing that because 
it shows that we the whole idea of being a family

0:30:50.160,0:30:54.440
um it's it's a bit touchy in business because 
some people say that you can't consider your

0:30:54.440,0:31:02.000
work people as family some people say you can 
in a startup environment um I would say that at

0:31:02.000,0:31:04.960
times certain individuals do become your family 
you're building something that's lifelong there

0:31:04.960,0:31:09.560
changing lives you're doing something that is 
revolutionary and you do end up creating family

0:31:09.560,0:31:14.480
members well thank you so much for taking the 
time to come here today and tell us your story

0:31:14.480,0:31:20.320
and I know that it's going to inspire people 
I know you've you've been on very interesting

0:31:20.320,0:31:25.920
Journey you still are on that journey and we look 
forward to seeing how it goes you know we catch

0:31:25.920,0:31:35.560
up again in a few years and see where we are 
thank you very much thank you so much thank you

0:31:35.560,0:31:36.060
[Music]