Michael Howard: The Truth About Building a Business — Pressure, Pain & Profit

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I know someone called Mark
Wright.

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You do and so do.
Yeah, and so do you.

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Who opened that door and said
Michael Howard might be someone

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that you really want to speak
to?

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As far as the whole business
side of things go, How do you

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start I'm.
I'm flattered.

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Yes, I'm, I'm flattered because
you're an incredibly credible

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business person.
What you've built from the

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ground up from being an employee
to becoming the CEO, the owner,

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you've done it.
All of us are going to enjoy

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picking your brain here because
I have questions from the

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public, the most popular ones
that people are asking that

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people really need help with.
A lot of our viewers do want to

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go into business.
They're thinking about it or

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they are.
They've just started a business

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and they might be struggling and
it's not easy asking for help.

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It's.
Not easy running businesses.

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It's not easy running I.
Think everyone struggles running

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a business, It's part of of what
it's like.

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It's hard no matter what anyone
says and no matter what anyone

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looks like below the surface of
all the razzmatazz.

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It's hard.
You know, for whether you're a

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one man army or you're running
a, a multi £1,000,000 company,

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it's tough.
It's not easy for anyone.

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How you would introduce
yourself?

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I have.
There's two sides.

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There's family and all of that
side to life and then there's

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the business side.
I grew up in a, you know, in

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difficult circumstances with a
broken home and without anything

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that you would have today.
We got the bus, we didn't have a

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car, we had no money, we were
broke.

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So having the opportunity of
being involved in business and

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to have some degree of success
is a huge focus.

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And I think that the, the two
forms of motivation, either

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towards success or away from
pain, away from pain is a much

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more motivational than towards
something good.

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So my motivation has always been
away from pain, the pain of

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being broke, the pain of just
being in a, in a awful

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circumstance.
I mean, I was homeless when I

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was 17 very briefly, but I, I, I
mean, I wasn't on the streets,

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but I, it was miserable.
So a huge part of my life has

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been running the business.
As I said just now, it's it is a

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struggle no matter what people
see or think.

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And all of the stuff that we all
see on social media, on

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Instagram, on Facebook, on
TikTok about all these guys in

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Lamborghinis and cars.
And below that if, if it's all

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true, below that is an enormous
amount of stress and hard work

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for for everyone, no matter who
you.

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Are I love that you said that,
because that is.

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Just a.
One of those things about

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business, isn't it?
When I watched a great program

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on Andy Murray, the The Tennis
Player documentary, and you see

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Andy Murray come out, he's a
superb tennis player, but behind

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the scenes he's got this team
around him of nutritionists.

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He's in the ice bath.
He doesn't want to ever do it.

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No one would want to really do
that.

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I know it's meant to be good for
you, but he's eating steamed

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chicken breast because it's all
pro.

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Everything is measured.
I see it's it's incredible.

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And you think the training
relentless every single day.

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What you eat, what you do when
you wake up, it's all prescribed

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to be the best in the world.
And I think a lot of people

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think finishes Wimbledon off on
a holo.

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It's just not like that.
It's hard and I think people

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don't appreciate what goes on
for anyone who, who has any

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success behind the scenes have
to be tough and resilient.

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And all those sports people are.
I think we have to really what

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they go through and what they
put themselves is enormous.

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And business people have their
version of that, you know, all

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business people.
Are you tough and resilient?

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Yeah, I think you have to be.
I'm definitely resilient because

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you can't spend 40 years as I
have without being, there's bad

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stuff going on all the time as
well as good stuff.

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And you have to ride the, the
good with the bad that

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businesses are like that.
I mean, look at you, look at the

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guy who would want to be in the
government, Look at what they go

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through.
It's wow, business people,

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sports people, anyone that's
doing anything, you have to be

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resilient.
I mean, if you have children,

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you have to be resilient because
it's not just a, it's not just a

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world of pleasure.
Right, Exactly.

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Well, I've got a few of those,
yeah.

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I think learning is key.
I'll go back to something you

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said about your childhood in a
minute.

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But before we do, tell us about
what you're doing business wise.

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So if anyone that doesn't hasn't
heard of you, what are you

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doing?
So I run a company that designs

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and fits out offices and
educational spaces.

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We we design it for clients.
We do all the building work.

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We fit it out.
We've got about 250 people in

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total.
We're in central London, we work

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throughout the UK.
It's a good business.

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It's very competitive, so you
have to be tough and resilient.

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And I started, I didn't start
the business, but I joined the

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company when I was 19.
I literally knew nothing.

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And the company at that point
was I think seven or eight

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people.
So it's grown enormously.

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It's a profitable, steady, good
business with great people and I

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have the privilege to to run it.
And you're running it incredibly

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well.
Let's let's go back to something

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you said about your childhood.
I was watching a podcast the

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other day and there was
something about people that go

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into business are quite often
actually was the gentleman that

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wrote Elon Musk's biography.
I saw him on TV.

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You did.
And Steve Jobs is 1, so he has

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incredible insight.
And he was saying that actually

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what he's found is that very
often business people are people

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that have come from a somewhat
turbulent background.

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Not always the ones that don't
have just a drive that that

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comes from elsewhere, but very
often the ones that have come

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from stressful.
The stress there something that

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you seek in the unpredictable
that you're almost like used to

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that chaos.
You're used to the

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unpredictability.
You're you just the way you

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roll, you've adapted like that.
And then without it, life would

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if you went just had, you know,
very nice, easy, comfortable

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job.
And I'm not taking that away

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from anyone because it can be
very good and stable in all

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ways, but it almost for people
that have had that childhood it

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seems almost like.
Well, that it's, it's that it's

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the drama.
Yeah.

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Well, it's away from pain
motivation, isn't it?

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Yeah.
Because when you've when you've

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grown up with pain in a
dysfunctional house, chaos when

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you've when you have chaos, when
you have no money.

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Yeah.
Money is a real what anyone

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says.
There's that old saying in money

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can't buy happiness or love or
whatever.

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Well, that may be true, but it's
not really designed to do that.

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Money fixes a lot of stuff, you
know, it just does.

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And it's not necessarily
designed to make you happy, but

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it is designed to fix a lot of
things you can get out of a lot

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of fixes.
If I leave here today and I've

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got no money, I'm going to wait
for the bus.

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And if the bus doesn't come, I'm
going to have to figure out how

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to get to where I'm going.
If you've got money, you can

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order an Uber.
You can order whatever you can

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you.
Have options.

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You can fix things.
I think if you spent a lifetime,

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as I did, growing up where we
had to walk and get on the bus

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to go anywhere or to do
anything, then you're highly

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motivated to have a life where
you don't have to do that.

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When I was young, my father left
when I was about 5:00.

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And we were really, I mean, we
were not probably not like we

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were, you know, living on the
street, but we were broke.

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My mother was a cleaner.
She had about 3 or 4 jobs.

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We had a fridge and the door
broke and there was a a stall

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that we had that was against the
fridge door to keep it closed.

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For my whole life, from 5 age 5
to to when I left home at 17,

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that was the case.
If anything broke, it wasn't

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repaired.
There was no resources and there

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was no money.
And my mother wasn't very

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resourceful, not against her,
but she was working as a cleaner

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and she cleaned offices, She
washed up in hotels.

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So you're brought up like that.
That's the only thing you know,

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it's painful.
You know, you, you live in fear

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of things breaking and you can't
fix them because there's no way

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out.
And suddenly then when you get

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out of that, you think, well, I
can just fix that.

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If the fridge door breaks, I'll
come buy a new one.

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That's intense.
That that is intense.

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That's almost like a symbol of
what?

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Yeah, but you don't know it at
the time.

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It's it's your norm.
And then I remember my friend,

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my mother used to go shopping
every day for food every day

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because she earned money daily
and weekly from cleaning.

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So there wasn't a bank account.
There wasn't there was all cash

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and you didn't have the money to
go and buy food for the week

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ever.
So everything was bought on the

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day.
And I remember my friends, like,

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why does your mom go shopping
all the time?

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Why doesn't just buy stuff and
put it in the freezer?

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We didn't have a freezer, only
just had a fridge and you know,

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like the cooking pan was the
probably the same pan for 10

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years.
It was very much like that.

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But it, it's not poverty that
it's just poor or broke.

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It's not terrible.
There was ATV and well, we

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didn't have any heating, but you
know, it it, it wasn't this far

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worse than what I grew up in.
How has the fact that she was

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shopping every day and had those
little bits of money that she

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spent to buy you food, you know,
to look after you guys?

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How did that impact your view of
money and how you use money and

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how you save?
Well, there's no role models,

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you know, you didn't look at the
guy with a nice car.

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There was none of that at all.
So you had no sense of what what

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was possible.
There was no ambition.

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It was just about surviving.
But also I was never ambitious

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and still not massively
ambitious for the pleasurable

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stuff.
I'm more ambitious for I don't

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want to be broke or to stand in
line or, you know, or to, to

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struggle.
Even today, I'm not motivated by

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the luxurious.
You're motivated to not

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struggle.
I'm motivated not to be broke,

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to not.
Be broke and actually you're

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spending your business life
because we know being in

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business that you're fixing
things all the time.

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You're fixing them so they don't
break, so you don't go broke.

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You know, I it's incredible.
Even the other day I bought some

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clothes and I remember thinking,
I won't wear this today because

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I'll save it for best like I
used to as a child or when I was

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younger.
Well, I don't really need to

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worry about that these days.
I can just wear it and you know,

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if I stain it or do something
with it, I can have it dry

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cleaned or I can buy another
one.

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But that mentality, some of that
mentality is still with me.

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Some of it's good, you know,
some of it is grounding and good

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and others is limiting.
Yes it would.

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Be wasteful.
Absolutely.

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And some of it is limiting,
like, Oh my God, I don't need to

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worry about that stuff.
I mean, I'm nearly 60.

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I mean, you know, and I haven't
really had to massively worry

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even though I do.
I haven't massively had to worry

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about money for probably 20
years, but I still do.

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And I'm still highly motivated
not to be broke and not to have

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to put up with all the stuff
that I had to put up with you,

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you know, a long time ago.
Interesting, interesting.

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So you've made millions, lots of
money that you've been handling,

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you know, personally and through
your businesses you've built an

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empire, yet you want to remain
quiet on social media.

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I couldn't find you on LinkedIn.
I mean, that for me is madness.

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You weren't even on LinkedIn.
I had to literally dig.

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And I found you in the depths of
YouTube.

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Actually.
You've shared this, the stage

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with Piers Morgan, with Lord
Sugar, with these people at

225
00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:42,600
these very important, you know,
meaningful business events.

226
00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,280
But apart from that, we don't
see you much.

227
00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,920
Why?
Well, seeing me now.

228
00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:49,920
You don't want to be famous, do
you?

229
00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,040
You don't want to be the face of
the brand.

230
00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,320
You don't, you're not interested
in any of the things that you

231
00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:59,000
know, I, I, let's, let's be
frankly, I find that I, I like

232
00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:00,760
that thing.
I want to be the face of my

233
00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:02,920
friend.
I want to be out there, but

234
00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,360
you're not you.
You're very much under the, you

235
00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:08,560
know, under the radar and.
Working.

236
00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:10,800
Yeah.
I mean, it's not hugely

237
00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,640
deliberate, otherwise I wouldn't
be here and I wouldn't have done

238
00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:17,360
my thing with Piers Morgan and
Lord Sugar, you know, all those

239
00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:23,040
years ago I was on LinkedIn.
But you spend, you know, so much

240
00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:26,400
time responding to all these
messages on this connection and

241
00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:31,720
everyone wants something.
I can't spend, you know, my

242
00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,240
whole day figuring out, you
know, to connect with this

243
00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:35,560
person.
Maybe there's too much.

244
00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:39,080
So I'm not on LinkedIn, I'm not
on Facebook, I'm not right.

245
00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,600
I'm not on anything.
But my interest is so low.

246
00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:43,960
I'm busy.
You know, I've got, I'm either

247
00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:47,560
with my family doing family
stuff or I'm or I'm working and

248
00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:52,120
there's nothing else.
And you know, I have 4 kids and

249
00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:54,440
they take up, you know, I want
to spend as much time as

250
00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,280
possible with them and also I
want to run the company.

251
00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,400
So I don't really want to be
famous at all.

252
00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:04,680
And why would it?
You know, who would be

253
00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:08,560
interested in someone like me
being famous?

254
00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:10,800
I mean, it's much better people
to be famous.

255
00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,320
They'd be much better at it.
Lots of people that want to be

256
00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:17,320
famous and lots of people have
done very well by being famous

257
00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,640
from reality shows and stuff.
I think there's anything wrong

258
00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,200
with that at all.
But I've had my head down

259
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:26,600
working really and I don't think
there's anything wrong with what

260
00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:31,440
anyone wants to do, but for me I
just find it a distraction.

261
00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,120
It is a distraction, you know,
if you think from work.

262
00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:36,160
Yeah, but it's, I think it's
good for some companies.

263
00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:41,880
I mean, you know, from, from
Mark Wright I, I think, you

264
00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,840
know, for him being on The
Apprentice was hugely helpful

265
00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:48,520
and did the word.
But I'm, I'm doing office

266
00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:52,640
interiors, you know, it's not
going to make a lot of, not a

267
00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,400
lot of people going to tune in
to figure out whether I can help

268
00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:57,600
them with their office.
You're very humble, you're very

269
00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,280
modest and that's why I'm I'm so
pleased that you've taken the

270
00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,880
time to come and talk to us
because as I say, you're a ref.

271
00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:06,840
You're a ref find.
Let's just go back to to the to

272
00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,520
the younger you at 19 and what
made you go from being an

273
00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,920
employee to wanting to run the
place?

274
00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,400
How did that happen it?
Wasn't deliberate.

275
00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,760
At 19 I knew nothing.
We could remember when I was 19.

276
00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:23,120
There wasn't, there wasn't
mobile phones, there wasn't

277
00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:24,440
social media, there wasn't just
nothing.

278
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,360
So no, I didn't think I could
conquer the world or do anything

279
00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,040
at 19.
I was just surviving.

280
00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:33,880
I was like waiting till the end
of the pump to get paid.

281
00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:39,440
But there's a there's
opportunities came to me and I

282
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,360
took them.
I think that's what I think a

283
00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:44,920
lot of opportunities.
Well, well, someone said, or

284
00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,240
would you, you know, when I was
working at the company I'm

285
00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,120
working for now that I am now,
someone would say, well, could

286
00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:51,280
you do this?
I'll be like, I'll do that.

287
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,400
Yeah.
I was willing to do pretty much

288
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,240
anything because it was, I was
desperate.

289
00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:01,080
I was desperate to have some
degree of success, but the

290
00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,920
success wasn't like, look at me,
I've done well.

291
00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:06,360
It was more like I don't have to
be broke.

292
00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:10,200
It was, that's always the
motivation not to be broke.

293
00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:15,760
So I was willing to do.
I remember the guy that used to

294
00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,440
own the company, he used to go
into the office every Saturday

295
00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,040
morning in those days, no
emails.

296
00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:23,360
So there was loads of posts and
it was always opening the

297
00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,600
posting.
You know what letters have

298
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:30,160
arrived from a potential client
and and I used to go in every

299
00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,960
Saturday just to be there and
watch him.

300
00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,360
I had nothing to do and it was
probably only two or three

301
00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:43,320
hours, but I, it was my way out,
you know, it was my way out of

302
00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:47,880
being, of being broke.
So I gave it everything.

303
00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,320
And I think at the time, you
know, my, my group of friends

304
00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,280
from school disappeared.
Really, I don't think they could

305
00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:55,320
really relate to me because I,
you know, they were, they were

306
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,320
doing their own, they were on
their, their own path.

307
00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:03,280
And I was just working and I was
fascinated with business and how

308
00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,839
it could all work.
You know, it wasn't like I was

309
00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:09,359
ambitious.
I just wasn't.

310
00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:15,000
I was just surviving.
But what I did do is I took

311
00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:22,480
pretty much every opportunity
and that was that really, really

312
00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,280
paid off.
I didn't let an opportunity pass

313
00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:27,319
me by, almost no matter what it
was.

314
00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:32,160
So I learned a lot.
A lot of self development.

315
00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:34,640
A lot of books on your
bookshelf.

316
00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:37,280
You've got a Tony Robbins book.
That was the second book I ever

317
00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:42,120
read that one in my life.
A lot of audio cassette tapes.

318
00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,440
I had to educate myself because
I was completely uneducated.

319
00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,400
I left school at 16 with 0
qualifications.

320
00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,920
Not that I necessarily think
that I would have been any

321
00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:57,440
better if I had, but I was
educating myself in, in life.

322
00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:02,760
So it was my way out, you know,
through through work and through

323
00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,960
self education was my way out of
being broke as how what I

324
00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:10,920
thought at the time.
What you're saying you really

325
00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:16,120
took control of yourself by
educating yourself, sorting out

326
00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:20,680
your mind and the control of the
situation to gear it to a yes

327
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,880
mentality.
And then you executed and you

328
00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:25,880
were there.
And if it was a Saturday, you

329
00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,840
were there on a Saturday.
And if that's not ambition, I'm

330
00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:30,520
not sure what is.
But that.

331
00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,520
Is, I don't think it was
deliberate ambition.

332
00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:35,400
Do you know what I mean?
So I mean, I would go and buy

333
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,760
these, these motivational
cassette tapes at the time,

334
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:44,800
which then turned into, you
know, CDs and I would record

335
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:50,960
each one of them because I
didn't want to harm or lose the

336
00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,520
originals because I, you know, I
paid a lot of money for them and

337
00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,200
I'm.
Your preservation.

338
00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,000
Yeah.
And I used to talk in the boot

339
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,560
of my car.
I had packets and packets of

340
00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,320
cassette tapes and I would go
through.

341
00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:06,520
I would, the radio was never on.
I would listen to these cassette

342
00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:10,360
tapes, I mean, for years and
years and years of my life.

343
00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:12,400
You'd get in my car and it would
just play.

344
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:16,120
And then obviously ACD.
And I just remember thinking

345
00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:21,040
that is this good enough?
Am I listening to them every

346
00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:25,320
single day good enough?
Because I can't make notes in

347
00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:28,360
the car.
And then I come by the book that

348
00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:31,680
matched them and then I get my
highlighted pen highlight all of

349
00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:34,440
them in the book so I can then
I'd rewrite the note.

350
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:38,440
I mean, it was, it was intense.
It was intense.

351
00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:42,040
And I thought that I was
hopeless, though that's the

352
00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,520
difference.
I didn't think I was really

353
00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,600
clever doing it.
I just, or I was always brought

354
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:52,000
up thinking I was absolutely
useless and hopeless.

355
00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:57,720
For my whole life, I hadn't
really realized that I was good

356
00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:02,880
at anything.
Probably late 40s, early 50s,

357
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:06,440
OK.
Recent, recently, recently,

358
00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,600
because I would have thought
that if you always thought you

359
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:12,760
weren't good enough, then you
kind of become not good enough.

360
00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,240
But actually you didn't think
you were good enough and then

361
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,280
there was a transformation, so
you can shift that.

362
00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:22,240
I can't remember my mother or my
father.

363
00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:23,600
They were nice people, by the
way.

364
00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:26,720
They weren't terrible and
they're not random anymore.

365
00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,960
But I can't remember them ever
saying, Oh my God, Michael,

366
00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,480
that's fantastic.
Oh, wow, you.

367
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:36,240
You are.
Modern day parenting.

368
00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:38,200
Never happened.
Ever.

369
00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:38,880
Ever.
Wow.

370
00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,000
And I remember my daughter
Agatha bringing me this

371
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,840
scribble, you know, when she was
like 3.

372
00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:49,400
And I remember going, Oh my God,
Agatha, I just love that.

373
00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:51,840
The use of colour.
How did you figure that out?

374
00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,920
Shall we frame it?
And I framed it and put it on

375
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,880
the wall.
I always wanted to make sure

376
00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,560
that I concentrated and still do
on my children.

377
00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,560
I'm looking for everything good
they do.

378
00:21:03,120 --> 00:21:06,280
I'm looking for everything
that's positive, everything that

379
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,680
I can encourage them to do
because I never had that.

380
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,840
And I want them to grow up with,
you know, with confidence,

381
00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:15,600
knowing that they're good.
And I, I think they, they do

382
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,560
have that in abundance.
However it looks and I I

383
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,040
apologise for it's Jesse, it
looks like it worked in your

384
00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,440
favour.
It did what it again.

385
00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:25,000
Because maybe they shouldn't be
told this.

386
00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:26,160
Wonderful.
All the time, right?

387
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,040
That's the that's the
difficulty, isn't it?

388
00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:32,880
Because you on one level, you
want to give all your kids, you

389
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:38,560
know what you never had.
But what my disadvantage growing

390
00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:42,280
up ends up being my advantage
because I'm highly motivated not

391
00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:46,960
to be back on the on the estate
in the house with with the stool

392
00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,200
by the fridge door and the
curtains.

393
00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:50,760
I mean, the curtains fell down
as well.

394
00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,960
And we never had curtains ever
in my life in the house for

395
00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:01,400
gosh, for 10 years.
OK, so but my kids will have to

396
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:04,680
find a different form of
motivation that there isn't,

397
00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,160
there's not going to be away
from pain because there isn't

398
00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,160
any.
They will have, it's going to be

399
00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:11,120
more difficult for them, even
though they've had a great

400
00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,000
childhood and a good upbringing
and gone to nice schools and all

401
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,520
of that.
They're going to have to figure

402
00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,160
out and be really ambitious, you
know?

403
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,920
Because we were talking about.
Harder than theirs will be

404
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:22,440
harder than mine.
It will be harder.

405
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,080
It just will be.
You think it wouldn't, but it.

406
00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:27,400
Oh, it absolutely will be.
It absolutely will be.

407
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,560
Let's talk about the mindset
shift then.

408
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:32,640
You thought I'm not adequate,
I'm not good, I'm not good, I'm

409
00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:33,680
not good, Michael, you're not
good.

410
00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:35,240
That's you're hopeless.
All these things.

411
00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,920
You're talking to yourself very
negatively and then something

412
00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:38,880
happens.
What is that?

413
00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:44,120
Well, I'll tell you what, there
it was a moment, OK, I I got

414
00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:50,560
invited to a seminar in the US
and there was a very limited

415
00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,800
amount of people.
There was an amazing array of

416
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:56,040
incredible speakers from around
the world.

417
00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:02,760
And I really wanted to go.
So I, I rung and, and they said,

418
00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,800
well, we, we'll put your name on
the list and I'm a credit card

419
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,360
ready.
And I said, why is it?

420
00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:10,120
Well, there's a lot of people
that want to come and there's

421
00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:12,760
only so many spaces.
And we only want people to come

422
00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,280
who are hugely successful, who
are going to really benefit from

423
00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,600
it, who are then going to help
us promote all the future

424
00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:21,720
seminars, right?
Pain.

425
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,840
So yeah, so I was like, OK,
well, I'm probably not going to

426
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,120
be going to this because I'm not
very good.

427
00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,480
Then there was emails and
dialogue and eventually they

428
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,760
said, yeah, fine, you're in.
And now I'm sure it was a nice

429
00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,600
piece of clever marketing, but
either way I was like, fine,

430
00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:43,600
obviously when I get there, this
is people, this is like the top

431
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,520
entre entrepreneurs from around
the world going to see these

432
00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,520
amazing speakers.
And I'm going to be like, you

433
00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:53,120
know, the worst guy in the room.
So anyway, I go into the room

434
00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:55,640
and it's there's a load of
people and there's these great

435
00:23:55,640 --> 00:24:02,600
speakers and it starts off with
who is here in the room that is

436
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:08,040
just starting out as a one man
band that's hugely ambitious and

437
00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,320
we put your hands up.
So I look around, I go, that's

438
00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:15,800
like a third of the room, OK.
I look around and they said,

439
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,400
right, well, who here has got
their business to turn over, you

440
00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:25,520
know, $1,000,000?
And I look around and it goes on

441
00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,160
and then it's who's got a
business that's turning over

442
00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:36,560
over $20 million stand up?
And it was me.

443
00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:46,760
And then the room applauds and
I'm like, oh, I'm the guy

444
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:48,200
running the biggest business
here.

445
00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:52,840
I, I, I was so, so this is a
yeah, 50 ish.

446
00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:56,080
Maybe it could be 48.
OK, But in 10 about long ago,

447
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,560
Yeah.
And I'm wow.

448
00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:05,520
And then what happened was, is
that wherever I was went on for

449
00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,120
three days, wherever I went.
And I'm queuing up to get my

450
00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:13,120
Starbucks, a queue of people and
now want here's my card, can we

451
00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:18,040
connect, blah, blah, blah.
And that was like, OK, so maybe

452
00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:19,440
I'm doing all right.
You landed.

453
00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:24,000
Yeah, I got it then.
No, look, I, I I'm running a

454
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,800
small, medium sized business.
There are many people running

455
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,680
businesses way, way, way more
successful than me.

456
00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:33,840
But at that point I realized I
wasn't completely useless.

457
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:37,760
I didn't, by the way, believe
I'm massively successful and I

458
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,640
still don't.
But if I did, it would be

459
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:45,200
tragic.
I'm motivated to be the best I

460
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,160
can be, running the best company
that it can be.

461
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:49,480
That's my motivation.
The moment you think you've

462
00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:52,560
landed and arrived or you're
great, you've it's the end.

463
00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:57,880
So I'm as motivated today at
being, you know, whatever

464
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:02,000
successful is and to make the
business successful as I was

465
00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:04,520
five years, 10 years, 1520 years
ago.

466
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,200
There's no change.
Do you know what I love about

467
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,440
what you're saying?
I just love the values that go

468
00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:13,400
into it.
I love that you don't take you

469
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:14,720
don't you're not picking
yourself up.

470
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:17,160
You're not like, I'm so
wonderful that I'm so rich and

471
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,120
I'm just you're not even it
doesn't ever go into your brain.

472
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:26,640
What does is this genuine will
to really work hard and do the

473
00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,320
absolute best that you would
possibly ever do.

474
00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:32,440
That's why that's why you're
doing well, you know, because

475
00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:34,800
that's why your, your clients
come to you.

476
00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,520
You, I bet you you've installed
that all in the company culture

477
00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:40,840
and all your employees.
I bet that they understand.

478
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:44,560
That we have just such a
fantastic team of brilliant

479
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:46,560
people.
I mean brilliant people.

480
00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,280
It's not like I'm managing them
day-to-day because I'm not.

481
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:51,760
They're managing themselves and
getting on with it.

482
00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:57,880
But I know where I've come from
and albeit have this define what

483
00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:00,640
success is.
Success isn't just about money.

484
00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:05,120
That's that's one element.
I think it's who you are as a

485
00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,440
person, how you take care of
other people, what your

486
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,320
character is.
That's more important than

487
00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:11,720
money.
Money is a mechanism.

488
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,920
It's a tool to get you so you
don't have to get on the bus.

489
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,160
How you spend your time is
important.

490
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,680
Your time is your most valuable
commodity.

491
00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,600
The older you get, you suddenly
realizing nearly six.

492
00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,280
Do you think, you know, it's not
like this 50 years left.

493
00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:27,200
Yeah, there's not like a reset
button.

494
00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,600
It is, you know, so you have.
So you get, certainly as you get

495
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,560
older, you get a lot more fussy
about what you're doing and,

496
00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:37,160
and, and what are you doing that
brings you the most joy and the

497
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:38,840
most pleasure?
Yeah.

498
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,400
It isn't just having lots of
money or buying another watch.

499
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,720
Or something I've started to
look at the days in in well, I'm

500
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,440
from a consulting background, so
I always used to look at my time

501
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:51,400
that I gave a client as as per
hour and what value, you know,

502
00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:53,720
and I always thought, well,
sometimes I would look at

503
00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:55,680
employees who are full time and
I'd think, well, what have you

504
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,080
done in eight hours?
You know, like, how do you let

505
00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,880
the have you been on Facebook
and chatting to you having a

506
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:03,120
coffee?
And I'm looking at the time

507
00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:05,280
going, you know, because you had
to show value.

508
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:09,040
And then I've, I've tried to now
transfer that into my life

509
00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:11,480
outside of work and now I'm
running a business.

510
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:14,040
But you think, well, what I'm,
what have I done with these

511
00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:16,680
hours?
Where have I invested into the

512
00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:18,280
client?
Where have I invested into my

513
00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:20,720
own business?
When you start to there is no,

514
00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:22,320
there's not enough time.
You're kind of thinking, well

515
00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:23,920
it.
It just flies.

516
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,040
Flies and then you want to do
all these other things.

517
00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:30,920
But what does managing a
business look like for you?

518
00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:37,200
Every business has to have a
plan that works.

519
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:40,960
I see so many businesses that
are just not really thought

520
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,640
through.
People have got to do your basic

521
00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:50,280
maths on a business.
If a restaurant has got 100

522
00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:56,200
seats and it can do breakfast,
one lunch and 22 rounds of

523
00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:00,640
dinners and it's full all the
time, does it make a really good

524
00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:04,200
profit?
Well, we all know it can't be

525
00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:08,000
full all the time, but I know
businesses that even at their

526
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,720
maximum potential can never make
any money.

527
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:15,280
They just, it just doesn't work.
So, so many businesses start up

528
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,880
and fail really quickly.
I mean the the statistics 50%

529
00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:23,600
fail in the first year.
By year 10 you've got like a 4

530
00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:27,360
to 5% survival but can.
Can I just so is it more the

531
00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:31,040
basic maths, you know, profit
business is not designed to make

532
00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:33,680
profit or is it what?
What is it that makes them fail?

533
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:39,440
I can give a lots of examples,
but if you have a shop, how how

534
00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:45,440
many people need to come in
every day to look how many

535
00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,280
people need to buy and what is
the average value of what they

536
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,560
buy And if it was the best, do
you make a profit?

537
00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:57,920
And no one's really sitting down
figuring out because I think a

538
00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:00,680
lot of businesses don't want to
know that because it's, it's

539
00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:05,160
scary, it's frightening.
Most businesses make no money or

540
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:08,320
fail.
You've got to have a really good

541
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,920
but simple plan, which is a
mathematical plan.

542
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:14,520
And you've got to look at your
best case.

543
00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:16,880
You couldn't look at your worst
case.

544
00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:19,080
And then in the middle your most
likely case.

545
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:22,920
And you plan really everything
on what is most likely.

546
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:27,560
But if the worst case is like no
one comes into your shop or your

547
00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:31,160
restaurant, can you survive?
Can you what what is the worst?

548
00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,280
Is the worst case survivable or
not?

549
00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:35,760
I think.
Can I, can I look at it from a

550
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:41,080
different angle?
What if you just just, but you,

551
00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:44,920
you want more passion driven,
values driven and you think this

552
00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:48,080
thing I want to offer to the
world, I don't have a financial

553
00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,360
plan.
What about that case you know?

554
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:53,640
No.
Lots of passion to make a

555
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:57,440
business.
It's great to have it, but no,

556
00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:58,720
it's just.
Not enough, No.

557
00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:03,040
You've got to have a plan.
You've got to have a plan that

558
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:07,240
says I've got to sell X many,
yes, you know, doughnuts.

559
00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:08,840
Rooted in reality, Yeah, it
does.

560
00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,720
But then there's also the
philosophy that if you, you get

561
00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,760
too involved in these numbers.
OK, I'm playing devil's

562
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,040
advocates here.
Obviously, I know you know way

563
00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,840
more, but you know, let's just
say that if you get too involved

564
00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:23,560
in the numbers, you're too
prescriptive and you have the

565
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:25,760
best advice going on.
That's not you're not going to

566
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:31,200
then that can kill this other
thing, which is, well, let's be

567
00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:34,000
innovators, let's break them.
We've and it's never been done

568
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,680
before.
So how can we possibly know that

569
00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:37,520
we, you know what?
I'm your.

570
00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:40,000
Numbers are like your bedrock,
right?

571
00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:43,400
So if in a restaurant, let's
just give that as an example,

572
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,520
you need a minimum of 50 people
for breakfast.

573
00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:51,280
Your job then is to figure out
how am I going to get those

574
00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,240
people?
Because you have to know what

575
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:58,600
you're aiming for.
IF50 is a small profit or a

576
00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:03,760
break even and 70 people is
really good and 30 people is a

577
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:07,960
disaster, the passion is how am
I going to get those people in?

578
00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:10,360
What am I going to do?
What am I going to do marketing?

579
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:12,840
How am I going to, where's my
position of my, you've got to

580
00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:17,240
figure all of those things out.
And then when people come in, if

581
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:22,160
their average spend expenditure
is, you know, £50 a head, how

582
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,640
can I make that 60?
What else can I upsell?

583
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,800
Make sure people have dessert or
whatever you're going to do at a

584
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:31,640
restaurant.
And but you, you can't do that

585
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,480
blind.
You have to know what you're

586
00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:36,240
aiming for.
Focus.

587
00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:38,600
Yeah, and that's where the
passion comes in.

588
00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:40,760
But you know what you've got to.
Do.

589
00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:45,960
I've got to get 50 people in.
I'm going to put an advert in

590
00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:47,560
the paper, I'm putting leaflets
around.

591
00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:50,680
I'm in the street, I'm whatever
I'm going to do to get people

592
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:54,840
through the door of my my
hairdressers, my shop, my

593
00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:56,080
anything.
OK.

594
00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:59,840
So can I ask you, like I work
with lots of different

595
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:02,440
companies, different businesses,
different types of industries,

596
00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,440
ones that are more technical,
ones that are more, you know,

597
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:09,520
education, you name it.
Not everyone is on the same page

598
00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:13,320
as far as marketing.
How important is marketing to a

599
00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:16,920
business?
How can you be in business

600
00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:18,760
without it?
But you have to know what you're

601
00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:20,160
doing.
You know, you could have a

602
00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,800
business plan.
A business plan is not, you

603
00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:28,000
know, 100 page document, you
know, with that all sounds

604
00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,600
business plan is we, this is
what we do as a business.

605
00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,160
This is how many customers,
clients we need.

606
00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,480
This is how much revenue we need
to have.

607
00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:42,720
This is the profitability that
we get on a sale of a, you know,

608
00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:46,320
dinner, a Barber, a pair of
jeans, whatever you're doing,

609
00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:50,160
you have to know all of that.
And then you've got to figure

610
00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:54,520
out, OK, I now know what I need
to make it work.

611
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,440
How how am I going to?
And you have to have marketing

612
00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:00,240
and you have to have sales and
you have to have, you know, PR

613
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:04,520
or whatever you that particular
business need needs.

614
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,680
And you have to have those
people that come to your shop or

615
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:08,520
your restaurant or whatever it
is, come back again.

616
00:34:08,679 --> 00:34:12,320
You have to be good.
So you really at the core as a

617
00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:17,920
as a ACEO, you believe in
marketing and you invest in, in

618
00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:19,360
marketing you.
Have to there's, there's

619
00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:22,520
absolutely no choice, but
there's levels of marketing.

620
00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:24,440
Yeah, you, you say that, but I,
you know, I, I've worked with

621
00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,360
some of the biggest companies
and they have marketing teams

622
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:30,600
and the marketing teams execute
the marketing plan and the

623
00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:32,600
marketing plan has been the
marketing plan for a long time.

624
00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,199
And they do, they've heard about
some source of SEO, so they get

625
00:34:35,199 --> 00:34:37,120
whoever to do it.
They don't particularly

626
00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:39,400
understand it or what what it's
actually doing or how it fits

627
00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,800
into.
God forbid AI and all that.

628
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:44,920
Don't even try.
These things are executed.

629
00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:46,320
You know, we need to do a trade
show.

630
00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:47,760
We need to get the pamphlet out
there.

631
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,360
It's very mechanical, almost
robotic execution.

632
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,000
Of but it goes back to the.
Which is needed but.

633
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:55,719
Yeah, but it goes back to the
numbers, isn't it?

634
00:34:55,719 --> 00:35:00,200
If I have a trade show and I'm
going to spend £50,000, I'm

635
00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:02,560
going to have five people there.
I'm going to have a stand.

636
00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:04,200
How?
What am I?

637
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:07,080
What's my objective?
Am I after names?

638
00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:09,720
Am I selling there?
Am I making appointments?

639
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:11,760
Every single bit has got to be
figured out.

640
00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:13,520
And what I see a lot of
companies doing is they're

641
00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:17,320
ticking all those marketing
boxes and they're not measuring

642
00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:19,480
the result.
They haven't figured it totally

643
00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,640
through.
Totally they haven't.

644
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,040
They haven't marketing is
sitting there and they haven't

645
00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,200
integrated into because what is
marketing, it's bringing to

646
00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:30,920
market so that we can sell and
it's the sales guys and the

647
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:34,520
marketing guys and and core of
the value of the business that

648
00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:37,680
you need to knit all the two all
businesses.

649
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:41,040
Need a funnel, a sales funnel or
a marketing funnel of some

650
00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:43,920
source where people can if you
have a shop, there's people

651
00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:46,880
that's that are kind of you've
got to get them in the shop to

652
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,760
look around.
So that's the marketing piece.

653
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,280
When they're in that marketing
has achieved its goal.

654
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,080
If they're in the shop, if
they're in the shop, once

655
00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:56,600
they're in the.
Shop sales takes.

656
00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:01,240
Over I've got to try and figure
out how to sell someone

657
00:36:01,240 --> 00:36:05,080
something and it and if you go
into a shop and someone says,

658
00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:06,680
can I help you say I'm just
looking.

659
00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:10,640
So you need to figure out if I
keep saying every morning and

660
00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:14,720
every day, can I help you?
And 95% of people say I'm just

661
00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:17,320
looking and then leave.
I need to do something better.

662
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:19,880
And I couldn't measure
everything.

663
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:22,840
If I was running a shop, I'd be
I'm going to have to work out

664
00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:26,240
what's better than than how you
know, can I help you?

665
00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:28,720
Are you looking for?
Casual.

666
00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:32,240
Clothes today or formal, Sir?
Maybe that would be better.

667
00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:36,000
I love the way you've stripped.
There's absolutely no nonsense

668
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:38,440
fluff and you go back to the
metrics and you go back to

669
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:42,400
measuring and you go back to the
value and there's no fluff

670
00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:44,480
around anything.
And if I if I had a shop and.

671
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:50,320
Someone came in, I want to sell
them something and what what

672
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:51,440
would?
Happen if they wanted.

673
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:55,400
A pair of jeans and I didn't
have their size.

674
00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:57,800
I'm going to lose a sale so I
have to figure that out.

675
00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:01,360
Am I getting on my site?
I do if if they come in and want

676
00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:04,640
to buy and I don't have.
It that's a.

677
00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:07,520
Failure somewhere else down the
line list, and that's a supply

678
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,040
issue.
So I have to figure that out.

679
00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:13,160
I need to measure that.
How many people came in for a

680
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,920
pair of jeans that would have
bought one if I had a 34 waist?

681
00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:20,800
How many of those do I lose?
I need to know that so I can go

682
00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:23,680
back and figure that out so it
doesn't happen again.

683
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,400
If I don't have it, what am I
going to do?

684
00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:29,280
Can I get it tomorrow?
Would I send it to the house?

685
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,840
I want to figure out every
single possibility to make sure

686
00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:35,600
I sell as much to every single
person.

687
00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:37,240
This is you.
This is you as that.

688
00:37:37,240 --> 00:37:39,720
Young, younger kid, reading
through everything, listening to

689
00:37:39,720 --> 00:37:41,480
those cassette tapes,
highlighting everything.

690
00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:44,320
Make sure you're not listening.
It's exactly the same, right?

691
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,080
It's intense.
It's really intense.

692
00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:47,720
But you have to be.
Intense.

693
00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:52,600
To be successful and you know in
the shop example, I've now sold

694
00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:56,600
someone a pair of jeans and I
don't know who they are because

695
00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:58,640
I'm in a shop.
Can I get their mobile?

696
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,520
Can I get their e-mail address?
How can I get them back in?

697
00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:03,880
Can I give them a voucher for
10% off next time?

698
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:09,280
How can I secure them and make
them feel special as opposed to

699
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:14,040
just transactional?
If you go into any big chain,

700
00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:16,880
they always want your e-mail
address and you, they're just

701
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:18,760
going to bombard you with
meaningless stuff.

702
00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:22,760
People need to have a yeah, you
want to have a relationship with

703
00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:25,440
your, with a customer, with a
client, if you can, If you're

704
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:27,880
going to a hairdresser, like
what women are the best example?

705
00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,440
They most women tend to have a
hairdresser that they know and

706
00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,840
they trust, who know how to cut
and and and dye their hair and

707
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:36,640
and they wouldn't go to anyone
men.

708
00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:39,440
Are different.
You know, men just go anywhere,

709
00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:44,240
but if you're running a
hairdressers, but for men you

710
00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:47,200
want to have a relationship with
with those people so they come

711
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:48,160
back.
What can you do?

712
00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:51,560
How can you figure it out?
When you go through, you go past

713
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:53,720
hairdressers.
I mean, just walking down here,

714
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:57,760
there's like 5 outside here.
They've all got one thing in

715
00:38:57,760 --> 00:38:59,520
common.
They're empty.

716
00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:04,240
So is it worth opening at 9:00
in the morning if it's empty,

717
00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:06,680
pointless if you can't get
people in.

718
00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:10,920
And the one I counted, they've
got 10 chairs in a chair in a

719
00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:12,480
mirror.
Empty.

720
00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:15,080
Can they fill 10 chairs in the
mirror?

721
00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:18,800
Well, if they've only got 2
barbers, pointless people to

722
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:20,840
figure out, that's what that's
You're so strict the way that

723
00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:21,600
you die.
Yeah, but.

724
00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:23,600
That's enough, but that's the.
Numbers isn't it?

725
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:28,040
Because if I've got 10 chairs
and and 10 mirrors, I want 10

726
00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,720
barbers and I want 10 people
there all the time.

727
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:32,880
A men's haircuts.
Can I just say you're like one

728
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:36,440
of those you're 1 of?
Those apprentice bosses that you

729
00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:39,960
all use to hand your business,
then you got no no get up.

730
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,240
Yep, I'm actually scared talking
to.

731
00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:45,400
You now.
But but that that's the.

732
00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:48,880
The level I think that you
really have to think about,

733
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:52,040
because if you're running a
business, your job is to

734
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:56,080
understand every single thing
about that business, what

735
00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:59,160
doesn't work, what does work,
and all of those numbers.

736
00:39:59,240 --> 00:40:04,520
So your job, if you're running
any business, is to figure every

737
00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:07,960
bit of it out and the experience
for the client, for the

738
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:09,320
customer, it's going to be
great.

739
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:13,800
It's going to be different than
the shop next door.

740
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:16,360
Lots of.
Challenges and that's why

741
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,400
businesses.
Fail because there's so much in

742
00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:20,760
it. 95% after 10 years.
Yeah.

743
00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:23,560
Can I ask you then?
Well, I think this is considered

744
00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,720
this my favorite part of any
business, but just pure selling,

745
00:40:26,720 --> 00:40:28,760
what's your approach?
How do you do it?

746
00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:31,760
Everything is.
Not about you.

747
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:33,440
It's all about the customer or
the client.

748
00:40:34,240 --> 00:40:36,560
And you've got to find the
problem.

749
00:40:36,720 --> 00:40:40,840
You've got to find what is their
issue and your job is to solve

750
00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:43,160
it, not just to sell them
anything.

751
00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:47,640
That's you're you, you need to
build up a trust so people will

752
00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:50,480
take your, you know, they, they
know your advice is, is true.

753
00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:54,000
I actually went into a shop I
that I know recently and I, I

754
00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:55,760
put a jacket on and I went, what
do you think?

755
00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:58,880
And he went, honestly, it's not
for you.

756
00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,640
Wrong color.
I thought, I love this shop.

757
00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:06,880
I bought nothing I I go back so
I trust them and I like that I.

758
00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:09,280
Think giving.
Honest advice and being straight

759
00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:11,960
with people long term will
always pay off.

760
00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:14,520
You may suffer short term.
Yeah, you could have sold me a

761
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:15,680
jacket and I would have gone
home.

762
00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:18,120
Someone would have thought a
yellow jacket.

763
00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:22,520
You must be nuts.
So I think you have to think

764
00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:26,040
about clients and customers are
more, you know, medium long term

765
00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:29,760
than instant.
Yeah, better to take care of

766
00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:33,080
people and do the right thing by
them than just trying to

767
00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:34,760
definitely do the right thing
for the right.

768
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,320
Reason, I mean, there's so many
crooks about and scams and

769
00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:40,880
things like that and that
doesn't have longevity and it's

770
00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:43,640
unless you want to be in a
business of crime, I suppose I

771
00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:47,680
would call it and then crack on.
This is not that.

772
00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:52,080
OK, so we've spoken about
marketing and sales and let's

773
00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:54,880
talk about people.
And I don't want to go into the

774
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:56,680
fluffy stuff.
I want to go into what don't you

775
00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:59,160
like.
I mean, besides dishonesty, I

776
00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:02,760
guess in a, in a person working
with a.

777
00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,240
Person Well, you, you don't want
bullshit and you don't want

778
00:42:06,240 --> 00:42:10,760
people to suck up to the boss.
And you know, you want people to

779
00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:14,760
be straight.
You know if something is, if if

780
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:17,240
something goes wrong, you don't
want cover up.

781
00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:19,800
Yeah, you want the opposite.
Of that.

782
00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:24,400
Because you have to learn every
lot.

783
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:28,600
Lot of people get fired in
companies for making mistakes.

784
00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,120
I mean, that's insane.
That's ridiculous.

785
00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:35,280
Why would why would you do that?
Because we are all constantly

786
00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:39,160
making mistakes.
It is just a life thing.

787
00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:41,280
We're making mistakes with
children.

788
00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:45,480
We make mistakes with our house
and our business all the time.

789
00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:49,240
The real key is can you put your
hands up and say, yeah, I

790
00:42:49,240 --> 00:42:52,920
completely got that wrong.
And then you have a learning

791
00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:54,880
from it and next time you do it
differently.

792
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:58,560
So what I'm always looking for a
great point that you know, if

793
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:00,040
people say, look, I.
I messed.

794
00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:03,280
This up, I mean, someone came
into my office not that long ago

795
00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:05,960
and messed up to the tune of a
couple of £1,000,000.

796
00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:13,560
That's a lot of money.
And you go, oh, you know, he

797
00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:17,640
didn't get fired, you know?
It was a mistake it.

798
00:43:18,280 --> 00:43:21,640
Was a big mistake.
We won't make that mistake again

799
00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:25,120
because then the mistake's
really my mistake for not having

800
00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:29,160
systems and stuff in in place to
avoid that.

801
00:43:29,440 --> 00:43:31,720
So then we have to put a whole
bunch of stuff you've learned

802
00:43:31,720 --> 00:43:33,080
from that.
You're looking for people.

803
00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:35,080
That are.
Open about the mistake.

804
00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:37,720
They're not frightened of saying
it because the culture is not

805
00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:40,400
and you're looking for people
that got a good work ethic, that

806
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:44,120
are nice people.
In my business, I'm hiring

807
00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:47,960
people that I like, I respect,
that will fit in, that are

808
00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:52,840
decent, nice people and can do
the job, but not the other way

809
00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:54,560
around.
I'm not looking at who can do

810
00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,760
the job 1st and then say well I
don't really like them and they

811
00:43:57,760 --> 00:44:00,440
won't really fit and they're
going to be loads of trouble

812
00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:02,800
fit.
Nice.

813
00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:07,240
Decent, great people that fit is
I'd rather have.

814
00:44:07,240 --> 00:44:09,440
I'd rather sacrifice some skill
for that.

815
00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:17,080
Skill is trainable.
A personality a a work ethic, a

816
00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:20,560
decent is is untrainable.
Gosh, that's.

817
00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:23,360
It's just giving me so much food
for thought.

818
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:27,640
Yeah, it's untrainable.
Yeah, you, you can't either get

819
00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:31,440
really great people.
That you know are passionate.

820
00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:33,840
About what they do that.
Will work hard, that will enjoy

821
00:44:33,840 --> 00:44:37,760
it, that will have fun doing it,
that will wake up in the morning

822
00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:41,720
and want to be there.
And if they are slightly less

823
00:44:41,720 --> 00:44:44,480
skilled than the person that
doesn't really want to be there

824
00:44:44,480 --> 00:44:48,720
or only wants the money, I I I
wouldn't have to spend more than

825
00:44:48,720 --> 00:44:52,400
a couple of seconds thinking
about who to hire when we talk

826
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:55,600
about making mistakes.
And things I've also seen things

827
00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:58,400
in large organizations where
they have this management

828
00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:02,800
structure top middle so and so
where sometimes an employee

829
00:45:02,800 --> 00:45:08,600
might get fired because their
line manager or whoever it's

830
00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:11,560
pinning the blame on them
because it's these things happen

831
00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:14,600
a lot, you know, these become
become, it's very difficult to.

832
00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,880
Run.
It can't just be There has to be

833
00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,480
a relationship between, you
know, the bosses you know and

834
00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:24,920
the managers and the people.
A proper relationship, not a

835
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:27,560
it's, it's going to be something
where people feel that they

836
00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:30,200
belong in in your business and
they want to belong.

837
00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:31,880
Oh yeah, they want to.
Belong, and they feel part of

838
00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:33,000
it.
And they're not going to.

839
00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:35,080
You can't always achieve, you
can't always achieve it.

840
00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:38,160
It's difficult to achieve, but
that's that should be the goal,

841
00:45:38,160 --> 00:45:39,400
I think.
I think you're right who you

842
00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:41,640
hire the.
Character and and I mean it, it

843
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:44,240
starts with that, doesn't it
starts with the work ethic and

844
00:45:44,240 --> 00:45:47,560
the character.
OK, let's talk about something

845
00:45:47,560 --> 00:45:50,600
that has gone terribly wrong
besides the thing you just said.

846
00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,480
Something a mistake that you
personally made besides that

847
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:56,600
one.
A big mistake all.

848
00:45:56,600 --> 00:46:02,520
Of the mistakes are down to me
because ultimately I sign

849
00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:05,040
everything off.
I made a huge mistake.

850
00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:06,120
I can't give you any of the
detail.

851
00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:08,400
I have made a huge mistake.
When someone came in and spoke

852
00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:14,800
to me about a problem and I made
a decision based on what he told

853
00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:19,280
me and what I should have done
is said OK, we won't make a

854
00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:23,040
decision now come back.
In, let's get all the.

855
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:26,480
Paperwork out, let's go through
it and really think it through.

856
00:46:26,840 --> 00:46:29,040
And I was flipping and I went,
well, just tell them no.

857
00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:34,440
And that was a problem.
But I've made hundreds and

858
00:46:34,440 --> 00:46:38,240
hundreds and hundreds of
mistakes I'm not bad at.

859
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:41,760
I don't always learn from
everyone, sometimes a second

860
00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:46,040
time.
But my goal is to be the best I

861
00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:48,720
can possibly be at everything I
do.

862
00:46:49,240 --> 00:46:52,200
It is slightly unachievable.
You know, you can't, you can't

863
00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:53,560
be brilliant.
But I love the standard.

864
00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:57,320
I love the standard.
I do but but it's my intent.

865
00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:02,840
Yes and yeah, I have to take
responsibility.

866
00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:06,200
For the failures for the.
Things that we get wrong as well

867
00:47:06,200 --> 00:47:09,120
as the stuff that we get right.
I, I just love this.

868
00:47:09,120 --> 00:47:10,480
It's.
A job attitude.

869
00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:12,560
Because.
Even if it doesn't matter

870
00:47:12,560 --> 00:47:14,640
whether you're working at
McDonald's, whether you're

871
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:17,080
sweeping a floor, whether you're
washing windows or doing the

872
00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:20,240
gardening, whether you're the
Prime Minister of the country,

873
00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:24,720
you should definitely be doing
the best job you possibly can

874
00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:27,440
and caring absolutely my one of
my.

875
00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:30,920
Sons is just finished his A
level, he's going to go to on a

876
00:47:30,920 --> 00:47:35,440
gap here and he's going to be a
site labourer on one of our.

877
00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,280
So it's a hard job, you know,
you're cleaning the toilets,

878
00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:43,360
you're clearing up the rubbish.
It's hard, hard work and he is

879
00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:45,200
going to be doing that for the
next four months.

880
00:47:45,880 --> 00:47:49,800
And I said you have to be the
best one there is.

881
00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:53,280
That's your goal.
So everyone says, Oh my God,

882
00:47:54,080 --> 00:47:56,800
he's amazing.
You couldn't be there.

883
00:47:56,960 --> 00:47:59,680
You know, if if you start at
half seven, you're there at

884
00:47:59,680 --> 00:48:01,960
7:15.
If you finish at 4, you leave at

885
00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:05,760
4:30 or whatever.
But everything that.

886
00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:09,720
I've done and do.
I'm trying to be.

887
00:48:09,720 --> 00:48:12,440
The best I can possibly be and
trying to make the company the

888
00:48:12,440 --> 00:48:15,960
best it can be on every single
level.

889
00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:19,040
If a client comes into the
office, I'm thinking, how do

890
00:48:19,040 --> 00:48:20,720
they feel when they walk through
the door?

891
00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:23,720
Are we nice or are we, can I
help you sit?

892
00:48:24,720 --> 00:48:26,760
Are we nice?
Are we genuine?

893
00:48:26,840 --> 00:48:30,120
Are we good people?
Do we do they feel looked after?

894
00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:33,960
Do we take genuine care not
ticking the boxes?

895
00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:38,440
When we do a presentation to win
an instruction, is it do they

896
00:48:38,440 --> 00:48:43,120
go, Oh my God, that was
incredible when I spoke to Mark.

897
00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:46,840
Wright Well, the first time I
sent him an e-mail, he just

898
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:49,400
replied pretty much within 24
hours.

899
00:48:49,400 --> 00:48:51,520
He's always like this.
And then I, I brought it up in

900
00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:53,240
the podcast.
I was like, why are you, Why are

901
00:48:53,240 --> 00:48:55,760
you so responsive?
You know, busy guy or whatever.

902
00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:59,520
But he's saying what you say.
It's a brand touch point that he

903
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:02,040
doesn't want anyone who's
interacting with his brand, with

904
00:49:02,040 --> 00:49:04,840
him, with anything that he
represents to have a bad

905
00:49:04,840 --> 00:49:07,840
experience.
And that includes replying to an

906
00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:08,760
e-mail.
I just.

907
00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:13,000
Think it's.
You know, if you, if you go into

908
00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:15,080
that, that there's a huge
difference.

909
00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:20,520
I think if you go into, say a
prep shop, then it is if you go

910
00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:23,680
into Costa Coffee, and I'm not
criticizing Costa Coffee.

911
00:49:24,120 --> 00:49:27,680
There's something about the
culture at a business like prep,

912
00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:30,200
which is all about culture, how
they treat people.

913
00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:34,480
Everything in their business is
focused on the customer.

914
00:49:35,120 --> 00:49:38,560
The customer is king.
It is not just IT, although it's

915
00:49:38,560 --> 00:49:41,400
transactional.
There's something special.

916
00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:46,680
I went into a prep recently and
the lady there was was grumpy.

917
00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:50,040
I had a black Americano.
I want to drink it straight

918
00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:51,840
away.
So I asked for some ice to put

919
00:49:51,840 --> 00:49:58,760
in it and she went Oh no.
And I was slightly sarcastic.

920
00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:00,960
I said I said have a great day
and I left.

921
00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:06,640
The next day I went in and she
was there and she said I

922
00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:09,880
remember you from yesterday.
So I said right.

923
00:50:10,560 --> 00:50:15,680
And she said, I'm really sorry,
I was having one of those days.

924
00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:18,240
I went, don't worry, we will
have one of those days.

925
00:50:18,640 --> 00:50:24,440
And then she says coffee's on me
and they have that flexibility

926
00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:26,680
that she doesn't have to go to a
manager.

927
00:50:26,680 --> 00:50:32,240
That's clever because it's all
about the customer and and isn't

928
00:50:32,240 --> 00:50:34,800
business all about making sure
our customers love us and

929
00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:38,480
they're impressed and we and we
and we put them centre stage but

930
00:50:38,480 --> 00:50:41,400
nothing to we need to get out of
the way and put the customer

931
00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:43,560
1st.
And I know for a fact that is

932
00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:46,080
what companies like practice
many companies.

933
00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:47,480
I'm just giving that as an
example.

934
00:50:48,160 --> 00:50:50,840
Goes to.
OK, well let's flip that.

935
00:50:51,200 --> 00:50:53,360
Talk about what if a client's
really bad?

936
00:50:53,400 --> 00:50:56,280
Have you had to let clients go?
Have you ever had that

937
00:50:56,280 --> 00:50:57,280
experience?
Absolutely.

938
00:50:57,680 --> 00:51:00,160
Why is it money?
It's normally.

939
00:51:00,160 --> 00:51:01,960
Money, if you don't know.
What it's about they don't want

940
00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:05,880
to pay, they don't want to.
What is it you can't do?

941
00:51:06,040 --> 00:51:06,920
It's a great.
Phrase.

942
00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:11,400
I think Warren Buffett said it.
You can't do a good deal with a

943
00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:13,080
bad person.
Oh.

944
00:51:15,200 --> 00:51:17,960
It's not possible.
So.

945
00:51:18,200 --> 00:51:19,960
Yeah, if we think.
Anyone is going to be a

946
00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:21,880
nightmare.
We walk away and we've walked

947
00:51:21,880 --> 00:51:27,840
away from 10's and 10's and 10s
of millions of pounds with that

948
00:51:27,880 --> 00:51:32,240
and I don't regret any of it.
We want to work with people, are

949
00:51:32,240 --> 00:51:34,720
going to pay people that are
enjoyable to work with decent

950
00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:39,440
people and we do.
Our clients are fantastic and we

951
00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:43,680
have made the mistake obviously
in the past of doing a project

952
00:51:43,680 --> 00:51:45,120
with our customer who didn't
want to pay.

953
00:51:45,120 --> 00:51:47,880
He was and we think we it's
better not to have it.

954
00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:49,760
It's a difficult one to walk
away from a client.

955
00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:52,760
That's got the money and wants
to pay, but yeah, it is and it

956
00:51:52,760 --> 00:51:53,960
is, especially when you're
starting it.

957
00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:56,080
Depends.
If you're greedy, you know, you

958
00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:59,400
don't want to be greedy.
Greed doesn't work because

959
00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:01,480
you're just so focused on the
wrong thing.

960
00:52:01,840 --> 00:52:03,800
Ultimately you have to take care
of your business.

961
00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:06,480
And if if you think that client
is going to be a huge disruptor

962
00:52:06,480 --> 00:52:09,680
to your business, I'm not going
to get paid or they're going to

963
00:52:09,680 --> 00:52:13,560
be, then walk, walk away.
Let them find someone else and

964
00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:16,640
how do you deal with?
Your because work businesses, as

965
00:52:16,640 --> 00:52:19,320
we said, it is difficult, it's
stressful.

966
00:52:19,720 --> 00:52:22,760
I mean, my I've grew up in an
entrepreneur family.

967
00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:25,520
My dad ran a business for so
many years and I've watched the

968
00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:31,320
like experience as a kid, this
seesaw of yeah, it is and it's

969
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:31,960
like that.
It's just.

970
00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:35,760
So how do you?
Manage stress basically, and

971
00:52:36,520 --> 00:52:40,520
it's just essentialise it to
what I what we all want to know,

972
00:52:40,520 --> 00:52:44,000
because stress is huge and if
you're going to do anything big,

973
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:49,720
you can have big stresses, yeah.
It's difficult.

974
00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:53,400
It's so difficult.
I don't have an easy one used to

975
00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:56,280
it.
So again, do you get used to it

976
00:52:56,400 --> 00:52:59,920
or?
Never you get, you get more.

977
00:52:59,920 --> 00:53:02,600
Used to dealing with it and
managing it.

978
00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:08,160
Now I I don't drink so I haven't
had a drink.

979
00:53:09,440 --> 00:53:10,440
About 18.
Years.

980
00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:11,000
Good.
Good.

981
00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:14,480
Good.
And I think that's a really.

982
00:53:14,480 --> 00:53:16,680
Good way.
Out temporary good way out.

983
00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:18,840
You go home, have two glasses of
wine and you feel better.

984
00:53:19,800 --> 00:53:22,440
But actually that doesn't make
you strong.

985
00:53:22,440 --> 00:53:26,600
What makes you resilient is
having nothing, just.

986
00:53:26,640 --> 00:53:27,880
You have to.
You have to sit.

987
00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:30,640
With the stress, which is tough
sweat.

988
00:53:30,640 --> 00:53:31,920
It out at night.
Yeah.

989
00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:34,360
So no, I've got no.
Real tips for stress?

990
00:53:34,360 --> 00:53:38,400
It's just a fact, but you you do
get used to, but it is a fact.

991
00:53:38,600 --> 00:53:40,200
Look, it's a fact of life,
whether you run a business or

992
00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:41,560
not.
I mean, there's plenty of people

993
00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:44,800
that just are employees who do a
job and that's very stressful

994
00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:46,360
because they've got no power, no
control.

995
00:53:46,360 --> 00:53:48,680
At least if you're running a
business, you've got a bit of

996
00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:50,760
control and and maybe some
power.

997
00:53:51,360 --> 00:53:53,160
Stress is stress.
People feel it for different

998
00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:55,480
reasons.
People feel stressed by being

999
00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:57,160
late.
People feel stressed by and what

1000
00:53:57,160 --> 00:54:02,120
what would the president of, I
mean, Donald Trump, I'm not, you

1001
00:54:02,120 --> 00:54:04,480
know, saying I I'm for him
against winning, but I mean,

1002
00:54:04,480 --> 00:54:06,680
yeah, Brazilian.
I mean, Oh my God, what?

1003
00:54:06,680 --> 00:54:09,600
He has to go.
He plays golf.

1004
00:54:09,840 --> 00:54:11,480
He.
Plays golf, but I bet you.

1005
00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:13,960
He's still stressed playing, got
probably stressed about not

1006
00:54:13,960 --> 00:54:17,280
doing well at golf.
Who knows, But stress is just a

1007
00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:19,520
fact of life.
There's the only people not

1008
00:54:19,520 --> 00:54:23,960
stressed are the people that are
are not here, right so.

1009
00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:26,680
Who do you go to when you not
sure what to do?

1010
00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:29,240
Do you have someone that you do
you do you?

1011
00:54:29,360 --> 00:54:31,400
I mean, you obviously love the
self help books, but do you have

1012
00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:34,000
anyone you can call and go
because it's a lonely place

1013
00:54:34,320 --> 00:54:37,120
running a business of your size?
Yeah, I mean, I'm very lucky.

1014
00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:38,760
I have a great.
I have a great partner.

1015
00:54:41,200 --> 00:54:42,240
Yeah, she's.
Fantastic.

1016
00:54:42,240 --> 00:54:45,320
And she?
Lets me get on and do what I

1017
00:54:45,320 --> 00:54:48,320
have to do.
I think that's really important

1018
00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:52,360
to have someone who really
understands you and understands

1019
00:54:52,360 --> 00:54:55,160
the stresses of the business.
Yeah, I mean, sometimes you just

1020
00:54:55,160 --> 00:54:56,520
have to deal with it and get on
with it.

1021
00:54:56,760 --> 00:54:58,400
You know?
I've got one more question.

1022
00:54:58,880 --> 00:55:01,560
That I want to ask and I've got
3 quick fire questions from the

1023
00:55:01,760 --> 00:55:04,120
from the public.
So I'm going to ask, if you lost

1024
00:55:04,120 --> 00:55:06,840
everything today, what would you
do?

1025
00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:10,120
Well, I'd have to get the bus
you'd have.

1026
00:55:10,720 --> 00:55:13,000
To get the bus.
Or walk.

1027
00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:16,200
Get the bus ticket.
Would I just do something again?

1028
00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:19,760
I mean, I I would I would be
highly motivated, but which I'm

1029
00:55:20,160 --> 00:55:23,840
I'm motivated not to be pro
basically build the next.

1030
00:55:24,200 --> 00:55:25,600
I would go and do something else
to say.

1031
00:55:25,840 --> 00:55:27,240
Yeah, I would.
You got it all.

1032
00:55:27,240 --> 00:55:29,760
But it's not to have an empire.
That's not the goal.

1033
00:55:29,760 --> 00:55:32,680
The goal is not to be broke.
The goal is not to be broke.

1034
00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:35,120
OK.
So for me, for you, yes.

1035
00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:38,880
OK, let's go from the public.
What?

1036
00:55:38,880 --> 00:55:41,840
Problem am I truly?
Solving and how do I know it's a

1037
00:55:41,840 --> 00:55:44,840
real pain point you have to
have?

1038
00:55:45,040 --> 00:55:48,000
An.
Instinct on what is a real a

1039
00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:50,440
real problem.
I mean, there's a challenge and

1040
00:55:50,440 --> 00:55:52,600
there's a problem.
They're different.

1041
00:55:53,240 --> 00:55:54,720
Every business has got
challenge.

1042
00:55:54,720 --> 00:55:58,120
The problem is we've got no
money and we can't make payroll.

1043
00:55:58,120 --> 00:56:00,800
I mean, that is a problem.
Your job, if you're running a

1044
00:56:00,800 --> 00:56:02,720
business to understand the
business inside out, back to

1045
00:56:02,720 --> 00:56:07,440
front, the the every business is
constantly challenged all the

1046
00:56:07,440 --> 00:56:09,320
time.
You're challenged to survive,

1047
00:56:09,320 --> 00:56:10,760
you're challenged to be
successful.

1048
00:56:10,760 --> 00:56:16,040
You're challenged to market.
Business is changing today more

1049
00:56:16,040 --> 00:56:18,160
than ever in the history of
businesses.

1050
00:56:18,160 --> 00:56:20,920
We have more technology.
We have all of this stuff

1051
00:56:20,920 --> 00:56:24,760
happening and if you don't keep
up with it, you're just dead in

1052
00:56:24,760 --> 00:56:26,880
the water.
Look at the High Street.

1053
00:56:26,880 --> 00:56:28,840
Do you want to open a shop
today?

1054
00:56:28,840 --> 00:56:30,440
If you're going to open a shop
in the High Street, you're going

1055
00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:31,640
to be.
You have to do something really

1056
00:56:31,640 --> 00:56:34,240
good.
In the old days you would open a

1057
00:56:34,240 --> 00:56:36,760
shop and you would turn the
thing around that says open or

1058
00:56:36,760 --> 00:56:40,960
closed and people would come
because everyone went to the

1059
00:56:40,960 --> 00:56:43,240
High Street to buy everything.
No one's doing that anymore.

1060
00:56:43,440 --> 00:56:46,640
If you listen and read to lots
of stuff that's being put out

1061
00:56:46,640 --> 00:56:51,400
there about you can just work 3
hours a day from Dubai on a

1062
00:56:51,400 --> 00:56:53,960
laptop and you'll drive a
Lamborghini and you spend most

1063
00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:56,160
of the time on the beach.
The messaging I'm.

1064
00:56:56,160 --> 00:56:57,960
Sure that has.
Happened.

1065
00:56:58,560 --> 00:57:04,440
But that's a little bit like
saying I want to know what Jeff

1066
00:57:04,880 --> 00:57:07,640
Bezos does.
There's no point.

1067
00:57:07,640 --> 00:57:11,400
Jeff Bezos is running the
biggest company in the universe.

1068
00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:15,640
He's the worst example for
normal people because he's so

1069
00:57:15,640 --> 00:57:17,960
rare.
The best?

1070
00:57:17,960 --> 00:57:20,800
Example of people a little bit.
More you know, no one should

1071
00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:23,960
have Elon.
He's a genius.

1072
00:57:24,320 --> 00:57:28,800
We if we cut if if we copy, Elon
may lie in bed all daydreaming.

1073
00:57:28,800 --> 00:57:33,480
That wouldn't be a good example.
We we would want to copy Elon

1074
00:57:34,240 --> 00:57:38,960
when he was 19 or 20.
That and the same with with Jeff

1075
00:57:38,960 --> 00:57:41,040
Bezos.
That's the bit that we should be

1076
00:57:41,040 --> 00:57:43,120
copying.
What was it like when they had

1077
00:57:43,120 --> 00:57:44,960
nothing?
What was the work?

1078
00:57:45,200 --> 00:57:46,640
Not today.
It's different.

1079
00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:48,040
You know, I also bring on some
people.

1080
00:57:48,040 --> 00:57:52,400
That are starting off that I can
feel there's something that you

1081
00:57:52,400 --> 00:57:58,800
know, a potential, a mindset, a
hunger, a good plan, an ambition

1082
00:57:58,800 --> 00:58:02,040
of some kind that and and and
the way they speak you can kind

1083
00:58:02,040 --> 00:58:05,880
of feel it and you think, yeah,
I actually I want to hear from

1084
00:58:05,880 --> 00:58:06,760
you.
I think you've got some good

1085
00:58:06,760 --> 00:58:08,720
stuff.
They've not done anything big

1086
00:58:08,720 --> 00:58:10,320
yet.
They've done some things more

1087
00:58:10,320 --> 00:58:14,720
than the show themselves to but
I like bringing them on too to

1088
00:58:14,720 --> 00:58:16,200
see what what they're doing
right.

1089
00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:18,520
Next question what's my unique
selling proposition?

1090
00:58:18,520 --> 00:58:21,240
How am I different?
Why will customers choose me

1091
00:58:22,400 --> 00:58:24,080
well?
If you're the same.

1092
00:58:24,080 --> 00:58:26,800
As look, if you're the same as
everyone else, you're going to

1093
00:58:26,800 --> 00:58:31,200
get the same as everyone else.
So you have to be different, not

1094
00:58:31,200 --> 00:58:35,320
for different sake, but you have
to be different.

1095
00:58:36,160 --> 00:58:40,080
So whatever you do, if you, if I
walk into any of the Barber

1096
00:58:40,080 --> 00:58:42,120
shops down this street, the
chances are they're all going to

1097
00:58:42,120 --> 00:58:44,320
be about the same.
And they're all basically empty

1098
00:58:44,320 --> 00:58:47,240
right now.
And most of the guys in the shop

1099
00:58:47,240 --> 00:58:49,000
are on their on their phones
just sitting there.

1100
00:58:49,000 --> 00:58:50,600
They all copied each other,
right.

1101
00:58:50,600 --> 00:58:51,760
There's also.
But.

1102
00:58:52,480 --> 00:58:55,440
Am I attracted to go in if
someone is on their phone?

1103
00:58:56,560 --> 00:59:00,480
I'm not welcomed so.
If I was.

1104
00:59:00,800 --> 00:59:04,200
Running a Barber shop down this
street, I would want it to look

1105
00:59:04,200 --> 00:59:05,880
different.
They all look the same.

1106
00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:07,680
I want the people to be
different.

1107
00:59:07,720 --> 00:59:12,600
I would want everything to be
different and welcoming and I

1108
00:59:12,600 --> 00:59:15,040
just want to spend loads of time
figuring out.

1109
00:59:15,560 --> 00:59:17,520
And then you know what I do?
I go and figure out what the

1110
00:59:17,520 --> 00:59:20,560
most successful chain of
hairdressers is.

1111
00:59:20,560 --> 00:59:25,680
Tony and Guy, what do they do?
What what do they do that's

1112
00:59:25,680 --> 00:59:28,560
special?
I would go and look at that.

1113
00:59:29,280 --> 00:59:33,480
I would always want to look at
what are the very best of the

1114
00:59:33,480 --> 00:59:37,360
best doing as a good start.
And that can be in the same

1115
00:59:37,360 --> 00:59:41,560
business or different business.
If you go into a hotel and you

1116
00:59:41,560 --> 00:59:45,960
walk into the the check in and
someone goes Yep, that's very.

1117
00:59:45,960 --> 00:59:48,720
Different than someone meeting.
You at the door and they know

1118
00:59:48,720 --> 00:59:51,480
you're coming and saying welcome
back.

1119
00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:54,200
It's lovely to have.
How do people feel?

1120
00:59:54,200 --> 00:59:57,320
How do you make people feel?
I think is so important in every

1121
00:59:57,320 --> 01:00:00,080
business.
I hope people are listening.

1122
01:00:00,080 --> 01:00:02,840
Well there won't be yet because
I haven't posted, but when I

1123
01:00:02,840 --> 01:00:06,120
post anyone who's not listening
to this, I feel bad for the

1124
01:00:06,240 --> 01:00:10,400
centre of a business.
'S world is its clients and

1125
01:00:10,400 --> 01:00:12,840
customers.
Last question.

1126
01:00:13,320 --> 01:00:17,440
Relates to that one because yes
that's lovely but you need the

1127
01:00:17,440 --> 01:00:20,680
money.
So how will I fund my start up?

1128
01:00:20,840 --> 01:00:23,000
What's realistic in the early
days?

1129
01:00:23,000 --> 01:00:27,440
The real issue with this is.
That there's so many ways now of

1130
01:00:27,440 --> 01:00:32,480
funding there are and lots of
young people that they end up

1131
01:00:32,480 --> 01:00:35,960
being better at raising the
money than they do at running

1132
01:00:35,960 --> 01:00:40,520
the business.
The goal is is to raise the

1133
01:00:40,800 --> 01:00:46,120
absolute minimum amount of money
and the goal is to make your

1134
01:00:46,120 --> 01:00:50,600
company work and make a profit.
I'm an investor in a few

1135
01:00:50,600 --> 01:00:52,080
businesses.
I don't really enjoy being an

1136
01:00:52,080 --> 01:00:55,360
investor and they've all got the
same thing in common.

1137
01:00:56,200 --> 01:00:59,520
They don't make any money.
Their focus.

1138
01:00:59,680 --> 01:01:03,640
Always.
Is raising more money and

1139
01:01:03,640 --> 01:01:07,200
they're brilliant at raising
money, but.

1140
01:01:07,600 --> 01:01:11,440
The the goal would.
Be you have the minimum and you

1141
01:01:11,440 --> 01:01:14,720
raise no more, you make it.
You've got to make it work.

1142
01:01:15,360 --> 01:01:21,000
If you've raised £100,000 work
out when that runs out your

1143
01:01:21,000 --> 01:01:24,720
overheads minimal.
Every penny counts you of of

1144
01:01:24,720 --> 01:01:28,520
expenditure.
I've I've borrowed 100,000 lbs

1145
01:01:28,520 --> 01:01:32,000
or I've had it invested.
I've now got to make sure that

1146
01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:35,480
gives me six months in six
months time I've couldn't be

1147
01:01:35,480 --> 01:01:39,680
generating income cash you.
The focus is making your

1148
01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:44,520
business work, not continually
raising like right when you run

1149
01:01:44,520 --> 01:01:46,520
out, it's we'll be out in three.
Let's raise more.

1150
01:01:46,880 --> 01:01:51,600
No, that that isn't the goal.
The goal is I have to make a

1151
01:01:51,600 --> 01:01:53,560
profit.
That should be my focus.

1152
01:01:54,080 --> 01:01:57,240
If you can make the business
make a profit, you may want want

1153
01:01:57,240 --> 01:02:00,320
to raise more money to expand,
to do other things.

1154
01:02:00,320 --> 01:02:02,520
That's different.
And to make money you've got to

1155
01:02:02,520 --> 01:02:04,640
be really good and know your
numbers, know your metrics, look

1156
01:02:04,640 --> 01:02:06,920
after your class.
You know, there's a huge list of

1157
01:02:06,920 --> 01:02:11,080
things that you have to do, but
its goal is to be profitable.

1158
01:02:11,360 --> 01:02:15,040
It has to make money.
It's the purpose of a business.

1159
01:02:15,760 --> 01:02:17,800
It, you know, I could give a
million examples.

1160
01:02:18,040 --> 01:02:20,840
If you bought an umbrella, it's
to keep the rain off you.

1161
01:02:21,080 --> 01:02:23,520
If all the rain came through, it
doesn't matter how good it

1162
01:02:23,520 --> 01:02:25,760
looks.
If I go to hospital, if they're

1163
01:02:25,760 --> 01:02:28,960
all nice and I get coffee and I
get treated quickly, if they

1164
01:02:28,960 --> 01:02:32,040
don't repair my broken wrist,
it's no good.

1165
01:02:32,040 --> 01:02:35,960
Their goal is to fix me.
The umbrella is to keep the rain

1166
01:02:35,960 --> 01:02:38,520
off.
The goal of the business is to

1167
01:02:38,520 --> 01:02:42,280
make money and that's not
selfish or ruthless.

1168
01:02:42,280 --> 01:02:45,120
You make money by being lovely
to clients, treat all your

1169
01:02:45,480 --> 01:02:48,360
employees, your team
brilliantly, to do all you know,

1170
01:02:48,360 --> 01:02:52,800
this myriad of things.
But if you do everything

1171
01:02:52,800 --> 01:02:56,600
brilliantly and you can't make
money, it's not a good business.

1172
01:02:57,600 --> 01:03:00,040
Michael, my opinion.
It's been an.

1173
01:03:00,080 --> 01:03:03,000
Absolute pleasure.
Thank you for the education.

1174
01:03:03,080 --> 01:03:05,440
Business.
One O 1 Thank you so much

1175
01:03:05,480 --> 01:03:05,840
pleasure.