Steve Sims Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Steve Sims
Steve Sims is today’s guest is joining us on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots podcast.
He is a man who screams loud and proud “If there’s no passion there’s no point!”
He is the visionary founder of Bluefish: the world’s first luxury concierge that delivers the highest level of personalized travel, transportation, and cutting-edge entertainment services to corporate executives, celebrities, professional athletes, and other discerning individuals interested in living life to it’s fullest.
So what does that mean in real terms?
Well….
- He closed a museum in Florence for a private dinner party for 6 at the feet of Michelangelo’s David and had Andrea Botticelli come in and serenade the guests
- He can get you to see the Titanic from a submarine.
- Becoming James Bond for a weekend in Monte Carlo
- Hanging out and jamming with celebrity recording artists, such as Guns & Roses drummer Matt Sorum and playing guitar with ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons
What makes this all the more remarkable is he started a world away from rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous of the world.
Born in 1966 he grew up as a bricklayer from London, before in n 1980, he started a stockbroker job in London, where he worked for about 6 months.
Eventually, he was transferred to Hong Kong where he was fired in 1 days.
How The Dots Joined Up For Steve
After losing his stockbroking job, Steve Sims stayed in Hong Kong where he worked as a Doorman for a Night Club in the area, where he went to parties and met their attendees, forming the network that would initially support Bluefish.
As he says “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”
This is not your typical entrepreneur wearing flash suits and standing by the side of Lear Jets saying look at me.
This is a man who does things his way, wears his own style and makes things happen by being himself
As Elton John Said “Steve Sims defines what it means to be your authentic self”
So was there a time that he felt you had to do what others are doing to make the life for yourself?
And what would he wish for, if he became a client of Bluefish himself for a day?
Well let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr. Steve Sims.
Show Highlights
During today’s show we discussed such weighty subjects with Steve Sims
Steve shares his hatred of being called authentic but instead loving being transparent. Slight difference in how we look at things, but it makes such a difference.
We talk about the turmoil that most entrepreneurs that go through your life fighting to the
“Ignorant to the potential of failing” has been the framework of what has made Steve who he is today. Can you say honestly that you have the same mindset?
and lastly…….
Steve shares how he found the truth of mentorship in his earlier life. If someone can show you the way to a better life, quicker then why wouldnt you seek out a mentor?
How To Connect With Steve Sims
Return To The Top Of Steve Sims
If you enjoyed this episode with Steve Sims, why not check out other inspirational chat with Tosca Reno, Wesley Chapman, Dorie Clark, and the amazing Jack Canfield
You can also check our extensive podcast archive by clicking here – enjoy
Audio Transcription Of Steve Sims Interview
David Ralph [0:01]
Once upon a time, there was a guy with a dream a dream, which is Jobs himself online and have a kick ass life working when he wanted him where he wanted across the world. Little did he know that dream would lead him into a world of struggle, burnout and debt. Until he found the magic ingredient and knows drunk was became a thing of the past, of course, was bad person. And now My dream is to make things happen. BU Welcome to Join Up Dots.
Intro [0:31]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling. Join Up Dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK, David Ralph.
David Ralph [0:55]
Yes. Good morning, everybody. And thank you for being here with Join Up Dots. Hey, it’s great to have today’s guest on the show because he is a man who he’s got a bit of a towel to tell so we better get him on the show straight away, but it wouldn’t be Join Up Dots if I didn’t give him the big build up. He’s a man who screams loud and proud if there’s no passion, there’s no point. He’s the visionary founder of bluefish the world’s first luxury consumers, but delivers the highest level of personalised travel, transportation and cutting edge entertainment services to corporate executives, celebrities, professional athletes and other discerning individuals interested in living life to its fullest now, so what does that mean in real terms? Well, it goes to museum influence to a private dinner party for six at the feet of Michelangelo’s David, and had Porcelli come in and serve seven eight the guests. You can get you to see the Titanic from a submarine. If you want to become James Bond for a weekend in Monte Carlo, he’s your man and even hanging out and jamming with celebrity recording artists such as Guns and Roses drummer and playing guitar with z tops Billy Gibbons, it can do it, it can do it. Now, what makes this all more remarkable is he started a world away from rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous at the world. Born in 1966. He grew up as a bricklayer from London before in 1980, he started a stockbroker job in London, where he worked for about six months. Eventually, he was transferred to Hong Kong where he was fired in five days. And after losing his stockbroking job, he stayed in Hong Kong where he worked as a doorman for a nightclub in the area. And he went to parties met the attendees and formed the network that would initially support bluefish. As he says, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, this is not your typical entrepreneur wearing fresh suits and standing by the side of Learjet saying, Look at me This is a man who does things his way he wears his own style and makes things happen by being himself as elton john said, Steve Sims defines what it means to be your authentic self. So was there a time that he felt you had to do what others were doing to make the life for yourself and Yes, what would he wish for if he became a client of bluefish himself for a day? Well, let’s find out as we bring on to the show to start Join Up Dots with the one and only Mr. Steve Sims. Morning Steve, how are you?
Steve Sims [3:16]
Guys a hell of a lead in? I’ve got to try and live up to that now. I think
David Ralph [3:20]
you can do it. Come on. Yeah. baloney. I’ve been looking at your website all day. And I’ve been watching your videos and we we talked about being authentic over time. And certainly through what I do. I try to be totally authentic, totally unique to what I am. I think you’ve mastered it. May I look at it. And I think to myself, where you are, the way you operate the way you look, I suppose that is authentic all the way through, isn’t it?
Steve Sims [3:47]
Yeah, you kind of rubbed me the wrong way. For a start. I hate the word authentic. I said it. I know he did. But you know if you’re going to get a quote from our
David Ralph [4:00]
NZ Maria.
Steve Sims [4:02]
I like the word transparency. I don’t want to be impossible to misunderstand. I want to be very obvious I want to be very open. The trouble with authenticity is is now use like a new mouse pad or collide logo for your cup. It’s kind of bandied around like, Oh, he’s so authentic which really just acknowledges that everyone else behind you is not and that’s upsetting. So, I like to be very easy to understand impossible to misunderstand and completely 100% transparent.
David Ralph [4:32]
Well, in that regard, sir, you’ve mastered it. I will give you I will give you that. Now if we take you back to the early days because you have got a hell of a journey because I am just down from London and where I’m recording the moment you wear pants was your your starting Where was the young Steve Sims? Were you in the suburbs of London or centre?
Steve Sims [4:53]
No, the I started off in reading. I was reading boy Tad Lee and then ended up in eastern London so all the all the finer areas of the planet,
David Ralph [5:05]
you could have gone slow as well. If you didn’t slow down, you would you would have mastered it.
Steve Sims [5:11]
It would, it would have been the it would have been everything to me.
David Ralph [5:14]
It would have been there the holy trinity of places. I do apologise if you’re if you’re listening to this show, I’m sure it’s lovely. Now, was there have that kind of entrepreneurial spirit when you was growing up? Because certainly my generation of parents it was you worked hard, you worked hard, you earned your money, and then you came home and basically you were grateful for it. Now we’re in the opportunities that you can really make things happen yourself. Did you have that Head Start? Did you see it happening around you?
Steve Sims [5:45]
Or far for me? My storey is the exact same as every other entrepreneur growing up in the 80s and the 90s. We didn’t have Instagram and Facebook to try and find groups that could encourage us all to confirm that we were slightly different. grew up as a very aggravated lad. Knowing that my life wasn’t good, knowing that I wasn’t happy or challenge doing what I was doing and spend most of your time just going your What’s wrong with me? And like all entrepreneurs, I realised that I didn’t fit until I did. So, nowadays, you know, a kid wakes up, he goes, Hey, I want to do t shirts, he can look on YouTube. He can look on Facebook, he can join groups for young entrepreneurs learn about you can gain so much, not only education, but confirmation that you’re normal that you know, you’re just like other people that have that desire. But coming up from a Brick Lane family, I came from the same kind of generation generational mindset is your folks. I was told you go to work. You get a job, you work your way up, you get a pension, and then you leave. And as an entrepreneur, I didn’t know it was an entrepreneur at the time. I just knew that wasn’t for me. So I ended up you know, rubbing people up the wrong way, getting into trouble bouncing off the walls, getting a job for five minutes losing a job, game fired, quitting. I was all over the place until as entrepreneurs, we find the one that clicks and then we go, Oh, hang on a minute, this interests this excites this challenges. I’m going to stay here
David Ralph [7:21]
is fascinating. You say that because I was reflecting on my own journey, really. And there was always something that was creative about me. I always was looking at, you know, wanting to be either a pop star. So I would write songs, I would try and do that. And then I’d go on to becoming an author or I’d be into poetry. There was always something creative, and most of it was based around vocalisation and communication and now I’ve ended up being a podcaster. It does seem like a natural fit. Where do you think we lose fat because through Join Up Dots we say if you connect with the young version, Interview before school gets involved, before work gets involved, you pretty much have a head start to what you should be doing each and natural fit. You think?
Steve Sims [8:10]
Yeah, I’m not. I don’t know, I’m a great believer in, in in being a failure. And I love the fact that I am a failure. I love the fact that all of my clients and consulting clients and my friends, they’re all failures. And what I mean by that is, they try something, it doesn’t work. They get all their education from that you see, you don’t get your education from things going white. You get your greatest education when they don’t. And from a youngster, I know everyone wants to say, oh, I’ll go back and I’ll tell him to do this. And I’ll tell him to do that. I made so many mistakes as I grew up. That was my education. Why would you turn it let’s say for argument’s sake, that you know, your family suddenly won the lottery and they sent you to Harvard or Princeton or Yale or Oxford. And you say Suddenly met all the white people and you learn all of this great education. Would you go back in time and go, Oh, no, don’t do that. Don’t go there. So now I look at my Yale and Princeton and Harvard as all the mistakes I made through life. So I wouldn’t want to save myself really.
David Ralph [9:18]
It’s not saving yourself busy. It’s not saving yourself. It’s just knowing, as you say, where you naturally fit. And I, I’m a real believer, and that’s why I’m pushing on this, that if I took you back to see the young Steve, the young Steve Sims was probably the kind of person that was a connector. You know, I imagine you like building stuff. I imagine that you would lay on the floor with Lego and you know, and it was the the creation, which is probably where the Brick Lane was almost a natural fit, but in the wrong environment.
Steve Sims [9:49]
Yeah, and for that, for that further explanation, you are correct. I think what I lacked which is what most of us lacked from that ever was David direction, mentorship and permission. Now, the youngsters can look at things and go, Oh, I want to be like him. And there’s a course or there’s a book. Yeah. Or you can follow them on YouTube. You can you can get permission to try things differently, because the person you’re following does those things and it worked for them. So I’m a great believer that I didn’t have any mentorship. I didn’t have any directional was a loose cannon in the way that you’ve just explained it could I have gone back and directed myself and therefore got where I where I am a few steps earlier, a few scars less 100%.
David Ralph [10:38]
Now, let’s talk about where you are now. Because when I looked at it, first of all, I thought, Okay, I know what you’re doing. You’re providing first luxury concierge for very wealthy individuals. And then I thought to myself, I would have thought that was out there already. These people could just sort of get this sorted. You know, the puff daddy’s of the world don’t really need to have somebody else. sauteing air but perhaps they do when you got the idea of the blue fish, did you have those same thoughts of a recipe a great idea, but I bet somebody else is already doing it.
Steve Sims [11:11]
Now, because I didn’t I didn’t go out there to design it. When I was a dormant. It was on one side of my life, the lowest point of my life. You know, I was working on a door, big and ugly fella. They’re just kind of like, you know, stop fights. What I ended up finding was it was a phenomenal viewpoint of psychology. I got to see how people interacted I got to see the girls going for night out. The lady celebrating the business deal, the guys going out. They hadn’t met each other for a long time the boys going out for a punch up. The guys going out for the pole. You got to see these different mindsets of people. And from the door. I used to play the game that again, we didn’t have the internet so the front of the door became my internet. It was a case of I want to be like him. I want to look like that dude. I want to drive that car. I want to be hanging out with the people he’s hanging out with, you know. And so as the doorman I got asked to work on loads of other clubs premieres. If there was a jewellery store doing the opening of something, I’d be asked to work security. I then started going to those people that I wanted to converse with. And I would say to me, you got to the jewellery premier for car TA, and never like, no, we’re not and I’m like, you want to I maybe, and I was used in that connection, and the the social life to give them a reason to communicate with me, because at the early stages, all I thought was your finding now 100 really, really wealthy successful people. By default, what would I end up being? Hmm. And that was a shallow and as simple and as basic as it was. I didn’t design a concierge firm. I didn’t design the party promoting, I didn’t design all this crazy stuff. That all came but as I grew up Finding a way of communicating with these people, I found them asking me to get things to be done. And as I provided it with it that introduced me to more people, and I ended up with my circle. And then it was a case of, I’ve got my circle, what do I do with it now? And so it just it just kind of developed and became a request. And you’re right, everyone, everyone’s out there thinking, well, this service must exist. I think because everyone thought existed. No one invented it. So I became the man that can you know, it’s a case of, you know, you need to get something done in the 80s or the 70s. And it was a case of all I know someone who can do that. I was that person, you know, as a case of you need Steve Sims. So we didn’t have a company. We didn’t have a brand. We didn’t have Facebook ads. before we knew it. I had a following and I was dealing with the wealthiest people literally in the planet some of a mounting things like countries and doing things are you you rattled off earlier. Then I got into people saying, Hey, I like the way you do things. Can you work for my company? And I’ll tell you what companies and now like, it’s the New York Fashion Week or it’s the Formula One of Monaco is Gulfstream aircraft. Tiffany, I ended up and I had a lot of Ford syndrome that we can go into in a second. But I was this kid that now is suddenly working for some of the biggest events and brands in the planet. I’m thinking how the hell am I head? They know I’m not, you know, I don’t have an MBA or I don’t have a degree, but they like the way I kept things impactful and you don’t need a degree to create impact.
David Ralph [14:39]
Well, you don’t but you are certainly making impact. If you go over to Google Images and you just put in Steve Sims. There’s loads of pictures of you, which you would expect but this very good quotable quotes. Now sound bites. Now one of the ones that I’m looking at which I think is great, is perfection is a blue unicorn with three testicles. It doesn’t exist. Now. That’s the kind of soundbite that I should hear more often.
Steve D Sims [15:07]
Yeah, that was that was I did that on stage once. Because someone actually said something about well, how do I make it perfect? And then I you know, it’s a case of your mouth goes and then your brain catches up and you think I should I really have sat down on stage and it’s taken off. Oh, yeah,
David Ralph [15:23]
it’s it’s spot on again, isn’t it? Because it’s it’s not. It’s authentic. You don’t see that? Yeah, I could say it’s transparent, but it’s authentic. Now, the number one that I like on this is my day job is to make the impossible possible. Now, are there things you know, if I came into a room and said white Steve, okay, I want I want a bathroom. I want Billy Joe in a pair of speedos. I want to ostriches. Could you could you get that? Or are there some things that you think now Hang on, that’s not going to happen?
Steve D Sims [15:56]
I think from the early it’s possible. First off
The The weird thing is, at the, in the early stages of my career, I was an uneducated bricklayer. Being an educated also means you don’t have as much fear. You know, today people are scared of looking silly, okay? Because there’s so many other people to compare themselves to. I had no one to compare myself to, you know, people would say, Oh, I can’t get into that party. And I’d be like, Well, why not? It’s a party. You’ve got money. You’re good looking? What? What’s wrong? Surely you’re the target market for that party? And I’ll go up to and I go, hey, what time do you want them here? I want to ask him can they get in? I would just go and go, Hey, we got four people coming today. What time do you want to hear the party starts at 928 30 or like 10 o’clock when it goes down and they’d be like, Oh, 10 o’clock, and then I’ll give them a tip. And then that put my clients at the front of the list because I’ll just given them a tip. And all of a sudden, I’ll go back to the clients like I might even and I became ignorant to the potential of it failing Now as he grew, and I started pulling things off and I started walking through SpaceX with Ilan maskin hanging out at a party with elton john and Richard Branson, and working for Eve, Branton, Richards, Mum, as these things suddenly started happening, I kind of looked down and I went, How the hell did I get here? And it was the ignorance of failure that got me there. So, you know, every time you take over museum every time someone says, Hey, I want to learn to play drums, fine, I’ll get Guns and Roses to teacher. When you start pulling off these things that to other people. It’s impossible. You suddenly start realising that there’s nothing impossible, you know, get an Elvis to come back and actually, you know, simply this Sunday afternoon. That’s impossible. Okay. But as long as they’re alive, you’ve just got to find out what is that compelling reason? To say yes.
David Ralph [17:52]
Well, let’s play some words. Now, man, we’re going to come back to Steve. Heres Jim Carrey.
Jim Carrey [17:58]
My father could have been a great comedian. But he didn’t believe that that was possible for him. And so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. And when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. And our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.
David Ralph [18:24]
Now, you you mentioned Richard Branson, and he has a famous phrase of Screw it. Let’s do it. Where? Say yes, and then work out afterwards. How else is going to be done? Now with yourself? Obviously, it sounds like you’re doing everything yourself. And I’m sure in the early days, you were a team operates now, are you the figurehead of the company? Are you to screw it? Let’s do it and other people go out and do the screwing. If that makes sense.
Steve Sims [18:53]
I would say I’m one of the sprockets. We have a team now because the one thing that happens when You start doing everything yourself. You can’t take on more work. So you start limiting your scalability, if you have the chance to bring other people on, and I have to admit, you know, closing a museum down in Florence and having Andre Bocelli come in, is 1000 times easier than employing the right team, getting the right team is the hardest thing in the world. And so you spend a lot of time and energy cultivating the right culture, the right addiction triggers the light, passion within these people, and you nurture them, and you look after them, you protect them, and you educate them. Because quite simply, when an order comes in, they may talk to me and they may go, Oh, I want to do this and you go that’s fantastic. And then you get the other tribe involved. And then you’re done. You can overlook it. If it’s a big sign and there’s something you want to play with and maybe you get a bit involved but the key to it working is 100% the team now
David Ralph [19:58]
Riley very early stages Many people get caught up with not getting enough money in so not being able to hire people and delegate and scale. Did you have any of those issues? Do you look back when you were sort of taking money in one way and it was just paying your overheads or has it been plain sailing?
Steve D Sims [20:18]
What do you think? Now there’s been, it’s been a travesty of mistakes and I’ve written invoices where I’ve ended up having a cough up an extra 20 Grand 20 grand because I under invoiced that taught me how to write invoices. I’ve written account in long and got overtaxed only to spend the following year trying to get me by because I screwed up how to do taxes. And you learn all of these things from the mistakes you made. And at the time, the biggest one, as you say, was by was getting stuff off. You don’t have that problem now because there were so many VA is out there. You can actually pay them for that time, not for the month. So I have a number of VA is now the mic team will use to book certain things like upset and things plan out, determine they will be done, they will do a lot of the donkey work. So believes us the time to be focused on the other stuff. So there’s always that catch 22 about what I want to expand, I’ve got to buy that car them. But I got I want to go 10 grand in the bank and this is going to take eight grand of it. There’s always that horrible trepidation of Am I ready to take the next step and nine times out of 10 entrepreneurs don’t and they hold back and it’s the typical argue Baby Syndrome, they hold on tight, because it’s their baby only they can love it and they end up suffocating it. So you’ve got to realise that if what you’ve created, you want to actually become your legacy. You need help pushing it and you can do it in the early stages. By VA. There are so many great companies out there are use one called Magic. I don’t know if it’s in the UK, but I literally on my phone, I can go I need a flight and they will go and give me the flights come back What are your options I go, I’ll take that. And then they book it and they send it and they put the details in my calendar. So it’s already there. And I’ve only paid them for that project. So you’re not hiring people for weeks or months where you don’t need them. But a
David Ralph [22:16]
lot of I know exactly what you’re saying, but a lot of people who have grown a business, like spaghetti like, right, testicles, not testicles, tentacles, that’s what I was gonna say. Being being wrapped around them, sometimes can actually see the tasks to delegate out, because they’re just not they actually,
Steve D Sims [22:36]
they actually can’t I think one of the greatest because I think you already know this, I’m sure you’re going to get to witness but you know, I did a book two years ago, and I do a lot of consultant now. And the first thing I say because and we already discussed earlier, in my early years, I never had any directional mentorship as soon as I started becoming semi successful Shall we say, which is also the time when you’ve got a lot of questions? Are you making a lot of mistakes? I reached out for mentorship, I reached out for guidance, I went out to people to say, hey, what would you do? And I was never the kid scared to ask, Hey, I’m having trouble here. What would you do in my situation? And I suddenly started finding that there’s the textbook answer. And then there’s the real life answer and is usually a lot quicker, and a lot more impactful, and nine times out of 10. A lot more of a shortcut. So I started asking for that mentorship. I think now, if you are an entrepreneur, you need to find a mentor you need and you can find that mentorship in a book. You can find it in a YouTube channel. You can find it in a Facebook group. You can join Facebook groups now and then go in there I have one called an entrepreneurs advantage with Steve Sims. People can go in there they join it, it’s free of charge, and they go Hey, what’s the best microphone system etc. I’m just about to start a podcast or, hey, I’m having trouble with account. And is there an iCloud account in our cloud based accounting programme? And all of the people in it will provide the answers. So the first thing to do is to join a group of like minded peers, if you can afford it, get into a programme where you’re held accountable by a personal mentor, coach, and actually have someone take the 30,000 view and go hang on a minute, you’re sending so much energy over here. Get it’s not impacting the bottom line. So leave it alone. A lot of people, especially entrepreneurs, they pay for the privilege of being in a job and because they’re not managing it perfectly, and as you say, that make $500,000 on the left hand and they’ll be spending 550 on the right hand. It’s a crazy thing but entrepreneurs sometimes don’t look at the bottom line they look at the challenge.
David Ralph [24:54]
What What is your life like Steve on a daily basis because I’m very, very Focused I, I have gone through the mill where basically I did everything wrong as we say I went from a corporate gig, but I had no free time. So I went, well, I’m leaving and I’m going to be doing this thing. And then I had even less free time. And I got to a point where burn out here and everything went Finally, but I just kind of clung on and I got through. So now my key focus before money comes involved is time. Time. I am so precious on time because I know that I’m never going to get back back with yourself on a daily basis. Are you still in the hustle, hustle hustle because you love it so much? Or do you take weeks off at a time Tell us about your actual sort of structure of your life.
Steve D Sims [25:45]
So I try to structure about an hour and a half to maybe two hours a day. And I looked at it for my for my calendar to today. I’ve got one hour 45 minutes of struggle appointments, okay, and when I say structured appointments, some of those appointments are doing a review on a document. So I will, I will set tasks and I will give myself 10 o’clock till 1018 to review that document, you know, I will I will do it that for mostly, but I will only do it for like, as I say a maximum of two hours tomorrow I’ve got 30 minutes structured. And so what I’ll do is I’ll wake up in the morning, you know, kick the dogs out, pour the coffee, check my phone, see what’s going on. I tried to run as a zombie, my cell talks about a zero mailbox. So when I get emails come in, where can they go? How can they be honest about how can I get my email box down to zero? Now, it doesn’t happen. But my email box is usually between 20 to 32 emails, and I’ll receive hundreds of emails a day, but I’ll only retain those I need to work on the rest of them will be deleted, delegated or quickly responded to and then I’ll get on with my morning type of kids as Go. And then I’ll look into the structure and see through the rest of the day. What can I fill it with? And it could be, well, it’s time I’ve got to read this book, you know, I want to get, it’s time for me to watch that video, I need to see what I, who I haven’t contacted in the past six months. But I only structure a small part of the day, I tend to find that those people that over structure the day lose the ability to create, because they’re chasing, and they lose a flow. And it can be the weirdest thing at like 415 in the afternoon, and you know, you’re going to stop at like, five 530 and 47 whiskey, and you suddenly get into this flow, and you’re there for three hours working on a project, because you just got into a flow. You can’t pick when that flow states going to happen. And you
David Ralph [27:48]
shouldn’t try to find it. interesting you say that because somebody like Elon Musk as five minute bursts. Everything is structured into five minutes and I wonder how he does that because So alien to me, I work in very tight blocks. I do it as quickly as possible because I know the quality doesn’t deteriorate. But five minutes. Does that seem to you?
Steve D Sims [28:13]
He owns a very strange count. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting and hanging out with him various times, Ilan for starting an engineer. So he’s got a very analytical mind. And it works best for him like for argument’s sake, I said to you that I structure 10 o’clock to 1018. I don’t like the fives. So I won’t structure something for 510 or 15 minutes, our structure for 2321 1711 I don’t know why but there’s something and it makes me pay attention when it’s an odd number like that. So you got to basically go, okay, that works for Ilan, what’s gonna work for me? And that’s what that’s what you got to focus on. You’ve got to actually you’ve got to race, your own race and Somebody else’s.
David Ralph [29:01]
I love the fact that you say Elon Musk is quite a weird guy. And then you tell us that thing about the clocks with yourself? Because that’s not that’s not normal either, is it?
Steve D Sims [29:11]
I think what it takes is what’s going to, I think the big question is what’s going to grab your attention, what’s going to grab your attention, you engagement and your focus. And for me, it’s that odd number, knowing that it’s going to finish in 19 minutes and not 20. I kind of pay attention to 19 more than I do. 20 is just, and I think that’s what happens as you get older as an entrepreneur, because as well as when we’re younger, we have shiny object syndrome, you know, oh, there’s a new phone, I have to have, oh, there’s a new laptop, I’ve got to buy it. There’s a new CRM, there’s no scalar there’s a new, we end up going and collecting all of these items, and not working with them. So as you get older, you realise, to look for a substance over the shine. And you also realise what are your bad habits and how to control them and that was one of mine. The The five minute slot thing the 510 1520 didn’t work for me, but the 32 minutes does. So you just got to find out how to handle you best. And you’ve already said it. You can’t do five minute bursts. But you can do that. So if it works for you, that’s your base.
David Ralph [30:16]
Right Mr. Simms. Okay, let’s take you back into your, your, I suppose your sexy time. I know the listeners will be out there thinking about all the celebrities and all the people that watch once you get past the celebrity and understand that these people are just, you know, talented, they’re skillful in some places. They’re lucky they married well, but whatever it is, they’ve got themselves to the position. Do you stop seeing it as sexy time? Are they just just normal people to you?
Steve D Sims [30:49]
Um, I kind of work in reverse. Like I worked for elton john for like eight years. And it was on the seventh year, the two years ago when he was doing a photo shoot with a bunch of clients that we had over one of his parties that they literally turned around, they said, You’ve never had a picture with elton john. And I want I didn’t he was like, come on getting let’s get about we got a picture. So the funny thing is, you kind of if you want to work with people like this on a normal person level, you can’t start by putting them on a pedestal. So you’ve got to go, okay, hey, you’re talented. You’re good looking? Yeah, you do this. You’re very wealthy. Great. Good for you. Now, what do you need from me? And you really got to can’t drag it down quick. And then you build up a relationship, you get to know the person. And I have been in environments where I’ve suddenly been with somebody, and the whole world’s going nuts because he stood next to me. And I’m like, how did I get here? but by that time, you’ve already got a relationship with the person so how
David Ralph [31:57]
do you not going mad because of you, they might been looking at you thinking? I don’t know that geezer is next to him. And that’s Steve de Sims.
Steve D Sims [32:07]
Yeah, I think we pretty sure that’s not happening.
David Ralph [32:10]
But thank you very much. Now, well also interest me because I used to have a friend. years ago, I worked in an investment bank and there was a guy who used to be Elton John’s Butler. And he said it was in a sort of the mid 90s. And one night, tight VAT, who was a British band for people out there who don’t know, I’m turned up unexpected in their team, their tour bus and out and invited me in and they created magic around the piano. And the guy said to me, I’d never realised that such talent existed, but it was like, it was like a beam of light. I’d hit this piano, he said, I’ve never seen it in such close, close proximity. Once again, are there people out there that you kind of go Yes, I can see this. I can. I can totally see this best star So bright and shiny. They deserve everything compared to ones that have, you know, gone on Celebrity love Island and they’re famous for about 10 minutes.
Steve D Sims [33:09]
What a funny thing is I don’t have any of those glasses as clients. So all of mine are people that have and I work with the rich and famous, but I also work with the richer and unknown people that have like developed software that you use, you know, people that have developed, you know, products that you use, and it was that creativity, there’s put it into a position where you know, it’s a household name. And you are right, if you’re picking on like the entertainment talent, when you see out and john Salley sit down and he’s tinkering on a piano or when I was with Andrea Bocelli, in Florence and his son had the piano, and Andrea Bocelli blind is playing the piano and singing, no microphone, no bass, no speakers, and you just go oh, my God, I can understand while you’re revered Yes, as the most you know, successful Italian singer you know, yet You can see the quality and even when you’re talking to like Bill Gates or Elon Musk, you just go, I see I get an insight into how your how your head works, and how it’s just light years beyond how anyone else is perceiving things. And they deserve it. And that, you know, the sad thing is, there are other people out there that, sadly are just too small, but just haven’t got that break yet. So Lady Luck plays a big part in this.
David Ralph [34:27]
Well, I suppose, in his own way played a part in your life, you know, the fact that it seems pivotal to me, you got transferred to Hong Kong and been sacked in five days, you know, and that seems to me to be one of those big dots, but you actually could say, that was lucky. He may not afford it at the time. You might have thought oh my god, what am I gonna tell me mom and dad and whatever, but that was a lucky break.
Steve D Sims [34:50]
No, you’re right. And I don’t know where you got the information from but it was actually one day I lost it one day in Hong Kong,
David Ralph [34:56]
Wikipedia, Wikipedia. trust it. Yeah, I’ll have to
Steve D Sims [35:03]
find out. I had one of those pages a while back. So, yeah, I’d have to go on there and have a little look. But yeah, you’re right. It was. And I said to you earlier, your greatest growth comes from your greatest failings and fallings and I remember being stood on the door and just thinking oh my god, I came over here because I wanted to be a stockbroker and now I’m stood on the door stopping a bunch of naive boys and a punch up. You know, how’s my life going to be and you’re right had I missed out on that had someone given me another job and not stuck me on the door? I wouldn’t be sitting here in Los Angeles now and having the privilege of talking to you
David Ralph [35:38]
sliding doors as they say the sliding doors moment where you went one way and your life went another way. Did you have a that really only happened once Do you think because I kind of sense that some pivotal moment we call it the Big Dot occurs, and then everything else are kind of little little dots there pivotal dots that they move. Few slightly, but there’s that one moment there’s a one sliding door tipping that occurs just once or, or multiple times in our life.
Steve D Sims [36:07]
No, I had, I think the door to door work was definitely one pivotal moment and a very large dot, you know, because you correct those little dots. If they didn’t happen, they wouldn’t throw you off your course. But there was some big dots that collide, you know, focus your trajectory and had I not been on the door, then the little dots couldn’t have lined up, had I not been in the right party and been offered the book deal, then I wouldn’t have ended up releasing what ended up becoming an international best seller. I would not be speaking all over the world. Here’s a funny thing. If anyone and you can’t, you know, this is a podcast so those people listening can’t see me. This is where I tell you I look like Brad Pitt. But the fact the fact of the matter is, I’m 240 pound of ugly, bald biker. So it’s a real contrast to the people that I work with this Next week, I’m actually in Mar Baya. I’m actually an opening keynote for the International bridal Convention on the art of communication. So there were many. I’ve had three or four of those big pivotal dots that have actually gone, okay, this doors open to you now, and I’ve gone Whoa, okay, I’m going down there. I’m going to do this. So I don’t believe the dots. The big ones happen only once. And I don’t think you’re going to get 100 you’re going to get a few, but I think they all they all can like come off of each other like a ladder.
David Ralph [37:34]
When you stand up, and you do these keynote presentations, because once again, we see people do that I spent years banding and doing presentations and training and stuff around the city of London. But you go into an auditorium, you go in a conference centre, and I was talking to Ziegler’s son, Tom Ziegler, and when his dad died, he was told he had to be the face of the business, and he had to Stand up and do presentations. First one he ever did was 15,000 people. And he said literally, he was passing out and I said, I can imagine it back to your first one. When you do it now, is it a natural fit again? Or is it something that you do because the business requires it? Do you get up there and go? Yeah, bloody love this this is really fun this place to Muslims.
Steve D Sims [38:22]
It does, but it doesn’t mean I don’t get scared and nervous. One of my little tricks is that wherever I’m going to be speaking, I’ll usually reach out to their fate their Facebook community and just go Hey, I’m really pleased I’m going to be speaking in the in your event in the next two weeks. But let me ask you this. If I was to go up on stage and create impact for you, what would I need to be talking about? What would you need answered? And I let the audience dictate what I need to focus my presentation on. And then from there, our work on what to do and one of one of my other things is when I when I do my keynotes, they usually only 50% The actual allocated time. The other 50% is where I actually invite people into a q amp a, so that we can answer the questions that they’ve got and use what I’ve learned to give the experience to solve the problem they have. So I really like him. And again, it’s that that ladder effect the dot effect that you talk about. So well, I go on stage, I try to help as many people in a room as I can, they may buy the book, they may get involved in a course with me, they may come to one of my speakeasy events, and it just continued, there’s this traction. That happens and every time you go along, a friend of mine, Joe Walden, he said, his life is like driving the bus, every event you go to, you end up bringing another couple of passengers on with the journey. So every event, I end up with, like, you know, 10 new consulting clients and 20 people coming to my event and, you know, 50 people buying the book and they start the journey with me. So it’s very exciting where it’s actually going
David Ralph [39:58]
and Do you remember the first ones to When somebody say because more often than not, and now we’ve been very sort of blunt about it and saying Screw it, let’s do it. But more often than not, when somebody gives you an opportunity to stand up in front of people, you know, as I say, it’s it’s big a favour and death, people actually embrace death more than actually standing up and doing a public speech. Do you remember the first one? was it? Was it sweating bullets time? Or did you just get up there and breeze it?
Steve D Sims [40:26]
So the first ones that I would do was doing was usually on a panel regarding luxury. So it was never really a problem. It was a q&a. There was no presentation. I was up there next to other people in the luxury industry. So it wasn’t much stress. But this is this is a true storey and I hate saying that is true. It means you sound like everything else. I told you was a lie. But we like winding up our team. We like the fake clients and these fake calls and stuff. I was actually out on the road one day, and I get this phone call from this girl that said that she was with Harvard and she wanted Me to lecture at Harvard. And I honestly thought it was one of the girls in my office trying to get me back. So I won’t repeat the actual words. But I said, fudge off. This isn’t funny and I hang up. Okay. About two minutes later, my pa contacted me and they went, Hey, how you doing? I’m good. And they said dumb. Did you have a phone call from some of them? Harvard? I went, yeah, it was one of the girls, wasn’t it? You know, I caught on straight away. No one’s gonna call me from Harvard. And she went well, online to we have the faculty head of the luxury convention for Harvard. Apparently, there was some static and you got cut off. And I was like, Oh, you’re kidding. So they put me through. So Oh, hi. Yeah. So I couldn’t I couldn’t hear what you were saying. And I went blogs I over it, hoping that they hadn’t heard I don’t know what I was thinking about. hoping they hadn’t heard me. Anyway, I spoke a Harvard I actually ended up speaking twice. I Harvard, but this first year I spoke, and the excitement had been wanting to do it. The fear had me just stationary almost paying myself. And I remember walking out into the auditorium in front of this, this Faculty of Harvard students, all staring at me with their notepads and their laptops, kind of like Okay, give it to me, educate me and I was like, Oh my god, and I remember walking on stage and then freeze, but I walked on stage and I was like, I don’t know how this is gonna go. And I think I said something straight off the bat about you know, I don’t know about you, but I am sure himself up here. And I think I just said something like that. It’s a cough and there was some giggles in the audience and it started relax me. We were not but I do remember that first one. And it was I was petrified.
David Ralph [42:51]
I love the fact as well, but you tell that storey unaware that we have such a big audience in Harvard, but this podcast Oh, there you go. They’re gonna they’re gonna know Steve, they gonna know that you swap them and then you lie and black job.
Steve D Sims [43:08]
Afterwards we had a drink and they actually came over and they went Yeah, we heard you. Yeah, we did do a lot. Yeah, I’ll know they heard me they heard and they actually made sure they colour wow me up about it afterwards but yeah.
David Ralph [43:21]
Is there anything before we sort of bring you to the end of the show on the Sermon on the mic? Is there anything that you really can’t sink your teeth into either you don’t know how to do it or you don’t want to do it on air things that people request that you go Actually no, that’s not our game? I know it’s possible. I know. It’s about No, that’s not helping.
Steve D Sims [43:43]
Yeah, monotony and boredom, anything that I think well, that’s too easy. I’m not doing that. She one of the other things I say is that I’m never going to give you what you what you asked for. I’m going to give you what you wanted. The client that I actually closed down the museum in Florence, for he just wanted a very employment, he didn’t ask me to close down the museum, I came up with that idea. My consulting clients, they come to me they go, Oh, I’m having a problem with this. Nine times out of 10 the problems deeper further back into the left. So, I like to look at things and go, okay, does this interesting site and challenge me? If so, I’m going to do it if it’s monotonous and boring and can be done by by anybody. Hey, we’re not the best people for you to be doing it with go over here. So I hate monotony and boredom.
David Ralph [44:28]
And what about things that are questionable in their in their taste? If somebody comes along and they’ve got some kind of weird, exotic fetish, involving chipmunks and meerkats, would you would you make it happen to
Steve D Sims [44:43]
rule like you were Billy Joel. speedos and ostriches. I’m still waiting. I need help. Yeah, I’m waiting that. Yeah, I don’t it’s not questionable. I think the beauty about being transparent is the ability to be able to say no, and so we’ve had some people we had some good content. me when I was in Palm Beach, I said, I want a new killer. I want to detonate nuclear warhead. And I said to him, why do you want to do that? He said, I want to be responsible for detonating the most powerful bomb that exists. And Jobs very well. He was like, we’re not doing this right. We’re not involved, you know, so we backed out of it. So it’s not questionable if it doesn’t feel right sense, right? Or even sound right. You know, you get people say, Oh, I want to meet elton john, I want to meet Oprah Winfrey, I want to meet Brad Pitt. And if you’re talking to him, you realise that they’re not being honest. Don’t do it. Otherwise, I’ll never let you anywhere near them again, ya know, so you get some people, they get near a celebrity and suddenly pull out a book or pull out a product and try and give it to the, to the celebrity makers that are endorsing it. And if we ever got involved in that, huddle is my connection to those people. So you really got to vet it. Here’s a funny thing and I This from being a doorman. And it’s probably one of the most powerful things now, in all of my companies at the door is the guy or go looked as though they were looking for a bit of trouble. Don’t let him in thinking you can solve it later. or hopefully it won’t happen. Stop at the door. If you stop most of your problems coming through the front door, then you save yourself the time once you know inside, and that’s what I do. Now, if I’ve got a questionable client, then no question about another client. No, thank you very much reaching out, will not be doing this. And so just stop it at the front door and you save all the problems on the inside.
David Ralph [46:39]
Have you ever had somebody come up to you and ask to be connected to a middle aged sexy UK podcasters Steve as that ever happened,
Steve D Sims [46:48]
I think I think I’ll make it a few. Now once they hear this. They may connect Steve, I didn’t know how connected you were. So I actually did I did a funny event. I’ve run these digress. But I do these events called speakeasies where people come along to my events and they don’t know what they’re going to get. I took them to Elon Musk’s Giga factory in Reno. And they got a private tour of it. And then in the afternoon, we spoke about sales training and the art of communication with one of the largest trainers of a luxury jewellery brand. And we held it in the brothel of the bunny ranch in Nevada. And all the prostitutes were there. And they started talking to us about it. And then I got a bunch of people going, Oh, can you set up a private party at the brothel? I was like, No, it was a quirky location for the event. But I’m not involved in that.
David Ralph [47:41]
Now, you can’t push that over as Airbnb. It’s Yeah, it is what it is. Okay, it is. Let’s hear the words from the man who made the whole show possible back in 2005. He said these. Let’s hear him again. Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs [47:54]
FOf course. It was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college, but it was very Very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [48:30]
On a truth in that is a truth in those words, Steve.
Steve D Sims [48:32]
Well, we’ve we’ve confirmed it, haven’t we? You know, we’re standing at the door. I didn’t know I was going to be in a few years later living in Los Angeles. You know, phoning up Richard Branson, you know, I had no idea of how I was going to pay the rent. So you can only look back and go. There was a rhythm. There was a flow. I see where that went left like forward. Yeah, I see it now. So 100% agree with that same sentiment statement.
David Ralph [48:59]
Those words is obviously for down if you’re not willing to take action.
Steve D Sims [49:05]
Yeah, and that’s where people fail today. I think that’s the only true failure. My dad, my dad actually said, it wasn’t the smartest tool in the shed. But he said to me, Son, you don’t, you don’t drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying there. And if people don’t do so, you see, if you anything you do today, anything you do now, for the first time ever is going to be shit. Because you’ve got to get better, but you can’t get better unless you start going. So try something, and you’ll be amazed at where it’ll take you.
David Ralph [49:41]
Well, I started by playing this piece of music, and we’re going to hear now and it’s taken me to nearly 2000 episodes. So we’re going to do it again. This is the part of the show where we’re going to send you on a journey, Mr. Simms. This is the part that we called a sermon on an MC so if you could go into a room and speak to your younger version, what age would you choose and what advice would you like to Given Well, we’re going to find out because I’m going to play the music. And when it fades, you’re up. This is the Sermon on the mic.
Steve D Sims [50:29]
Wow.
So I suppose I’ve gone back in time into a pub enlightened style. And now is my 17 year old self at the edge of the bar, drinking his warm beer, head down thinking what’s going to happen with my life. I think that that kid needed just an arm around him. Just to say, you know, you’ll be all right. You know, it’s going to be a journey is gonna be ups and downs. You’re gonna get a few knocks and scars but you know, you’re gonna win this one. Boy, so get your head up and get going.
David Ralph [51:04]
And that’s what I would tell my boy. Steve, what’s the number one way that our audience can connect with you, sir?
Steve Sims [51:11]
So you can join my face group and entrepreneurs advantage by Steve Sims or you can run over to Steve Sims. There’s only one MN Sims, Steve de sims.com. And that’s my website. And you can get all my videos, my newsletters, and yeah, basically get all of me when I rant and put out a new video and you’ll get it. So that’s the best way to get me.
David Ralph [51:32]
And believe me listeners is really great stuff. I’ve spent all afternoon looking at things and there’s there’s a particularly good Morgan Freeman impression where I was, I was thinking to myself, is this Morgan Freeman? And then it becomes obvious. It’s not Morgan Freeman and you have to watch that one. Steve, thank you so much for spending time with us today at joining up those dots and please come back again, when you have more dots to join up because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is always the best way to build our future. Mr. Steve Sims Thank you so much.
Steve Sims [52:03]
It’s been a pleasure.. Thanks for having me.
David Ralph [52:09]
Mr. Steve D Sims and afterwards I said, What is the day for and he said, David, there you go, we’ve got a connection. He was good when he was passionate, and I love that but he, you know, he got sacked. But then that was the starting point. And I think most of us have had those moments. I remember getting sacked from a job in the city. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just went in there one day in the job wasn’t there anymore. And literally, it was the starting point of me thinking, I need to find a different way of operating than what I was. And here I am now, hopefully inspiring you guys to go out and do some amazing stuff. Whatever you’re doing, drop us a line out there. If you need any help starting your business is creating your future because it’s there for you to help but sometimes you need a little bit of help. Drop us a line and we’ll be there for you. Until next time, see you again. Bye
Outro [53:00]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are wants to become. So he’s put together an amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to Join Up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on Join Up Dots.
