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EO 360°, a podcast by Entrepreneurs’ Organization, explores entrepreneurship with a wide perspective, moving beyond business to those insights not often shared by high-profile thought leaders.

Host and serial entrepreneur, Dave Will, leads in-depth interviews, whose featured guests include: Gazelles founder and CEO, Verne Harnish; popular podcast host and founder of Genius Network, Joe Polish; award-winning entrepreneur, Zahra Al-Harazi; and more. Tune into this top podcast made by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs.

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Apr 20, 2016

Summary:

In this episode, Dave interviews Steve Sims: ex-bricklayer, stockbroker for 24 hours, and now running the world’s top luxury concierge company. Listen as Steve talks about the story behind The Bluefish; his new consulting company; and his core philosophy of “getting shit done and being yourself”.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • 01:20 – Opening of podcast
  • 02:00 – The ‘green room’ of the podcast
  • 03:00 – The Ugly Sims
  • 04:30 – Dave welcomes Steve
  • 05:45 – Many of the podcast’s previous guests are connected to Steve
  • 06:50 – “I’m not a fucking onion...what you see is what you get”
  • 07:35 – In Hong Kong, Steve started a secret society that became The Bluefish
  • 08:40 – A high-end concierge service: if you can dream it, they can make it happen
  • 10:00 – The origins of The Bluefish
  • 10:40 – Steve talked his way into a stockbroking job and was flown to Hong Kong
  • 11:00 – Arrived on Saturday and was fired on Tuesday
  • 15:00 – Steve decided the way to get a job was to know rich people
  • 15:40 – Worked as a concierge and started setting up passwords
  • 17:25 – Finding your mold
  • 18:20 – “I was an illiterate, ugly feller that got shit done”
  • 19:30 – You never fail: you just educate yourself on the wrong way of doing things
  • 21:30 – What’s the worst that can happen?
  • 22:30 – Is it true that entrepreneurs are screw-ups?
  • 24:50 – Grew up south of London
  • 25:15 – Made a conscious decision to get off the building site
  • 26:50 – Didn’t see himself as disadvantaged
  • 27:20 – “I’m ahead of the game: I know what it’s like to be able to do stuff”
  • 28:41 – Steve was a champion kickboxer: still boxes at 50
  • 30:00 – The better I got at fighting, the less I fought
  • 31:00 – Is being at a conference table like being in a bar fight?
  • 33:00 – Be straight up with people: it’s better to know if they don’t like you
  • 35:30 – Steve: “Authenticity is a bullshit word. It’s an effort to not be authentic”
  • 36:10 – Don’t waste time not being yourself
  • 37:00 – Steve’s wife and family life
  • 39:20 – Steve’s dogs
  • 41:00 – Have you ever used your business for yourself?
  • 42:00 – It’s not money that makes an event amazing: it’s thought, passion, and detail
  • 43:30 – Name-dropping: “I don’t want who I stand next to, to define who I am”
  • 45:00 – “Constantly looking at my bank account stopped me being me”
  • 46:30 – Wealth is incredibly different to money
  • 48:00 – Steve’s wife is the business’ CFO: he doesn’t know how much money Bluefish makes
  • 49:20 – How do you help people to think huge?
  • 50:30 – You have to analyze what your client really wants
  • 51:40 – People are scared to talk to you about their dreams
  • 52:30 – The Challenger Sale
  • 54:30 – Ugly Sims - Steve’s consulting company
  • 56:30 – Working for Ferrari and Bentley
  • 58:00 – $5000 for Bluefish membership
  • 59:00 – Steve’s morning routine
  • 1:00:30 – Dave: “Tell me about a crazy phone call you’ve had at 3 in the morning”
  • 1:01:45 – Bluefish has just under 3000 customers and 12 full-time employees

3 Key Points:

  1. Be yourself. Put another way: don’t waste time and effort not being yourself. People will like you or they won’t
  2. Wealth is different to money. Wealth is in relationships, security, and loving what you do
  3. Learn how to get stuff done. It’s the most transferable skill you’ll ever have

 Resources Mentioned:

 Credits: