From Farm Accident to Media Founder: Resilience, Technology and Building a Personal Brand

From Farm Accident to Media Founder: Resilience, Technology and Building a Personal Brand | Henry Carpenter

At 14, Henry Carpenter survived a serious tractor accident on his family farm. What followed was years of recovery, fundraising, charity work, travel and eventually a move into podcasting, presenting and building his own media company.

In this episode of **The Upgrade Zone**, Daniel Chrzastek speaks with Henry about resilience, failure, personal branding, starting a business with simple systems and knowing when technology needs to evolve with you.

In this episode

• The farm accident that changed Henry's life at 14

• Recovery, mental health and rebuilding confidence

• Raising money through endurance challenges

• Volunteering with Reach to Africa in Kenya

• Building the Down the Farm podcast and Down the Farm Media

• Starting lean with Excel before investing in more complex systems

• Canva, WavePad, CRM and podcast distribution tools

• Lessons from the family agricultural parts business

• Personal branding, content creation and authenticity

• Sales, pricing, customer trust and learning through failure

Key Takeaways:

**Start with what you have.** A spreadsheet can be enough in the early stages if the process behind it is clear.

**Failure creates useful information.** Henry's setbacks in health, media and career direction have repeatedly pushed him towards new opportunities.

**Your personal brand is part of the business.** People often buy into the person before they buy the service.

**Know your numbers.** Pricing, margins, overheads and cash flow matter even when the business is still small.

**Technology should remove friction.** The right tool is the one that saves time or improves control, not simply the newest or most complicated option.

Episode chapters

00:00:17 Meet Henry Carpenter

00:00:52 Growing up on a Herefordshire farm

00:03:37 The tractor accident that changed everything

00:07:25 The air ambulance and emergency response

00:14:05 Mental health, recovery and rebuilding

00:15:38 Fundraising challenges and the start of Henry's media journey

00:19:16 Kenya and Reach to Africa

00:21:40 Technology and administration inside the charity

00:25:22 Building Down the Farm podcast and Down the Farm Media

00:30:12 Why failure can be a powerful teacher

00:31:21 Henry's media tech stack

00:33:01 CRM and systems in the family agricultural business

00:40:15 Starting a new business with Excel

00:44:49 Podcast distribution, costs and monetisation

00:48:21 Personal branding and authentic content

00:52:43 Choosing the right tech stack as you grow

00:56:34 Travel, perspective and personal growth

01:04:04 Sales advice for new business owners

01:10:00 Adaptability, confidence and saying yes to opportunities

About The Upgrade Zone

The Upgrade Zone is a business and technology podcast hosted by Daniel Chrzastek, exploring the people behind businesses, how those businesses actually work and the technology supporting them.

We speak with founders, business owners, operators and technology leaders about business growth, AI, automation, software, systems, operational efficiency and the real-world return on investment from technology.

Connect with Henry:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henrycarpenter2/

Connect with The Upgrade Zone

Podcast site: https://theupgradezone.co.uk/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033YcP3LG4sy5NPHimYLlO

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upgrade-zone-podcast-by-daniel-chrzastek/id6796156750

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielchrzastek/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielchrzastek/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-upgrade-zone-podcast

Support the show:

https://buymeacoffee.com/danielcheesecake

Feel the rush.

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It's a gravity high.

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Talking tech is the planets fly.

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The upgrades on the show begins.

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Sit right back and let the future's.

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All right then.

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So Henry, obviously

for anybody who doesn't know you,

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even though you have a fair

bit of audience already.

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So congratulations on that one.

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Please introduce yourself.

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You know, give us a bit of an idea of

of who you are.

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From what I gathered

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so far, you are involved in

so many things that the list just goes on.

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So, please, you know. We'll go from there.

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We'll go from sort of halfway for,

I think, maybe the life just, So

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my name is Henry Carpenter.

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I sort of brand myself as a presenter,

public speaker

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for freelance at the moment,

and also host a podcast

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and media company

and ambassador for few charities.

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Nice.

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So the story sort of first started

really when I was 14.

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So we're from a family background

of farming in Herefordshire in the UK.

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So very sort of old fashioned,

beef and sheep farm.

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And we were lambing in 2020.

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So I think the lockdown was about the 15th

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Yes, yes.

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So as a youngster, as sort of 1314,

you think this is brilliant.

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We're off school. Fantastic.

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So it was lambing season

and that obviously

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for those who aren't in farming

that means obviously we're lambing.

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So they used the mother user

about to give birth

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and we're probably doing about 200,

which is enough.

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You know, you've got 200 users

who are about doing 3 or 4 lambs

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maybe each, maybe 1 or 2,

depending on luck, I suppose.

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So we're really busy and as a 14 year old,

you're sort of you're legally then

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starting to be allowed to do more jobs

than the farm allowed to drive a tractor.

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Okay, on the farm by yourself.

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So my sort of parents said to me,

you can go and do that.

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You can sort of be your own person

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and be a bit more independent on the farm

without having that managership.

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So I thought, this is brilliant,

a good opportunity for me and went

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and started

doing my own stuff on the farm.

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Dad still had to go to work

because he was a key worker.

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He works in the agriculture industry

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and sort of tractor part sales,

so he was still at work.

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So I was left to my devices

a bit to manage the lambing shed,

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which was a 14 year old pretty,

pretty peak and.

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No pressure. A lot, a lot.

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So you were moving

when you have the lambs

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and they've been given birth

and they are basically ready

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to go back out there strong enough.

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So usually give it 1 to 2 days

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while the lambing shed to sort of

get ready to their new life.

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That makes sense. Their newborns,

they get strong enough.

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Some of them might be a bit ill.

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So once they're sort of possibly maybe

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6 or 7 hours born,

they might be strong enough.

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But some take it

maybe a day, up to a day or two

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to get ready to go back out in the field

and they start their new life.

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So part of that is obviously

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you've got to transport them out

to out to the fields.

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So we use old 35 masses.

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So like a really old sort of stereotype

tractors, not everyone does.

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We still use those old ones

for the transport box in the back.

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So these things are indestructible.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally.

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They really, really, really are.

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And we, But the basically sheep and lambs

in there to transfer them to the field.

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So it's one field to have the, the,

the, the doubles in some other triples,

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some have the singles,

so we don't mix them up.

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So this particular day

I wasn't actually putting sheep out.

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I was trying to get some in because sadly

one you had basically lost its,

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lamb.

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So it was it wasn't supposed to be

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in that field in my,

I supposed to transport them back.

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So I thought as a 14 year old I'd go out

and do that myself, be very independent.

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And as I was getting off to close the gate

on the way back,

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I wasn't very successful.

I didn't manage to do it by myself.

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So I was heading back to the farm

to go and get some help.

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As I was getting off these old tractors.

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They don't have any kind of handbrake

or anything.

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Okay, so what we do in the farming

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community is you either will switch it off

and put it in gear.

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So in the old fashioned mechanics

that gear will hold it

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and stop it from rolling.

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But what I did is put the hydraulic box

down to this big sort of metal box

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that can, with a gate on the back,

and it's and closed the bit

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sheep in on the floor.

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So stop it rolling back top

knocked out a gear and left the rev sun

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because you can adjust the revs

on the stick on these old tractors

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you still kind of modern tractors,

but there's no pedal.

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So what they think happened

because I was, knocked

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unconscious is I hopped off the tractor

and I was getting off

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my leg, caught the gear stick

and knocked it forward.

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Oh, and sucked me under.

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And basically whenever my back

and obviously crushed me.

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What did the main

damage was the hydraulic box.

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You've got pressure,

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you know, loads and loads of pressure,

nearly tons of pressure on, on

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through the hydraulic system

that is pushing down on you as that box

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whenever my back

and scraped me about three meters.

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So as you can imagine,

I was on the brink of death.

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It was very I mean, I was very, very lucky

to survive at the time I was on my own.

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And the biggest mistake I think people do

and now, and modern farming

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is that I didn't have a phone on me

either.

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So I was 14 years old, you know, so I

just, I was absolutely shouting for help.

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I think I was unconscious for quite a bit.

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I tried to get back up, but my left side

had completely been pretty much crushed

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and and dislocated by three inches,

that sort of thing.

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So I was just, you know, useless really.

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The tractor was stuck around the field.

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Luckily, it sort of went and,

stood in the hedge and crashed.

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So that was a good bit of luck,

especially the ruts were really dry.

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It could have come back and hit me again.

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And luck just by just pure luck.

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One of the farm workers was Craig,

who's God bless him, he was being working

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for about 40 odd years now

and well, saved my life better

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because he heard me shouting.

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He turned the tractor off he was doing

and just luckily heard me shouting.

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And just at this point

it was all a bit of luck. Really. It was.

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It was a lot of luck.

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Just this point.

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Dad had come home from work as well

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because they were doing shortened hours

and they all raced down the pickup

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and found me.

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They're lying and obviously

we're very distraught at what they saw.

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I didn't have a lot of blood.

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I had a lot of kit on,

so I had a lot of stuff.

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So I don't have a lot of cuts and stains,

but obviously to look at me

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as a sort of from a farming extension

background.

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What's my mum turned up as well?

You think if this back's okay,

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hasn't broken his spine,

he's going to be alright?

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I was like, okay, yeah, I'll probably be.

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They thought us to be okay. I was in there

lying in agony, you know, I was like.

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I. Can imagine. Wow.

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And then like, got to get into hospital

and I was like, as a 14 year old,

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I was like, no,

I don't want to go hospital.

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You know what it is?

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You know, when you're a teenager,

you don't even feel like you you.

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I definitely needed gospel.

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I was dying internally, but, you know.

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You thought you

you walk it off. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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I kept trying to get up

and they were like, you know. No no, no.

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Wow.

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The, the sort of harsh reality of it

on these rural areas

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is that we aren't anywhere near hospitals,

nowhere near

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what we call major trauma centers,

which the centers will deal

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with people who have got serious, serious

injuries and, and injuries.

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So really short example of it

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is but a big amount of luck

into a little story.

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My mum was leant against me.

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Keep my back up.

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He called the ambulance,

they were on their way,

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but they were about 40 minutes away.

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30 minutes away. Wow.

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And I was internal bleeding

so it was a bit

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scary obviously, for everybody involved.

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The police

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actually I think turned up before

because on my age

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the police had to arrive

and obviously the serious team isn't sure.

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And we basically mum was on a, a group.

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She's a structure

and a structure was texting all the group

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saying it's all cancer.

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This is what's happened very,

very briefly obviously just to, you know,

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it had to be done.

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It wasn't like she was ignoring me

or anything.

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And just my luck, one of the

her clients is dad is what you call

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a first responder. Okay. So first upon

as a base rule around the UK.

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They're all voluntary and they're all sort

of X doctors or that sort of thing.

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And and he was only down the road for me.

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So he rushed up and it was him who called

the air ambulance to come and get me,

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because he knew how serious the,

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the event was and how bad injury it was.

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How much of it did you

realize is actually, like, happening?

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Because I can imagine it in the, like,

heat of the moment.

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You just.

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Okay, I'm like, you just said

you tried to get up and and walk it off.

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Let's say you couldn't, obviously,

but you know.

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Did anybody involved

in the whole situation from the start?

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Did you realize how bad it could

potentially be?

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I don't think at the time.

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I guess I think because of this, obviously

down the line, we'll get down the story.

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It got a lot worse.

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But I think at the time, no, it was

very much he hasn't got spun injury.

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He might have broken his leg

or his femur or something.

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I don't think my family did know.

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I don't think I did.

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I think we were very, very scared.

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Also, it was the second week of Covid.

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No one knew what.

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Okay, that's why don't we go to hospital

where no one knew what Covid was

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and obviously was killing

these millions of people at the time?

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It was two weeks into a national lockdown.

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It was. No one knew what you know.

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March 2020, it's brand new.

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So being on the farm,

you were isolated in the UK.

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We felt safe there.

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But I thought, you know,

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you're going into the nearest

play for us as Birmingham,

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so that'll be the nearest place

to be go to for a major trauma.

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So not really.

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I think the doctors definitely did.

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So I see the godsend

and who saved my life as well.

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Was the

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charity on

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the for now and do a lot of work for them

because they basically are

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Vance trauma doctors and paramedics.

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So what you call critical care paramedics

and doctors who are very high level.

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So surgeons on a helicopter,

they get transported to the scene.

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And obviously you can treat sort

of hospital level care at the scene. Yep.

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So they can give you they can be asleep.

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They can be operations that sort of thing.

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Nothing that any kind of normal paramedic

can be prescribed to do. Yep.

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So luckily they were the guy.

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The first sponsor

is X Critical Care paramedic.

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So he knew the severity of the situation.

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He basically radioed

the tower, said like, this guy needs them

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and he needs it right now.

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He's he's doing a bit.

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So luckily I got flew to Birmingham

Women's and Children's Series.

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There wasn't a helipad there

unfortunately now.

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So it was like

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we landed in the school field, I think,

and then five minute journey balance.

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So you know, I'm not going to keep them

go through every single point.

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But effectively what I had done

is just to get my hit by three inches

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tall, all the blood vessels on my leg,

which was the internal bleeding,

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which was the concern, crapped about

five ribs, I think did quite a,

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you know, quite a lot of muscles

had it had five layers on my arm.

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Okay.

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And it basically had bruise all up there.

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That's that sort of thing, you know.

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And that was five layers on. Me in a way.

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It saved you as well because.

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Yeah, if if not those layers, the

the hand would have been shattered.

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Possibly. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

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It mainly was the back. It went over.

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But the wheel and I always go back to

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this is the wheel

was about that much away from my head.

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So, you know, when I went over me.

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So I just count myself

lucky for that as well.

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Yeah. So obviously a lot happened

very quickly as a 14 year old.

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It was very, very traumatic and very.

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But I think what made it more

dramatic is the fact my parents couldn't

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come see me

because of the Covid situation. Yeah.

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Well I had one parent

for a couple of hours at a time,

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even though you were

had had so much very quickly.

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So we had all of that happened and luckily

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I was, was at the time, okay.

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They put the hit back in

and they said the blood vessels

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should ideally heal us, but interaction

had a week in the hospital.

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Ideally it was going to be six weeks,

but because of Covid they basically sent

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everything I needed to a hospital bed

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and all my kit,

everything I needed back to my house.

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And I literally downstairs

in one of the living rooms

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for about two months,

and I could only up to 40 degrees.

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For about 3 or 4 weeks

because your legs interaction.

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So it's trying to keep you straight.

Yep yep yep.

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So really, I thought escape of a lucky,

lucky sort of thing.

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And I thought by August

I had fully recovered.

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So I was running around.

We were on the Wales.

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We go to a. Well,

that was my next question.

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Like, how long did it actually take you

to recover.

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The initial stuff?

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It was about a couple of months and

I just thought, well, that's, that's that

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I hadn't really I don't think at the time

I really appreciated what had happened.

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I think I was sort of

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trying to

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process it, but also just didn't

quite understand how bad it actually was.

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So, so you know, it was August

and I felt fine.

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And then sort of beginning of September

we're going back to school.

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I was very lucky enough.

I sent to a very nice school.

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My parents worked very hard for that

and I was born in school as well.

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So you're going back to that.

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And I just started having some really bad

pain here, but like, insanely bad.

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I just couldn't walk.

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And obviously chronic pain can affect

your back and everything as well.

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Of course.

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So my my parents being from from us all

being from our culture,

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their question background.

And so I like, you know, kick on.

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You'll be fine.

You're just being a bit bit wimpy.

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And I was like, okay, okay.

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And I just generally wasn't was bad.

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And I was like, I just

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I came to a point in the first two school,

I couldn't even walk anymore.

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I was genuinely like limping everywhere.

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And I was like,

I needed to go and see a specialist.

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But because of the whole Covid situation

there, trying to get an appointment

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to see a doctor and take you

seriously is like a long, long process.

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Sure.

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So I think we saw someone by October

and then I got donors, what you call it

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a vast necrosis.

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So the blood vessels in your hip

completely starts to die,

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I see, so everything starts to grade.

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If like an old person,

you know, you've got an old person's hip,

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basically what happens with them

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either degrades or their blood vessels

start to shrink.

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And then that's how the bones start.

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Bone density starts to go.

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So it was like a result

of what happened in the first place.

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It just took a little while

to actually show.

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Yeah, yeah,

it was definitely a possibility.

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They gave us

when we when it first happened.

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But I just went over the head and

you're like, you'd really think about it.

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So that was you know,

that was probably the worst six months

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of my life, I think, because I basically

I just got worse and worse and worse.

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Your hip just starts to grade

and your leg, you have like

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no functioning left ideologue

pretty much at all.

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But obviously your hip injury

will affect everything.

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So my spine has Scarlet

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start to form as well

because my whole body went like that.

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Yeah, and sorry,

I know people aren't listening, probably

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can't see

but my whole body went like left left.

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All the left side, solid shape around

like a curvature of the spine.

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That take the pressure off of that.

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Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

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Or because.

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Your body's reacting to the injury.

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Yeah.

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So sinking right.

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Whole body surround

that and make sure it's safe.

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And also your it's.

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Yeah there's nothing there to support it.

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So it's just collapsing

in all itself. Yep.

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So actually use like a scooter at school

and stuff like that.

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So that affects my mental health.

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And that's when I was diagnosed with,

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so obsessive compulsive disorder,

which I still have now

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also had depression, anxiety, those

sort of things started to form eventually,

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and it got very dark at one point,

and eventually I just had to leave school.

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I couldn't

I couldn't do it. I couldn't say,

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it got really very bad.

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So I was a bit like cross ends, like,

what the hell do I do now?

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I'm, you know, I think I was 15 at 16.

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That point I thought,

oh my God, what am I going to do?

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My parents obviously are very worried.

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And because they weren't

a lot of solutions,

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no one's had this kind of injury at my age

before.

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Like nobody I know anyone in the UK

at least had had that.

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I know that like every kid, every now

and then we'll say like,

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this was the worst day of my life, right?

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But in your case, like, my God, that's.

Yeah.

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Yeah, that's a different level.

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Yeah. I hope it was

definitely the worst day of my life.

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Anyway, but yeah, it was just,

I don't know, it's quite.

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Man's got your head around.

It happened very quickly as well.

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You know, you're talking sort of matter

of 10s in the accident happened

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but then attracted away

and that's what happened

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then you've got years and years

and years in rehab after that.

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And very luckily,

I met the right surgeon at the right time.

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Lakewood.

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Ronan Tracy,

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who did the same surgeries and and Murray

had actually, just through connections.

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And I was kind of pushed to the top

because it was needed

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pop surgeons to sort of took me out.

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Had a resurfacing when I was 16

that we call hip hip resurfacing

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and that sort of me out.

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So I'd 17, 17, sort of beginning 18.

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I was had a great time, great

couple of years, could get back to stuff.

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We did a lot of challenges

at the same time.

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That's where my sort of media

tide of stuff started.

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Okay.

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So when I was 15, 16, before

I had the surgery,

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the sort of really dark part of my life,

we had the second lockdown

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and I decided to walk 54 miles

and 30 days on crutches.

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Wow. Which at the time,

because I could barely walk,

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everyone was upset and saying,

and I could never do it.

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But I was like, I got a

I needed something to do.

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It was.

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It was the air base week with air base

for the challenge,

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and had started the 30th year

anniversary of them.

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They were trying to promote stuff

for people to knock

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down, to go outside and do walks and stuff

like that and raise money for them.

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Yeah, I was like, well,

they've saved my life.

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Let me do something.

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So it was 54 miles as a distance between

two of the air bases, like, let's do that.

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So the first sort of 15 day,

I started doing all over socials.

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First 15 days got quite a bit of traction.

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People started supporting me

and that sort of thing.

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The second 15 days that had just blew up

to a big scale, like people were starting

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to back me with on BBC TV,

just got really quite mad.

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The great exposure to have as well. It's

such a young age.

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This is amazing.

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Yeah, 100%.

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It did teach me

quite a bit about the media.

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Obviously my dream and goal is to do TV

presenting and radio presenting.

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That's what I want to do.

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And I, I think that's becomes because of

partly because that's part of my life,

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I think where I was starting to

in a really dark place

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and with other people creating media,

I could sort of be happy a bit more

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and try and uplift a lot of other people

from what a bad something happened.

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To me. It's all a game of content

these days, isn't it?

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You know, even if you are,

you know, part of the company,

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you still have your own brand,

whoever you are.

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So I think it's a great idea.

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Yeah, it definitely is.

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I think that links down

to the media stuff,

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which we get on a bit

later on in the story,

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but yeah, so had two years of that,

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sort of on and off doing fundraising.

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I did 300 miles on the bike as well

in three days.

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Which was another crazy challenge

I decided to do when I was like 17, 18.

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And then just unfortunately,

the first surgery fails

403

and I had worked really hard

for my A-levels in about a month

404

and a half months before my levels

had to another have another major surgery.

405

I'd have full reconstruction, my hip,

which was just bad luck.

406

But, that happened then.

407

Since then, it's been pretty good,

and it's just been growing and growing.

408

Growing, mental

health sides always up and down a bit.

409

I think depending on what situations

you are in and stuff.

410

What helped you to

411

to keep like the the mood a bit better,

you know, what was the specific.

412

I definitely the

the stuff's helps because of the.

413

Something to focus. On on

414

I think that's why I needed that channel

as well was to something

415

to get me through every day

and give me a purpose to keep getting up,

416

and that was definitely a big crash

after that as well.

417

You had the first sort of

you finished the challenge.

418

I think we raised about 16, 17,000 pounds.

419

Amazing now,

420

and you had that sort of massive

achievement since for that weekend

421

we finished on the Friday, loads

of people, interviews with the media

422

and that sort of that weekend

and then the Monday it really hit

423

everyone's back to work

and it really hit your reality

424

and you're back down

to where I was before, effectively.

425

And that was a bit like, oh my God.

426

This is like, yeah, tough.

427

But I think that's a really good life

lesson in that,

428

especially if you want to go into media,

there's going to be points

429

where people are going to be

430

excited to see new stuff,

and then when you aren't producing

431

that new stuff anymore,

they weren't really want to know you.

432

Yeah.

433

And I think celebrities and people

434

who have been in the mainstream

media have talked about that quite a bit.

435

And I think that's great to have to

look at the time it was a bit shit,

436

but now looking back,

it was really good to to have that.

437

So, so yeah, that fast forward.

438

So now I've done quite a bit work

in the media, a lot of sort of my own

439

media company and then also have done

a bit of traveling.

440

So I did a gap year

with three months in Kenya,

441

working for a children's charity out

there would reach to Africa.

442

for such a young person

as yourself, you know, to be involved in

443

something like this,

do you have any sort of voice

444

when it comes

to the organizational side of the charity?

445

Yeah, I, I suppose I suppose I do.

446

I'm, I'm, I'm really genius.

447

I'm not even on the trustee,

but we have like a whole

448

trustee board and stuff like that

and it's all under another trust.

449

We went up around another,

450

another sort of whole trust

where we have the women's

451

group under there and other stuff as well.

452

So it's a bit complicated,

but in terms of I'm sort of

453

got a fair voice,

454

but I will try and I'll try and guide

the people at the charity

455

what the right thing is to do,

and I think I know it quite well as well.

456

I obviously work over like a year

and a half now, on and off.

457

So I understood all parts of it.

458

So the, the assets that I bring to it

is definitely the media sort of side

459

as well.

460

When I went

461

when I was out there last month,

we're doing a lot of media stuff,

462

and we got a new marketing person

and trying to work with them.

463

I have I have a fairly strong voice.

464

I have to be a bit careful

because I'm still young,

465

so I'm still compared to like 60 year old,

you know, trusty or compared to Mary's

466

83 being the whole life of,

of living in Kenya,

467

understanding how it all works,

you have to be very respectful.

468

But obviously,

469

yeah, showcased your ambition and ideas

and that's why we encourage volunteers.

470

To come out

471

is to come and show stuff your kids

and also how you can help the charity.

472

You know, the kids, we can't always

we are still quite someone with a staff.

473

We kind of fund a lot of members of staff.

474

We have think 25 now,

but only about 6 or 7 of those

475

that are actually working with the kids,

looking after them.

476

We have four boarding people

477

and then we have our like,

health and safety manager

478

like Luke, who's like manages

the whole place and, and social care.

479

And then we have like goods

in those sort of people.

480

So that's why we have to have volunteers,

because they can come

481

and look after the kids

and teach them stuff.

482

Make sure they're doing their homework,

that sort of thing.

483

Helping them, going

484

and taking them and walks in the weekend

because they do get bored.

485

You know, they are kids.

They want to be venturers.

486

So like when I was out there, we did

like a football match and stuff like that.

487

So yeah, that yes, yes,

I know I think the answer to

488

that is think it's more complicated

than just a simple question.

489

Yeah. Okay.

490

In terms of the,

491

the structure and you've mentioned

how many people are involved, etc.,

492

I'm really curious about the, let's say

a bit more like tech side of running it.

493

Yeah.

494

Are you involved in any of of that?

495

It was definitely something we discussed.

496

Because at the moment we sort of run off

quite old fashioned.

497

I say old fashioned

for like 5 or 6 years ago, but

498

we sort of run of the very print

everything off.

499

So okay. So.

500

Read sort of all the accounts off.

501

I don't have a lot to be counting,

but it's very much like printed all off,

502

get it signed by 3 or 4 different levels

of authority before it can get approved.

503

I think that's more because

the Kenyan system looks up differently.

504

A lot of stuff is very old fashioned.

505

It's quite interesting really,

because it runs off.

506

The Kenyan actually

507

runs off like, M-Pesa,

if you've ever heard of that or not.

508

So there isn't really such thing

as car machines out there.

509

There is for like developed businesses,

but for like the average food shop,

510

let's say if I go to the supermarket,

511

which just looks very different compared

to like co-op down the road from here,

512

you basically

your number is how you will pay.

513

So I have. My phone number.

514

Yeah, it's in the phone number.

515

So I have my Kenyan phone number

and you have them,

516

which is like the government run thing

which is linked to the

517

to the phone number.

518

And I think that's mainly was set up

because of people don't really

519

have you don't have a lot

registered addresses.

520

You know, a lot of people will live in

like kind of shack kind of build

521

houses are still livable in

and the people still might have a job

522

as like a school teacher or a businessman

523

or have a respectable trade

and a respectable person.

524

But just the bank account

system doesn't work so well.

525

So there are banks and stuff.

526

It does exist, obviously.

527

Obviously it does.

528

But for the, you know, the

529

the way it works is you'll literally

have your account and Pesa account,

530

which are

but money into from my bank account.

531

And that's

how you'll pay the local people.

532

So you're send money to their number.

533

Now that you're describing it.

534

I think, you know,

535

I'm originally from Poland

and there is something called bleak.

536

Yeah.

537

And it's also like,

538

you know,

539

so all your banking

540

stuff is linked to the phone number and

you can just send money through, you know.

541

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course.

542

Change money using the.

543

Okay. That sounds right.

544

Yeah. I mean isn't it. It is. It is quite.

545

When you first go out, it's pretty mad

546

because you're like, oh,

this is a bit odd, you know, from just,

547

you know, we just use contactless

so don't we just contactless contactless

548

quite cashless society.

549

But they're, it's still very cash aside

to the very passive based.

550

But to answer your question,

on the structure side of it, yeah, I,

551

we're very much like got email system.

552

Still we're looking at implementing

probably something that's a bit easier

553

for everyone to sign off

rather than having physical signatures.

554

But again, we're still a charity that

555

there's a lot of its time

into more other stuff

556

at the moment rather than the

than the sort of computing side of things.

557

But that's again,

558

when people who support us

might have assets to be able to do that.

559

Yeah.

560

Not a lot at all.

561

True. Oh, that's that's great.

What a story.

562

Thank you very much.

563

No, it's it's brilliant

to bring it to be invited on anyway.

564

And yeah, it's, it's so much to it

and I just so much looking forward to it.

565

I'm really looking forward to

566

what the next year

or so will bring the presenting stuff's.

567

Be honest with you, it's

sort of all a bit of a mess.

568

I'm still trying to figure it out. Still.

569

Well, you've got plenty of time. To do so.

570

Yeah. No pressure.

571

And I think, you know, I've just started

my media company as well, and I'm trying

572

to build that,

that up as well as the podcast.

573

But I kind of decided that realistically,

presenting isn't going to get you

574

as a as much income.

575

But also I grow

all the projects on the grow.

576

So it's it's about doing it

all together in one, I think.

577

Are you able to share

anything around your sort of future plans?

578

Yeah, 100%.

579

You know, presenting.

580

Can you can you give us a glimpse?

581

I think so at the moment we just

we've just launched down the farm media.

582

Okay.

583

So the Down

584

Oh, gosh.

585

23 I think when I was 17, 18. Okay.

586

And when we

when we first had we were awful.

587

It was it was bad.

588

Like we had some really good guests

589

and get me wrong,

but I didn't know how to edit.

590

I didn't know how to use audio.

591

I didn't know how to, you know,

present or interview at all.

592

And I'm still learning now, that's

a brilliant thing about the podcast.

593

I started it.

594

It's called down in the farm, hence

because of the original accident.

595

So I brought my the listeners and viewers

back to where my journey first started.

596

I call my sort of

I've learned a lot of life skills

597

and live lessons at a young age,

and I want to try and again.

598

It's uplifting, isn't it?

599

It's been

in that environment of uplifting.

600

So that's what the charity, not charity.

601

That's what

the podcast is basically based around.

602

So we get guests from all walks of life

and basically

603

bring them down to my safe space.

604

But I've sort of grown

that over the last couple of years.

605

It's been on and off.

606

I've done we call, we've done

series of it, and I kind of find

607

I series don't really work on a podcast.

608

I think you have to be quite consistent

to keep that viewer.

609

If people are gonna create

that part of the week to listen to you.

610

You've got to make sure you deliver.

611

Yeah, and I think that's

a media side of stuff as well.

612

So we've created that

and that's got a fair

613

bit of following now,

and I'm really happy about that.

614

And it's still taking a lot of work.

615

We're still audio based which hopefully

they're going to get visual soon.

616

Hence you've been helping me

teach all this sort of stuff.

617

And now we've just launched Down the Farm

Media, which is a media company,

618

which now Down the Phone

podcast sits under. Okay.

619

We offer marketing.

620

So additional market research

for maybe where you need social media,

621

maybe where your company's gone wrong.

622

Events could be weddings, birthdays,

those sort of things

623

on a slightly smaller scale than large

scale at the moment in terms of videos

624

and also audio,

whatever you want us to do,

625

we audio and visual

and then also social media posts

626

so we can create

sort of videos for you guys.

627

We can do that

initial sort of marketing research,

628

and then we can do the social media site

and actually run it for you,

629

which we,

our first client were actually doing.

630

Now he's got six businesses and we've

done a whole like market research for him.

631

We've told him where he needs

to improve and stuff and he's like, right,

632

you guys just run it.

I'll give you full control.

633

So that's racking.

634

Especially sort of being

not I've had I've had plenty experience.

635

I've done it for a couple of years now.

636

So I kind of decided

if I'm going to grow my podcast

637

and grow my audio sort of, and vigil

638

lessons and like, learn lessons about it

and how it to improve.

639

I think you've got to take those skills

640

and put them somewhere else as well,

which I have, which I'm trying to do now.

641

And what's the idea behind the podcast?

642

Are you planning to use it as a vehicle

to boost something else,

643

like another part of your business,

the media side or.

644

I think I think they do coincide now.

645

We haven't had any kind of sponsorship

or anything like that.

646

And now I can like, say like down the farm

media is going to be our main sponsor.

647

But I fear yeah, I think that's the idea

also just presenting experience.

648

I, I obviously the, the goal is idea.

649

I want to go into sport presenting.

650

I my dream would be like

doing the Olympics, something like that.

651

Because I think that really sort of

652

embraces everything that I've been trying

to talk about and be passionate about

653

for the last couple of years,

for all sorts of media stuff I've done.

654

That's the goal, and I but I have to

there's no easy way

655

doing it in this day and age.

656

I've I've tried, honestly.

657

I've tried every route

in the last couple of years.

658

I've done sort of I've gone I've, I've,

I've failed.

659

You know, that's a big example.

660

I, I have failed and failed

and failed and failed

661

and I'm just still trying to learn.

662

But I feel like failure is such a big,

teacher in life.

663

100%. Because you're not gonna.

664

Why would anyone ever think that you're

gonna be on this life or on on this,

665

like, planet, and you're gonna immediately

get the job or immediately succeed?

666

Does it happen? Does it like you?

You don't know what you're doing.

667

You're not going to succeed.

668

Unless you have a powerful parent

or an uncle.

669

Unless you just have.

670

It's all about contacts.

It really is. Absolutely.

671

You know, I got really humble.

672

I went to a job interview up

673

in, like I said now because I was done,

but I can ask the racecourse okay.

674

For for my family were in horse

racing and sort of,

675

background and a question

to, to do television there.

676

And I didn't get the job,

I didn't even get the internship.

677

But, it was really good just to have

that experience of going and meeting.

678

I was interviewed by Nick luck,

actually, himself.

679

He was

he actually runs a really special podcast,

680

and it's a really big sort of TV presence

in that world.

681

So, you know, I, I think I've only ever

really got to Africa,

682

South Africa, I've only really done

because I failed in the first place.

683

I never got a proper internship in TV.

684

I never did lots of things

I wanted to do back then that I never

685

either either pursued or didn't get or,

you know, I, I mean, they were talking

686

couple of years ago

now, lots of different stuff.

687

My outlooks changed

and what I want to go to now.

688

And hence with down the farm media,

I didn't.

689

I've only started it

690

because the TV stuff and the racing world

didn't work out for me some months ago.

691

So I think failure is definitely

692

a big sort of teacher

and can be such a blessing as well.

693

And yes, but it motivates, doesn't it?

694

Yeah. There's an element of like.

695

Me to go further there.

696

You feel like

if you just didn't get if you didn't,

697

I mean, it wouldn't make sense

if you didn't fail.

698

If you're not doing if not Faine,

you're not doing something right.

699

I think that's I don't know who that,

but someone said that to me.

700

Well, I watched on the video.

Someone said, you're not failing.

701

You're not doing it right.

702

Or if you're not, you're not even trying

703

because you're not pushing yourself out

your comfort.

704

Zone 100%, 100%.

705

But again, you know, for you,

you know, to be at such a young age,

706

being exposed to so many things already,

you know, all you know, people,

707

all walks of life, you know, charity work,

you know, all these kind of things.

708

What an amazing baggage

to bring into any situation, right?

709

It gives you the versatility.

710

Very versatility.

711

You know,

it gives you the confidence as well.

712

You know you know you walked in,

you know like we've known each other for

713

you know a couple of years

at least. Right.

714

You know and I love it

because, you know, there's

715

so many people who are just like,

you know, afraid of life.

716

Yeah, exactly. Days.

717

I mean, in terms of the, you know,

organization that you are building, right?

718

Can you share anything on the tech side?

719

You know what you're leveraging,

what you're using.

720

You know, obviously this is a big

part of the show. So yeah. Of course.

721

So at the moment we use different

we do an audio software.

722

Okay.

And then we do a sort of video software.

723

We use a different few ones.

724

I actually use, believe it or not.

725

And what might be against me,

I actually use Canva

726

for a lot of our poster stuff,

so I find it quite interesting.

727

Well, I find it very easy.

728

And when you say Canva,

just the basic one or the AI version.

729

Oh, okay. Yep.

730

I don't really use it.

731

Again, the AI topic,

732

but not really the AI stuff,

mainly Canva for those sort of things.

733

The audio software

I use is something called wave pads. Okay.

734

You might have heard of pair subscription

for it, but basically got everything

735

you ever, ever wanted on there.

736

Didn't they have like a lifetime option.

737

So you pay once and it's like yeah okay.

738

Yeah yeah, yeah.

739

So I think it was like

something like 50, 50 pounds.

740

I think it was something really cheap

just for,

741

you know, a lifetime of love of it. So.

742

Yeah.

743

So what we can do obviously in terms

of how the podcast works,

744

because we're still audio

745

individual, we'll create templates on

something like Canva or maybe some other

746

AI stuff.

747

Okay.

748

It's honestly it changes very,

very quickly what I see systems we use

749

in terms of that, we can

then edit all together

750

on a, on a video software

where we can obviously put the audio

751

audio clip,

which is the main, and then a cover photo

752

in terms of how we're distributing it,

it's very much just upload.

753

There's no way you don't pay anyone

to do it. It's definitely serves.

754

I know they're companies

that you can pay to do it.

755

But that's very basic.

756

I do software

I have worked with off there.

757

It's quite complicated.

758

So we found business

which tractor parts, which is.

759

Okay. We call non-original parts.

760

So you've got OEM parts

for tractor machinery, which are like,

761

let's say you've got the brand John Deere,

which I think everybody would know.

762

It's the most generic like tractor really.

763

Let's say you've got a steering wheel

for a John Deere.

764

It's probably worth 1,000 pounds for ever.

765

If it's original,

when it's bought from the John Deere

766

company, it's bought from someone like us,

which is a replica make.

767

It's what, 100 pounds?

768

That's it.

769

That way I see.

770

So what we use there

for a lot larger scale.

771

So we go from a small scale of audio

and software

772

for a project that I'm working on.

773

But the stuff that I can take from,

774

like the CRM we use there,

which is everything on the one system.

775

So you've got sales

to stock, the purchasing,

776

to invoicing, to credibility.

777

Yeah, which can be a bit of a pain.

778

And then it can also

create a lot of problems because if you're

779

let's say you're in a sales

and you are distributing.

780

So we have obviously accounts

Ferdy de accounts because people like

781

who are long farmers or contractors

who want to pay every single time

782

they come in, they need to grab something

783

and go on to the account

and their accounts on there.

784

All the information is on there.

785

So you like, let's say, a drum of oil

worth 138 pounds

786

or something like that onto their account,

and that's bid into the system.

787

Obviously through tracking traceability,

you can see who's book that in

788

and who hasn't booked that

and that sort of thing.

789

So let's say if the booking is

if the stock control is wrong,

790

that can create a lot of whole lot

problems.

791

There are a lot of problems that are like,

especially when you work in a team

792

that might blame each other as well.

793

Like, you know, if you say, oh, wasn't me,

it wasn't me, it was me.

794

We can actually find out

because your user will tell. You exactly.

795

In the first place.

796

And then also if you actually actually

put it in, then it might tell accounts

797

that you've we've paid for it,

798

that sort of thing,

and then you haven't actually got it.

799

So it can be.

800

But it also is brilliant because you can

really trace anything from any part.

801

And I think

when you're working with people

802

who are we use a company called Profit

Plus who are based in Worcester.

803

Well,

our our logo is their original brand name

804

and their base in, well, our sector is

based in Worcester and Broadway.

805

We pay quite a lot of money for them.

806

Don't get me wrong.

807

But then that also links to our website,

808

which is really the brilliant thing

about it, because you can have basically

809

the CRM, CRM system with all the customers

names and stuff on it.

810

But then in terms of the pricing

and availability, you can plug that all in

811

on the CRM system

and it'll go up to the website automatic.

812

So do you let customers

813

look up their parts of what

they would like, themselves or.

814

Be on the website? Okay.

815

But we just at the moment

it's it's a bit different.

816

We on the website will just make them

aware that their price will be different.

817

Okay.

818

But it is different

if they have an account on the website of.

819

That I see.

820

Okay, so

821

our website is different, but we also work

with very, very big brands in the UK.

822

One of them is called cramp UK.

823

Who are the biggest UK

agricultural supplier?

824

Okay.

825

They have recently been really working

on their sort of online credibility

826

and so how people are going to use them

in the future, that makes sense.

827

So what they call chaos.

828

So getting obviously parts

next day delivery to the front door

829

rather than having to get them

830

into a stockist like us

and then distribute them to everyone else.

831

I see.

832

So you think that probably cut us out,

833

but they haven't got the clientele

unless they have us because they.

834

So we get try

and get the sign up for them.

835

So what we can offer then customers to do

is we create them

836

their own sort of accounts, logins

for the supplier system.

837

And then on the supply system

they'll log in

838

and they'll have their own discounts there

839

that we can set their discounts

on that system. Yep.

840

So technically we're bidding them from us.

841

And then we just pay the supplier

842

what we need to pay in terms

of how much it cost us.

843

So when we when we make our margin.

844

Yeah.

845

So yeah, definitely that, that,

that is the biggest market at the moment.

846

It's definitely the next day

sort of delivery stuff.

847

People want to click and get it next day.

848

And for something like a,

I don't know about all the way to like,

849

hey, Bob Tyne, which is like for a

hey machine.

850

You know, it's pretty credible

that you can get that next day

851

rather than the old fashioned way.

852

We've been spoiled by the Amazon

basically.

853

Yeah. But I, I would not yeah.

854

I can't imagine how you can do this

with this scale of of em,

855

you know, like machinery, right?

856

You know, because it's all big,

heavy stuff.

857

So, so it's mainly like,

we have to use, like, implement drivers.

858

So like DPD or TNT. Fedex. Yep.

859

Which is where it goes wrong in terms

of the traceability on the system.

860

I see. Okay.

861

So we our RTM systems built into us.

862

So it's like our company names Carpenter

Goodwin Outdoors that that'll be

863

all of our stock,

all of our customers or accounts.

864

Okay.

865

You know, other things that will include

in your, in your business, not

866

poor people, all of that,

but in terms of us using supplier

867

and using their systems,

that's where it can go wrong

868

because they, they,

they won't list where it is.

869

They'll say in transit.

870

And the custom said, oh,

871

supposed to be only two days ago and

you have to ring up the actual supplier.

872

Oh, sorry, it's still in Sweden,

you know, on a ship there.

873

And the customer's started to do a job.

874

So that's where the difficult part is.

875

I don't know if there's anyone other good

is going to make something

876

that can fix that, but that's just

tracing ability from different.

877

It's tricky because it relies heavily on

who is reporting what.

878

Right.

879

You know, I've seen parcels many times.

880

Stuff that I would over there.

881

It was on a ship somewhere.

882

Yeah, yeah, yeah I did.

883

Well, I can only imagine from China

because it took like a month to get here.

884

And for the entire time it's

this just says it, it was shipped.

885

Right.

886

And you've got no indication

of when it actually is going to arrive.

887

It's just like,

oh, it's in transit. Yeah. Exactly.

888

Where I mean, it's sometimes it can say,

oh, it's, opposite sides.

889

It can say, oh, it's in, it's in Germany

or Switzerland with some

890

like West European sort of, buildings

891

are for like the lot of these companies

in terms of the manufacturing.

892

But then it can be

whether you like that afternoon.

893

That makes sense. Yeah.

894

So that's

895

it makes a bit of an embarrassment

as well, I think, for us as the supplier,

896

because it's a bit like, well,

the stock is sorry.

897

But that's,

that's really what I've mainly learned.

898

And I think I've learned that by 1920,

so that I made a lot of mistakes.

899

Get me wrong,

I've a lot of things for the wrong people.

900

The worst thing is when you have to try

and book people's stuff to them,

901

but then it's

for a different person of that.

902

Oh I see okay. So

and then delivery address it.

903

So yeah, I, I made a lot of mistakes.

904

But learning all of that stuff really

makes you think when you're

905

in the audio software or the video

software that it's a lot easier.

906

Yeah.

907

But then again.

908

Yes, I know it's very different.

909

But I think if you're somebody who's

watching this as a who wants the entity

910

you've got going to make failures and

you're going to make mistakes on any sort.

911

Of course. Yeah.

912

And you know, your,

your boss, your bosses will say,

913

oh, yeah, no, I never made those mistakes,

but they definitely did.

914

Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah.

915

No, I mean, you know,

that's the way to learn, right?

916

You know, you've got to fix something

that you've broken in the first place.

917

You know, you gotta you know, you gotta,

you know, learn how to.

918

Have to swipe the whole thing

and just start it again.

919

Very true.

920

I usually do a lot of people

go just click controls

921

and like,

no, I'm just gonna just start it again.

922

And the company that you've started.

923

So have you implemented any like software

so far like, you know, CRM or anything.

924

In it? No.

925

At the moment I'm I'm going to be honest,

guys, I'm very basic.

926

I've just done Excel spreadsheets

and link them all together.

927

But that's a very good point, you know,

928

because it just goes to show

929

that you can still run a business

with a very, very basic setup.

930

You can.

931

So it's just the way you manage it, right?

Yeah, exactly.

932

You just have to keep things tidy.

933

Every business I've worked in

934

and I called charity business as well

that I've also worked in.

935

But, you know,

936

I think every single one I've ever been

part of

937

has worked, has operated differently.

938

Like the my family business is totally

939

when I was in corporate events

that I was totally different system.

940

Because we were employing

hundreds of people.

941

We we in terms of corporate events, we

I was on like the, logistics side.

942

So I get all the stuff to site

and then make sure there's enough bars

943

there or enough kegs of beer

and that sort of thing.

944

And we're based in the middle of nowhere,

and we'd have to drive like 4 or 5 hours.

945

But then the other side of the business

is that people to work

946

the bars at the events. Yep.

947

So I'd be like a member of staff

and I'd have a, a payroll on the payroll,

948

but these guys would be freelance

and they come in.

949

So their system

had to be a lot more complicated

950

because they'd have to freelance people,

you know, on the app

951

and they'd sign up for a shift,

that sort of thing.

952

So I've worked in business with that.

953

But, you know, even I've only just started

the really for me, all I need to do

954

is just do Excel spreadsheets in my in

my eyes, I might be wrong.

955

Some people

956

operate differently, but me at the moment,

Excel spreadsheets of, content.

957

So content recording in terms of

when I'm going to be releasing stuff,

958

when this can obviously you can use

AI maybe for this if you wanted to.

959

Content was in what platforms

are going out on because I, I got 3 or 4

960

different platforms on each social media

site thing.

961

At the moment I'm trying to run cluster

six of the new my new client.

962

So okay, content

release from my personal stuff.

963

Then invoicing and invoicing, then

pricing and costs, those sort of things.

964

And then guess for the podcast.

965

So I don't forget that.

I'll be that my diary anyway.

966

And then obviously

for the actual customer,

967

I'll create my own

sort of boulder for him or her

968

and basically just do a whole breakdown.

969

I've recently

970

when my, my latest one, I'll be honest,

I just break it down into engagement.

971

So obviously how many I do

a sort of a monthly assessment

972

of how many followers they got,

how much engagement

973

they've had in the first like that

last month.

974

Oh, they do 28 days, usually a method

that usually had this set it.

975

So, engagement followers

976

watch time average age,

but that in every 28 days you update it.

977

And obviously throughout the con

it gets very complicated by this point.

978

Then you have to do content you created.

979

You have to list out what you can do

doing for them.

980

Again, analytics.

981

I'm not I'm not a huge fan

of like going through all the stuff

982

and seeing how many followers you got

because I prefer just doing the

983

creation side of it, but you have to do

that obviously as part of the business.

984

Of course.

985

You have to prove your, sort of activity

somehow.

986

Right. Yeah.

987

Exactly.

988

Yeah. That's going back to the showing

989

the customer

what you've been doing, isn't it?

990

That's that's why you have to do it.

But then from Excel.

991

You can create pie charts and you can do

quite a lot of different cool stuff.

992

And you can also obviously

implement code into it as well.

993

So yeah.

994

That's what I'm using at the moment

to be honest with you.

995

But okay, I could,

I suppose I I'm still very new.

996

I don't, I don't need it.

997

Anything else at the moment in my eyes.

998

But again when you start to get 5

or 6, seven clients on the go,

999

you've got to have something a bit

more like a CRM system, probably a bit.

00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:42,400

In place.

00:43:42,400 --> 00:43:44,720

I personally. Met the person.

00:43:44,720 --> 00:43:47,880

Shout out to you, Lou,

if you're listening.

00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:49,600

She started a business.

00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:52,080

A beauty business without even a laptop.

00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:54,240

She didn't realize that she needs one,

right? Yeah.

00:43:54,240 --> 00:43:57,480

And then she went

and won two years in a row.

00:43:57,520 --> 00:44:00,040

The best startup of the year.

Oh, wow. Really?

00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:03,600

So it goes to show that you can just

start, you know, basic and.

00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:05,240

Understand your strengths and weaknesses.

00:44:05,240 --> 00:44:08,280

That's definitely the biggest thing

I, I don't for

00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:11,680

I, I think definitely your cos

you got to keep an eye on your overheads.

00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:13,240

Oh that's, that's basics of business.

00:44:13,240 --> 00:44:16,640

But of course I think you have to

once you've done that really, it's.

00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:17,520

Like you'd be surprised

00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:20,560

how many people don't realize

that you have to pay attention to that.

00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:21,240

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:44:21,240 --> 00:44:23,520

That's

that's the biggest thing you have to

00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:25,680

if you're listening,

you want to start a business,

00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:29,760

please just get either trained

or like just train yourself or go

00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:34,400

and do some experience and listening

how overheads and keeping managing them.

00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:36,120

Profit and loss and loss.

00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:38,520

Basic margin working out stuff

00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:40,920

like you've got to understand that

before you start. Yeah, yeah.

00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:43,360

Otherwise you can harm yourself basically.

00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:45,600

Yeah yeah yeah yeah. And others.

00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:49,560

I didn't I was like that when I first

started, when I started the podcast, I,

00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:53,280

I had to pay subscriptions for

we use something called RSS feed.

00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:54,000

And if you've ever. Heard of.

00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:57,560

The search for who we use for our podcast,

which is brilliant because they,

00:44:57,720 --> 00:44:58,560

they take a bit of money.

00:44:58,560 --> 00:45:01,160

They, they're they're not,

they're not like, it's not stupid money.

00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,360

It's like, the low tens every month,

nothing at all.

00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,440

But then they just put it off

every platform you want to.

00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,360

I don't have to go through

every single platform and upload it.

00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:11,440

Every single one.

00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:13,520

I obviously obviously work

full time on top.

00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:14,880

Well, I did at the time

00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:17,560

when I first started the podcast,

I was college and I worked full time,

00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:21,920

so I hadn't got time to spend four hours

building it in every single thing.

00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:26,400

So we use something called RSS feed,

and wave and something.

00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:29,960

So when I first died, I was more

of a project, so and more of a hobby.

00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:32,120

And me just trying to think

if I wanted to do this or not.

00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:37,040

So yeah, yeah, that's when I

but then I think when you have to realize

00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:38,160

if you wanted to fashion

00:45:38,160 --> 00:45:41,960

and you want to start doing, you've got to

start sort of really bidding it into.

00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:46,320

And if you want a progress and grow

that, that honestly it will help you.

00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:49,400

And don't get too worried

if the overheads get too much.

00:45:49,400 --> 00:45:52,840

I think you there comes a point

where maybe you have to realize

00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:55,040

that she's making you money,

but that's when you start to.

00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:56,160

Let's go back to the failure

00:45:56,160 --> 00:45:59,400

thing of realizing actually,

that's try and find a new avenue

00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:03,280

to how we can maybe get some sponsorship,

which we're starting to do now,

00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:07,600

or possibly get people to maybe,

pay or sponsor a bit of money.

00:46:07,680 --> 00:46:12,240

You know, it's all about community,

like podcast as a community or a, maybe

00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:16,280

a TV show or a film production company,

something like that.

00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:18,520

Anything is a big community.

00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:21,160

And sometimes when you're starting out,

it's not not a bad thing.

00:46:21,160 --> 00:46:24,920

Just say, look, I need some sponsorship

or some help or support me, whatever.

00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:25,680

Sure.

00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:27,400

Or invest your money into it.

00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:31,360

Well, many people make a living these days

like that, just relying on donations

00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:33,560

and stuff like that

because they just, you know, provide

00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:35,840

so much value to the community

and to the listeners.

00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:37,840

That in like radios at the moment.

00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:40,280

As we're recording this radio one.

00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:42,440

And then if you had a Greg James. Yes.

00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:43,920

He's a

I mean, he's the biggest racing for me

00:46:43,920 --> 00:46:47,560

for a sense of because he's

sort of behind the scenes of stuff.

00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:49,640

He's really had to work his way up,

and he's actually

00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:51,360

but a lot more hours of people thinking.

00:46:51,360 --> 00:46:54,360

So I don't know his story very well,

but I heard of him.

00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:57,840

He's the poster for from radio one, which

is like Europe's biggest radio is huge.

00:46:57,840 --> 00:46:58,160

Obviously.

00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:00,120

I think everyone who radio one is anyway

00:47:00,120 --> 00:47:03,760

BBC radio

one, for those who aren't that sure, are.

00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:08,280

Basically, he's cycling from Land's

End to Johnny Grapes on a tandem bike,

00:47:08,280 --> 00:47:10,240

which obviously tandems a two seater bike,

00:47:10,240 --> 00:47:12,960

which is just insane for comic relief

right now.

00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:14,840

And I think it shows really

from the community

00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:17,680

aspect of media companies

because obviously radio station,

00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:20,920

they've just gone I was listening to as

I was driving up to here, it's

00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:24,200

kind of a two and a 2.2 million pounds

now they've.

00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:26,400

Raised for Comic Relief. And.

00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:27,360

Just for cycling a bike.

00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:29,360

Well,

I know it's quite a big challenge cycling.

00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:31,440

It is. A friend of mine did it. Yeah.

00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:33,000

I'm doing bike as well.

00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:35,760

But, you know,

that comes back to the community.

00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:37,240

Actually, people will support you.

00:47:37,240 --> 00:47:41,560

So when you are sewing up business,

let alone from the IT stuff.

00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:43,640

Don't be a don't be a dick.

00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:45,800

Basically don't don't be.

00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:48,280

I don't be able to. Don't be.

00:47:48,280 --> 00:47:49,160

I don't see.

00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:52,880

People who have like run businesses

and like will get very pissed off

00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:56,680

with people who are like,

don't help them or whatever, or

00:47:56,880 --> 00:47:58,600

you've got to be very ethically

good as a business.

00:47:58,600 --> 00:48:00,560

I think I,

I always believe in business ethics,

00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:03,680

and I really think it comes back to you

because when something goes wrong

00:48:03,720 --> 00:48:06,480

or you have a hard time or the market

goes, they'll still be there to.

00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:06,920

Support you.

00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:09,480

Yeah, well, you are the face

of your business, aren't you?

00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:12,120

You know,

so you have to keep your brand tidy

00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:15,200

and make sure that you follow

what you actually say.

00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:16,160

Yeah. And yeah.

00:48:16,160 --> 00:48:18,800

So you walk the walk

and you talk the talk.

00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:19,720

Yeah. Exactly.

00:48:19,720 --> 00:48:20,880

It's it's both.

00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:21,640

That's what's brilliant

00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:24,760

about building a personal brand

I think definitely that's a good thing.

00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:26,640

You can sort of just be yourself.

00:48:26,640 --> 00:48:31,840

And it's always a bit like, oh, how much

should you show really to media, but

00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:33,960

not too fast.

00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:34,680

Well.

00:48:34,680 --> 00:48:38,080

It's tough to draw the line

because on one hand, you know,

00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:41,280

when you have that business mindset

and I'm guilty of that myself,

00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:44,040

you just want to show on one hand

as much as you can.

00:48:44,040 --> 00:48:44,280

Yeah.

00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:48,760

But then doing anything and recording

it takes three times as long.

00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:49,360

Yeah, exactly.

00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:52,000

To do anything

because you have to take this angle.

00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:55,760

Take that angle, you know, just show this,

show that, and you retake and all that.

00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:58,280

So it just wastes so much time.

00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:03,000

So I think and I'm really curious about,

you know, your opinion on this one,

00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:07,800

it becomes more and more popular

that people just show the, the sort of raw

00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:10,120

side of it. So it's unedited.

00:49:10,120 --> 00:49:12,920

It's just,

you know, recorded on the phone, just,

00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:14,440

you know, a little bit of a,

you know, snippet.

00:49:14,440 --> 00:49:16,000

Oh, I'm doing this, I'm doing that.

00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:18,920

And it is taking off on social media.

00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:22,720

Yeah, I've, I've done that for

if one it's quite a while.

00:49:22,760 --> 00:49:23,120

Okay.

00:49:23,120 --> 00:49:26,520

I've, I do a lot of stuff on socials

where I'll try and update

00:49:26,520 --> 00:49:29,520

everyone what I'm doing, especially

when come back to the charity stuff.

00:49:29,560 --> 00:49:32,440

I did some pretty bleak videos,

and when I was doing

00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:37,000

like the the challenges, like we did that

for 300 miles cycle over Wales

00:49:37,040 --> 00:49:40,600

and that was pretty, like,

I just was very honest.

00:49:40,640 --> 00:49:42,200

You just be very open.

00:49:42,200 --> 00:49:45,760

I do agree, be very open, honest,

about how it's doing.

00:49:45,760 --> 00:49:48,760

And that links back to ethically of people

supporting you.

00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:50,120

You're not doing really well or mentally.

00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:52,280

It's getting some much during a video

like that.

00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:53,880

I try mixer too.

00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:56,160

I did a lot when I first started out.

I did a lot more of

00:49:56,160 --> 00:49:57,960

because I didn't really know how to edit

anything like that.

00:49:57,960 --> 00:50:01,000

I did a lot more of just like getting

the camera and filming of like, hello,

00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:05,200

welcome to the, but now I try mixer too.

00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:08,560

I do media and do professional

try and edit proper videos,

00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:12,280

but it tends to be on my actual personal

social media, not the podcast or any

00:50:12,680 --> 00:50:15,000

or the or the media company

or anything that I've tried to do

00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:16,320

videos like that still.

00:50:16,320 --> 00:50:18,160

So yeah, I agree,

I think they're a bit more personal.

00:50:18,160 --> 00:50:20,960

I think people take them to be more

and listen to what you're saying.

00:50:20,960 --> 00:50:21,680

Sure.

00:50:21,680 --> 00:50:24,840

And there is that element of,

you know, if you spend too much time

00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:28,040

editing it,

it is a big sort of chore at this point.

00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:28,560

Right?

00:50:28,560 --> 00:50:33,560

And if you don't see the results straight

away, it becomes like, you know, it.

00:50:33,600 --> 00:50:35,360

It is like depressing.

00:50:35,360 --> 00:50:38,800

Like, you know, I've put in so much work

in that video and it's not taking off.

00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:41,160

It's not people

don't see the editing stuff.

00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:42,400

Yeah. Well, exactly.

00:50:42,400 --> 00:50:44,320

It's a long, long, long process.

00:50:44,320 --> 00:50:44,680

Yeah.

00:50:44,680 --> 00:50:48,680

You could have something recorded on

your phone and it's got thousands of views

00:50:48,720 --> 00:50:51,040

versus

something that you've polished and edited

00:50:51,040 --> 00:50:53,080

and all that, and it's got like a hundred.

00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:54,800

Where's the logic in that?

00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:58,320

Yeah, I feel like you have to

I feel that's why it goes back to

00:50:58,920 --> 00:51:01,440

like when I started podcast

or whenever you want to do

00:51:01,440 --> 00:51:04,440

anything, you have to just think you're

connecting to one person, aren't you?

00:51:04,520 --> 00:51:05,480

Connect to the one listener.

00:51:05,480 --> 00:51:07,120

Like, if we're talking to the mix now,

00:51:07,120 --> 00:51:08,960

you're thinking, right,

this is for one person listening.

00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:09,680

Yeah, I feel like that.

00:51:09,680 --> 00:51:13,600

Same with it's the basic role of TV

presenters and radio presenters.

00:51:13,600 --> 00:51:15,440

I think you're not talking to a

00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:19,720

3 million people or 100 people or,

you know, talking to one person.