Farah tells us about how being bullied at school became the catalyst for her motorsport and music passions. She also tells us about the harsh reality of being a woman trying to make it in the music industry, and just how pinnacle the motor sports industry is for constantly testing new consumer technologies.

Farah's recommendations:

Principles - Ray Dalio (book)

A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle (book)

Drive To Survive (documentry)

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Hello and welcome to Bwb Extra where we get to know Entrepreneur podcast, the DJ and producer Farra.

Angie a little better.

Farrah, let's right now wind the clock back to when you first started.

How did you end up, I mean, you've got three things, three strings to your bow.

How did you end up here?

Yeah, for sure.

So, um, as many great things do started in childhood.

Um, music and motor sports in particular.

Was it big in your family anyway or?

No.

So I would say there are a couple of strands.

So my grandfather was an entrepreneur.

He loved cars going, you know, on a Sunday was our day to kind of hang out and bond and go nice drives and watched f1 and so I kind of was exposed to that world, let's say as a, as a fan, as a viewer, as a, you know, very, from a very young age.

But motorsport's not like playing football.

You can't just pick up a ball and go to the park like it, it doesn't work like that.

Right.

Somebody does need to introduce you to it.

It's expensive and you know, there are barriers around it.

But one day, um, it was a, a friend's birthday party.

She's doing go-karting and I, I, I happened to go to a school in this, uh, in, in London that was like top 10 in the country and, um, it was really academic place and you know, it was an all girls school and I was this.

Tomboy.

He loved nothing more than football and Formula One, so I was like heavily bullied.

And, uh, essentially that's, you know, the, the both music and motor sport acted as a healing sort of.

Mechanism in that moment because, yeah, I mean with motor sport it was like, you know, I put this helmet on, I went, go-karting.

I remember it like, you know, it was yesterday.

It was this out of mind body experience.

Nobody cares who you are, like if you're a girl or a boy, it's just about your performance in every single corner.

Taking more risk, going more flat out, understanding the track, understanding the cart, and it was super addictive.

Um, and I, you know, begged my parents to let me keep coming back so, Started competing nationally a little bit.

And then with music, it was kind of similar thing where like, um, I was basically learning the Spanish guitar.

Um, and at that age, you know, you could leave the classroom for an hour to go to a music class, um, in school.

And I just remember, you know, today the music I play and make is very similar to the abi a vibe.

I, I experiment a lot with guitars.

It's kind of got the Spanish Gypsy Arab kind of flamenco.

Scales involved, you know, which is what I was learning from a young age.

But at that moment it was like, wow, this is so healing and that's literally what it is.

Um, and so, you know, both of them evolved.

Um, and then I kind of got to the age of 15 and.

Basically with music, I was starting to go out, I was starting to see, you know, how it works.

Like hearing, you know, I'd been collecting records, the internet obviously came out, Kaza, Napster, all those things, you know?

Yes, they, they happened, you know, um, and, but you know, I went to a club.

My first club was fabric, and you know, you hear.

A kick drum on a sound system like that and it changes, like it changed my, my mind like, and you know, just seeing the DJs, how they were in command of

this dance floor, like it was incredible and very quickly, like the DJs became my friends and they kind of welcomed me in, even though I was super young.

Because I was like, this kind of, let's say I was already selecting records, I was already like a tastemaker in music, you know, showing, you know, kind of just sharing that collection.

Um, so there was that recognition and there was a period of like two or three years where I was observing these artists.

I was in the booth just seeing like how they were, you know, navigating this journey for, for the audience.

And with Motorsport there was a little bit of a road, a speed hump because, um, yeah, age 15 I got diagnosed with Dyspraxia, which is a motor coordination delay.

Um, And so, you know, you probably think, well, how could you even do music?

Because yeah, obviously it's more tough and Motorsport is one of them as well.

And at that moment I really also was thinking I really wanted to be a professional race car driver.

But apart from just the dyspraxia thing, um, we still don't have a female and Formula One driving and you, a family needs on average like 7 million pounds.

It's not all in one go.

Obviously there's sponsors that come in along the way, but on average that is, I mean, one season in carton could easily be like a hundred k and you are age five.

So you couldn't see how it adds up.

You know?

It's, it's extremely expensive.

Don't let your kids get into motor sport.

Yeah.

But so, but you know, for me anyway, what it was was like, okay, dyspraxia changed a lot because I, I obviously had to understand if I wanted to do these two things,

which I knew in my purpose it just meant how to do it differently or how to still be in that arena, but maybe have a different goal for music, it was always the same.

Being a musician, being a dj, and that obviously has evolved many things that you have to do in the music industry, but motor sports, it was like, okay, I can't, you know, I'm not gonna be an f1.

That's unrealistic, but what I can, that's the love for the mindset.

So, Just the way that it pushes you.

Like the, all those things.

What about Formula three?

Is that full of women and Formula Three has a couple of women in, in it, yeah.

But only recently.

Like, not like it's been like that for the last 20, 30 years or anything like that.

But yeah, this, that's where I uncovered my mindset around, um, peak performance and human performance through motor sport and decoding that.

So that's how I, how I've got here today.

And then, as I mentioned, you know, in the, in the pandemic obviously, well, I started this podcast called Mission Makers.

It's done really well.

We got a number one in six, the first six weeks.

Knew we were talking about the right things, um, or interesting things.

And so what is it that you do talk about?

So we talk about literally the mindset and misconceptions of success in music business, motor sports.

So, we'll, we run on seasons.

We have, uh, four guests from each category.

Um, and, and we kind of just dispel myths and.

Sometimes, you know, you get someone who's into all three.

Like we had Carl Cox on the show once.

He owns, um, a motor sport racing team.

He collects cars.

He's obviously a pretty well known dj.

He runs a few businesses.

So it's pretty cool when you get a guest like that who can bounce through all three.

But also, you know, yeah, I mean we just seem to have quite a lot of people who are into that, into that subject.

What's the most misunderstood thing about what you do?

There is this unfortunate misconception and mis this is a misunderstanding that like, The lifestyle's amazing.

It's actually really hard and there's a lot of sacrifice and it's not for everyone.

Like I like, um, yeah, there, someone said this, um, who's actually a real t uh, but there we go.

But I thought this was useful.

Is that like people think they want to be Beyonce.

It's like, Do you have any idea how hard this woman works?

She does like 16 hours.

She, she's in the gym every morning.

She never sees her family.

She never sees her husband, and she's fucking incredible because all she does is practice.

Basically all she does is practice.

She, she works on a body and a, a, a act like, and it's like, that's, that's what that is.

You want, you wanna be the fucking, you know?

Yeah, sure.

She's also really famous and everyone wants to meet her, but basically she's just really focused on being like, fucking, there's a lot Yeah.

To sacrifice.

For sure.

And family Ruth is one of them.

Yeah, unfortunately.

So unless you go into a band with your family, like the Jackson Five, and then you can all go to Mad.

The, I'm thinking more the Von Trapps.

Oh, the Von Trapps.

That's another good family band.

Family bands you in.

What do you think is the biggest problem facing you?

Yeah, so obviously we've talked about, um, streaming in the business music world.

Um, I think the other couple of things.

Going on right now, events, obviously it is still very fragile.

So how does that affect motor sport?

You know, as, as a running a business in motor sport, you know, p people are buying things very like in the last 48 hours, so you are putting thousands of pounds, you know, and you have no idea if you, your event's gonna break even if you're gonna make a ridiculous loss.

So the same with music.

It costs a lot of money to put on these big events.

Promoters are not taking risk with emerging artists.

They just want to book headlines, obviously, cuz they just can't afford to take the risk.

Now, uh, festivals are closing down.

Uh, energy supply chain crisis is, is mad.

It's affecting a lot.

And also labels as well, you know, because of the pandemic.

Every producer, every DJ was out there making a ridiculous amount of music.

I mean, I made more than 13 tracks in the pandemic, you know, and once you.

Obviously then go to labels.

There are, there is like, sometimes it could take a year or two years before a decent label has like a, a genuinely slot cause they have.

Release is coming out for the next two years.

Like done is signed, is done.

You know, so for newer artists it is, that is difficult to cut through that noise and, and then obviously to have the events to thrive and to build that audience.

I think this is, you know, some of the challenges right now facing the industry.

Yeah, it's definitely tricky.

And I guess this question might be more post towards the motor club.

Is that, is, this is gonna be controversial now.

Like what do you, what are you doing about climate change?

For sure.

Your business.

And I can definitely talk about both, by the way, and I'll start with the easier one, which is music.

So number one, you know, I think artists are coming together collectively.

There's been some really cool initiatives like Byebye Plastic Foundation, for example, that launched this DJ rider and more than a thousand DJs have adopted this rider.

And what the rider basically, um, says, is that y yeah, you're gonna book me in this wherever, but I, I'm not gonna play if there's any single use plastic in your venue.

And this has literally almost eliminated single-use plastics in a majority of clubs worldwide and festivals.

Yeah, it's a nice, that's a nice people power thing.

We forget how much power there is in the people.

Definitely.

And people are doing, they're doing, you know, the fans are going and doing beach cleans after, after events.

So, you know, it's very, very good thing that they're doing.

I think with motorsport, what people really, you know, maybe who are not in the industry really maybe don't understand is that, Literally the technologies that we see in today's road cars, but not just road cars in pharmaceuticals,

in so many different industries, have been developed through a racetrack, through pushing cars to the limit where they're able to test out data and they're able to, even like computers, like Dell for example, is Microsoft.

Their massive sponsors of Formula One, if you understand how demanding it is to run data for a.

Team, you know, in a racing, in a racing car, this is where they're pushing the limits of their technology and that's getting straight back into their consumer products in terms of climate.

So how does that affect, so you got like, obviously the battery, that, that the way that those things are being, uh, developed is coming directly from Formula E and then clean, clean energy and the, the, um, promotion towards a clean, uh, mobility.

It's coming again through Formula E, extreme E, um, take, you know, getting audiences much more aware about this.

And so, you know, there's 1 billion people who follow Motorsport.

What are you most excited about for your business?

Yeah, definitely.

I think the music coming out is a huge one this year, as I mentioned, seven years in the making.

Um, you know, and so all the best albums are, yeah.

But yeah, so anyway, I'm really excited about that.

And they're on.

Massive labels.

So, and then just motor sport again, just being back in the environment cuz obviously we had that hiatus.

So it's really nice to see the community back.

We're planning a leadership retreat in iha, um, in September.

So quite excited to plan that actually.

And now a quick word from our sponsor.

Business Without Bullshit is brought to you by URI Clark, straight talking financial and legal advice since 1935.

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You fucked anything up?

Come and tell us something.

You fucked up.

Yeah, no, I think you know one, you know that, that question is, is really around doing business with friends cuz this industry is, so both music and motor sport is, is so driven by friends.

Like you'll know coming from the music industry, like your networking happens.

Behind the DJ booth, like, you know, people who are into similar music, they are the ones who are like working in that industry.

And I mean, it's hard to be working in the music industry without having friends who are, who are without making friends.

Like obviously, you know, very similar and passionate about certain thing.

Well, a band normally is, starts as friends and bands obviously start as friends, which can be tough.

So I think you know that, that, and even in Motorsport as well, because just because it started at university for me, this business.

Um, and I was much younger then, and obviously, um, you know, the people that were coming to these events, they were my friends and I was less strict about, you know, money.

Like trusting, oh, you say you're gonna come cool a pet down 2000 pounds to secure an event.

Oh, those 10 people that said they were gonna come, they're not coming anymore.

And I owe this venue like a thousand, whatever it is, you know?

And, and those are hard lessons to learn, you know?

Um, but.

You know, so just being more, yeah, like comfortable about having boundaries around money, you know, that's, that's, you know, really important, especially when it comes to doing business friends.

But I think what you learn along the way as well, and it's not just money driven, it's also about who wants you to succeed and who's jealous.

Um, because there's a lot of that in the, in, in, in music industry in particular.

And it's just, it's a very ego-driven industry.

And so yeah, there are people that just genuinely are not happy for your success cuz they want to be there and they want their artists to be.

In that, you know, spotlight and, and even your friends who are your friends, you know, you realize along the way, actually they're not happy for you because, Because you are.

Yeah.

Whatever.

You know, and it's, it's, it's just something you have to just be guided by your intuition by when you can see that energy, to be honest.

Well, it's humans.

This doesn't ha this doesn't happen down the sewers.

I don't imagine anyone's po Boy, you got the nasty bit over there.

Oh, lucky me over here shoveling this shit.

You know, it is like, the music's a bit more extreme.

Do you know what the flip side though is?

Is that you can make amazing friends through both.

And when you make.

Great friends through it.

Who are your business partners?

They, you know, like someone who's truly got your back, who truly wants to succeed will go that 20 times more, that extra mile they will talk to you about and their friends, they will promote you and their networks.

What's the worst advice you've ever been given?

I do remember early on in my career there was a DJ that I knew, uh, and who is very well known.

And where he always recognized me as a taste selector.

And then when I said to him, oh, I'm gonna be a DJ or I'm gonna start learning, he said, no, don't do that because women can't DJ and they, they don't have a place in this industry.

And his advice was like, don't do it.

And so you just punch 'em in the face.

It's like, really?

Actually that was probably the best thing anyone ever said to you.

Cuz it motivated you.

Well, not it, that wasn't my need for motivation.

I didn't need any motivation.

I was like, I don't, I actually think you're, oh, there's just shit advice.

But if you like somebody you know, you'd like somebody you'd think.

They do a good job.

You, you know, they're kind of, uh, more senior in your industry than you.

Yeah, yeah.

Saying something like that to you is fucking rude.

It's ridiculous.

And there are, it's not, it's not just him.

Like I've observed on social media.

There are.

There are a lot of people, men in particular, who just cannot accept that women can DJ or that women can be a motor sports and or that really women can do anything.

Women can do anything.

Oh, come on, come on.

Not in this town, not these days.

We're pretty, we're pretty good.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given from my mom?

If, if first you don't succeed, just keep, just try, try, try.

Give up again.

Move.

Try again, try again.

There's a million different ways to do it.

Yeah.

Damn right.

Uh, what advice would you give to your younger self?

Uh, yeah, I think it's, uh, prioritizing habits, um, and routine to get consistency cuz that's all gets results.

And I think when I was full-time in music, uh, as you say, it's very dreamy, you know, it's, oh, I'm here and then I'm there and then I'm meeting this person and I'm doing that and I'm in the studio and like, wow.

Then years passed by, where are the results?

Were the results.

Mm-hmm.

Because you need those habits.

Like you need to be like relentless, good at self-promotion.

Like the Americas, we find it difficult as the Brits.

Obviously branding is a big part of it and that's just what it is.

But you know, at the end of the day, you know you need substance.

You know, you can brand anything, but like what is the result?

So you, to get results, whatever you do, you need to have habits.

Atomic habits, as they say.

Yeah.

Atomic Habits.

Yeah.

You know that book, right?

No, it's a great book.

Just means do it a lot, uh, like how to actually like, you know, make a habit.

A habit, you know, and, and, and, oh, you've just done your book selection.

That's, that's what I, yeah.

So what are the other read, watch, listen to things that you would recommend.

Eckhart Toll, uh, new Earth.

I mean, he's a great author.

Um, Ray Dalio Principles is a great book as well.

Uh, watch.

If you're not into f1, watch Drive to Survive.

That's amazing.

What's drive to survive?

Drive to survive is on Netflix and it's single handedly got like millions of fans into, into the sport.

And they're doing the same for like golf and tennis and I don't know, all these other sports f1 drive to survive.

It's amazing.

And then what would I say to listen to you?

Just because I'm gonna advocate for music.

So I would say one of my pet peeves.

When I'm DJing, someone comes up and say, oh, can you just play some commercial music or something we can dance to, or hip hop or r and b And I just really would urge if you're that person, go and listen to electronic music and actually like, understand the beauty behind it.

Cuz it's so intricate, there's so many layers and it's, it's, it doesn't all have to be about, you know, rapping about this thing and that thing, like, and, and just respect the artist.

Anyway.

So I would recommend if you were getting into this music, Uh, John Dig Weed, Bick, and Mond.

David August, all three amazing starting points for discovering electronic music.

So that was this week's episode of Bwb Extra.

And we'll be back tomorrow with our finale for the Wig, the Business All Bullshit Quiz.