Coffee With Dan

Have you ever been spat on?

Now before I go any further; for once this isn’t me being a kinky fucker

(I’ve dated a pornstar before so it’s safe to safe my tastes aren’t what you would call ‘vanilla’)

But outside of the bedroom?

I’ll tell you something

It’s perhaps one of the most degrading things to of happened to me

– I would rather of been punched –

But that’s for later in the story, let’s cycle back a bit

Now when I had my world ripped out from under me; then came the threats

– standard biz stuff I see now –

I was told I couldn’t legally work in that ‘space’ and I believed it

Frightened?

Yeah, I’ll hold my hand up and say I was

So as I said yesterday I was walking 4-7 miles every day in a heatwave, June, trying to find something I could do for work

Now you might of heard some of this in the book but here’s something I’ve never shared

Yep I’ve got into dept
Yep I’ve been fucked financially
Yep I’ve lost jobs

But I’ve never not been able to find work

And for the first and only time in my life?

I signed on

I realised that my efforts were getting my nowhere fast and I was simply too overqualified for retail jobs (they thought I would leave) and the fact I couldn’t talk about what happened was destroying my chances with anything more corporate

Rock
Me
Hard place

As someone who has NEVER asked for a handout in my life form the government it was a truly humbling moment

But I approached it as best I could

Managed to iron my suit as couldn’t afford to get it dry cleaned and booked an appointment

Now I don’t know if any of you have had to do this or go on ‘welfare’ of any kind

But its truly demoralising

For those of us who want to work
Want to add value
Don’t like to be a drain
Contribute and not take

Your ego takes a hammering

So off I go; 1040 am Monday in Hackney which was my nearest branch

There was already a queue

So I joined if and – brilliantly – I was the only one who was in a suit

(I couldn’t of stuck out more if I tried)

I was actually pretty nervous and keeping my wits about me; but thought Fuck it

Do the meeting
Get a job

Easy

Na

I filled in a form

Then I was told to go and apply for 3 jobs on a machine

I scrolled and scrolled and tried to find anything suitable for me

I went back to the desk

‘Can you help me I’m struggling to find some that I’d be a good fit for’

‘Do you want your job seekers allowance Mr Meredith? If you do come back when you have printed off 3 jobs and don’t come back until you have’

So I did

I signed a little form

And was told to leave

If it went well I’d have – I think – £92 for two weeks in two weeks time

It’s something eh?

What it did show me is for how many people this was all they did

Turn up
Sign on
Leave
Repeat

Some people were gaming the system and were open about it

Most were desperate for work and had been rejected over and over again

It was heartbreaking

I truly don’t know how they kept going

– I was a few weeks in and my confidence and self belief was starting to crack –

From memory I was down to maybe £10-12 now; so shit was getting tight

Had 1/3 loaf of bread left and some Chicago’s town pizzas, tuna and pasta

– maybe enough for a week –

So, once again, thought fuck it

I’m just gonna lie

Totally rewrote my CV to include a lot of bar work that – previously – I hadn’t done

I did have one ace up my sleeve

Had 2 years of doorwork and floor manager experience in a strip club and 6 months of bar experience

– that became years now –

Now let me explain something

Strip clubs?

Ain’t glamour

I ended up working in one when I was a PT up north

My first ever client was given to me and she was called faith, stage name Paige

Got her into wicker shape and she recommended me all her friends

(I was 23 with 10 strippers as clients I won’t lie it was a giggle)

But I never ‘touched the merchandise’ and was trusted they asked me to come work in the club as I was good with people, a big lump and – it turned out – epic and getting the girls more £££

So I went for a walk

I was in the square mile – full of rich, wanker bankers – there must be a strip club around here somewhere

Turned out there was

It’s that one over my shoulder on the top pic

So CV in hand, totally made up back story, got my ‘references’ to go along with it and memorised the lot and I walked in a pitched myself

(When I want to be I can be a charming mofo)

Got the job

Now Im a straight man
Have a high sex drive
Naturally been tested to have upper limit testosterone

Wanna be invisible?

Work in a strip club with people who are worth millions

Y’all ain’t shit

Now I’ll be open here

I was a very shy kid

Didn’t lose my cherry till late teens

Was pretty shy with women (I had no idea how to chat them up lol #blessyoungdan)

But I’d always done pretty well considering

When all this happened I lost my GF at the time because I was so depressed – I don’t blame her – I was like a zombie

She did try to help but I was a broken man and pushed her away

So thought maybe I would meet someone nice here

Fucking lol

As much as it pains me to say it – these ladies where here for money

– and I had fuck all –

But I was good at my job, worked the floor well and and was soon a popular member of staff that everyone seemed to like having around

(Plus if any of the dancers were dicks they got shitty customers lol)

Anyways

It was fucking exhausting

My day was like this

I’d get to work for 550 and wait round the back

See that shop there?

That was a Pret (sandwich shop)

If wait till they closed and hide behind a bin and then they would throw out the sandwiches that they didn’t want for the day

DANS TIME TO SHINE!

Bear in mind it was hot as fuck so I couldn’t wait long but after 5-10 mins their alarm would go off to signal the lock up and into the bin I would go

(Like I said yesterday I’ll do what I have to to survive)

Then it was humping crates, bar work, floor work, sealing with customers until 3am, then home for 5 am

And – BRILLIANTLY- we had roadworks EVERY MORNING at 8am

So I’d get 3 hours sleep

And maybe an hour around 2 or 3 as they went on from 8am to 6pm and no stopping

I was Fucked

But I needed the £££ and was allowed to work while my job seekers allowance came in

So I cracked on

Now if you have read my book

You will be familiar with the story of when I had to get knee deep in shit, literally – and that wasn’t the worst bit – but I’ll share it quickly

For those who haven’t heard it?

I’ll keep it brief before I get to the ‘pay off’ for this post

Nutshell version DO NOT FLUSH TAMPONS

🙂

Because they get stuck in something called an ‘eviscerator’ that chops up waste before going out and yours truly had to make a biohazard suit out of bin bags and climb in and stab it with a pole to dislodge it

If I didn’t?

Club wouldn’t open and I wouldn’t get paid

Do what you need to do eh?

So anyways it was a week later and Thursday night (#wankerbanker) night was our biggest

Total fucking douchebags hammering the expense account on Dance’s and drinks

One guy got a bit handsy

So I asked him to stop

I was super polite – they were big spenders – and simply said:

‘We want you to have fun but you know the rules you can’t touch the girls’

‘I can do what I want’ was his sneering reply

‘You can of course, but not here I’m afraid if you do it again I’m going to have to ask you to leave’

His retort?

He laughed

‘I earn more in a day than you do in a year, fuck off’

Then he looked

And spat on me

Just below my right knee

Like I was nothing

Me at full ‘Dan’

Would of smashed his fucking head in

Me with my confidence and self belief smashed

Just walked away

I was as low and as broken as I can remember being

Which brings me to the second pic

One of the girls saw this happen to me and came up to me and gave me a hug

She wiped the spit off my leg and gave me £10

‘We all love yoy here Dan that was horrible you didn’t deserve it. I know money’s tight got you right now treat yourself to a beer and some food on the way home…please let

I folded it up

Put it in my wallet and finished my shift

Ain’t no shame in admitting this but I went home and sat crying to myself

How had my life got this bad that I was spat on for fucks sake

At that moment – that exact moment – I made a vow

If I ever need to spend this £10

I’d give up

Not give up and go home

But I’d tap out
For good
No more dan

Literally death or glory (which that phrase is tattooed on my thigh but that’s a story for another day)

I didn’t want to give up so every day I would unfold that £10

‘If I spend you? I’m dead, your family need you so get the fuck out there and make it happen’

I said that every morning

Because even though I was close to cracking and truly the most tired I’ve ever been

Every day I would go out there and hustle interviews out of nothing

Eventually I got a job

My ass was saved

I quit the club eventually; was exhausting but saved my ass

I learned a lot about myself during this time

I found a resilience I didn’t know I had

A gear I’ve never used before kicked in

As a quiet shy kid I was tougher than I thought

I didn’t quit

I wanted to

I wanted to – at the time – not be here

100%

But I kept going and here I am now

And that £10?

Thats been with me every since – now encased on plastic to keep it safe

It’s not been spent

I’m still here

It’s a daily reminder (it’s always in my eyeline everywhere I go) that I have hit rock bottom

And I made it back up

The whole point of this series was me sharing a story of me looking for ‘something’ and seeing if my past could help me connect to my future

– and more importantly my present –

I found what I was looking for

Tomorrow?

I’ll share it with you

Some of you?

Might be ‘turned off’ by what I’m gonna say

And that’s ok

But honestly I think what I’m going to share we ALL need to hear and be reminded of

Once again, thank you for reading

See you tomorrow

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When did you last clear the fuck out of your life…

Shit you don’t use…

Courses on your laptop…

People that don’t serve you…

?!?

So the lady with me runs the cleaning company I uses and her employee is essentially my back up mum

(I have her twice a week because ‘apparently’ not living like a feral manbeast is a thing…)

I was one of her first clients and she has since grown it into a little Brighton empire

She looks after me and I said

‘Can got help me bin the fuck out of my life’

Ever the entrepreneur?

She said yes

This is the start of 6 hours (yes six) of going room to room and harshly deciding what stays it goes

As much as I HATE HATE HATE cleaning and admin and sorting shit out

I’ll feel fucking awesome AFTER – and that’s what’s keeping my going

I’ve done the same with people in my life who have either outgrown one another or simply gone in different ways

Same with my health and fitness – binning shit that doesn’t serve me

Now it’s my physical space

Which brings me to you; when was the last time you said ‘fuck it’ and had a massive clear out?

Or do you like to hoard things for a ‘rainy day’ that never happens

My advice?

Get someone who has zero emotional attachment to your life and pay them to help clear it

Physical, digital or emotional

Clearing shit out gives you not only freedom but space for new shit (that’s probably better) to serve you…

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How important do you think thinks like manners, charm, politeness and generally being a gentlemen (or lady equivalent) is?

I checked out of a hotel this morning

Because #entrepredouche – it was a rather pleasant one

You find the staff in such places are usually extremely well trained and almost overly helpful

Saw an extended family leaving with a lot of luggage and DEMANDING they be seen to first ahead of the rest of us politely waiting for a taxi

They were so fucking rude

Making demands…

Being dismissive…

Turning their backs to staff mid conversation…

Aka no manners

(The hailed from a country that is traditionally not known for manners/politeness culturally – it’s how things are it seems)

It’s one of the true bug bears I have and I simply can’t ignore bad treatment of others – especially when there’s a sense of entitlement

When I’m in another country?

I spend time looking up what’s acceptable; what laws to obey, any religious considerations, any words of gestures that are ‘no no’s as well as trying to memorise a few phrases in the local language

– I believe making an effort is paramount –

So I asked them, politely, to please speak to hotel staff nicely or I would happily delay their ‘important’ journey – as well as my own – to prove a point

They subsequently apologised to the staff

And I went on my merry way

🙂

I see it a lot online

People speak to and about people that they would NEVER do in real life

(Mainly because it would probably get you slapped…)

There’s a sense of entitlement and arrogance that quite frankly I wasn’t raised to be like

Be forward
Be tenacious
Be cheeky
Be charming

But underpinning it all?

Be fucking polite

I believe in treating people how they treat me; and I try be nice to everyone

I have bad days time to time…

Peoples messages sometimes lack nuance or the right emoji to offset or lean the message the right way

But I swear it’s something on the up and something I don’t want to be a part of

I’m sure i could of got more followers, more £££, more influence being a ruthless rude bastard

– I simply can’t be arsed –

Sure people talk a generous amount of shit behind my back

But day to day?

Zero stress

I just potter along doing my own thing

For 2020 if you are looking to be/achieve/do more?

I’d keep this as a focus on your business; treat people how you want to be treated

It gets you surprisingly far

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(The ‘casual lovers’ tip to get more clear, get productive and get more shit DONE….and blag a bargain to boot)

So yesterday I said that I would show you how (when I need to, I do this every 2-4 months it seems) I get:

– clear

– focused

– productive

– happy

– £££

Some of you may know that you can do this – and there IS more to this than asking (which I’ll come to, I have a ‘system’)

But did you know you can book a hotel from 9-5, for a FRACTION of the cost – generally I get them around £60 I find – use ALL the facilities AND have a nap too

Yep, you can

This shit works like stink as change location = change state

+

If you do it like I do? Tends to work really rather well

This is what I do

1. Make a list of hotels in the commutable area and hit the phones (don’t email)

I then call them up, generally around 10am as the AM rush is gone and ask them what their rack rate is for a day room

If the person doesn’t know what it is? Ask to speak to a supervisor I’ve YET too find one that wont offer me one

Premise being its better to have SOME money than NONE – aka an empty room

– and as I said earlier don’t ask how I found out about this –

#ihavesomequestionableexes haha

2. Get your supplies in beforehand

As you can see, I have a few things with me

I ALWAYS get a new notepad and pens when I do this

There’s something about a ‘fresh start’ when the mind is muddled

I also always have:

– fiction book

– biz/marketing/entrepreneur book

– personal/self development book

3.Get dirty

Go though the books, highlight the chapters that resonate with you – read them – take notes

Do NOT be precious about it

Yes you are fucking up a few books but we are looking for huge clarity and new ideas here so let your mind run free

Take note of ideas that resonate with you and write them down

Spend an hour or two doing this

4. Nap

Seriously

Every time I do this process, when I wake up – generally within a minute or so of waking – I get an answer I need/clarity/a great musing

Your subconscious is smarter than you

Close down your ‘tabs’ (your non stop chattering monkey mind!) and let it do its ting

5. Queue it up

I LIVE by queue cards

Once I have done all the above I have a double espresso, put on some looped music (usally one song that gets me amped AF) and I just rattle the fuck out of the cards

I write idea after idea

Hook after hook

Thought after thought

If I get stuck?

I pace around the room, do some press ups, dance around like a loon (Dont I Sarah) – anything to get the blood pumping

Then I read my notes from earlier the day and start again with the cards

The secret is NOT being perfect

That’s for TOMORROW you

Get whats in your head, OUT – and tomorrow go through the cards with a more ‘rational’ mind

Use the 3/5 system (with the 1-2-3 ranking as per HTBFA) and then plug it into your diary

Et voila

New ideas

Clarity

Less fuzzy head

New revenue ideas

Inspiration

This is like a brain dump but more furious and less ‘neat’ if that makes any sense

And, well, of your smart…

6. Be charming (it gets you far)

Take your time to talk to the staff, ask to thank the manager, be a kind/genial/charming human

It gets you UPGRADES

Its – as a rule – NO skin of their nose to give you a better room

This room has:

– a fucking amazon rainforest as a shower

– a sick coffee machine

– a balcony

– a table football game

– a PS4 and Wii

It cost me the grand total of?

Le zero

🙂

I made an effort to have a GENUINE conversation – aka took a fucking interest – and asked if they had any upgrades

(And if you fancy a naughty night out, you can often get overnight for bargain as if its not booked – why not?)

The above sounds SO simple doesn’t it?

But it WORKS

It works so so so well its ridiculous

Oh and if I was you, find one with a sweet spa – there’s something gloriously indulgent about smashing in a load of work and then soaking your bones as a reward

(That and I 100% LOVE tarting around in a robe. Robe life is sexy AF)

7. But be DISCIPLINED

I don get to go to the spa or have a nice food if I don’t do the work

That’s it

I’m VERY hard on myself

You HAVE to exert some discipline in your life and if you want to get ahead

Do the work?

Get a reward

Don’t?

Then you don’t

Simple

Notifications OFF – on everything

Family need to get in touch? Give em your room number when you check in

That’s what the key is to making this work

Like everything in life eh?

***************

And that’s it, what do you think – would you be willing to give it a go?

If you have anything you want to add to it? Then I’m welcome for any other tips you have for achieving:

– clarity

– productivity

– new biz ideas

– fun

Simple

Effective

Most wont do it

^^^ but those that do and stick to the outline above?

WILL get ahead and feel light as a balls after

(I always do)

And seeing as I’m feeling generous, if you feel you need a day like the above?

Let me know WHY below

If I see someone deserving?

My treat….

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Eat your veg before you treat yourself to dessert

It’s Sunday
I’m doing 90 mins of minging leg training
It’s arm day

I don’t want to be training legs
I want to be training arms

However I didn’t get a chance (had to rest my 39 year old spine due to packing all the boxes 😭)

What am I talking about? Simple:

Too many folks either a) put off the shit they need to to, b) justify it to themselves/make excuses, or c) aren’t prepared to do the work needed to create a lasting change

If you want to get ahead (in any areas of life) your not just going to have to keep your word to others…

…but keep your word to yourself

Don’t keep eating dessert before you have had your veg

EARN the right to do the stuff you want to do ONCE you have done the work…

Hard work – let’s be honest – ISNT fun

But once it’s done you KNOW you deserve that metaphorical cake eh?

😘

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Skint…brassic…tapped…struggling…fucked

Any of those seem familiar when it comes to money?

Most of us at one point or another have come to a point in our lives where cash has simply not been there

– far too much month at the end of the money –

For my?

My lowest was £22 to last me 6 weeks; and I’m going to share that journey with you today – and over the next two posts this little ‘saga’ will all come together nicely culminating in one of the most valuable lessons I can impart to you

(If you miss part #1, it’s in the announcements)

So anyway

£22

Can’t do much with that can you?

When I had my life completely turned upside down, my ego hammered and my confidence completely shot to shit?

That’s all I had to my name

It was a £10 note I had in my wallet and the various bits of change I found around the flat

I had to cancel every single thing that made me happy

Gym

Gone

Nights out

Gone

Cinema

Gone

Love film

Gone

There was more but I had to cancel every single thing that even made me slightly happy JUST to survive

Then I had to take stock of my ‘assets’

1 x tub of protein powder
1 x jar of marmite
1 x loaf of happy shopper white bread

That’s it

That was the entire of my food to last me 6 weeks – along with what I could get with £22

(The whole 6 weeks thing will make sense tomorrow, at the time I had no idea how long it would be until I got paid)

So froze most of the bread, rationed myself to 2 slices of marmite toast a day and two protein shakes

– it wasn’t much but it was something –

I still had (for now) a roof over my head, 17 days left until my mobile got cut off and electricity…I could work with that

Now before I go on there’s a phrase I heard yesterday on a podcast I think

‘An empty wallet, a hungry stomach and a broken heart teach us the most valuable lessons in life’

And NOW, looking back?

I can see they do

But when you are so fucking hungry…

You are exhausted from walking miles and miles
In the summer heat handing out CV’s by hand…

When all you want is burger or a beer – fucking ANYTHING for a moment of pleasure or happiness but all you have is a single slice of bread and spread at home to feed you…

You don’t just hate life

You don’t want to BE alive

You question yourself

You beat yourself up

You smash yourself in your head over and over again

Because at that time?

You feel like the biggest piece of shit failure ever

It’s truly hard to make yourself get up and do what needs to be done

At the time?

Spite
Pride
Fear

^^^ that’s what motivated me

Spite = I’ll show you fuck face, I’ll get back on my feet

Pride = I couldn’t go back home a failure

Fear = if I didn’t make it, my sisters future safety was fucked

So I got up

Washed my clothes every day by hand and using a bar of soap

Dried them on the window sill

And did what I could

Walked
Called
Knocked on doors
Blagged
Charmed

I refused to quit and with the fact I was going to be evicted in a few weeks as a motivator I just buried that voice deep down inside and walked

Every night I cried myself to sleep

Every fucking night

No one knew

No one cared

I just had to keep going because if I stopped to think for one minute

I’d crack

Shall I tell you what – for me – truly bought home how much of a failure I felt?

Iceland

(The frozen food store not the place)

Mum and Dad didn’t have much spare at all at the time – but they managed to send me £15 worth of food vouchers for Iceland

I went round with a calculator

Firstly was adding up the cost of the food and keeping it under 15…

…and secondly I was finding the cheapest, highest calorie foods I could

For me to be me?

My maintenance is around 2400/2700 calories a day

I was on 400 calories a day

Probably waking 5-7 miles a day – couldn’t afford a bus or tube – seeing what I could find for work as was legally limited and no one wanted what I was offering at the time

That ladies and gentlemen is tired
That ladies and gentlemen is skint
That ladies and gentlemen is the lowest I’d been

The big sad came every night and it was sheer willpower I managed to get out of bed and try ‘put on a brave face son’ as she used to say to me

It’s very hard to motivate yourself when you are that low, so I partitioned of £1 a week as a treat to try and keep me sane and give me something to look forward to

If I did a CV walk every day, and did at least 5 pitches

I was allowed my £1

Wanna know what it was

You’re looking at it

99p got you 5 hot wings and a can of tango

4pm on a Friday – the afternoon school special

So there I am each week, with all the kids – wiring up for 5 little bits of fried chicken and a can of orange drink

Sounds nuts doesn’t it?

But you have no idea how much that kept me going

If I did my 5 days then I had this epic treat that was the highlight of my week was all mine

I’d earned it
I deserved it

Mad eh?

And you wanna know what was the best day I ever had?

I found 50p near the gates of where I lived

Hidden near the post, had been there a little bit as was a bit filthy

I actually cried

Daylight

27 years old

Over 50p

Why?

Because I could go over the road and afford a Freddo chocolate bar

– it was the best day I had in weeks –

Scroll forward to today; I have a nice home, multiple businesses, 5-figure watches, sports bikes, jet skis, 5 star hotels, the book

Blah
Blah
Blah

Things
Stuff

But I NEVER forget that day I found 50p

And I never ever forget what it’s like to be so hungry you drink water to keep you full and try and ignore the pain you fell

I have been to the bottom

I have seen the depths

But I managed to rise up and – eventually – get back to the surface

It can be done
I’m literally nothing or no one special
I managed to – in my own way – make it

And as promised this trip down memory lane does have a reason that’s not for humblebragging or flexing purposes

My ass ain’t for kissing or blowing smoke up

(This is my past – it’s just a story – but one that shaped me)

Yes there is one reason that I needed selfishly for myself

– and what I ended up with last night was exactly what I needed –

But if you stick with me?

The pay off for you – I hope – will be a lesson that sticks with you for life

One more story to go:

One that involves stealing from bins, being spat on, a level of tiredness that I’ve never before or since experienced and doing things that I’m not proud of to survive

Then the big ‘reveal’ lesson wise – for you – on Friday

Thank you for reading

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What’s your thoughts on mixing work and pleasure?

For me it’s simple – I do – because:

1. My life is more enjoyable
2. Less stress (when we have issues/obstacles as we get on makes it easier to fix + I want to)
3. Make more £££ (they stay with me longer/refer me biz)
4. One life – seriously why would you NOT work with people who energise rather than drain you
5. I’ll go above and beyond in servitude (basically if I like you I’ll do more #simple)

^^^ that’s the TLDR version

Yes of course you need boundaries – these should ALWAYS be established at the front end

If that’s done and theirs mutual respect – I think your onto a winner

Yes it has backfired in the past (my fault for not establishing boundaries) but day to day

I enjoy my work!

Do you agree!?

(And FYI if you haven’t seen this quite before – I in fact did say this on stage in front of 700 strangers 🙃)

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STOP BEING A DICK TO YASELF

When was the last time you treated you? (You DO deserve it ya know)

I have done a LOT of coaching calls, 121 and chats with entreprehumans over the years

Just today I spoke to a pleasant human who had achieved all manner of epic shizzle

Yet the focussed on the shit they HADNT achieved

QUIT
THAT
SHIT

Seriously a big chunk of y’all need to be kinder to you

When you fuck up – duh – don’t celebrate that

But DO take time to:

1. Reflect on where you were
2. How far you have come
3. What you have achieved

So if you haven’t in a while do the above and fucking celebrate!

It’s a great time to be alive – you have achieved more than you think – so do me a favour

Do something for YOU time to time ok?

Look I’m as guilty of this myself

– had an epic EWD launch with an amazing intake
– a huge us company (you know them 😉) picked up my book for a few hundred stores
– I moved house and set up completely again
– mapped out a new biz and did an epic challenge
– dropped 12lbs

I haven’t celebrated once!

So I am

(Tomorrow I’m just going to go south from Somerset until I run out of road then potter along the coastline for a few days because #reasons and #happyplace)

My advice?

Do the same

Right now

Tell me ONE win you have had in the last month

Big or small
Biz or personal

Then tell me what you gonna do to celebrate?!??

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In the last few weeks you would of seen a few hundred posts from entrepreneurs all over the globe

As many of you will be aware I was challenging them to get out of their comfort zones and – all being well – make ‘bank’

Now most of you know WHO (family) I’m doing it for

But why?

Maybe that’s something you don’t know and – seeing as I’m getting everyone else to share – I thought only fair I do too

I USED to pretend my way was about having all the things & stuff; baller lifestyle, VIP treatment and shiny stuff

Did that a few times

It was fun

But ultimately was pretty hollow

(Mad how the things that you THINK will make you happy often don’t eh?)

The real reason

Loneliness

I’ve always – ever since I was a kid – felt like I was an outsider looking in

I wasn’t bullied (probably because they gave me a ‘pass’ because of my sister)…

Had friends…

Was actually – in a weird way – vaguely popular

But I continually felt like I wasn’t rememberer; I was easily forgotten and wasn’t malicious but people didn’t remember me for stuff

Kinda hurts in your teens eh?

So I always said to myself if I ever had the chance? I’d do it myself

As a kid I didn’t think people would want to spend time with me on my bday so I hired the rugby club – partnered up with a hot girl in my year – and invited 200+ people

At uni first day everyone was nervous and in their rooms so I thought fuck it knocked on 51 other doors (the whole of my hall) and took myself and 51 other people down the pub

Never wanted anyone to feel like I felt – alone – so thought if no one else would if bring everyone together

Cool kids

Sporty kids

Quiet kids

Weird kids

Naughty kids

I’d get them all together and get them talking

I’ve been doing this my whole life apparently; mum showed me a school report which said:

‘Daniel is a kind child who often puts the needs of his classmates ahead of his own’

And I did

And – give or take – I still do

Yes I care about myself way more than I used to; but I do what I do because it makes me feel good to to make others feel good

That and I don’t want anyone to feel like they have no one

I’ve been there

It sucks ass

– it really does –

That’s why ‘Coffee with Dan’ is as good as it is

Its the reason that ‘Espresso With Dan’ has such crazy low turnover because we actually give a fuck and truly give a shit about everyone – on their own terms – succeeded

But (I like to think) I’ve lead by example to create a community of people who actually give a Fuck about their fellow humans

And ultimately sometimes we all need to be heard, noticed and that there is someone there for us

That’s why I do what I do

Not only because I want to help people achieve th lives they want through the vehicle of entrepreneurship

But so that peeps never have to feel like they have no one to turn to

I wouldn’t want anyone to feel like I did back when I started

So I do what I do so that they don’t

And that’s that

😘

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