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Summary:
In this episode, Steve Sims, founder of Bluefish, Sims Distillery and expert at making things happen, reveals how he went from poor bricklayer to Oscar party host. Elliot and Steve discuss how he built his company from nothing and the mindset required to achieve the impossible. Listen in to hear why people don’t dream big enough, how Steve built a process to fulfill the dreams people didn’t know they had, and what he’s doing now to keep the dreams alive.
If you want to learn more about how Steve “Makes Things Happen” check out the Sims Distillery Course.
Time Stamped Show Notes
- 01:00 – Introducing Steve Sims, his company, Bluefish, and his book, “Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen”
[01:55] – Steve’s journey
- 02:22 – He was a poor bricklayer and now works with high-profile clientele to make their wishes a reality
- 02:35 – Steve was troubled and confused when he was young; he worked at a doorman in Hong Kong at an affluent nightclub
- 03:15 – He talked to the patrons of the club because he wanted to figure out the “secret sauce”
- 03:30 – He provided value by telling them about the next night’s popular nightclub so they’d talk to him
[04:12] – How Steve created Bluefish
- 04:20 – He started giving club advice, then people wanted to get into parties; he figured out how to get people in and built a network of affluent people
- 05:30 – He was the go-to guy for affluent people; they were people others wanted access to
- 07:14 – He got people into yacht parties by framing the right questions and connecting with those who could make it happen
- 07:50 – He tipped a hostess $400 for 4 people to get into the club, then charged them $500 each; he realized the more known you are, the less the risk to get turned away
- 08:30 – He saw that people are comfortable paying, but aren’t comfortable being rejected, turned down, or asked for a favor in return
- 09:20 – He became a party promoter and took over yachts and penthouses; he charged cover for $1,000 and rented a room at the party to jewelers for $50,000
- 10:20 – His purpose was to marry affluent people with an experience
[11:05] – The kinds of wishes his client’s make
- 11:15 – 6 people sat for dinner at the feet of Michelangelo’s David while Andrea Bocelli serenaded them; he’s also set up drum lessons with Guns N Roses
- 11:35 – He’s set up guitar lessons with ZZ Top and a sing-in with Journey; he’s sent people to see the Titanic, in space, on stage, backstage, and front stage
[12:15] – How people react
- 12:20 – People dream small; the dreams they give him are small so he delivers something bigger that they never thought about
[14:10] – Why people don’t dream big: A story
- 14:20 – He was walking through a shopping area in Glendale and saw a heavyset woman carrying 4 Target bags on each arm
- 15:05 – She was taking up a lot of space and tripped; since her arms were out she landed on her face
- 15:55 – Two guys leapt to grab her but couldn’t; after she fell Steve and a couple guys came to her aid
- 16:20 – She was shocked, dazed and began frantically looking around to make sure no one videoed; the paramedics came
- 17:15 – He thinks she must have broken something, but her primary concerns was being ridiculed
- 17:45 – Steve believes most people have the fear of ridicule or denial; they don’t want to be laughed at, shamed, or used
- 18:10 – Social platforms are oftentimes used in these negative ways
- 18:35 – When someone asks Steve for a dream, they’re underselling themselves so he says “yes”; that’s why he over delivers
[19:30] – The reactions Steve sees when people get their dream, but bigger
- 19:35 – Awe, surprise, excitement, enthusiasm, and passion
[19:55] – Steve’s process
- 20:05 – He asks “why” to get to the root reason of a dream; usually it’s an experience that triggers an emotional memory
- 22:10 – People sometimes get nervous but he supports them through their moment; they become excited like kids again
- 24:00 – Bluefish is a referral-based business so he goes to high-profile parties and people come to him to ask wishes
[25:50] – Steve’s wish
- 26:00 – He calls himself “dull” and lives vicariously through clients; he privately consults entrepreneurs to do what he does, and that excites him
[27:00] – The “Bluefishing” book
- 27:45 – The book, at first, was about what he has done; a publisher suggested he spin it to talk about how he had done it
- 28:40 – The book sold 500 copies the first month, 500 the second, then 14,000 copies the third month; the audio did better than the book
- 29:20 – He has spoken worldwide and does private events
[30:30] – On Steve’s experience with a ghostwriter
- 30:50 – The book was written too long at first; Steve dreamed of a man buying the book at the airport, reading it on his flight, and tossing it when he landed
- 31:50 – He decided he wanted the book to be more impactful and useful; he wanted it to be short enough to read on a flight from JFK to LAX
- 32:50 – He flew to his publisher’s office to discuss the book and its length; the agent said he needed a translator, not a ghostwriter
- 34:25 – The ghostwriter had written a cheat sheet on the second chapter which was usable in the new draft; they did a cheat sheet for each chapter
- 34:55 – The tips are available as a downloadable PDF on his site
3 Key Points
- Relationships are when both parties benefit; value must go both ways.
- People don’t dream big enough; that’s why Steve helps realize bigger dreams than his clients initially had.
- When you dig into them, big dreams usually come from a trigger of an emotional memory.
Contact/Resources
- Primed Mind – Elliot’s Mindset Coaching App
- Steve’s book: “Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen”
- Steve’s Website
- Bluefish Website
- The Sims Distillery Course
- In the U.S., you can text “SIMS” to 345345 to get videos, a tip sheet, and alerts
- Steve’s Instagram
- Steve’s Facebook
