Steve Sims - The Real Life Wizard of Oz

“It’s our flaws and stupidities that make us authentic. Ugly works. Fuck pretty.”

Think of the wildest thing you’ve ever wanted to do.

Go to outer space? Deep-sea dive and see the remains of the Titanic? Sing in a famous rock and roll band in front of thousands of people?

Steve Sims is the man who can make it happen. In fact, he’s made all of these experiences a reality for his clients as the CEO of Bluefish - a company curating once-in-a-lifetime, world-class experiences that are otherwise impossible to do.

Steve (left) - eyebrow ring and all, with Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Airlines

Steve (left) - eyebrow ring and all, with Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Airlines

Sims has arranged everything from a private dinner for six at the feet of Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell ’Accademia in Florence, Italy – with the diners serenaded by famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli – to private guitar lessons with ZZ Top.

But despite a world-class Rolodex and a long list of A-list celebrities and athletes as clients, Steve is still a humble, no-bullshit kind of guy (more on that later).

He conducts his life and business by being the “kind of guy I’d want to know.” He’s a father, husband to his high school sweetheart (of 25+ years), a supporter of dog adoption, and a philanthropist who has raised over half a million dollars for non-profit organizations – without taking ONE CENT in administrative or any other fees.

I’ve written this bio and curated a list of links in hopes that I can share Steve’s inspiring story and character with you, so that you may go on and live your life more successfully with a bit of Sims’ wisdom.

Where it all started - laying bricks in London

Perhaps Steve’s humble beginnings have kept him grounded. Sims grew up in a down-to-earth construction family in East London. His first job was a bricklayer.

He recalls standing on a ladder one day and looking down on the workers below him. He saw his entire family tree - his dad, uncles, and cousins - working straight down a line. He knew that would be him if he didn’t get out.

He remembers having an epiphany and being shocked to realize ‘that most of the time, what holds us back is entirely in our heads.’ He quit his construction job that night.

After working a series of odd jobs like delivering cakes, selling insurance, and working the door at night clubs, Sims eventually talked his way into his first ‘real’ job - as a stockbroker for a London firm who wanted to send him to Hong Kong. As Steve says, he was “totally unqualified for” the job.

His luck was short-lived. “I got drunk on Sunday, went to orientation on Monday morning; on Tuesday a.m. I was fired.”

The birth of Bluefish

He was stranded in Hong Kong with no money and no job. Having a bit of experience working as a bouncer he started working the doors of the Hong Kong nightclubs, eventually making friends with many of the wealthiest and connected people in the city.

As he worked to expand his network, he gained a reputation for being the guy who could make a connection. He became “the man that can.” He could secure spots in exclusive, invite-only parties. He could find tickets for sold-out concerts. He could get premier seating at the ritziest events.

His wife Clare eventually suggested that he should expand the things he was doing to create his own job. “We’re making good money here,” she said. “Maybe we should give it a go.”

An unconventional CEO hobnobbing with billionaires

Fast forward a few years to Southern Florida - Bluefish was a fairly booming business, with clients all over the world and hundreds of carefully curated experiences under its belt.

A local newspaper wanted to do an article about Sims’ business. They insisted on a photo shoot of Sims in a full jacket and suit, on a private jet. “It was so unnatural,” he said, “Nothing like the whiskey-drinking biker from South London. I left the interview and it was like an out-of-body experience. So not like me. I wouldn’t trust me.”

His fear: “If I’m putting out this image of the stiff fake British guy, who am I going to catch? Nobody I resonate with. I knew I didn’t want the clients who’d be responding to this.”

Sims found that when he’s authentic and genuinely himself, he gets excited about his days. Fear and tightness go away and are replaced by the thrill of new ideas and opportunity. His best clients feed off of that authenticity and get excited about working with him.

The craziest things he’s done for a client

Sims does everything in his power to make sure he can exceed the expectations of his clients - short of allowing someone to detonate a nuclear warhead (yes - a real ask).

“We’ve done the New York Fashion Week where our client actually walked the runway. We turned a mogul into James Bond in Monaco where he literally was chased to the streets by spies with a sexy vixen.

We have this client that actually wants to get married in the Vatican. I’ve got people in the Vatican who have arranged for him to marry his beautiful fiancé in the Vatican. He wants to surprise her by taking her down to Venice on Tuesday, then on Wednesday they'll have a private dinner for two over the canals of Venice, and we’ve got Seal, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Toni Braxton going in to perform at different times for this single night.”

All of these experiences make for good stories, which led Steve to writing his first book - The Art of Bluefishing - which is how I found out about him.

Steve makes dreams come true for others - but what’s on his bucket list? 

One of the things I find most impressive about Steve is his humility and satisfaction with the life he’s led. When asked about what’s on his own bucket list, Steve told one interviewer this:

“I’m actually probably one of the dullest people that you’ll meet. I make a mean barbeque, I work on my motorbikes and that’s it. I really don’t roll around with big jewelry and have Rolls Royces lined up. I don’t have any interest in any of that. I think that’s probably one of the things that helped in my business, the fact that I’m not caught up in it.

I don’t suppose you’d want an addict selling drugs, so the fact that I’m the complete opposite to the lifestyle that I provide allows me to be a lot more grounded. As I say, I just live vicariously through the request of my clients.”

And even having met and befriended some of the wealthiest people in the world, Sims has no real desire to grow a mega fortune.

“I’m the wealthiest guy on the planet, hands down. I got kids, dogs, a beautiful home, enough whiskey in the house and food to feed everyone — what more can I want? So I think it’s your perception of how rich you are that really matters.”

READ.

The 5 Keys To Business From The Man With The World's Coolest Job
Sims dropped out of school in East London, England at 15. The only degree he ever got was a bricklaying course. At 21 Sims decided he wanted to be a filthy rich banker so he applied for a finance job in Hong Kong without any experience. He was fired the day after he arrived. For his clients, it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Bluefish your way to media success
Sims made what he calls ‘a fairly arrogant discovery’- that you have to provide the media what it needs. The media is an animal, and like any kind of living entity, it needs to be fed. “They don’t need junk food. The media needs to be fed properly. They aren’t a business if they don’t have something to write. They need something new; something fresh.”

Thus the Steve Sims approach to public relations: “The three E’s”: Engage, Entertain and Educate. “They need something good, and I need them for visibility,” he says. “So I find the win/win.”

The hidden private experiences of the travel elite
Not all of Bluefish’s concierge services are available to anyone with the ability to pay. Sims is highly selective regarding membership. “I make sure to only accept the right types of clients who are doing it for themselves not for their careers or who will embarrass me once I open a door for them,” he says.

Meet the Modest Man Who Fulfills Billionaires’ Dreams But Doesn’t Give a Sh*t About Money
“For starters, I have no secrets. I think that’s been my secret — solely been my magic sauce. I am who I am, I say what I think. You’ll know exactly where you stand with me every single moment. I think that simplicity — that clean, fresh attitude — is what’s made us who we are.

We’re not there for the money… because I tend to find out that if you have a lot of money, you get lazy. When you have a little bit of money, you hustle, and neither of those two extremes are good for your system...”

LISTEN.



The Art of Making Things Happen
Steve has built himself a dream network including celebrities like Sting and Andrea Bocelli and business moguls like Elon Musk and Richard Branson. Here’s the playbook for making anything happen - regardless of who you are.

High Profile, World Party Coordinator
Steve outlines how (and why) ignorance is key to becoming successful. Relocating to the United States in 2000, Bluefish began to grow rapidly. Bluefish earned an exclusive reputation after official involvement in numerous events including the Kentucky Derby, Award Shows and New York Fashion Week. Since 2000, Bluefish has continued to dazzle the rich and famous with extraordinary experiences and execution of the impossible; from sending clients to the bottom of the Atlantic to view the RMS Titanic all the way into outer space for civilian space flights. 

How to Make Impossible Things Happen
This interview is a masterclass in sales. Steve discusses how to find the right people to connect with, the proper way to ask questions that will get you what you want, and how to get deep into the minds of your clients.

WATCH.

Interview: Bluefish concierge founder
Steve discusses how the name ‘Bluefish’ came about (hint: it was a password to get into nightclubs) and how he built a following for his company… on accident!

The Secret to Making Things Happen
Anything that becomes stagnant becomes stale and dies. Steve doesn’t want to die - and he doesn’t want you or your business to die either. Here’s how to maintain growth personally and professionally, the Steve Sims way.

How to Send a Resume - the Right Way
In this three minute video, Steve outlines how to stand out from everyone else applying for the same job with a few simple tricks.

TECHNIQUES TO TRY.

The Chug Test
“If you walk down the street and you see your client on the other side of the road,” explains Sims, “Do you want to run across the road through traffic and say ‘Hey Johnny great to see you. Let’s go have a whiskey.’ Or do you want to turn your face, hide, and hope they never saw you?

It’s primitive and probably totally unintelligent. But that’s the single most important element to know whether a client is in or not. I don't care if I’m with kings and queens, or peasants or whatever. If I can share a whiskey and joke with (you), I’m cool. If you’re a duck you’re a duck.”

Be Your Ugly Self
“I can look at every dark period of my life and realize that I diluted or sold myself,” Sims says. “But when you turn up as ‘you’ whoever ‘you’ are, people just seem to like you better. Because you’re not a fake. Successful people can see right through that.”

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
“My dad told me (early on),” Sims says, “That no one ever drowns from falling in water. They drown by staying there. Making mistakes is a great thing as long as you learn from them.”

The Ugly Truth Is Always Better Than Bullshitting People
Be transparent enough people can understand who you are and build a relationship from it, Sims advises. Give them the evidence they can use to work out whether they want to engage you or not on their own.

“We don’t leave anything to chance,” Sims advises, “But some things are always out of our control so we know how to make something wrong, right before our client even knows that we’re doing it.”

Keeping your word
“Keep your word. Then keep your word. And then keep your word, because without your word you are nothing. Finally, keep it simple. That’s it. If you say you’re gonna do something, do it. There you go, it’s done. Just simple. You’d be surprised how far you can go from there. “

QUOTES TO REMEMBER.

“If there’s no passion, there’s no point!”

“There’s also a great thing out there about karma. If you’re out there and you’re open to those opportunities, those opportunities will come. If you go out there with value, credibility, respect, then you will grow in where you are supposed to grow.”

A client talking about his experience with Steve: “Sometimes he’s said I’m shooting too small. At every turn he has said, ‘You’re the client, I work for you. What do you want me to do? What’s your dream?’”

“I’m a 50 year old 5 year old. Remember when your mom used to tell you ‘you can’t do that!’ I’d turn around and say ‘well why not?’ and then do it.”

“Being unintelligent can make you ignorant to fear.”

Connect With Steve Sims & Bonus Links

If you enjoyed reading this you might also like to learn about a secret I learned to speak any new language… FAST.

Big thanks to Charlie Bleecker, Sterling Schuyler, Julia LaSalvia, Ryan Williams, and Louis Pereira for the help in finalizing this one!