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Feb 15, 2018 · 17m · top-founders

936 He Made $8m Last Year Getting Ordinary People On Stage with Bon Jovi

Steve Sims · 10m spoken Nathan Latka · 5m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of The Top Entrepreneurs Podcast, host Nathan Latka interviews Steve Sims, founder of luxury concierge firm Bluefish, exploring his rise from an East London bricklayer to generating nearly $9 million by engineering extraordinary VIP experiences. Sims breaks down his operational business model, critiques the publishing industry, and shares practical frameworks for accessing world-class power players.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 33.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 2.8 Guest teaching 2.4 Guest disagreement 1.4 Nathan pushing back 2.0
05100:0010:000:49–3:25 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Introducing Steve Sims and High-End Experiential Concierge Nathan introduces Steve Sims with a personal anecdote about meeting him in West Hollywood for Oscar party tickets. Steve colorfully explains his high-end experiential business, recounting past client requests like diving to the Titanic and private concerts.3:25–10:19 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Origins, Client Vetting, and Branding of Bluefish Nathan presses Steve to explain how the business actually makes money beyond the hype, asking specific clarifying questions about contracts and early revenue. Steve details the origins of Bluefish from Hong Kong nightclub passwords to corporate concierge deals.10:21–12:45 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Sponsor Break: Website Optimization with Hotjar Nathan reads a sponsor ad for Hotjar and then transitions back to ask Steve about scalability and exact 2016 financial figures. Steve reveals they generated close to nine million dollars in revenue across various projects.12:45–15:23 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Authoring 'Bluefishing' and Uncovering the Publishing Industry Steve discusses writing his book with Simon & Schuster and exposes the pay-to-play tactics common among bestselling authors. Nathan jumps in with his own domain expertise, confirming the reality through his newly signed book deal with Portfolio Random House.15:23–17:32 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Strategic Access to Power Players and Book Availability Steve shares tactical advice on how to get close to high-profile figures like former presidents by buying proximity tables at charity galas. Nathan wraps up the interview with his standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions.0:49–3:25 · Guest teaching 3/10 Introducing Steve Sims and High-End Experiential Concierge Nathan introduces Steve Sims with a personal anecdote about meeting him in West Hollywood for Oscar party tickets. Steve colorfully explains his high-end experiential business, recounting past client requests like diving to the Titanic and private concerts.3:25–10:19 · Guest teaching 3/10 The Origins, Client Vetting, and Branding of Bluefish Nathan presses Steve to explain how the business actually makes money beyond the hype, asking specific clarifying questions about contracts and early revenue. Steve details the origins of Bluefish from Hong Kong nightclub passwords to corporate concierge deals.10:21–12:45 · Guest teaching 1/10 Sponsor Break: Website Optimization with Hotjar Nathan reads a sponsor ad for Hotjar and then transitions back to ask Steve about scalability and exact 2016 financial figures. Steve reveals they generated close to nine million dollars in revenue across various projects.12:45–15:23 · Guest teaching 2/10 Authoring 'Bluefishing' and Uncovering the Publishing Industry Steve discusses writing his book with Simon & Schuster and exposes the pay-to-play tactics common among bestselling authors. Nathan jumps in with his own domain expertise, confirming the reality through his newly signed book deal with Portfolio Random House.15:23–17:32 · Guest teaching 3/10 Strategic Access to Power Players and Book Availability Steve shares tactical advice on how to get close to high-profile figures like former presidents by buying proximity tables at charity galas. Nathan wraps up the interview with his standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions.0:49–3:25 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Introducing Steve Sims and High-End Experiential Concierge Nathan introduces Steve Sims with a personal anecdote about meeting him in West Hollywood for Oscar party tickets. Steve colorfully explains his high-end experiential business, recounting past client requests like diving to the Titanic and private concerts.3:25–10:19 · Guest disagreement 2/10 The Origins, Client Vetting, and Branding of Bluefish Nathan presses Steve to explain how the business actually makes money beyond the hype, asking specific clarifying questions about contracts and early revenue. Steve details the origins of Bluefish from Hong Kong nightclub passwords to corporate concierge deals.10:21–12:45 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Sponsor Break: Website Optimization with Hotjar Nathan reads a sponsor ad for Hotjar and then transitions back to ask Steve about scalability and exact 2016 financial figures. Steve reveals they generated close to nine million dollars in revenue across various projects.12:45–15:23 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Authoring 'Bluefishing' and Uncovering the Publishing Industry Steve discusses writing his book with Simon & Schuster and exposes the pay-to-play tactics common among bestselling authors. Nathan jumps in with his own domain expertise, confirming the reality through his newly signed book deal with Portfolio Random House.15:23–17:32 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Strategic Access to Power Players and Book Availability Steve shares tactical advice on how to get close to high-profile figures like former presidents by buying proximity tables at charity galas. Nathan wraps up the interview with his standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions.0:49–3:25 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Introducing Steve Sims and High-End Experiential Concierge Nathan introduces Steve Sims with a personal anecdote about meeting him in West Hollywood for Oscar party tickets. Steve colorfully explains his high-end experiential business, recounting past client requests like diving to the Titanic and private concerts.3:25–10:19 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 The Origins, Client Vetting, and Branding of Bluefish Nathan presses Steve to explain how the business actually makes money beyond the hype, asking specific clarifying questions about contracts and early revenue. Steve details the origins of Bluefish from Hong Kong nightclub passwords to corporate concierge deals.10:21–12:45 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Sponsor Break: Website Optimization with Hotjar Nathan reads a sponsor ad for Hotjar and then transitions back to ask Steve about scalability and exact 2016 financial figures. Steve reveals they generated close to nine million dollars in revenue across various projects.12:45–15:23 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Authoring 'Bluefishing' and Uncovering the Publishing Industry Steve discusses writing his book with Simon & Schuster and exposes the pay-to-play tactics common among bestselling authors. Nathan jumps in with his own domain expertise, confirming the reality through his newly signed book deal with Portfolio Random House.15:23–17:32 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Strategic Access to Power Players and Book Availability Steve shares tactical advice on how to get close to high-profile figures like former presidents by buying proximity tables at charity galas. Nathan wraps up the interview with his standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 71.4% · guest 28.6%0:00 · Nathan 71.4% · guest 28.6%3:00 · Nathan 9.8% · guest 90.2%3:00 · Nathan 9.8% · guest 90.2%6:00 · Nathan 10.4% · guest 89.6%6:00 · Nathan 10.4% · guest 89.6%9:00 · Nathan 52.4% · guest 47.6%9:00 · Nathan 52.4% · guest 47.6%12:00 · Nathan 16.4% · guest 83.6%12:00 · Nathan 16.4% · guest 83.6%15:00 · Nathan 39.6% · guest 60.4%15:00 · Nathan 39.6% · guest 60.4%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 14:50 Steve rejects vanity publishing tricks

Steve dismisses standard industry practices of buying one's own books to artificially hit bestseller lists, declaring it runs completely contrary to his personal ethos.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 7:31 Nathan demands clarity on contract economics

Nathan interrupts Steve's narrative to demand concrete details on what corporate concierge contracts actually look like and who pays what amount.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 15:31 Steve breaks down the charity gala proximity hack

Steve educates Nathan on the most cost-effective method to meet A-list figures like Barack Obama by targeting surrounding VIP tables at foundation galas.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 14:26 Nathan confirms publishing mechanics with personal deal

Nathan demonstrates firsthand industry knowledge by revealing his own book deal with Penguin Random House and validating Steve's claims about the publishing game.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Introducing Steve Sims and High-End Experiential Concierge 2311 Nathan introduces Steve Sims with a personal anecdote about meeting him in West Hollywood for Oscar party tickets. Steve colorfully explains his high-end experiential business, recounting past client requests like diving to the Titanic and private concerts.
The Origins, Client Vetting, and Branding of Bluefish 3324 Nathan presses Steve to explain how the business actually makes money beyond the hype, asking specific clarifying questions about contracts and early revenue. Steve details the origins of Bluefish from Hong Kong nightclub passwords to corporate concierge deals.
Sponsor Break: Website Optimization with Hotjar 2112 Nathan reads a sponsor ad for Hotjar and then transitions back to ask Steve about scalability and exact 2016 financial figures. Steve reveals they generated close to nine million dollars in revenue across various projects.
Authoring 'Bluefishing' and Uncovering the Publishing Industry 5222 Steve discusses writing his book with Simon & Schuster and exposes the pay-to-play tactics common among bestselling authors. Nathan jumps in with his own domain expertise, confirming the reality through his newly signed book deal with Portfolio Random House.
Strategic Access to Power Players and Book Availability 2311 Steve shares tactical advice on how to get close to high-profile figures like former presidents by buying proximity tables at charity galas. Nathan wraps up the interview with his standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions.

Statements from this episode (5)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Sims rented Florence's Accademia Gallery and hired Andrea Bocelli
“I took over the Academia Museum in Florence because a client wanted an exclusive Italian restaurant, and then I had Andrea Bocelli come in and serenade him.”
Steve Sims Feb 15, 2018 ▶ 1:50
Insight
Filtering out unpleasant clients eliminates 99% of business problems
“If I can stop the a-holes at the door, I've negated 99% of my problems.”
Steve Sims Feb 15, 2018 ▶ 4:53
Disclosure
Bluefish generated nearly $9 million in revenue in 2016
“So 16, I think we're going to close out at around the late eight. So just under nine mil.”
Steve Sims Feb 15, 2018 ▶ 11:48
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Authors buy hundreds of thousands of books to hit bestseller lists
“I'm not sure I can give too many games away, but let's just say a lot of people pay to play, and I was amazed at how many people Actually have like hundreds of thousands of books sitting in that cupboard because they needed to get on a list.”
Steve Sims Feb 15, 2018 ▶ 14:12
Insight
Attending charity galas is the cheapest way to access celebrities
“And the cheapest way to get in front of a bunch of celebrities are to go to events where they are like you did at Elton John's party.”
Steve Sims Feb 15, 2018 ▶ 15:50
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