I’ve tried to give friends opportunities, when they weren’t right for the job. What’s your worst business decision?Įmploying friends. It was a hard decision and when people saw the signs coming off the building, they probably thought: “They’re going down the pan.” But we wanted to downsize to capitalise, and we’re already far wealthier as a business, through not having the big premises. When the lease came up for renewal in October 2022, we decided to let the premises go. We turned one of the classrooms into a studio and did loads of work with corporates, for mental health and personal development. That forced us into a more virtual space. It gave me the perfect platform to start BreakPoint, so it was like a gift from the gods. That’s when the opportunity for SAS: Who Dares Wins came. I got £150 a day, so I earnt £600 a month. So I used a credit card my mum leant me, and worked four days a month for a company that offered Hostile Environment Awareness Training for people going into war zones. I didn’t want to get a job because that would consume my time and I’d be too busy to do my own thing. I was 43 and I was living in a house that belonged to my mum, while I put myself through a three month mindset bootcamp. I was inspired to start my business, BreakPoint, so I came back to the UK. That changed my life and my perspective on money. I wasn’t being paid, but it was the best return on investment ever. It was only when I went to South East Asia and rescued kids from trafficking that for the first time in my life, something sat in front of money. That was a fortune, but because I had a bad relationship with money, it was almost like I still didn’t have any. In 2003, I was working as a private security contractor in Iraq, earning £13,000 a month, tax free. I was so desperate to earn money that I was money’s bitch. I couldn’t understand how anyone could afford to live. I had the Special Forces career, but what engaged me most was how I’d get through the month, every month.Ī lot of it was my own doing, because I lived beyond my means, but money was a lot of the reason why I left the military. I’d go through my wages in the first two weeks of the month, then have nothing. When I was in the military, I earnt £1,500 a month and I spent most of my time worrying about bills. How much did you earn last year?Ībout half a mil. It’s an amazing place, not far from where we’ve just moved to. We went to seaside towns around the UK – mainly Lyme Regis and we had great fun. I went through a terrible time and got in trouble with the police – at one point I was arrested for carrying a sawn-off shotgun. She had a good job in management for Bass Brewery, but she struggled for money, bringing up three kids in a massive house that she was trying to sell, for what seemed like years. My mum had to fend for herself, with no support from my dad. It needed lots of work, but from the outside looking in, we had a decent lifestyle. We moved to an even bigger house – it was five bedrooms with stables. My dad had an engineering company, and we had an affluent lifestyle, but when I was seven, he lost his business. I went to a posh private school and we’d go on holiday to St Tropez. We lived in Burton on Trent, in a four bedroom detached house with a big garden. So we’ll either buy the house, or buy land and the log cabin – or get both. We’ve got an option to buy the house we’re renting, and we’ve had plans drawn up to build a big cedar log cabin. Within four months we were in a beautiful new home on the border of Somerset and Dorset. Me and Laura were renting in Shrewsbury, then just before Christmas we decided to live near the sea. “Mortgage” means “death pledge” in Latin, and I love the flexibility of renting. Then I owned a house in Australia, when I lived there, but since I came back to the UK in 2014, I’ve rented. I owned a house in the UK, all the way through my military career, until me and my previous wife separated in 2003. SAS: Who Dares Wins was a big opportunity for Ollie (Channel 4/PA) Do you own a property? It’s absolute heaven, so it’s a semi-reward, but it’s business because we focus and plan. We love the boat because we can be away from everyone. It takes the same number of people, but they’re bigger cabins. Last year, I took my mum and her husband. The first time I hired the boat, it was only me, my wife Laura, and my stepson.
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