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Mark Moseley: From Combat Zones to Building PestGone Environmental · The BEYOND Podcast

• 0:00
  Unknown: this is an interesting one I interview Mark Mosley who is a former Soldier he's now the
• 0:07
  owner of a pest control company obviously ex BBC Apprentice candidate um this guy
• 0:13
  has done some wild stuff we covered The Apprentice but I mean as his time as a
• 0:17
  soldier he's had tea with the Taliban okay he's almost been killed numerous times so
• 0:23
  this was a really interesting interview and you're definitely going to want to tune in
• 0:33
  hi Mark hello Alexandra you ready for this podcast I'm ready for this podcast scared
• 0:38
  a little bit scared but no I'm never scared but it' be fine I'm joking no you're you're a former
• 0:44
  Soldier you're not going to be scared of this I hope this this is nothing for you no we will'll
• 0:48
  see words can hurt sometimes and a security specialist yeah so I spent a bit of time in
• 0:53
  security yeah and an entrepreneur Y and an ex BBC candidate correct there's no way you skip
• 1:00
  of this podcast no it'll be all right although what are you thinking being interviewed by another
• 1:06
  crazy X BBC Apprentice yeah it's nice to actually see the different side of the stories how everyone
• 1:11
  felt about the process it was an experience I feel like it's the new people's turn now but it's it
• 1:16
  always plays in your memory sometimes should I have done that should I have done this shouldn't
• 1:19
  I have done that but it's one of these things I think it's geared up for I personally think
• 1:24
  so I've done my research before going into The Apprentice so I'm a numbers man I love numbers
• 1:30
  so I looked at all the stats and there was stats like Lord sugar never invested in anyone over the
• 1:34
  age of 31 from the show and I at the time I was 39 and I was thinking so he not looking good his
• 1:40
  most of his last candidates had been girls around the age of 28 the females seems to be the one yeah
• 1:46
  I think I it was like that last 34 candidates who made it to the interview stages uh 29 were females
• 1:52
  and six were guys and I was like blind me what is going on here is the girls that good at this
• 1:57
  process and then I dug a little deeper and then I found C Brady and I was like ah that might be the
• 2:02
  reason but that was all all good fun and yeah it was all I love the process in the end interesting
• 2:07
  stud so you appeared in 2023 right it was Series 17 yep so how many weeks did you last before you
• 2:14
  got cold yes before I got the dreaded finger it was 8 weeks on air but about 5 and a half weeks
• 2:21
  in normal time but 17 was my lucky number I was born on the 17th of March St Patrick's
• 2:26
  Day right when I found out it was Series 17 I thought oh I'm going to win this and I got put
• 2:31
  in a hotel and it was room 17 at quarantining and then when I walked into that waiting room
• 2:36
  I was the 17th candidate to walk in cuz I was counting people and you all stood there scared
• 2:40
  and one more person so I was like 17th Series 17 it's suspicious isn't it so I was thought I've
• 2:46
  won this already everyone so just maybe not one but it was your destiny to be honored on Series
• 2:50
  17 which you were yeah but then eight wasn't your lucky numberb you were Al we so why were you fired
• 2:56
  I was fired because I the team just didn't sell enough tickets we're going to a little so was the
• 3:02
  team's fault is it no not at all I would start accountability or yeah I'll take all the account
• 3:08
  it was a yeah we went into the brainstorm as they call it and everyone wants to try and make as much
• 3:13
  money as possible so you've just gone to a we' just driven up to a little rural Market town in
• 3:18
  shopia and we sat in this brainstorm got £ 150 a ticket 200 a ticket and once we left that meeting
• 3:24
  I'm sat there I don't think I'd pay £ 150 to2 200 to go and watch my favorite band play when
• 3:30
  Stadium I know oers are playing there now maybe then but I thought this is ridiculous we've got to
• 3:34
  drop the price down to about £90 £100 cuz people are just doing an Impulse buyer to a prison and
• 3:40
  yeah and then that got brought up quite a lot in my fireing and you're just chopping and changing
• 3:44
  you're changing the prices and I was going we could have been selling tickets to the moon no
• 3:48
  one's going to be paying 100 150 for a ticket to a prison on a Saturday when it's their week so
• 3:54
  were you quite adamant and stuck to your guns and did you listen to the feedback or you like to yeah
• 3:59
  I know I don't mind listening to feedback but yeah once we'd left the brainstorm I realized
• 4:04
  you you know process what you've just spoke about you think this is not puts a spotlight on you yeah
• 4:09
  it does so if anything goes wrong it'll be like that's the disruptor he needs to get fired because
• 4:14
  they're like a bunch of animals they go for you and oh yeah everyone tries to save their own skin
• 4:19
  but think I'd never been project man yourself this no well I'd never been project manager so I told
• 4:23
  everyone in the brain said well everyone just take a step back cuz he's coming for me so if I don't
• 4:27
  be project manager this time yes yeah it was all I think they wanted me secretly to go in week uh six
• 4:34
  there had been a few um you know issues behind the scenes if you like and um so I think they
• 4:39
  had it for me for week six but thankfully for me in Dubai people were going down with seasickness
• 4:44
  someone else whacked their head on our team so we lost half of our team and I thought needed you yes
• 4:49
  the other team somehow magically had a 60% refund and we won the task and I was we were like nice
• 4:55
  well done well done were you were your feelings hurt though when you got fired a little bit were
• 4:59
  Eco damage I felt my heart going you feel your heart going it's going DK I thought it's coming
• 5:03
  now the bom's scary yeah it's so cold as well I think it's all the air conditioning yeah yeah
• 5:08
  to keep all those millions of cameras cool this is it yeah and there a lot of people stood around the
• 5:13
  boardroom that no one sees and you're thinking oh my God everyone when it's your turn to talk
• 5:17
  you just got 50 eyes on you and you're thinking oh my God don't say the boardroom I I wish that
• 5:22
  I I could get a hold of all the footage and play all the stuff they didn't show so you're quoted
• 5:26
  as saying that Lord sugar is missing a trick yeah if he doesn't pick you he didn't pick you
• 5:31
  so what trick is he missing the pest control industry is very lucrative at the moment many
• 5:35
  pest control companies are being bought up by some of the bigger guys and it's the best time at the
• 5:39
  moment to sell a pest control company so if he was invested in me we'd be probably exiting with seven
• 5:45
  figures quite comfortably now and he would have you reckon easy well yeah I'm not going to go too
• 5:50
  much into my the business finances but yes we've had offers already which is great the business
• 5:55
  does very well and the show has helped with that it's opened quite a lot of doors which is
• 5:59
  a bonus gives you credibility and that's the main thing that comes from the that's the thing you
• 6:02
  might have gone out in week eight but you've got your business you're running businesses you're
• 6:06
  doing several things and legitimate money making businesses yes that's it it comes down to actually
• 6:12
  you must have a fairly you know sharp head on your shoulders to be able to carry on manage
• 6:17
  get on yeah to even get on the show I think it's you've got to be a character to get on that show
• 6:20
  that was the whole point but it was only when I was watching there's 20 people in a room and
• 6:24
  you'll stand behind a bit of paper and they say 30 seconds to sell yourself and there's people there
• 6:28
  going I've got a great idea de for Lord sugar and I thought this is stupid don't worry about
• 6:31
  ideas just be funny so I just went in and said you like Pin ears back you are looking at the series
• 6:36
  17 Apprentice winner I'm opinionated I'm a bit of a charm as you can all see and he got a bit of a
• 6:40
  laugh and then they were like number one five and seven go to the back of the room and that was me
• 6:44
  I was at the back of room to the next stage yeah but it was yeah like I say we that was ruthless
• 6:48
  that whole stuff you know you out you you stay you I speak so that's it yeah and then it's interviews
• 6:54
  I remember speaking to the chief exec the TV company and then one of his AIDS Lord Sugar's AIDS
• 6:59
  and they said come on then why you and I said to him I said if you think of Tesla who do you think
• 7:03
  of and he Chief EXA went Elon Musk and I said to the Lord suar said if you think of Amazon who do
• 7:09
  you think of Jeff Bezos I said when you think of pest control you're going to think of Mark
• 7:13
  Mosley and they both laughed and they went up you go so was it next LIF and I was like said
• 7:17
  to the runner I said I can't go up anymore I said I've got four hours on my parking I ended up with
• 7:21
  a parking ticket when I left there eight hours later and I missed my friend's um 40th birthday
• 7:25
  as well in Norfolk so I had to tell his wife on the group chat can't make it cars broke down oh
• 7:31
  yeah cuz you can't tell anyone can you yeah I also heard you saying that you're the best rat
• 7:35
  catcher in the world best rat catcher in London oh in London not the world then pretty good rat's
• 7:40
  quite intelligent animal these big Ambitions you've got to extend that it's a world Universe
• 7:45
  you can take over the world yeah Pest Control you don't worried about the world so much you
• 7:49
  just worried about major cities that's where the pests are where there's lots of people there's
• 7:52
  going to be lots of pests so is the experience The Apprentice experience what you expected or
• 7:56
  not and if not how how I mean it wasn't you don't what you're going into you're going into a blind
• 8:01
  process I think the hardest thing is you are having your phones taken off you you got no
• 8:05
  contact with the outside world the internet and I remember I left the process and then one morning I
• 8:10
  woke up and I thought I was talking to one of the guys in my room on The Apprentice and I'm talking
• 8:14
  to him what time is it this that the other and I realized I was like Jesus Christ I'm it was last
• 8:18
  week I was there I'm back home now and it was like like a short version of PTSD but anyway so it was
• 8:23
  it was a strange run but no but the process like I say the show gives you credibility which is the
• 8:27
  main thing that's what you want so if people try and Google you now they might be able to say oh
• 8:31
  he's a pest controller he's not out going to try and rip us off or anything so it gives you that
• 8:34
  credibility and people trust in you a bit more whereas if you're just Joe blogs no one depends
• 8:38
  how you're made to look it might take away from The credibility I've spoken to EXC candidates
• 8:42
  where they've been made to look a certain way it doesn't necessarily give you that credibility to
• 8:48
  be quite it's it's how you're edited so you've got to I think main thing if you're on the show
• 8:53
  and anyone's going on the show you've just got to play the game you've got to try and however
• 8:56
  they want you to act however they want you to be and if they want you to be a bit silly after week
• 9:00
  two I knew it was a lot of manipulation so what do you mean by that there's a lot of things going on
• 9:06
  week one the re we're in tigga and you know that they've got to try and get customers to sell us we
• 9:11
  they're telling us to go plac and there's people there and one person we got to this bar one night
• 9:15
  try and sell these tickets and this person was like are you from the BBC we're like what we just
• 9:20
  come to sell your tickets no they rounded us all up and told us to be here from the beach and we
• 9:23
  were like oh here we go and then I thought about it I thought maybe they've got to make a TV show
• 9:27
  so let's they round a few people so we can sell tickets to and when it got to week two there was
• 9:32
  just so many numbers getting there one of the big judges got their numbers wrong something like yet
• 9:37
  had to make a minimum of 200 Bell buns and the girls had made 180 B buns but they won the task
• 9:42
  and I was like that doesn't make sense and the girls corporate client wanted 80 bow buns ours
• 9:47
  wanted 50 bow buns so we're already £ 150 now before we started the task so in the end I just
• 9:53
  after that task I just started laughing I said that's it I'm just going to have fun now because
• 9:57
  it's a lot of manipulation one of the girls Shannon on it she was like this is ridiculous
• 10:00
  this is this is not when she means this what is it it's them doing what the manipulation to
• 10:05
  try and say this team are going to win yeah of course they want car crash TV for entertainment
• 10:09
  so yeah Shannon brilliant do you think it's a fair game then do you think I think they've got their
• 10:14
  favorites but it's whether it's a fair game or not they'll if your face fits and you you're okay and
• 10:19
  they think oh we'd be able to work with you you're fine but if there's a bit too much push back from
• 10:23
  yourself and you're like no that's wrong this is wrong they don't like it but yeah but the girl
• 10:27
  Shannon I think she's probably the most successful out of all the candidates and she was left on week
• 10:31
  two and said this is just ridiculous because of the manipulation yeah because it's not business
• 10:35
  acum and that's what it was but at the same time people love it I wouldn't I wouldn't start
• 10:40
  putting things down too much because the public loved the apprentice and they like to feel good
• 10:44
  about themselves when they see other people going bad yes and you love it and it's entertaining and
• 10:49
  it's fun and everything however if you're in that situation and made to look a certain way
• 10:53
  then obviously it's not that fun concerned about because there's some people that will go on that
• 10:57
  will be more concerned about their personal Brands than because they need to be maybe they're more
• 11:02
  corporate or whatever maybe they've got family and things like that so they're a bit more sensitive
• 11:06
  and careful yeah there was there was people plann it like that there was a few of the guys were
• 11:10
  really reserved and then when we left um one of the guys on my year said how he's I wish i'
• 11:15
  had done what you were like you just tried to be funny and just tried to have a laugh more and I'll
• 11:18
  try and not be the class clown but I'll have a laugh it's definitely the way forward treat it is
• 11:23
  entertainment so go for the entertainment side for sure if if you're going to stay in so what was it
• 11:27
  like living with the other Apprentice candidates it was good we got on really well yeah was it
• 11:33
  not good for yourself no and I went to boarding school and I lived with all sorts but this crowd
• 11:39
  oh you weren't the you weren't ostracized out of the group were you no it's just the snoring yeah
• 11:46
  but also the I suppose the noise from production coming I couldn't sleep very well because I would
• 11:50
  always I knew that they were trying to come to film us so they was Pitch up with their little
• 11:55
  cars outside I knew they were going to come in at any moment and start camera in your face
• 11:59
  was funny we'd hear we'd hear the driveway go she'd hear the vehicles pull up and then I'd ABY
• 12:05
  in my room he was a character real nice chat and he would do press UPS before they come in so one
• 12:09
  morning yeah it's funny so one one morning I just got naked and I stood at the window sill and I was
• 12:14
  like when they come in my backs side's going to be on they were going please don't do this Mar please
• 12:18
  don't do this Mark and I was like No And then just as they were about to come in I was like oh
• 12:21
  I better just put my boxes back on but I thought CU if you're barging into someone's room you don't
• 12:25
  know what you're going to find so I was just going to stand there with a cup of tea my back
• 12:29
  but I thought I better not cuz that'll get me in too much trouble just trying to have a bit
• 12:32
  of fun with it there's something about when you're not eating that much and sleeping that
• 12:35
  much that things aren't that funny anymore so like we had that when people would like like I
• 12:39
  said the people you live with singing and like really loud when you three minutes that you've
• 12:43
  got sleep that you're allowed that you're trying to sleep yeah right heavier topic you were in a
• 12:49
  race row a race row with Shazia Hussein yes who made a complaint over your behavior on the show
• 12:57
  for leaving her feeling unsafe and distressed following an incident that occurred so can you
• 13:03
  talk us through in your opinion what happened there was we would just won a task it was
• 13:10
  task three we'd made a cartoon and we weren't on actually on the same we were on the same team but
• 13:14
  not the same sub team and it was all to do with the name of this bloody giraffe it was yogita the
• 13:20
  giraffe and we were saying yogita two to four year olds whatever age category was wouldn't
• 13:24
  be able to pronounce this if we said gaita that works perfectly cuz kids Mama dad GA work Works
• 13:29
  anyway the other team there was heated arguments and then when it came to there was half the team
• 13:36
  were watching on a TV screen in the old Dragon's Den and the other half were presenting it to these
• 13:40
  BBC children cartoon people and yeah and shazi was going they're doing it wrong this should be right
• 13:47
  so let let them carry on blah blah and then she said something said like I thought you would say
• 13:52
  that with the way you are it was indicating that me and the other guys stood Next To Me Brad were
• 13:57
  who we are our demographic our background so on and so forth so we just zipped up and just went
• 14:01
  quiet and then when it came to winning the task and the judges love the name and all this lot and
• 14:07
  we won the task and we were in I don't know shage doing a little cheers with some cocktail and then
• 14:12
  yeah shazi made a comment and said we went cheers and she went the task that I won us and I was like
• 14:18
  so I said you really are toxic and that was it so cuz it got personal that was all I said okay and
• 14:24
  that was it and next thing there I want him kicked off the show and all this thinking oh my God
• 14:29
  was she saying that to with the production who were behind the camera and the cameraman he's now
• 14:33
  trying to get it filming it it's all been filmed and then when it came out we i' been forewarned
• 14:38
  when the show was airing because later on I won't say too much but other things had happened like
• 14:43
  production person started crying was made to cry legal threats by yeah this individual yes all
• 14:49
  this was going on so these things had nothing the subsequent incidents that these all other nothing
• 14:53
  to do with you yeah nothing so the sugar basically switched us over with the teams he was like you're
• 14:58
  going different and then other things happened and then I heard like screaming and shouting
• 15:03
  and we're going to take you to court and all this thinking oh my God so everyone just quieted really
• 15:08
  went quiet and when the show got aired and Shazia went in whatever week she went in four or five or
• 15:13
  six I'm not sure which one it was I knew something was going to be coming out a week later but it was
• 15:18
  also it it was said you're toxic that was it yeah did the pr team speak to you about that yeah just
• 15:25
  really briefly yeah I got loads of phone calls I missed 25 phone calls from the pr team the Press
• 15:31
  team okay just hold that for a second Apprentice launched an investigation into this into these
• 15:37
  allegations do you know what happened what the outcome was of that investigation it was all these
• 15:43
  HR people we've got had a diversity and inclusion person came in um and spoke to us all as a group
• 15:49
  and then I was getting Mark can you go and speak to there was funny the one of these HR people
• 15:54
  came in and it was a woman and she goes I want you to talk me through exactly what happened so
• 15:59
  so it was boys versus girls uh on the previous task well I'm going to stop you there because
• 16:04
  um it's not boys and girls they're adolescent to boys and girls you are adults and straight away
• 16:09
  my back's going up and I was like okay I'll try and keep I said okay so it was Gentleman versus
• 16:14
  ladies she went okay I'll stop you again ladies are someone with a title like in the monarchy and
• 16:19
  now my back is really up so I don't want to talk to this person and I'm thinking don't belittle
• 16:24
  me I'm just trying to tell you the story and basically it was the This Guy's in the wrong
• 16:30
  uh he's going to be interrogated and then more HR people one two HR ladies I got woken up on a our
• 16:36
  day off it was about 7 in the morning I said Mark some HR people here to see you I here we go got
• 16:41
  downstairs and they said we've listened to all of the rushes they call it where they listen to audio
• 16:46
  and they say it's all you've not done anything wrong yes you've been personal and called someone
• 16:49
  toxic but there's nothing they've said that okay so I'm just going to read this um according to
• 16:53
  the Metro a spokesperson for The Apprentice BBC The Apprentice said The Apprentice had
• 16:59
  Zero Tolerance on racist bullying the duty of care and Welfare of all the candidates is of utmost
• 17:05
  importance and when action is required we take it so apparently they they researched it and whatever
• 17:11
  and candidates sign up to strict code of conduct and if there was evidence of racist bullying
• 17:16
  candidates would immediately be removed from the process that was it my feet wouldn't have touched
• 17:21
  the ground but everyone in that house everyone's normal nice people do you know what I mean no
• 17:25
  one's out to be that racist or whatever any phobes you can come up with there's Millions out there
• 17:31
  these days but yes and that was all it was but and then when these two HR people they went look
• 17:36
  your next task is the motorbike task and then you off to Dubai and none of us have been told about
• 17:40
  Dubai and I thought they've just let it slip so I left there now and I was like I might just go and
• 17:44
  tell a couple of people anyway oh you know went told a couple of the lads I said look basically
• 17:51
  they've just let slip we're off to Dubai so we need to get through this next task to get to Du to
• 17:55
  go to Dubai and yeah and I told a few people and then they told a few people most of the candidates
• 18:00
  knew and I'm like oh why did I say this is going to put me in bad stook have you reached out to
• 18:05
  Shia at all to just say look you misunderstood my situation or whatever did you um I've had a had
• 18:11
  my 40th birthday um which was and I invited all the candidates invited her of course I did yeah
• 18:16
  everyone's you I invited all the cast crew and everyone so everyone got invited um but she didn't
• 18:23
  turn up but no there's no odd feelings I wish you all the best it was just the Heat of the Moment
• 18:28
  right okay we'll move away from we'll move away from The Apprentice right now as you a soldier
• 18:34
  yes why did you join the Army I'd had enough of school actually I joined at 16 so as soon as I
• 18:39
  done my gc's I just signed up to the military I didn't really want to go College University and
• 18:44
  it wasn't because I got bad grades I did a lot A's B's and C's and all the major ones and I joined
• 18:49
  the military at 16 I thought right and I wanted to go in the Infantry but because of my GC grades
• 18:53
  were okay they said we want you to go into the Royal engineers and not the Infantry so I anyway I
• 18:57
  joined the Royal engineers 16 years of age it was great and then yeah after two years of training in
• 19:04
  Ro engineered Building Bridges demolitions and You' been an electrician two years later I got
• 19:09
  sent out to Germany my first posting which yeah I stayed in Germany for seven years and i' do six
• 19:13
  months Germany 6 months on tour somewhere so just in general what was it like serving your country
• 19:18
  as a soldier it was good it's all about meeting the people being in the regiment I was in you've
• 19:23
  got people from all over the country so Scottish guys Welsh guys and we all just thrown into
• 19:28
  the boiling part of basic training but it was fantastic I I loved it were you proud you know
• 19:34
  yeah of course you when you pass out after basic training your mom and dad are there and you stood
• 19:37
  there and number two outfit and you of course you feel proud but at the same time it's you're not
• 19:43
  doing it for I shouldn't say queen and Country at the time it was Queen and Country you're doing it
• 19:47
  just for one it's a job and two now you've been with all these people you enjoy it's like working
• 19:51
  as I sometimes look at countries like the states and even Poland where I'm from and that they
• 19:58
  really do treasure their military if you say I'm military oh wow respect immediate respect I don't
• 20:04
  think we have enough of that in this country like we don't value our military enough we should we
• 20:08
  should really well the Americans American people American soldiers and they'll walk through a train
• 20:13
  station and they all get clapped whereas at the moment like we used to go out um and they used
• 20:18
  to the bouncers used to say to us are you in the military and you say yeah and they say we're not
• 20:23
  coming in tonight as though it's like a standard thing that all the military guys will be fighting
• 20:27
  so I know you've gone to of interesting places with the Army done some cool things but one of
• 20:32
  the best stories I think has something to do with the Taliban so tell us about that in 2003 we got
• 20:38
  sent out to Afghanistan U maah shareif was the province and we got sent into this derel sort of
• 20:46
  house if you like it was a row of houses and when you think of houses it's more like say mud Huts
• 20:50
  but you can see it's a big mud hut if you like so they said this is going to be a Norwegian safe
• 20:55
  house so we want you to basically Build It Up we need to put toilets in there we need to put sewage
• 21:00
  system in the back garden and things and when we were digging up the back Gardens we were digging
• 21:03
  up like bones of people and it was like oh my God whereas if you dig up a bone of a person now like
• 21:08
  what happened with is it King Richard or they dug up in a car park all the construction work has to
• 21:13
  stop but that wasn't the case bones to the side and um we'd made these showers where uh basically
• 21:20
  it's a solar shower so you put your bag put some water in a bag the sun heats it up you hang it up
• 21:25
  and then you have a shower underneath it so we're having our shower was and next door the Taliban
• 21:30
  who Liv next door and they would be stood there with AK-47 you know automatic rifles just looking
• 21:35
  at us having a shower and you're like mate what's going on they just stood there so we're thinking
• 21:40
  we were all friends at the time they invited us around for dinner it was crazy the what did they
• 21:43
  cook for you it was lamb it was like a yeah it was like a lamb stew the meat was on the bone
• 21:48
  you trust it it was right the meat was on the bone I don't like meat on the bone but yeah we had this
• 21:51
  lamb stew it was great and in the middle of the night you'd hear like a big commotion going on
• 21:56
  they'd all go off in one of these like open back trucks like man what is going on out there and we
• 22:01
  weren't seen as a threat so we were all friends with the Taliban so they would go off fighting
• 22:05
  other rebels in town and then they would come back and we thinking what has gone on so we were all we
• 22:09
  were living in the basement of this building with our rifles stood too thinking is this going to
• 22:14
  come for us and uh and about obiously two or three years later even though we were friends with the
• 22:18
  Taliban two or three years later um that will change when things heated up and I can imagine
• 22:23
  I heard the Norwegian safe F just got blown up straight away even though we'd built it as soon
• 22:27
  as things heated up a bit more and the troops had finally moved into Afghanistan anything we'd built
• 22:32
  just got blown up I think overnight but um it was interesting at the time it's the political
• 22:36
  situation we' just walk to go and get water in the morning two of us would just walk through town
• 22:41
  with our rifles people would Shake our hands say hello really friendly and Things fill up yeah a
• 22:46
  load of solar showers with this well all the kids would be around us and we'd walk back with the
• 22:50
  wheelbarrow full of all these solar shower water Waterfield to shower sorry and then you shouldn't
• 22:57
  obviously be able to do that these days cuz yeah what happened but it was an interesting time but
• 23:01
  we got to see it before War really got announced in Afghanistan all depends where you are spend
• 23:06
  quite a lot of time in cabal it is like going back and I'll be careful I don't to upset anyone but
• 23:11
  it's like going back to a third world if you like really going back 100 or 200 years except they've
• 23:16
  got electricity we've got more electricity that's what it's like especially in like the remote areas
• 23:20
  like you go out to the Ford operating bases and there's just nothing there I mean we used to get
• 23:25
  I remember we went down to one Ford operating base and we had to go and build a big watchtower and it
• 23:29
  was called fob shank it was an American base but it got more indirect fire from mortars and Rockets
• 23:35
  a day than the whole of Afghanistan other all the other camps put together so when I was down there
• 23:40
  it was just constant the alarms are going off take cover and you just running for the closest bunkers
• 23:45
  and things and you're hearing bang you're thinking oh my God please don't land on me you no wonder
• 23:49
  Apprentice was fine for you about that I was still shaking that's the sort of practice you you need
• 23:56
  in a way to go into that I think so you traveled for 18 months after the Army and apparently
• 24:02
  you visited over 100 countries can you list the countries please now let's let's let's I'd love
• 24:07
  to list all 100 let's see what you can list then go I'll list my favorites so for scenery without a
• 24:13
  doubt it's got to be the South Island New Zealand probably most beautiful place I've ever been to
• 24:17
  just list well list them all let go I could list the countries like list the countries that I
• 24:23
  travel through just start off with Afghanistan I obviously well I was traveling but I go through
• 24:27
  the alphabet go Afghanistan Austria aaban Belgium Cameroon Congo Chad Denmark Dominican Republic
• 24:40
  Egypt England Finland that's a beautiful place if you go to Santa Claus village every Christmas yeah
• 24:45
  do you want me to keep going keep going I'll be here all keep going H you're only on nine I know
• 24:51
  but yeah I can just maybe I'll just go through the America joking Australia New Zealand Thailand uh
• 24:58
  tell me some of the most unusual tell me three really unusual places that people wouldn't have
• 25:02
  heard of there are ones that people don't go to on holiday let's say so we got sent to the cono
• 25:06
  for four months and anyone any of my mates who watched this be like oh not about the bloody
• 25:11
  Congo again but that was an interesting time so um there had been a a fight between these
• 25:16
  two militias in bu and we had to go and build a Runway and then build an apron off this Runway
• 25:21
  to get more aiding and when we're there I'll be trying want to keep it too serious but a French
• 25:26
  journalist turned up and um he went down into the town and only his head came back and there I was
• 25:32
  about to ask you did you take your malaria tablets when you God lariam yeah so you also say that
• 25:37
  You' met a lot of people hundreds of people and including royal family including celebrities tell
• 25:44
  me the three biggest name um let's have it who's the first one breakfast with Princess Anne she's
• 25:50
  nice isn't she she's beautiful like just such a lovely person disciplined wonderful woman yeah um
• 25:57
  it's a good one yeah uh I met Prince Harry but it was only just a handshake but so it's again it's
• 26:03
  the RO family okay and I'm trying to think I was going to say like a football player or something
• 26:09
  but one that stuck out in my head as a kid the old actor Vinnie Jones my brother had a football
• 26:14
  trials with Wimbledon and I was a kid and this guy Vinnie Jones who's a football player for Wimbledon
• 26:18
  turned up and he said he went past me and there was no one there except me I just went you right
• 26:22
  and he went all and I just went quiet and he basically come back and I was only a kid and
• 26:26
  he's like The Hard Man of football at the time and he got went what's the matter cat got your tongue
• 26:30
  and I was like oh my God I'm so sorry he went I'm only joking and I was like but that will always
• 26:34
  stick in my memory but he's great I thought he was fantastic I met him once after I didn't say that
• 26:39
  story but he was yeah that was always a thing but yeah we do jobs for I'm not going to name drop any
• 26:43
  people cuz no one wants to know they've got pest but from yeah that would be controversial many
• 26:48
  Royals to many celebrities to yeah whatever many rich businessmen but it does I wouldn't name drop
• 26:54
  cuz no one wants to know they've got mice rats cockroaches or whatever else in their property
• 26:59
  yeah as long as you're nice to bees if you find them I hope you don't consider those p no we
• 27:02
  don't consider if we lost the bees tomorrow it would cost the farming industry billions
• 27:05
  to cross pooll you got to be nice to the bees yeah we always say leave bees be because obviously they
• 27:10
  feel sorry for wasps but yeah well they don't care they bees are Placid insects whereas wasp
• 27:15
  they're just a flying [ __ ] they will sting you they that's rude that's what they are essentially
• 27:21
  they will just sting you and they think but doesn't matter I'll sting you and when they
• 27:24
  sting they release a pheromone which tells it's an aggressive pheromone so the other wasp then go
• 27:28
  we need to sting as well so then they all go for you whereas the bees yes they will sting you but
• 27:32
  they know they're going to ultimately suffer they're going to die after the sting so they're
• 27:36
  Placid but wasps just AR but we've got this Hornet problem now don't we in in Asian Asian Hornets yes
• 27:41
  so Asian Hornets Target our bees and they're horrible things they've now been found on the
• 27:46
  UK Mainland think they were mainly in Jersey they were being found in Jersey the big problem over
• 27:50
  in Europe and now they've been found in Jersey a couple years ago and now we're finding nest
• 27:54
  on the UK Mainland yeah you better have your wits about you're going to deal with that pest
• 27:59
  yeah you get Sting from one of them they yeah anaphylactic shock you are in big bother so
• 28:03
  people are ding people have died after having these Asian Hornets stinging stop yeah there a
• 28:08
  good french guy was having a barbecue some years ago Asian Hornets stung him dead okay let's talk
• 28:13
  about another one travel one snow leopards you were hunting looking for not hunting no not
• 28:18
  hunting you were trying to find snow leopards yes Mongolia yes now cats are especially snow
• 28:25
  leopards are the most private and elusive cats of all cats correct yeah so what made you think that
• 28:32
  you would they would go there's mark from The Apprentice that was it what the say how you say
• 28:36
  that I went to Mongolia and I went to this like first the UL Bal the capital and went to this
• 28:41
  shopping mall there it was like this again it's a bit third worldy and you go to this shopping mall
• 28:45
  which is all very smart and plush and there was a girl was in the camping shop getting a head torch
• 28:49
  cuz I left mine and this girl went excuse me were you on The Apprentice there and I was like
• 28:53
  oh my God you come to Mongolia and someone sees you but but that was good but the snow leopards
• 28:58
  I don't know I think ever since I watched the planet Earth One David atam you see the snow
• 29:03
  leopard it's just a beautiful creature my mom was always had cats but I'm more of a dog person but
• 29:07
  I just fell in love with this animal and I thought I'd love to go and see one in the wild yes they're
• 29:11
  called the ghost cat and so I thought well I'll go ghost cat ghosted you pretty much we came close
• 29:17
  there was two brothers and we were told so there was trackers out before us they would go off first
• 29:22
  thing in the morning we'd go off different ways and we're up and down Hills I think I just like
• 29:25
  the adventure anyway it's all snowing and it's just really really cool I love all that sort of
• 29:29
  stuff and they said they found we found two snow leopards it's the brothers so we trying to go over
• 29:35
  these Peaks and we're trying to get there anyway this tourist American Tourist decided to get his
• 29:41
  drone up so he's got this drone up and he's gone over to where these snow leopards are he's scared
• 29:47
  the the cats and they've gone over these Hills and then we get there about a half hour later and
• 29:52
  they said oh they were here but mate's gone and got his drone up and he scared them away yes me
• 29:56
  and 30 or four others were quite upset and we were um close to strangling this tourist with
• 30:02
  his drone but anyway but we'd only seen him for about probably around about 8 800 met would be the
• 30:07
  closest but you've all got binoculars and things but I love like the snow leopard don't say the
• 30:11
  ghost cat it's quite private see a bit myself in the ghost cat mysterious yeah no I I don't think
• 30:16
  it's the Drone I think the cat just didn't want to see you guys I mean drone not drone okay so you
• 30:22
  came close to being killed twice yes a few times a year we've come close I think uh the closest
• 30:29
  I ever came was again in Afghanistan I was on an Airbase called Bagram and you live in uh probably
• 30:35
  a container about as big as this room it's like the old the iso shipping containers you see so
• 30:40
  they get taken away from the shipping companies I whe they fall off a back of a Lor and then they
• 30:44
  fit them out to um put toilets in air conditioning so I had this and uh yeah we outside my room there
• 30:52
  was something called a fanks gun it's an automatic weapon and you hear it go off and it's it tries to
• 30:57
  hit in direct fire if there's a rocket coming in this gun will fire off hundreds of bullets in a
• 31:03
  few seconds to try and knock it out the sky and it sounds it goes and it go it's spinning around
• 31:10
  you're thinking anyway when I'd hear that go I'd think oh God is it coming close to me and then
• 31:16
  usually the first one would land and then all the alarms on the camp would go so everyone's got to
• 31:20
  take cover but yeah one night I remember I was sitting watching the peaky blinders someone had
• 31:24
  told me you need to watch the peaky blinders I'm sat there on my laptop watching the peaky blinders
• 31:27
  minders and I hears and I think oh no that fank is going and I think it' be okay it' be okay and then
• 31:34
  I hear you know it sounds like the cartoon you hear it and I was like oh no and I thought this
• 31:41
  is coming the first thing I did was just jump on my bed but if it hits the top of my container it's
• 31:45
  going through and it's going to hit the floor and it probably landed when we went outside the next
• 31:50
  morning we could see where it landed it wasn't like a massive crater it was a small crater and
• 31:54
  it was probably about 10 to 15 M away but when it hit the stones all the stones went up and hit all
• 32:00
  the side of M thing which isn't bad cuz I thought at least the stones they get pushed up in the air
• 32:04
  but I remember thinking myself that is the closest I stayed under my bed for about 20 minutes just
• 32:09
  shaking just shaking and then one of my colleagues yeah there's I just got this knock on the door
• 32:14
  and there's open the door he goes where are you and I was like I'm under the bed and he was like
• 32:20
  you tart get up anyway I just said to him I said that's the closest I've ever come and he was like
• 32:24
  yeah that was a close one but it was exciting and it's a story tell but yeah that made me reassess
• 32:30
  that was probably the last sort of six months of my time working in private security because
• 32:33
  it things were getting a bit dangerous there was sadly a guy who opened his window to the wrong
• 32:38
  person in cabal and didn't survive you you drive through cabal in unmarked vehicles and the police
• 32:44
  as soon as they see it's a western complexion they'd be like stop and now you're really you're
• 32:48
  now sat on the side of the road and it would be like we want water we want food and we'll let you
• 32:53
  go and we're like we've got all the passes to drive through it's called the the silver area
• 32:56
  silver Zone if you like Ring Of Steel they used to call it but they wouldn't yeah every time we
• 33:00
  went into the Ring Of Steel they would want water off us and we have water but they wouldn't let us
• 33:05
  go anyway one guy sadly opened his door not a British guy was talking to the police officer
• 33:09
  and then sadly a knife came through and then we see it drove past and we were like do not open
• 33:14
  our Windows to anyone and then that was probably about three months I the the morar that happened
• 33:19
  and then three months later I left I was like that's me cuz say yeah it was getting B dangerous
• 33:23
  but okay so what are you doing now now so I still own the pest control business it's doing well
• 33:28
  which is nice yes it's doing well and whether I sell it in the next couple of years or whether it
• 33:33
  sell it this year I don't know I've had a few offers and I've done a little side project as
• 33:38
  well doing something completely different I don't think I've got a bad hair and you probably people
• 33:41
  say it's right but I don't think I've got too bad hair so I hair products so thought get I've
• 33:46
  always worn uh pomades in my hair since about 2005 what is that the Pomade it became famous used to
• 33:53
  be like pigs fat they used to put in their hairs but it became really synonymous back in the 1920
• 33:58
  with the gangsters yeah it's a hard like gel if you like so people always think it's the slick
• 34:03
  back if you put it in your hair dry it actually holds it quite nicely yes so I thought every time
• 34:08
  I've spoke about pomades people go I don't use pomades I use whatever else and I said you know
• 34:11
  what I'll come up with a Pomade so I've come up with a couple of products and now I sell them on
• 34:16
  social media it does it does I'm not going to go into the financial side of it but it does you have
• 34:20
  one here to show us or I do yeah but go on bring it up bring that bad boy bring it up this is it
• 34:28
  but this is oh can I open it how does it actually so it's it's like a wax you can open it yeah so
• 34:34
  oh that's it's solid yeah it's not a wax it's a yeah Pomade smells nice yeah but that all came
• 34:40
  off looks like jelly yeah that's pretty much yes it's like gelatin if you like but it's beeswax
• 34:45
  I'm not going to try it not no I wouldn't but it was that that came spawned off the back of
• 34:51
  the Apprentice that so it basically yeah one of the candidates on there H Joe lovely chap he was
• 34:56
  had a lip balm product called surf Bal so he was telling me all about it and I thought I wish I had
• 35:02
  a product to sell when you leave the process if you had a product to sell great because you can
• 35:06
  make a bit of money out always easier yeah so I thought I'll just start my own products I went
• 35:09
  through the brand in Ox here because I think you know I'm trying to Target men 30 to 50
• 35:14
  year olds because Ox is a resilient animal it's gone through some arduous things I think you're
• 35:18
  quite a resilient animal yeah this is it see men who sort of having okay s it to me why is that a
• 35:23
  good product go on then why is it good this is a good product because it it will keep your hair in
• 35:29
  place for most of the day shake it on yeah even when you're playing football and things or Sports
• 35:34
  also it's waterbased it's not oil based waterbased products come out your hair easier oil based is a
• 35:39
  nightmare to try and get out your hair so okay so you can wash it out easily how long does it
• 35:42
  stay in your in your hair it will stand in your hair for about 12 hours that's what we you can
• 35:47
  with pomades if you your hair starts drying out you can get a bit of water and put a slight bit
• 35:51
  of water in your hair and then it's back to set how it was it's fantastic but yeah pom bids my
• 35:56
  selling techniques probably not the best but Tik tok's where you need to sell these days I've been
• 36:00
  doing Tik Tok shop live videos for an hour just stood there in front of the camera talking about
• 36:05
  audience you have a decent better try a bit harder if you I have to try a bit harder buy your uh
• 36:11
  that's right you get it for your partner and then uh we'll see when I spoke to you earlier you said
• 36:15
  that you sometimes feel lonely running your own business is that still the case or have you made
• 36:20
  more friends the e-commerce yeah there is a good group of e-commerce people that I've met lot to be
• 36:26
  fair ex-military guys everyone's trying to sell their little products and things which is good
• 36:29
  but I think when you are a business owner it is lonely it's just you're fighting against everyone
• 36:33
  else and I went to a do last night some boxing D black tie event and it was all business owners
• 36:39
  and everyone says the same thing and everyone's having this problem at the moment of hiring staff
• 36:44
  and again I'll be careful with your audiences but it's the younger staff they're really struggling
• 36:49
  with I spoke to two business owners on my table and they said we're hiring people in their 20s
• 36:54
  early 20s and the communication skills just isn't there and I'm saying maybe it's because they're on
• 36:59
  their phone a lot they don't they won't ever go out after work not to socialize but when they do
• 37:04
  a work event they try and avoid it soort if they take everyone out to temping bowling or something
• 37:08
  says it's just not there and then they leave early and things not generalizing too much that's what I
• 37:13
  was saying so I thought it's in my business there won't employ too many younger people these days
• 37:17
  because people don't want to get into Pest Control it's a dying industry so anytime you see a pest
• 37:21
  control and most of them these days were in their 30s and you'll see some in their 60s so where the
• 37:25
  pest control goes out the window in the coming years because the younger generation want to do
• 37:31
  sexy cool things on Tik Tok and things we don't know there's definitely a different mindset and
• 37:35
  different doesn't necessarily mean bad yeah but they do think differently and for sure something
• 37:41
  like a work life balance in the olden days we used to be able to like oh it's like it's all
• 37:45
  about the work and you come to office and you work till you die and you have to give your
• 37:48
  kidney for this work and you have to like those sort of things I forget your family forget your
• 37:53
  no way don't eat sleep forget about it give your soul to this work like that those days you're hard
• 38:01
  those days they're going now because obviously you can do that and it's going to be it's going to be
• 38:06
  good but then you might have the out look at steep jobs and and that sort of thing I always go back
• 38:10
  to that it's like that that is the price that is an ultimate price and if it's your own business
• 38:15
  you're more inclined to do that why wouldn't you give your kidney and your whatever if you have
• 38:19
  this dream and you want to change the world but then if you're an employee you just seen someone
• 38:24
  going come on stay late come on don't go home don't see your friends no I don't care about
• 38:29
  that but they work it's really important you work really there is that side I agree there there has
• 38:35
  to be a balance somewhere there's um friends of mine they're in offices where they say some
• 38:40
  people can't come in because there not have seats now they've downsized their office space and says
• 38:43
  people have to be doing they can't all come into the office what's it called where they
• 38:47
  do whatever working or flexible working is yes but and then you hear recently in Pol government with
• 38:52
  saying we're going to go into a four- day week and things that's really work stuff going on there and
• 38:56
  you think this just can't happen because yes it can happen with some people but then they say we
• 39:00
  going to work longer we'll do 12-hour days and you think come on guys no one's going to do a 12-hour
• 39:04
  day because there people will start slacking off especially people at home I was only around
• 39:08
  someone's yesterday and they were going oh did you tap my computer screen for me and partner's like
• 39:13
  I forgot and oh you idiot and you're thinking this is actually a real thing yeah but I don't
• 39:18
  know it's hard it's a hard one balance is key but yeah I don't know what's next for you love Island
• 39:24
  something else no there's nothing on the books for me girls no don't I've got a few going to
• 39:30
  stay away from TV then yeah I think I'd probably rather stay away from TV if I'm honest with you
• 39:33
  but I'm looking at maybe doing next year going on a road trip across America for four weeks I don't
• 39:38
  usually take much time off from work I usually have a a long weekend here and there so I have
• 39:42
  about 10 days off a year and my weekends but next year I thought you know what March April time I'll
• 39:47
  either go to Japan for a month or I'll drive across the states for a month that's my next
• 39:51
  plan so want to do one of these big trips as I've never road trip Route 66 or something do you know
• 39:55
  what I mean I'd love to go and see like some mountains or go get a flight up to Alaska cuz I
• 39:59
  like the mountains unfortunately no snow leopards there though leave the cats alone yeah I'll try to
• 40:05
  let the cat come to you never chase the cat true I'll get myself a dog that'll do yeah on that note
• 40:12
  thanks so much for joining us on the podcast today it's been great I thank you for having me [Music]