Do you wonder whether there’s another way? Another, more creative, more meaningful approach to living your life. Well there is and there’s a growing movement of people from all kinds of walks of life who are proving that the way we end up doing what we do in life is often a side effect of external… read more
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Oliver Dall - How your weirdness can be your most valuable asset
Oliver was our first ever guest. Neil happened to go into Oliver's store and was so enamoured with both the store and proprietor, he asked if we could meet. LifeDoneDifferent.ly was born. Oliver talked to us about:
Selling plums outside his parents house
How school really wasn't entertaining enough for him
The benefits of having supportive, positive parents and positive friends
At 16 why he ditched the idea of college for a job selling phones for O2
His experience of going from a terrible manager to a fantastic manager as a Trainee Estate Agent
His need to stand out and be independent
His spells travelling around the world
The difference between Portsmouth and Brighton (one of these places is cool with chapless pants)
His period living in a cupboard
Learning to mix with different sorts of people
His period working hard because he wanted to make money so he could do his own thing
Getting on the property ladder and becoming a landlord
Spotting the opportunities that present themselves versus being lucky
His spell doing turtle voices at the Sea Life Centre
His first spell as an Polaroid entrepreneur touring the pubs of Brighton
Brands employing Ollie's services as an alternative photo booth
Fuji Film employing Ollie's services to travel around Europe's Festivals
Him losing his independence
Heading back to Asia looking for inspiration
A spell in a hairy pod in Guangzhou, China looking for a Virtual Reality product ideas
Disappointment and demoralisation in a lonely sweaty teenage Chinese gaming bar
Picking up 'The Chamber of Secrets' and realising that wizardry was his thing
Evolving his wizardry ideas and settling on a store
Getting advice from Warner Bros. about setting up Oliver's Brighton
Finding Gene, the builder who shared his vision for creating a truly unique space
Finding the cabinet to display his wands and adopting a Netherland Dwarf Rabbit
The nerves, disappointment and ultimate joy of opening day
What it takes to garner over a thousand 5 star reviews for a shop
Winning start-up of the year at the Brighton & Hove Business Awards
Not worrying about / enjoying being a bit weird
The importance of stepping outside his comfort zone