The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

Founder Story: The Entrepreneurial Adventures of Tony Robinson OBE on the Art of Being a 'Happipreneur'. Be Silly, Be Kind, Be Weird, there's no time for anything else!

• Chris Grimes - Facilitator. Coach. Motivational Comedian

Share episode

Send us a text

Ever wondered what makes some entrepreneurs thrive while others struggle despite financial success? Tony Robinson OBE, known as "The Happipreneur," reveals the surprising secrets behind his revolutionary approach to Small Business success in this captivating conversation.

From a cozy bench overlooking the sea in "sunny Scarbados" (his affectionate name for Scarborough), Tony shares how his personal journey—including overcoming polio as a child and walking away from corporate success—shaped his mission to transform entrepreneurship. His "Happipreneurship" philosophy challenges conventional wisdom with remarkable results: Businesses following his principles achieve an 80% three-year survival rate compared to Silicon Valley's mere 10%.

Tony's wisdom comes wrapped in delightful stories—from his adventures with 200+ hats to his experiences running marathons after age 60. He reveals how a sabbatical year in Malta transformed his life, leading him to resign from everything that wasn't fulfilling and create a framework for entrepreneurial happiness. His "Pay in 30" campaign tackles the £30 billion cash flow crisis strangling small UK businesses, while his personal mantra—"never have to cross the street to avoid somebody"—offers profound guidance for conducting business with integrity.

The conversation takes unexpected turns through philosophy lessons from future Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, memories of 600,000 people at the Isle of Wight Festival without a single screen or mobile phone, and Tony's impromptu performance of Muddy Waters' "Got My Mojo Working." Through it all runs a consistent thread: genuine success combines purpose, integrity, and joy.

Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or dreaming of starting your own venture, Tony's refreshing perspective will transform how you think about business and life. As he quotes: "None of us ever get out of this alive. So be silly, be kind, be weird—there's no time for anything else."

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

Chris Grimes:

Welcome to another episode of the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes, the storytelling show that features the Clearing, where all good questions come to get asked and all good stories come to be told, and where all my guests have two things in common they're all creative individuals and all with an interesting story to tell. There are some lovely storytelling metaphors a clearing, a tree, a juicy storytelling exercise called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, some alchemy, some gold, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare and a cake. So it's all to play for. So, yes, welcome to the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes, are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin.

Chris Grimes:

And yes, I keep saying boom. Of late it says go on my screen, but I'm going to say boom again because I'm delighted to welcome the boomtastic Tony Robinson OBE to the Good Listening To show Tony Robinson, the man with so many hats, literally in what you do, and those of you watching the show will see that he's got an absolutely majestic thing upon his bones as we speak. So, tony Robinson OBE, you have a very, very famous namesake, but you're very, very famous as a namesake yourself too. Do you ever get confused for the baldrick version of you?

Tony Robinson OBE:

well, I sometimes wish I was him, but I I don't think I'd have 25 000 followers on twitter if they didn't think I was him, so so it's pretty good, really no, but I did do once a show, an after-dinner thing, and the people had actually come to it thinking I was, you know, Baldrick Time Team superstar legend and a knight as well, and so it was hard work that after-din at all.

Chris Grimes:

I'll tell you the third guest I've had where there's a bit of happy confusion there's a very, very famous BBC producer called Paul Jackson and I interviewed someone called Paul Zed Jackson and Paul Zed formed the Zed because he kept getting the other Paul Jackson's paychecks and he was quite envious because they were pretty humongous paychecks because this guy was like the comedy producer's comedy producer. So is Paul Z Jackson because he trained me with the comedy improvisation show and company that I'm part of that I still run, called Instant Wit. And then the other one is John Altman, who's Michael Palin's best friend, but there's also an EastEnders, john Altman, and they've gone as far as actually introducing each other on stage and the audience doesn't know which one's going to come in. John Altman, would you please welcome John Altman? And then everyone's going. Anyway, we've gone off on a rabbit hole tangent I've got a bell for tangents, we have imposter syndrome.

Chris Grimes:

That's true, yes, so, tony Robinson, OBE, you're known as the happypreneur. You've spent over 30 years improving micro biz in terms of how business owners that are perfectly formed and small are treated. Um, you also very wittily said I'll give you the the joke about where you're dialing in from today. So where does tony robinson, obe, live? Sunny scarbados, boom. So, and we connected because you got in touch with me after I'd interviewed Charlie Mullins, obe, who is the Pimlico plumber, now a phoenix rising again as we Fix London, and you had a really deep, long-standing connection with Charlie Mullins. Do you want to just tell us the story behind the story?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah, absolutely, about 10, 12 years ago, we started something called an annual micro biz matters day. Uh, in fact, I started it because I realized the power of linkedin, really, which is quite interesting, and I I realized that I could like contact people and ask them for favors and various things, and so so we started to run an annual Micro Biz Matters Day where I would interview something like 30 or 40 quite famous business owners during the day, online first of all, and then it eventually moved after about eight years to big live events. We moved from like a green room where the celebrities would come in and I'd interview them, to actually a big live event. Anyway, charlie was on the very first one and, uh, he was such a hit that we actually we actually did this in um because everything was free, so there was you to beg, steal and borrow, and Google actually gave us a room in their place and he stopped the place and everybody was looking at their computers and listening to Charlie because he's such a character, he's so good, fun.

Tony Robinson OBE:

We got on so well that three years later he allowed us to do the whole thing with 250 people as guests and put on all the things at Pimlico Plumbers and he's just great. In the end we called him our Microbiz Matters Tsar, because there's all these Tsars of different things and we thought it was great to have someone like Charlie. It's common sense, but it ain't that common, that kind of whole thing which is great and, as you found out, he's just brilliant. He's got his set lines, but if you grab his attention he will answer a question properly, which is so refreshing. It's not going to be politically correct, but he will answer a question. And so it's not going to be politically correct, you know, but but on that he will answer a question, and so it's a dream to interview he gave the most brilliant advice.

Chris Grimes:

My son is 18 and, uh, the the advice was for any young person getting going is to make sure you have a trade and and that's of course where he comes from from turning, you know, a leaky tap into a complete sort of empire of of the pinnacle plumbers, which obviously sold famously for 140 million in the end yeah, fantastic.

Tony Robinson OBE:

And and the other thing is that, like he also reinforces the advice that a lot of people give, generic advice, but, like when he was talking about his mentor Bill yes, his mentor Bill, who gave that advice to him as well, was actually a plumber. You see what I mean. So it's not like some generic law of attraction type mentoring manifestation or goal setting or kind of thing. It's actually practical advice to help him become a plumber and a trader and earn a living.

Chris Grimes:

That's fantastic and the tools of the trade for a successful life. Actually, yeah, also thank you so much. You said you'd seen my rob bryden show live oh, it was fantastic.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah, it's fantastic. So I watched it live on saturday evening because I only watched live, live tv kind of thing. So I didn't. I didn't know anything about rob bryden, which is like I must be the only of thing. So I didn't know anything about Rob Brydon, which is like I must be the only person in the world because of my lack of television. But I thought he was absolutely brilliant and I thought you were absolutely brilliant the way you actually set it all up, and I especially loved the Michael Caine Steve Coogan story as well. It's absolutely great and it was just, it was a delight and the audience loved it, didn't they? I mean it was. It's really warm atmosphere.

Chris Grimes:

It's fantastic, a fantastic moment for me too, because of the. There was a previous guest, actually, who said that we are all of us and this will help to anyone watching anyway in the entrepreneurial space. All of us are where we are because of choices, actions, decisions that we made five years ago, almost to the day of rob bryden being in a sold-out show obviously due in no small part to rob's brilliance it sold out, but it was that.

Tony Robinson OBE:

It was just a really a flag in the sand of progress that five years in, I have created a monster which works beautifully as a theater show as well, which is so exciting and what I learned from you was was also the fact that within five minutes, by using those photographs and you announcing yourself and the way you actually set it up, that audience was buzzing within five minutes before Rob Brydon had actually said a word. Really, and it was just like brilliant. I loved it. I learned a lot from it as well.

Chris Grimes:

It's really good. Thank you so much. Tony Robinson, obe, is here, for we're going to be doing leadership reflections because you are just extraordinary in terms of your entrepreneurial ship support for all leaders in the world. You talked about Charlie Mullins, his own excellence as a leader and things that he plays forward to pass on key messaging. You're also, if I may say, the Imelda Marcos of hats.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yes, yes, hundreds of them, unfortunately. How many do you have? Yeah, I stopped counting when I got over 200, so I don't know how many there are really. I mean, I've got a cricket hat for every country that plays cricket, you know, in their country, from World Cups and things like that. So you know they add up these number of hats.

Chris Grimes:

And within the curated structure, there are two squirrels involved, which I'll explain in a minute, and it wouldn't surprise me if your own squirrels are oh, a hat, and then your goodly. Mrs Robinson is no doubt thinking he's brought home another hat, but anyway.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yes, I have to go and look for them often because they get shoved into corners and cupboards and things like that Excellent, so it's my great delight and pleasure.

Chris Grimes:

You are a professional speaker, an inspiration for your workplace and your world is what you say about yourself on linkedin. And you're also, as I mentioned, a serial marathon runner. How many marathons have you done?

Tony Robinson OBE:

yeah, so in the last 12 years I started when I was 60, 60 odds, so 62 maybe. And uh, I've done 18 half marathons and five marathons and just done the London Marathon. So that's good All for Macmillan Cancer Support. It's really to raise money for Macmillan. I'm not a runner by any means, so it's just a way of people. They'll give money to daft people.

Chris Grimes:

Send money, yeah, and if I may ask just a, to question the story behind the story macmillan cancer. We know, obviously, why you're using that as your cause, but is there any other personal connection to them as to why they've become your main charity?

Tony Robinson OBE:

five of my close friends have died of cancer between the ages of 26 and 57. So, yeah, yeah, so that's the reason. And then there are lots of other people very close to me that are, you know, unfortunately battling it.

Chris Grimes:

Yes, and I can't resist. The motivational comedian part of me, can't resist pointing out that if you're a runner, good on you. You don't live any longer, but you just get there a bit faster.

Tony Robinson OBE:

And that's absolutely true or not.

Chris Grimes:

You could have really pushed back on that. No, that's nonsense, but anyway, thank you, that's true. So, um, may I invite you to now be curated through the structure and the construct of the good listening to show. So just to explain to those who are seeing this for the first time if you are, where have you been? I've just had rub braden in the show. I I've done 250 of these, but this is the show in which I invite movers, makers, shakers, mavericks, influencers and also personal heroes into a clearing or serious happy place of my guests choosing, as we all share their stories of distinction and genius. So it's my great delight to curate you, tony Robinson, obe, through this. First of all. Then, any questions before we start? No, not at all, get going, let's do this so energetically. It's all set in a clearing or serious happy place of your choosing. So where would you say Tony Robinson? In sunny Scarbaeba? I can't even say it. Can you say it again, because I didn't say it well?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yes, it's sunny Scarbaeba. We've got a microclimate and that's why it's sunny all year round.

Chris Grimes:

Yes, lovely. So where is what is a clearing or serious happy place for you, tony?

Tony Robinson OBE:

yes, well, uh, these are. These are daily happy places, and there are two of them. So when I'm in malta which I've been in malta an awful lot over the last 15, 20 years it is in independence gardens in slima and I would go there every single day that I'm in malta and I'll be sat on a bench in independence gardens. I'll have lots of cats around me, because there's like maybe about 400 cats live in independence gardens and all my happy places have got food and drink associated with them. So I'll be eating a pastisi of something tuna and spinach or something like that and I'll be drinking either a coffee or a red wine or a beer, and I'll be looking across the water to St Julian's Bay. There are trees in this happy place and all my happy places have got water and sea and it's just absolutely wonderful. By the way, I'm on my own always in these happy places, so there's lots to observe, and especially cats mangling dogs, for example. Any dogs are silly enough to go into Independence Gardens and it's a wonderful place. And there's also. Our next novel is called Maltese Venom and that's dedicated to Daphne Caruna Galizia, who was assassinated, and that's dedicated to Daphne Caruna Galizia, who was assassinated and there's even a monument to her in Independence Garden. So that's a fantastic place.

Tony Robinson OBE:

So wherever I am in Malta I go there, and in Scarbadus then it's similarly. It's next to the sea, it's at the front, it's at South Bay, it's at the Teapot Cafe, and if you walk up the stairs from the Teapot Cafe you'll find another little bench where I actually sit, and I have either a chocolate tiffin, a scones they do scones specially for me, absolutely wonderful A chocolate flapjack. So you know lots of wonderful things I have with the coffee and I'm there every day and of course, some days I'll write, some days I'll just look around, some days I'll, you know, maybe chat to lots of people that know I'm going to be sitting there. So lots of people come up and have a little chat, which is a wonderful thing really. I've got a friend who calls it light chats about nothing in particular, kind of thing. But we're social people, aren't we? It's lovely when somebody comes up and says hello, tony, and have a chat about nothing in particular. So it's just like that's great. Those are my two happy places.

Chris Grimes:

May I just congratulate you. That's probably the most sumptuous nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom nom I've experienced. And what's lovely is you are the cat in the hat at both settings. And there's something beautifully, dr Zussi, about the cat in the hat. Who's all that Lovely?

Tony Robinson OBE:

lovely and of course I get withdrawal symptoms if I'm not next to the sea every day. You know, I just have to be next to the sea, I just love it. Melville wrote really well about that. Didn't say about the fact that people can just look out at the sea and for no particular reason.

Chris Grimes:

But if you're feeling great doing that, then hey, that's great beautifully, beautifully positioned, and I'm obviously going to go for the independence garden because I think you are a really independent maverick, and so what I love is the fact that you've got I love both benches. But if I may, can I choose to arrive with my waiting for goddo-esque samuel beckety tree in your next to your bench, next to all the cats, with you being the cat in the hat in India? Yeah, that'd be great. Yeah, let's do that. So a tree now arrives because of my Hecate background and it is, as I mentioned, a bit Beckett, deliberately existential. So the idea is go where you like, how you like, as deep as you like, as silly as you like, as epic as you like, into this construct.

Chris Grimes:

You've had five minutes, tonyony robinson, obe, as long as you've needed before we've agreed to do this, and this was a couple of months now in this sort of inception, to have thought about four things that have shaped you, three things that inspire you, two things that never fail to grab your attention and I mentioned squirrels earlier on. That's borrowed from the film up where the dog goes. Well, squirrels you. What are your monsters of distraction, your squirrels? And then the one is a quirky or unusual fact about you, tony Robinson, obe. We couldn't possibly know about you until you and us. So it's not a memory test. I'll curate you through it. But let's go back to the top of the tree. Four things that have shaped you first.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah, I've thought a bit about this because I think it's really interesting to talk about things like this, because normally I'm just talking about micro businesses and enterprise and startups and various things. So it's absolutely great to to do this and I thought, well, I'll go backwards and I'll go to nearest four things. So the first one is is years ago, and that links with the Malta kind of thing because I persuaded my business partner, claire, of well now 40 years we've been in business together, my wife Eileen and three kids that I'd like to go to Malta for one year on my own a sabbatical malta for one year on my own a sabbatical um. And I wanted to get serious about my writing in that year, um, because I've always been tacking on my writing into into other things and I really wanted to get serious about it and do it. And so they said, yeah, booger off. I mean they said, what a wonderful idea, it's best idea, so like that. So I ended up there earlier than I expected.

Tony Robinson OBE:

So I wasn't gonna go till next year, but but anyway, in in, in that that year really led to the last 15 years, because I came back and I resigned and this is the important thing, I think in the shaping I resigned from every single thing that wasn't giving me fulfillment, I didn't feel useful or wasn't making me happy, including three organizations that I'd founded and that takes a little bit of doing, if you like. I'd obviously done my writing and so I was really pleased with that and I was pleased that I'd achieved that goal during the time and I really have got serious and I've continued that. A guy called Joss Burton wrote a beautiful book called Be Useful and I've always felt really lucky. I'm very much of the momentum, more a kind of feeling, about things and I've always felt like really lucky that I'm still here and I'm still alive and I live for today.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Imagine all the people living for today kind of thing I do live for today. Imagine old people living for today kind of thing I do live for today. I've got no memory. Unlike Rob Brydon, I haven't got any regrets. I just probably just haven't got any memories.

Tony Robinson OBE:

But seriously, I was then able to say, well, what would be useful, kind of thing, and then at the end of it, like today I'm running the Be More Happypreneur shows and doing all those things, and I made sure that I was able to do things that made me feel be useful, like Joss Burton's book, and I've done that for 15 years or something, and that's all down to that one year in malta. So that's completely shaped me it's shaping.

Chris Grimes:

Yeah, is that where the happypreneur was born?

Tony Robinson OBE:

yeah, it came.

Tony Robinson OBE:

It came about 2019, so it came about six years later, but what I had done is, like I all, I'd also improved my observational skills and listening.

Tony Robinson OBE:

I think during this I've always been trying to do it because my wife and business partner, claire, have always said I should improve my listening skills, but I think my observational skills improved a great deal being on my own and just walking around the island all the time and then writing at night, and I suddenly decided that I realized that a lot of entrepreneurs and I've met some really famous ones and millionaires and various things, um, and some of them being clients, so I've got to know them really well and there's an awful lot of really wealthy people that are entrepreneurs that are as miserable as anything, and one of them became quite a close friend.

Tony Robinson OBE:

I was one of the few people that invited me to his ranch with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and all this kind of thing, and he died young as well, and I always thought it was really bad. Why are some people like me running my own business that you know are earning a lot of money, happy? And I elevated myself to the point of happypreneurship, which is you've got to be happy in your enterprising life at least 80 percent of the time. What?

Tony Robinson OBE:

a lovely yes, so you've got to, so. So basically, I'd got myself up there from about 65 to 80 by you know what I was doing in the last 15 years, but I wanted to find out why we were really happy and other people weren't. And it came down to a number of things and that's why we wrote the book as a guide. And the important thing about just to go back to business for once, the point is about, if you meet the values of happy pre-nurship philosophy that we've written and the influencing and how you're influenced enterprise skills, then 80% of startups will survive three years or more.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Now, in Silicon Valley, only 10% of startups survive three years or more, and there are some very controversial values, as you can imagine, in those 10, such as things like avoid debt. Now the whole world is actually selling entrepreneurs debt, if you actually think of it, yeah, but the ones that are happiest are people like charlie mullins that won't even allow a bank manager on his premises. That's how. That's how strongly, yeah, he feels about the fact that he nearly lost his life and his business because of banks recalling overdrafts and things like that. So, anyway, long story short, but that's how Happenpreneurship came about, and the book is actually a guide to enterprise really, but along the way it will help you survive and thrive and, you know, do what you love doing and are good at, which is great it's a wonderfully helpful calibration.

Chris Grimes:

Anyone listening is already processing how happy am I at that 80. And also you're championing the little business that's I. That's what you're paying. 30 is about, isn't it? That's a really important thing.

Tony Robinson OBE:

You must yes, I mean that that's the other thing. So, for example, um, you know I've been campaigning that for obviously such a long time um, but the reason is that micro business owners and self employed people like us, we have to pay for things either the longest is going to be utilities and things like that monthly but we pay most of our suppliers straight away, don't we definitely?

Tony Robinson OBE:

yes you know. I mean, it's an, it's an unwritten code. We've got to meet with each other. We've got to, and so we, we we're paying out money straight away.

Tony Robinson OBE:

So these 100 large corporations on the FTSE 100 and various things that have standard 45 to 120 days payment terms, they are actually causing a 30 billion logjam in the UK, which means that when you deal with a company of any size, which means that when you deal with a company of any size, they may actually be in a supply chain from one of these 45 to 120-day standard terms and they can't pay you within a reasonable time frame. And this causes so many problems. And basically I mean, for example, in COVID you can imagine I was livid that the one thing that government didn't do during covid is say that everybody has got to pay in 30 days or less or else we're not giving you the furlough money we're not giving you, bailing you out, we're not giving you grants. Everybody has got to pay in 30 days or less because we've got to pay our bills and so many small businesses completely lost out.

Tony Robinson OBE:

In any case, absolutely 3.8 million lost out, excluded UK.

Chris Grimes:

And the 30 billion, as you described, logjam, you can imagine. That's why businesses do it, because they'll get fat off the interest basically, oh yeah, it's the easiest way to make money.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah, I mean, I was managing director of a company whereby it was paid in cash because it was retail consumers. See, supermarkets are terrible. You know, the big five supermarkets are terrible. So they get paid in cash, they get all that money coming in straight away and they don't have to pay for the goods that they've sold. Yes, you know, they sell those goods three times over and, of course, the fastest way to make money is on the money market, and I was in one of those companies that was actually wanting to do it.

Chris Grimes:

So the accountants want to put out the number of days that you can actually not pay for the goods, as long as they can so the campaign, of course, then coming full circle, is pay in 30, which is just this idea of come on, pay in 30 days or less. Yeah, absolutely, yeah, yeah. So again, not to get too political, but back to the shaking of the tree now.

Tony Robinson OBE:

So, um, yeah, yeah, so second, what second one is, uh, 40 years ago so that's what that's, you know totally shaped me really, and that was a decision too. That's when my riches to rag story started, because I'd become a managing director of a 200 employee. I had all the big things. We had a lovely house in um, on the edge of a village. I had a massive car not that I should ever been given a driving license because I'm a distractor but we had all the trappings. It was a traveling first class. We were actually at a conference in Venice.

Tony Robinson OBE:

When I said to my wife who didn't like coming to these events anyway, she doesn't like that kind of stuff, but she had to because I was the managing director of it I said to her you, you know, I'm going to resign and uh, this lifestyle, and that was the start of four times downsizing and all sorts of things, as you know what it's like with. You know when you start off self-employed, various things. But you know, I've had the most wonderful with my business partner cla. I've had the most wonderful 40-odd years.

Chris Grimes:

What's Claire's second name?

Tony Robinson OBE:

She's got a famous name, which is Claire Francis, but I'm not allowed to talk about her or my family too much because none of them like it. But she's one of my heroes and you know that was the start of being totally independent and, more importantly I think this is a bit philosophical being able to totally stand against my values. So I can put my hand on my heart and say that, as far as I know, I've been able to worked to those values for 40 years since and I don't know that you can in an employed position and I'm not criticizing employment. In fact I think most people nobody should ever start up their own business without having some other income streams and that you know it's better to test trade while you've got a job and even get a job while you're actually running your own business, if that's another way of getting income in. So I've got absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Tony Robinson OBE:

And all my talks are to big companies and all my clients have been big companies. So I've got nothing against employment. But I'm just saying on a personal level you know it's liberating. It's a bit like Nina Simone once said you know's liberating it's. It's a bit like, um, nina simone once said you know what is freedom. She said no fear, and I think that that is the liberating thing.

Chris Grimes:

You know, not, there's no fear about losing your job because it's it's your own business kind of yes, and I love the fact that in the epicenter of the clearing is your flag flapping majestic with the happypreneur Flappity, flappity, flappity, flappity, flappity. I love that.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Right. The third one is 1985, so it was the last one, and the next one is 1970, 71. And so my father died and I was in my A-level year and I'd been very conscientious and I'd been a good academic, etc. I'd been to the Isle of Wight Festival for seven days in 1970, 600,000 people there, without a screen or a mobile phone, and one stage. It's incredible really when you think about it.

Tony Robinson OBE:

But I was with a whole group of people that were all creatives and I think of myself as a creative rather than I certainly don't think of myself as anything to do with business. But my father died and I had a kind of big decision to make to make. Really, my instincts were actually taking me towards helping my mother with the family business. That's what my instincts were taking to me. The selfishness, hippie part of me said that I just want to get out of this, all you know, and I want to be with creative people all the time. And many of my friends had actually left school before A-levels and were in bands or were actors like Christine Burgess and you know, so lots of people. But I thought, well, I've also probably got to make some money for my mother and things like that if I do it. So anyway, I decided to go to London to do a degree to be with my creative friends. Obviously a lot of them, in order to earn a living in the arts, had to go to London and the course was rubbish English and philosophy. And the course was rubbish English and philosophy. But my first philosophy teacher actually became chief rabbi and he was a guy called Lord Jonathan Sachs and I got really interested in philosophy as a result of his teaching. He was only two years older than me so he was doing his PhD. It was his only teaching job that he ever had. I was so lucky and I got really into philosophy. I thought it's obviously fantastic, and so that has shaped me. You know, there is nothing more that has shaped me in my life than that philosophy kind of thing.

Tony Robinson OBE:

And then the last one, very quickly, it's school days. I mean, I hate freud and all this, this, that, but this is my proudest possession as well, which wasn't one of your questions, but this is an East Riding School's cricket hat and I had to work bloody hard to get an East Riding School's cricket hat and I'm really proud of that. Thank you so much, donny. That was beautiful, but basically I had polio when I was eight or so and that has completely shaped me, because I spent 15 months bedridden in between going to hospital visits and various things. I had to learn how to walk again, all that kind of stuff.

Tony Robinson OBE:

But the wonderful and my whole life has been incredibly lucky, and I'm not just saying that it has been incredibly lucky was the fact that my mum, who giggled her way through life and her business but was the most brilliant teacher so there's me thinking of going back to school, thinking, oh, I don't really want to go back. You know, when I recovered and learned to walk again, I don't really want to go, or whatever and I found that I was way ahead of them. So I was way ahead of them in the class, if you like. I was an only child and so I had no reference points kind of thing, and I thought this is absolutely great. This is what life is all about, you know, being top of the class and various things.

Tony Robinson OBE:

And then, you know, I slimmed off a bit by the time I went to grammar school. You know I played every sport that there was. You know I just loved it and I wanted to be the best at every sport as well tennis, cricket, whatever so it was like the most fantastic things to suddenly realize that you know God, your mum's actually made you like really good at all these things.

Chris Grimes:

The description of your mother was just beautiful, the fact she giggled her way through life. Oh yes, she did yeah yeah, the house, just beautiful.

Tony Robinson OBE:

the fact she giggled her way through life, oh, yes, she did. Yeah, yeah, the house was always full of her friends, you know, and people coming around and and they just giggled all the time. And christmases were, you know, better than charles dickens would have wanted them.

Chris Grimes:

Even they're absolutely wonderful, gorgeous love that. So is that the four shapeages. That's four shapeages, yeah, positioned with with dates akimbo, that gets you right back to it. Yeah, and I I've got to mention how fantastic it was that your family said bye then when you said in the first shapeage that it was time for a sabbatical year. Yeah, you literally step away from your family for the entire year yeah, yeah, yeah, no, well.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Well, um eileen, my wife and daughter came over in the last two weeks I think Wow, and we flew back together Lovely.

Chris Grimes:

Great story. So now, three things in the shape of the tree, three things that inspire you, right Okay?

Tony Robinson OBE:

All right, yeah, so well, I think the first thing is which is talked about very quick is partnerships. You know, as you mentioned, I speak on my next talk and my last talk as conferences is about inspiration, how you get it and what it does for you. And a lot of people say things are inspiring in the same way as they think are awesome. Yes, but it's actually closer to sibling motivation. It's about something that really gets to you. It could be an idea or it could be an impetus or whatever that motivates you but motivates you into a willing action, if that makes sense, and it's the action that is actually imported from the inspiration. So if somebody goes to see you and Rob Brydon and they'll say that was inspiring, well, it was, but it's not really doing anything unless that inspiration is actually taking them to do something, which might be to actually try stand-up comedy. Do you know what I mean? So my first one is partnerships. So I've been very lucky in having women partners and a life partner for 50 odd years as well, that we're actually so close together that they do actually inspire me on a day-to-day basis, Because when you get really close to people in a partnership, work and life, you actually can just observe them, or they have a little smile on their face, or you can see them actually taking a deep breath to go through a really difficult thing, and the whole personality of the person is actually inspiring you to say, well, yeah, I need some of that, do you know? It's so, that's fantastic. So that was the first one.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Now, the second one was for writing, performing and and so forth. I actually wrote a funny book, hopefully, which is 2020 Visionaries Dead Celebrity Interviews. I have that in my hand, too, and obviously I like writing satire more than anything else really and so that was a great opportunity to research a lot of people and quite a lot of those are actually inspirations for me. So, although most of them are actually funny and satirical and various things people like anne bronte and virginia wolf and these people I can't say people like mandela, because there's nothing in my context I found it absolutely fantastic going to see Mandela on Robbins Island and stuff like that but you can read a writer such as Virginia Woolf, anne Bronte, noel Coward, even on his plays.

Tony Robinson OBE:

I didn't realize what a good writer he was until I started reading and researching. Do you know what I mean? You can actually read these writers and actually go. And then the performing. Well, you know I won't go into this. There's such a long list of performers that I've learned things from. As Rob Brydon says, he suddenly realized in retrospect that you've taken a bit from that, a bit from that, but you've actually been inspired by their performance to take that action, even if it's subliminally yeah into your performance that speaks to me so profoundly, because stan laurel is my complete comedy hero and then in modern times, michael palin sort of does it for me in a similar way, too great yeah, overtly, it's obviously 2020.

Chris Grimes:

Visionaries Dead Celebrity Interviews which you've co-written with Taryn. Very kind, yeah, You're welcome.

Tony Robinson OBE:

There is a good theory strand as well, and the last one was I'll mention her again later on but I do say in every talk I do and every interview like this that my inspiration is a fantastic woman called Kanya King CBE. So this is the inspiration for the work I do. So she founded the Mobo Awards in the same year that I founded something called the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative, which is one of the organizations I resigned from. I did mine to actually improve life for startups and micro-business owners and Kanye did hers to actually shake up the music industry completely, to recognize music of a black origin and its importance. Now she has done that.

Tony Robinson OBE:

I have not done that, but I've tried throughout all this time and I have learned from. So we talked earlier about Micro Biz Matters Day and various things. Well, that's how Tanya started off. So I've been running annual award shows and everything from 1996 and Micro Biz Matters Days and all sorts of things and begging and stealing celebrity people that people will actually want to watch, if you like. She managed to persuade lionel richie to the very first mobo awards, wow, yeah it was him, she was yeah and it was.

Tony Robinson OBE:

It was lionel richie that initially managed to get. Obviously, even the prime minister, tony blair at the time, went to the very first in. I mean, this is is incredible. So she didn't have any money. She mortgaged her house and various things. And the other thing is, like you know, her background is like I lived in Kilburn for a while. I know what that was like in Kilburn and you know she tells a story about, you know, no blacks, no dogs, no Irish kind of thing that they had on the pubs and various things. Well, she had all of the racism that was going on still and various things. So it's amazing what she's actually achieved and she's just absolutely fine. But the point is she inspired me to learn to find a way to do these things without any money at all, just based on passion to make a difference, to do something useful and be willing to ask your friends and people that you've met. And you know, would you help us out on this? And it's amazing how wonderful people are.

Chris Grimes:

So a beautiful inspiration. Thank you, I think that's three inspirations. Now, is that right? If I've got the math right, yeah, that's done. And now this is the exciting bit. This is the squirrels, the two monsters of distraction. What are your two squirrels, which may be hats, and I'd be delighted if they were, but I don't mind if they're not. What, tony Robinson? Monsters of distraction you're? Oh, squirrels that never fail to stop you in your tracks, irrespective of anything else that's going on well, what was the other thing in the film up that the dogs were distracted by?

Chris Grimes:

oh, now you're asking it was squirrels, and do you know the answer to that?

Tony Robinson OBE:

yeah, it's my first. First one, it's balls. That's not a comment, it's you know that's so. So I am distracted by balls of all kinds. So so you know, snooker balls, even cricket balls, tennis balls, footballs, whatever. As a fan playing table tennis, yeah, I played that as well. I love it watching it. Obviously, I don't play as many of them now, but all balls all the time, so I will always go. It doesn't matter what the crisis is going on in the world, if somebody invites me to either watch some balls being kicked or whatever. It's one of the reasons I only watch live television, because I can only watch live sports with balls kind of thing. I love them all it's absolutely great.

Chris Grimes:

What about paddle and pickleball, the new types of balls?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Oh, yeah, I love all that Absolutely great. So, anything to do with ball, just love it. And what's the second one? Oh, cats and dogs. We mentioned cats. I could look at them for hours Absolutely fantastic. We've got a dyspraxic cat and it takes after me great, sometimes sleeps on me, but it does circ to sole in the middle of the night, kind of thing. But it just, you know, it wakes you up at three o'clock in the morning because got up on some wardrobe or something and doesn't know how to get down. I mean, just has got no cat like things. I can just watch cats and dogs forever.

Chris Grimes:

So those are the two things that uh and remembering you are the cat in the hat yourself, so that is fantastic and makes complete sense. Also, um, what's so relatable is dogs are so brilliant in terms of presence, of being in the clock of now. Now, yeah, absolutely, yeah, that's wonderful. Yeah, that's true, absolutely. And I was analogized when I first went to drama school as being like an untrained labrador. I'll literally say hump your leg, get bored, do a shit in the corner, go do something else. I won't do any of that, but, um, I never humped anyone's leg, I have to say, although actually I did play general custer's dog at one point in a play. Brilliant, that was all that was me going down my own rabbit hole, great rabbit hole, number four, please. And now we're on to, uh, a quirky. This is the one a quirky or unusual fact about you, tony Robinson. We couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah, I mean the lowest 2% of the population for spatial awareness.

Chris Grimes:

So dyspraxia again.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yes, yeah so, but I mean it wasn't. They didn't have a term for it then. But so I was on a postgraduate diploma in human resource management and, uh, we were doing occupational psychology tests, you know, and various testing for things like forklift truck drivers and things like that. And uh, and, and they proved that with this test, that I should never have been given a driving license because, uh, and with tony is what I'm absolutely and, you know, never have been given a driving licence, because home with Tony is what I'm ever absolutely. And you know, I've been arrested a number of times for trying to get out of hotels and, you know, with not paying only because I can't find the main down. I've gone through the fire exit looking incredibly shady and you know.

Chris Grimes:

I've been stopped by these things. He's the one in the hat. Go get him. So the stat again was you're in the lowest 2% of spatial awareness of the human population. Is that right?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah Well, apparently, according to this test, back in 1978.

Chris Grimes:

In the top 98% if you invert the math. I love that. I'd love to come and stay in a very spanky hotel with you and we can both do a runner and blame you.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Exactly A great thing about this Sprat series. I was really popular with my kids and their mates because if they ever went in the car with me, obviously they got lost. But the other thing is that I lived in milton keynes for when they were very, very young and it meant that it's full of roundabouts and of course I was driving round and round and round roundabouts, never being able to get off, and the kids were like really disappointed with their boring old parents, like you know, going straight off a roundabout after that, because they loved going round and round around.

Chris Grimes:

So this is the happypreneur, like your mom probably giggling your way through. Have you visited hamel hemstead in your dyspraxic way, because that's got the the loony roundabout of six mini round and then around? We lived there for a couple of years as well, yeah, so that must have been absolutely gleeful with you yeah, I mean honestly, it's awful.

Tony Robinson OBE:

I've been down roads, you know.

Chris Grimes:

Uh, we won't do that, carry on we have shaken your tree, all right, so now we stay in the clearing, move away from the tree. Next we talk about alchemy and gold. So when you're at purpose and in flow, tony robinson, obe, what are you absolutely happiest doing and what you're here Purpose and in Flow. At Tony Robinson, obe, what are you absolutely happiest doing and what you're here to reveal to the world?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Well, I'm the oracle of happypreneurial now, which is the one it takes all these years to get up there. It's probably got to be in the 70s, etc. But I'm twinned with Slambovia in Sleepy Hollow, new York, and that's where my favorite band come from the Peruvian Circus of Dreams they're called, and Josiah Longo puts it best, if you like, and I realized that that was my when I'm in the flow, you know when it's absolutely best, and he talks about every now and again, a song almost coming down fully formed from the ghosts and all the various things of Slambovia, like the ghosts of Happy Prenaria. And that is the most incredible moment for me, when suddenly writing is not hard. Most of the time it's really hard work writing, isn't it? Even comedy must be hard work, writing it and rehearsing it and getting it right and various things. But there are some times when it just seems to flow and you can even laugh and smile as you're writing. Does that make sense? Completely does? That's fine?

Chris Grimes:

When you find your muse. Do you have a favourite track of that ilk that you'd like to prescribe? Because Dan, my podcast editor, is brilliant at texturing in a piece of music.

Tony Robinson OBE:

It's really corny. It would be something like the Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra as background music, just for the kind of feel of it while you're actually writing, you know, and obviously the the arrangements by, with the count basie orchestra and nelson riddle and all those kind of thing.

Chris Grimes:

the bands behind sinatra were probably the best musicians in the world at that time, so I'd go for that there's a famous story of an american poetess, whose name has not come to my mind as I tried to remember this, but she was famous, for when the muse of a poem comes, it's like a tornado that's coming to her in a cornfield and she's got to dash back to her desk, get a pen before it blows past. And then it comes.

Tony Robinson OBE:

It comes blowing into the page it's what, and you never know when it's going to happen as well, and that's one of the reasons for going right back to the happy places where I have always got a notebook and a pen with me, because I can just be looking over across the sea and then my thoughts will go here, there and everywhere, and suddenly the start won't be a completed poem, but it will be the start of a poem or a song I'm writing, or something will actually come into my, come in and it's just, and you don't know how the heck it's happened.

Chris Grimes:

Yes, it's a muse and it's come from the gods. One of your celebrity interviews is with Zeus, and that was the god. Yes, so that's the alchemy in gold, and now I'm going to award you with a cake. So do you like cake? Here it is Dog toy that looks a bit like a carrot cake. But what's your favorite cake, please, tony?

Tony Robinson OBE:

yeah, so it's chocolate, and it was like my auntie mary made, and my auntie mary, uh, right up to about the age of 30, whenever I went to hull, which was where my mother lived various things I'd stop on the way back before I got on the motorway at my auntie Mary's and I'd get this chocolate cake and she couldn't bake, she was hopeless at baking, and so she was a real fan of doing these chocolate cakes for me, because I loved them and they were sort of like really hard you know, they weren't fluffy or anything like that Really hard, whatever. And then, because I'm greedy, I'd probably put some chocolate covered cinder toffee on top of it oh, nom, nom, nom, nom nom.

Chris Grimes:

Love that. So now you get to put a cherry on your cake with stuff like what's your favorite inspirational quote? You've given us a couple already, but what's your favorite inspirational quote?

Tony Robinson OBE:

it's always I've got no memory, but um rob bryan mentioned um anthony hopkins coming from the same place, port Talbot, was it? I can't remember Anyway. So that jogged me into this one which I really like, which is that none of us ever get out of this alive. So be silly, be kind, be weird, there's no time for anything else. Love that and I love that, and that fits my whole stoic philosophy kind of thing as well. I love the way you do that. It's great.

Chris Grimes:

You're welcome. So now, with the gift of hindsight, next question what notes, help or advice Tony Robinson, obe, might you proffer to a younger version of yourself?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah, so when we started our business, we very wisely took on board for a year that we'd help this other person with their business. They'd help us with our business for a year year, one year kind of deal of helping each other and they'd been running their business for about 15, 18 years, so they knew a lot more. And that's one of the important things for a startup is ask a business owner that's been running a business like yours for advice, and the advice they gave to me is the one I'd give to somebody else. A younger self is never have to cross the street to avoid somebody. And that was the advice that they said. You know, I live in this area, I play in this area, I work in this area and I never want to have to cross the street to avoid somebody.

Chris Grimes:

So that would be my advice and, if I may say, what's so delicious about that and so appropriate in your case is the fact that whenever you sit in your two benches, whether that's Scarborough or in Independence Gardens, people seek you out, as do the cats, to come and sit and talk to the cool cat in the head.

Tony Robinson OBE:

By the way, it's hard to do. Does that make sense? By the way, it's hard to do. Does that that makes sense? I mean, it's like it's very easy to not do the dirty on somebody but actually not be kind. There's a brilliant charity that I met when I was speaking up in south shields at the custom house theater a few weeks ago and somebody's created a red bench, uh, and the charity is about like they're putting these red benches all across in south shields and lots of different places and the idea is, if you see somebody sitting alone on the red bench, that you actually go and sit next to them and ask them if they're okay, because a lot of suicides are just prevented by people actually talking to people and not avoiding people. Does that make sense? It's not an easy thing to do is never have to cross the street to avoid someone.

Chris Grimes:

And does that go as far as the red benches? You need to sit there if you're feeling triggered, or do you get people? It doesn't.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Well, the idea is that, you know, looking across a nice view, like we've said, with our happy places et cetera, so they're all positioned in very nice views, but the person who set them up, who tried to commit suicide a number of times, that was his. It started with his favorite bench, if you like, and then he created it into a charity to help others. So, yes, the idea is most people that sit on the bench are, but you know, in another way you could go and sit on that bench and then somebody else who's probably not feeling great might sit alongside you, and then you've got to say hello and talk to them and things. That's a good quality of that fantastic.

Chris Grimes:

We're ramping up shortly to talk about shakespeare and, to borrow from the seven ages of man's speech, to talk about legacy. But just before we get there, this is the pass the golden baton moment, please. A bit like they don't like it ever, mr menring with the golden baton. But, um, who would you most like to pass the golden baton along to, now that you've experienced this from within, in order to keep the golden thread of the storytelling going?

Tony Robinson OBE:

there's three, really, so for, but the last one is the one that I think that may keep the thread going. Um, so, for work, it would be jen crowther, who's my favorite entrepreneur and, uh, I'm chair of something called yorkshire in business, which, you won't be surprised to know, helps startups all along the Yorkshire coast, and we've even got cafes which we have sellers in actually test trading, selling their crafts and their goods and all the various things like that. All the money we make from our workspace and all our entrepreneurial ventures because we have quite a few goes into providing free startup support to everybody along the Yorkshire coast, and it's a long coast, it's the Yorkshire coast. On writing, it would be who you've mentioned, my co-writer, who is also Independent Publisher of the Year, taryn Lee Johnson. She's got a wonderful story as well and you know, absolutely fantastic. So mention her In life.

Tony Robinson OBE:

It would be the remarkable Jennifer Griffiths, because Jennifer Griffiths is housebound for various reasons had wellness. She has saved thousands of lives. Chrisris, among the 3.8 million excluded uk unfortunately we've lost 40 and the last three because of bounce back loans, of not being able to repay their bounce back loans, and this woman is absolutely amazing, wonderful story, absolutely fantastic, but she's an absolute hero and she literally has saved thousands and all of those of us that have campaigned for excluded uk being cancelled and vil oh, you wouldn't believe the stuff that they had. And she's ridden above it, kept smiling, kept giggling like my mum and literally held thousands of lives. And the one I mentioned at the beginning, who I think would be absolutely wonderful on your show, of course, is Kanye King CBE, because I believe this format. I don't know if the listeners will agree, if there's a comment thing, tell me if I'm right, but I actually think this format would draw Kanyu King to tell her story in a totally different way than has ever been told before, and she is my inspiration.

Chris Grimes:

Thank you so much. You've actually given me four. It's the most generous golden baton pass I've ever experienced. Thank you so much for the. You've actually given me four. It's the most generous golden baton pass I've ever experienced. Thank you so much. Those are precious indeed. Thank you so much. And now, inspired by shakespeare all the world's a stage and all the bedded women merely players. This is the, the actual complete works of shakespeare. Not a first folio, but I bought this myself and went to the bristol big school. It says in the margin there 16 986, when I went to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. It says in the margin there 16-9-86, when I went to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. So, inspired by the jayquees or jacque speech within, as you Like it all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. Tony Robinson, we're going to talk about legacy. Now how, when all is said and done and here comes your favourite sound effect again would you most like to be remembered? Oh, do it again, go on, oh, go on then.

Tony Robinson OBE:

I love it. I love it. I'll have to, I'll have to, I'll have to put my, I'll have to put this on for that. So, yeah, so, basically, um, yeah, this is my running hat, so it's got the five names of the friends I run from around it, so so it's a good way, as we're getting near the end. Uh yeah, so it would be for singing got my mojo working. Yeah, I would like it likes to be remembered for singing got my mojo working love that, and who's that by?

Chris Grimes:

or that just using muddy waters, muddy, muddy waters.

Tony Robinson OBE:

but it's better by, would you like?

Chris Grimes:

to sing a refrain of it now.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yeah well, if you do, if you do, yeah. So went down to Louisiana gonna get me the mojo hand. I went down to Louisiana gonna get me the mojo hand. I'm gonna tell all you women, it's the fastest in the land. Got my mojo working. Got my mojo working. Got my mojo working. Got my mojo working. Got my mojo working. Got my brrr working. Got my brrr working. Got my mojo working. But it just don't work on you.

Chris Grimes:

There we go. Thank you so much for doing that and forgive my ignorance in not knowing that I was part of that.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Well, I only, I only made you part of the act at the last minute, didn't I?

Chris Grimes:

you did very well and, in my world of comedy, improvisation, yes and yes and yes and happy to participate. That was wonderful. So now we're going to do a very exciting uh section, which is called show us your QR Code Please. So, courtney, if you'd be kind enough to show the QR codes? First of all, it's your website, the Tony Robinson OBE website. So let's have a look. It's BeMoreHappypreneur through this. So here we go, could you? For those of us that are just watching, you can scan the QR code, but just tell us what the URL is for those that are listening.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Yes, so it's TonyRobinsonOBEcom. Tonyrobinsonobecom.

Chris Grimes:

And be more happypreneur is the raison d'etre that's going on right at the core of everything. If you'd like to connect with Tony Robinson, obe, on LinkedIn, here is the next opportunity to show us your qr code, please. And there's another of your eclectic lovely hats there that you're sporting and you've also got your two. You've written nine books and two audio books, but the two you were kind enough to send me were the happy preneur, which is your sort of that's your main calling card. It's a wonderful thing. It is yours. The happy preneur is, I think, if people google, that they'll come across you in any case anyway. And then, as I've mentioned already, the 2020 visionaries, which is uh dead. Celebrity interviews, yeah, wonderful.

Tony Robinson OBE:

And anywhere else we can find out about you on the old world wide web well, I think if you just put tony robinson into, you will find it goes to me Tony Robinson OBE rather than a famous Tony Robinson, and that'll get you to the YouTube channel. The authors were obviously. The majority of my books are fiction and satire and things not business, but Tony Robinson OBE will get you to all the places Lovely.

Chris Grimes:

As this has been your moment in the sunshine, in the Good, listening To show Stories of Distinction and Genius. Tony Robinson, obe, is there anything else you'd like to say?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Well, I'd like to ask you a question. I'd like to ask you two questions, actually, but there might only be time for one, and that would be how did Stan Laurel inspire your comedy and all this brilliant stuff that you've done over the last five years, and really your stage persona, really, I would say, because obviously he's a brilliant writer and director and everything as well. So just tell me what Stan know, what Stan Laurel does for you?

Chris Grimes:

That's such a beautiful question. I was seven years old and living in Uganda between my being two and a half and ten. But when I was seven, a black and white TV set hummed into action on Walk Stan Laurel, and my life was transformed. I think it was County Hospital was the first Stan Laurel film I ever saw and he just set the agenda for my future life of the idea of be kind, be hapless, be innocent, be warm, be hilarious. In what I noticed in him, he just had the funniest bones that I still go back to as my serious happy place.

Chris Grimes:

I I'm even today I re-uploaded a group that I've curated since the beginning of the pandemic called hashtag lol virus spread a little happiness. Stan laurel is the mascot. There was a colorized version of way out west which I actually put in today. So almost on on the daily, I'll think of Stan Laurel and go to a happy place of his quality and him, you know, and then Michael Palin in the Monty Python world as my comedy world evolved. So yes, thank you for that question. He's just my factory default setting is Stan Laurel. He reminds me to keep it warm, to keep it funny, to keep it kind and to keep it slightly hapless as well. I quite like the sort of like the dyspraxia, I quite like the sort of haplessness, and I love being silly. You know, never lose your sense of humor, because that's what's going to pull us through. That's a lovely question, thank you.

Tony Robinson OBE:

And presumably even in leadership training, which you do as well, don't you? You tell me, how do you actually transfer these skills and persona that you've actually developed and been inspired by people like Stan Laurel? How do you actually transfer that into helping others to be leaders or do stand-up, or do improvisation or or act because you're an actor, are you so? So I mean, how do you actually, you know, use these kind of things that you've learned to help others?

Chris Grimes:

it's the notion of being truly able to be present with all that you bring. There's one of my favorite quotes about facilitation. Which is the best resource a good facilitator can bring into the room is themselves. If you're calm, breathing and are able to be present, I then bring a motivational comedian quality to it. Where you're outside looking in, you're able to be maverick in a good way but also just be monumentally present. And I've always got the lens of cutting through the noise to use humor in a way that's going to connect people. But also, you know, being able to laugh at yourself is a really important thing and not take yourself too seriously. So motivational comedian captures it all for me and in fact that moniker was given to me rather spontaneously during the pandemic.

Chris Grimes:

You've got me on a bit of an open road of telling you the story of this, but a friend who came to the rob bryden show, actually three days ago, we bumped into each other during the pandemic on a bike ride. He had his son in the background this is a lovely chap called Ben who's an ex-PBC producer and then, just as they're about to ride off, the son then re-engaged thinking come on, dan, we're supposed to go on a bike ride and he said, who's that? And then Ben said, oh, that's Chris Grimes. And then Ben's son, dan, said, well, what does he do then? And I thought, easy, I'm still in earshot. And then Ben said, oh, he's a motivational comedian. And then off they cycled.

Chris Grimes:

I stood there in the clearing which it is and I thought, boom, I'll have that. And ever since that motivational comedian channels Dan Laurel, but it channels who and what I can bring, and in terms of personal branding is another thing that we will talk about. In terms of communication skills, there's something really rich at play called an operator word, where you say something that makes people go wait what? So if I say to people I'm a motivational comedian, you'll notice that's a bit, that's a bit hooky, as in why, what I don't know of anybody else that calls themselves a motivational comedian, but it's bringing, it defines what I can bring and and thank you for those questions did that.

Tony Robinson OBE:

It's similar to inventing happypreneurship as a way of actually describing a philosophy, but you've made an incredibly important point that is useful. For anybody listening that's thinking of starting a business, or starting or running a business in the first three years, is that what you don't need is a guru to help you. What you need is a facilitator. You need somebody to give you the connections. You need somebody that gives you the know who as much as the know how kind of thing. And um, there is a guy called dr ernesto seroli that calls it enterprise facilitation. So, although my wikipedia thing says it's, I'm a business advisor, I've never, ever been a business advisor. I would never want to be a business advisor. I know some brilliant business advisors and we've got loads of those in new yorkshire in business, but I do believe in this engagement that you're, that you're talking about, if you like, as a facilitator. It's facilitator almost on the outside, looking in and actually bringing things together.

Chris Grimes:

I think that's fantastic and in the coaching sphere. That's about the notion of bearing witness. What I love is being outside looking in, as you do, as the happy preneur, and bearing witness to some of the chaos you see in front of you and then helping with all things clarity, direction, strategy and purpose by having a lens on, like you've described, over 30 years of small businesses. I've got 25 plus years of multi organizational experience. That's what I love to bring to bear too. Great Love it. Thank you very much. You're very welcome and thank you. There were very generous questions. Is there anything else you'd like to say about what you'd like to leave our audience with?

Tony Robinson OBE:

no, I've enjoyed it greatly and, uh, as I say, I really enjoyed the rob bryden thing as well. So that was an extra bonus, because, you know, with me not watching television at all, apart from sport live, it's got to be live as well. I don't do any catch-ups at all, then that means that, uh, I didn't know anything about him, but the man's brilliant, isn't he?

Chris Grimes:

Yes, Absolutely brilliant. He's with showbiz anecdotes and brilliance and, of course, as you said back in the day, we were connected in the same comedy.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Improvisation, yeah, no absolutely, and that's great, and you work together and it's just wonderful, and he clearly respected you and everything you do as well. It was a magical evening, well done.

Chris Grimes:

So it's available on YouTube. So thegoodlisteningtoshowcom is the main Mothership website, but the Rob Brydon Show is on YouTube because it was live streamed, like this was, but this was in a live theatre venue. So, very, very excitingly, I'm on the open road of also through various series strands, turning it into a live theater show. What we're doing today. We've been doing a founder story, but also a sort of story of distinction and genius. It's all connected. In the mothership of the good listening to show there's a good book series strand, there's a founder story strand, but the structure allows me to take a helicopter landing as to what's most helpful, a bit like facilitating. How can I help you, how can I be a better service to you in, in helping you amplify what it is you're up to? And and tony robinson, thank you so much. You are the dream collaborator and I I can't wait to meet you in person, but also I look forward to future collaborations with you as well yeah, I look forward to meeting you too great.

Tony Robinson OBE:

Thank you very much.

Chris Grimes:

It's been an honor, lovely and solections. Just finally to mention is the most exciting. It's still part of the framework. But Legacy Life Reflections is to record your story or the story of somebody near, dear or close to you for posterity, lest we forget before it's too late, with no morbid intention, but to one of your own quotes, tony Robinson, you know the gist of which is none of us getting out of here alive. There's no morbid intention and in fact my father, colin, grimes that he's become a bit of a willing guinea pig stroke mascot for it. There's a lovely picture of my dad on the legacy life reflections dot com website saying cheers to a good life. In effect, he very sadly died last august, but I recorded him in the halcyon days of his 80s, about five years ago, before he slipped into a quota of declining health. So yes, have a look at that too. But most importantly, now back to Tony Robinson. You've been listening to me, chris Grimes, but that is Tony Robinson, the happypreneur, obe. Anything else else you'd like to say, tony?

Tony Robinson OBE:

Just thank you very much.

Chris Grimes:

I've loved it. Thank you and good night. Thank you very much. You've been listening to the Good Listening To Show with me, chris Grimes. If you'd like to be in the show too, or indeed gift an episode to capture the story of someone else with me as your host, then you can find out how care of the series strands at the goodlisteningtoshowcom website. If you'd like to connect with me on LinkedIn, please do so, and if you'd like to have some coaching with me care of my personal impact game changer program then you can contact me, and also about the show at chris at secondcurveuk On X and Instagram. It's at thatchrisgrimes Tune in next week for more stories from the Clearing and don't forget to subscribe and review wherever you get your podcasts.