Scary Phone Calls, The Apprentice, P*rn DVDs and more! Podcast w/Tom Skinner

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:01:27
Matt Haycox
Why did you get fired? What was the end of your expelled?

00:00:01:27 - 00:00:04:07
Tom Skinner
Because I was shit.

00:00:04:09 - 00:00:06:15

Because I lost five fucking tasks. It was a

00:00:06:15 - 00:00:25:19
Tom Skinner
mad, mad bit of time. And I thought I’d absolutely rang the bell I’m gonna have it off. the bag has literally gone. Wallop and there's an assortium of porno and pirate DVDs across the lunch hall floor. And he started a rumour that I’d been nicked. Shut up so Thomas. As if they’d have you on The Apprentice. You sell things out of the back of your van. You’re always ducking and diving, you don't wear

00:00:25:19 - 00:00:34:09
Tom Skinner
a suit. I had to move back to Mum's when I was younger. Pull out bed on the floor. I know what it’s like to be skint so. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa I’m not even on the fucking plane yet. What do you mean she’s gonna fucking die? Can’t make it up

00:00:34:11 - 00:00:35:16

A-BOSH! I mean.

00:00:35:16 - 00:00:39:19
Matt Haycox
I don't know to follow up on that story. I feel like we've. We've hit the adrenaline points

00:00:39:21 - 00:00:40:20
Tom Skinner
I’ll go from the start

00:00:40:21 - 00:00:56:21
Matt Haycox
Let's rewind pre-bosh. Tell me where it all began. Guys, Matt Haycox here, welcome to another episode of The Matt Haycox Show where I've got the the King of Bosh. Mr. Bosh himself, Mr. Tom Skinner.

00:00:56:23 - 00:00:58:05
Tom Skinner
How are we doing? Thank you for having me.

00:00:58:08 - 00:01:09:00
Matt Haycox
Oh, thanks for coming. Thanks for coming. I'm looking forward to this good fun. I was just about to start talking before we start recording about your Bosh businesses. And. And you said you've got Bosh work. Yeah.

00:01:09:00 - 00:01:37:21
Tom Skinner
Yeah. So a friend of mine, David, good friend of mine, has been doing work west of nine, 15, 20 years. And when I first started, Marcus would use embroidered beats on, on clothes and I show in the market and then he said last year, How would you like to get involved in work? I said, Well, haven't got about the first idea about it, but my role was purely the market and spreading it by and that'll be embroidery in the print in but it's gone.

00:01:37:21 - 00:01:45:12
Tom Skinner
Well you know it's it's a new venture for me I'm learning on the job and a lot of my friends but I'm firm psychology customers straight away.

00:01:45:15 - 00:02:05:01
Matt Haycox
So I was just about to tell you one of my so my first proper business was it was in a Workwear business as well. And I kind of like yourself. I mean, I was selling things in the market as a kid, not, not full time. But then I was just desperate to get out of school, get out of school, but desperate to make some money so that I could I could, you know, could go into business and avoid university.

00:02:05:01 - 00:02:22:20
Matt Haycox
When I when I finished school, I kind of convince my parents, let me have a gap year to, you know, to go and do some work. And my dad at the time just happened to have invested in a corporate clothing business like corporate clothing courier where I work. And at the time it was it was kind of big contract stuff, you know, like a river busses, metrobus, you know, big stuff like that.

00:02:22:20 - 00:02:42:12
Matt Haycox
But, you know, long story short, I've been talked about this story on my podcast, so I'll summarize it for you. It was a failing business that my old man ended up let me take over. And we, we took it from small number of big customers to lots and lots of smaller customers. But in two or three specific verticals, which was security guards, drivers, nurses.

00:02:42:18 - 00:03:01:29
Matt Haycox
So yeah, I mean, I kind of cut my teeth from 18 to 21 selling HIV's Jackets and Poly poly cotton shirts. And we had we had a little embroidery machine at the back of the warehouse doing all that surrealism and bringing back memories. Well, listen, let's let's rewind pre Bosh summer where it all began. I mean, I can't wait to jump in and hear about.

00:03:02:01 - 00:03:03:00
Tom Skinner
So.

00:03:03:03 - 00:03:09:15
Matt Haycox
The, the things you used to sell at school. But I think I think your story starts a bit before that doesn't it was it was it was your dad an entrepreneur? Yeah.

00:03:09:18 - 00:03:38:13
Tom Skinner
I mean, my dad's always bought and sold and been a you know, I've been a great teacher. I may learn to buy and sell. When he was away, I stayed in whatever he was doing and buying and selling. And was it a good why buy it from a young age? Maybe Work we grew up in a while, grew up in Romford first, like when I was 12 years out at a pit round and several pit rounds, I was a kid, you said were my dad's friends Barbershop choir in prison, Believe it or not, a friend in a barbershop when come out and say, Job now and you'd love to.

00:03:38:15 - 00:03:59:03
Tom Skinner
And then I was working on the market set up market stalls as well. So that's when when I young age of 12, I'm always grafting. And when I got to when the money started getting a bit better, when I got to about 14, 15, remember that when me what you need to give me and I was getting about 2040 pound a week next week all these little jobs and of cracking away and I got expelled from school as well.

00:03:59:03 - 00:04:17:27
Tom Skinner
So what you need to give me £100 away asking you know an entrepreneur to get hundred and 2000 quid awake that lads at work. He said what is your liver my ass and your eight my old and you want to use all my staff, spray my aftershave light, you've got a key. And I went down, fellow this lot I can go flat back not may not.

00:04:18:00 - 00:04:22:09
Tom Skinner
And he, you know that's what it is and I saw on Japan awake in a flash really really off.

00:04:22:11 - 00:04:23:09
Matt Haycox
How old are you at this point.

00:04:23:09 - 00:04:24:09
Tom Skinner
Oh, lot 15.

00:04:24:10 - 00:04:24:29
Matt Haycox
Okay.

00:04:25:01 - 00:04:37:18
Tom Skinner
And then when I got to 17, he actually had saved the money up for men and I bought my first car with it. So it took me out to save money, basically. But I got worse as I got older.

00:04:37:20 - 00:04:47:27
Matt Haycox
So you said. But you say you got expelled from school. I heard that one of your earlier business ventures was was your old man was backing you? He was it was a a venture capitalist in the in the porn DVD industry.

00:04:47:27 - 00:04:57:14
Tom Skinner
Yes. So my place at the time was actually to put the TV days in sweet shops and go round in the wake and collect the money for the ones that sold any DVD.

00:04:57:14 - 00:04:58:04
Matt Haycox
Yeah.

00:04:58:07 - 00:05:17:13
Tom Skinner
Oh, different days. That's what my dad you should do. And I remember him. Not this before, but got that. Look, I've got all these jobs I'm doing. I'm crafty. Me not so fly a marmite war and each mom and dad gave me five or they actually said stop being. So I give you a fiver at that. And he went now and I listen you got to learn the page a life, you've got to work out fine science.

00:05:17:13 - 00:05:32:09
Tom Skinner
Yeah. And I went to war and then come on I'll come football training in rock or whatever I've been doing and that and he's my one. I'm Zena from Road that a few beers and I was drunk and then when I bumped in they set it on a pub and he had it, he was flogging porno and pirate DVD.

00:05:32:10 - 00:05:58:24
Tom Skinner
He says I've bought the old suitcase off of him and what you're going to do is you going to go free could a total of five and see how much they want you. So you would set me £1 and when all that led, you went. They said, No, you're Mike, you're going to love it. I'll go out there and knock him out, He said, And I've got a bit of piracy off the streets, knocked it out of my thumb, but we were two five and I went to school and I remember putting the big suitcase in the locker, had a drawstring tidy spokes bag.

00:05:58:24 - 00:06:30:20
Tom Skinner
I filled it out and the first I so loud sounds were not for is easy to come by and give me that waiver is 60 quid for the man outside of the you well done in the next I've done it again and I'm the third or fourth by Jody's boat baggage taxi now got out in the corners and he's wearing that and obviously frontier about and I go to the lunch show at lunchtime and I remember and I'll never forget he's remember Lane I on me so I left the all of this 0000 now I'm playing I token there was a joke footage to hide me because I was, I was dyslexic years ago when

00:06:30:21 - 00:06:51:22
Tom Skinner
I was No, nobody is Goebbels. I want to know if I was cheeky and I lean over and the bag is literally gone Wallop. Yeah. And there's an assault team of people now in poverty. There is across the land two floor I was flat flak and he went what age I'll come and said that we see that photos and he picked them He picked them all up and he accepts the advances of his.

00:06:51:22 - 00:07:12:06
Tom Skinner
And that was literally my last so long ago. You expelled it got me expelled. I mean that it's got to go and then I can't. Lisa my even if my foe. I'm really sorry. Look, I'm just trying to teach him my apply. And so that's all it is. I'm trying to teach my town and being opponents of a mainly in five as and and as he's got little jobs and he wants to be an entrepreneur and he must walk.

00:07:12:06 - 00:07:20:04
Tom Skinner
Shall I call the police? It's illegal that I'll fucking be across an index, you know, by not been expelled. And that was it. And then I went to work from a young age.

00:07:20:04 - 00:07:34:02
Matt Haycox
So obviously that's an entrepreneur. Is it just the fact he was an entrepreneur that you kind of trace you entrepreneurial desire and route back to and what you know when you were I guess, six, seven, eight, nine years old? I mean, how did you plan your future?

00:07:34:07 - 00:07:57:18
Tom Skinner
I'll just always remember, like my father and he's my say. It was always though I was in the pub on a Friday. You know, I was always taking my mom out for a nice meal like it was a decent mow lot and always makes it as well. And I was always the crofters I was. They weren't. They weren't not, they weren't on a fly was, they was like ducking and dive in and doing their bits and pieces and always wanted that you not may not always wanted to buy and so on be mine but.

00:07:57:21 - 00:08:03:14
Matt Haycox
You just wanted to earn money. Wasn't that. Yeah. You never thought I'd want to work in that industry is Yeah that's one of the few I want.

00:08:03:15 - 00:08:20:13
Tom Skinner
Get And I was always good at sitting and talking to people. So it was easy for me to buy and sell things, especially like when I started the market. So I was, I was really good at it and I mean but that away you just take me lot you don't my customers you you make people that like you love because no one's going like you're in love.

00:08:20:15 - 00:08:35:08
Tom Skinner
They're going to fucking out. Yeah, but when you find somebody like shop might come love you and they want to work with you to want to help. Yeah, but people buy from people they like. And then once I sort of got them, yeah, it's. I found it easy to sell because it's just making people smile, make people laugh.

00:08:35:14 - 00:08:46:15
Tom Skinner
People will buy from someone. Even if you're 50 pay or a pound dearer. But I think our currency told me to laugh. But once you got this wait time, they don't want you to quit out of him. You know what I mean? And that's why I learned from a young age.

00:08:46:17 - 00:09:01:22
Matt Haycox
I used to sell blow up, blow up chairs, the blower cushions and Tamagotchi pets. They were my they were my three cold market trading products, which is is show my age that data myself. But so tell me, how did The Apprentice come about.

00:09:01:24 - 00:09:28:03
Tom Skinner
So The Apprentice. So at the time I actually thought I'd actually started a pillow round and ah, I was doing quite well shouting. I'd like 30 or 40 shops that I was going round. I was giving them pillows on side of a time, coming back, pick up the money, give them small pillows and it was working and I'd be market stall when I was cracking on but I wasn't, didn't, I've never had enough money to go to the next level and didn't really know anyone with that sort of money.

00:09:28:06 - 00:09:58:20
Tom Skinner
Like, you know, my family. Right. A cut underground around them to put into me or I never had any anyone to. I mean, I could I could always borrow up five or ten grand of of me friends of things that I could never borrow proper money to get to work with and to get to niche. They what I needed the machines do me on pillars lot to cut out amount of fat drop through it myself and really crack on and and bought bigger amounts as well obviously and my Mrs. who loves the apprentice that she was she was my girlfriend at the time she went and I was sitting was actually cut man sometimes it

00:09:58:20 - 00:10:15:10
Tom Skinner
seems my mum's ass and she when they were watching The Apprentice and I'm sitting in the kitchen, Mum's ashes, literally front room kitchen, she's there and I'm in the kitchen area and watch the presentation and my mum and Schneider are going out, you'd be great. And she'd be quite an easy lot for my bum. Oh we never have.

00:10:15:12 - 00:10:33:09
Tom Skinner
Are you. We're going to send the of the phone. So tonight my wife, now she's filled out a form on the computer on a laptop, but sent off buying back, made up a load of ballocks so lies a lot is good at 80,000 dossiers filled out. I'm dyslexic. Cannot fill a format to save my life. They've sent it off full.

00:10:33:09 - 00:10:59:19
Tom Skinner
Nothing of it. Cut. Two weeks later she gets an email back. We love the application. Can Tom come up for an interview? Well, because I didn't really watch The Apprentice. I didn't really know what it was about. So every person shouldn't do blueprints. I want a bookshelf and I know Paolo shirt put on my favorite Timberland boots or without market Smart pair of jeans went up to the interview place in West London and I was the only person not went.

00:10:59:19 - 00:11:01:04

So no.

00:11:01:06 - 00:11:12:15
Tom Skinner
And that went up there might have a laugh come back for more interviews cracked on and I got I've got I've got a park, you know like like they said we'd love you to go on the show. And I was yeah, over the moon.

00:11:12:18 - 00:11:16:12
Matt Haycox
But what point did you meet Alan Sugar does does not know till you get on the shots.

00:11:16:12 - 00:11:40:24
Tom Skinner
He So you may aim literally on the very, very first day task one you go to the ice, you put you stuff in the ice, you go to a how that's a bit like you go to a hotel, you wait in hotel, then you go to the ballroom, which is it not ballrooms where a studio which might of a ballroom, you wait outside, you make, oh, you know, concessions and you go straight into the ballroom and then Lord Sugar walks in as a first time you make him so.

00:11:40:24 - 00:11:42:06
Matt Haycox
You 2019, one.

00:11:42:09 - 00:11:43:03
Tom Skinner
Thousand nine to get a.

00:11:43:03 - 00:11:49:21
Matt Haycox
Couple of apprentice guests on here trying to think then what year they're in. Sabrina Stocker. Sabrina, She.

00:11:49:21 - 00:11:51:03
Tom Skinner
Was the year before when she was in.

00:11:51:05 - 00:11:53:00
Matt Haycox
And Camilla Ainsworth.

00:11:53:03 - 00:11:53:18
Tom Skinner
A year before.

00:11:53:24 - 00:11:58:17
Matt Haycox
The best birthday before you. So what happened to talk me through life on The Apprentice was something like.

00:11:58:24 - 00:12:04:07
Tom Skinner
Oh, fucking really enjoyed it. I love the I just find it an absolute life experience. Loads of fun. I mean.

00:12:04:07 - 00:12:06:26
Matt Haycox
Does it have any bearing to business? Well, yeah.

00:12:06:28 - 00:12:21:04
Tom Skinner
It does. It does to a certain extent. But obviously you've got members watch TV show so that it's got to be Zinnemann. You need to be good at sales, be good at market and be good at bits and pieces. By is a TV show in the same element. So they are going to stick to you out, make you look silly.

00:12:21:07 - 00:12:33:10
Tom Skinner
It's TV much. What makes people watch it? I just find it so much fun. I really, really enjoy. I mean, the only thing I found hard was being away from my family and my friends for seven weeks. That's what I really struggled with.

00:12:33:11 - 00:12:35:21
Matt Haycox
Are you allowed lot? I mean, can you make phone calls and say.

00:12:35:23 - 00:12:36:26
Tom Skinner
Oh, it's completely.

00:12:36:26 - 00:12:37:03
Matt Haycox
Cut.

00:12:37:03 - 00:12:51:01
Tom Skinner
Off, like going to jail? Might you get it? I go empty your pockets, put it in a bag, zip it up and you don't have your phone. Call me to pay for how much it knows you get one. I think a common ten minute phone call. A five minute phone call every week. And I see it.

00:12:51:03 - 00:12:54:19
Matt Haycox
Yeah, because I read that when you came out, you mates didn't believe that you've been in.

00:12:54:20 - 00:13:13:16
Tom Skinner
Oh, my, my, my actual breaks. I love them, my mates for me every day now but yes, I've some, I might be like stop it because I wish I was in Suffolk seven weeks and he started a Roma to be nicked for selling counterfeit goods in the market. So when I come out from filming The Apprentice, I've been away.

00:13:13:16 - 00:13:28:14
Tom Skinner
My phone had been off for seven weeks, went to that barbecue. I make sure that and those have to come out and it was even start give me the under quid sent to what I'm tell me what I'm provavel I was You are I've gone Yes Blondie are really our mixture Let's cut on. You quit. I worked for a few weeks.

00:13:28:21 - 00:13:34:18
Tom Skinner
I figured why don't you fucking give me money? And the next day, like I told mortgage in prison, I went on fucking one. In prison. I'll shoot.

00:13:34:18 - 00:13:35:16

My friends.

00:13:35:19 - 00:13:52:15
Tom Skinner
But no one. No one. Believe me now, that's what really where I am. Yeah. No one believed me. And I was like, Shut up. So much. She said, Have you on The Apprentice? You shall forget about given you were back in the diving gentleman. You don't wear a suit like that. And you and no one actually believe me until it come to you.

00:13:52:17 - 00:13:56:09
Tom Skinner
October, when it come out in a pipe. I was got on The Apprentice and then fucking it.

00:13:56:09 - 00:13:56:22

We lost it.

00:13:56:23 - 00:14:00:02
Matt Haycox
We did. You And did you find you learned anything?

00:14:00:02 - 00:14:20:01
Tom Skinner
I did learn a bit because I've just always worked for myself on my own, so I never really had other people telling me what to do. So obviously when you're doing that, you one wait your project manager the next week, someone else is. So obviously I learned I can work with people, you know, I mean, which I've never done before and I learn I've actually got pretty good tape when I'm quite like that.

00:14:20:02 - 00:14:28:23
Tom Skinner
You know, when people are getting stressed out and getting angry and getting tired like I was, how common combat is. So what I found, I was just quite relaxed, you know? I mean, what.

00:14:28:23 - 00:14:33:12
Matt Haycox
About from from Alan Sugar? I mean, do you ever do you get the opportunity to kind of learn from him and.

00:14:33:12 - 00:14:46:18
Tom Skinner
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm he looks like he's love I talk to him now and what's that like. He's bought a few bits of major this life and he's a blinder once we come at me and like we're not we're not to shoot restaurant and all these foods that come out and he sent a video message. You got notes from me.

00:14:46:21 - 00:15:03:00
Tom Skinner
I mean he's a nice man. And it just sort of like he's such a British magnet. Everyone would love to be You'd love to be a pound beyond him. Do you not mean and he's just done so well for you self and he's just a normal bloke, really, when you think about it. He comes from Hackney like he's a market trader on, he's built up £1,000,000,000 portfolio.

00:15:03:05 - 00:15:16:11
Tom Skinner
How can you knock him out. He's fantastic and say I've got to be fine. I can and I can give him a call whenever one is he like me? You know, I was he like me? Did he like me? And when he fired me, I had it's not because he said some nice words about me, but yeah, he's a blinder.

00:15:16:15 - 00:15:18:16
Matt Haycox
Why did you get fired? What was the interview? Expelled?

00:15:18:16 - 00:15:20:18
Tom Skinner
Because I was sheets.

00:15:20:21 - 00:15:23:06

Because I lost it. Because he does.

00:15:23:08 - 00:15:44:17
Tom Skinner
I've been up in when he thought I didn't win any task. I won one task. I lost every single thing. But it was funny. But when he comes at the end, he said the memory when he when he went and I thought, maybe he's going to fight me. He's got to fire me. And I'm sitting there and he went, Tom, if I was a general and I was at war, you know, I'd want next me in the trenches, you know, no one else.

00:15:44:20 - 00:15:50:03
Tom Skinner
And I thought, fuck, you know, we should. But we're not in that. We're not a war. We're not in the trenches. A obviously shout, you're fired.

00:15:50:05 - 00:15:52:10

Well.

00:15:52:13 - 00:15:55:21
Matt Haycox
What misconceptions do you think the public have got about The Apprentice.

00:15:55:26 - 00:15:57:02

After up.

00:15:57:04 - 00:16:09:14
Tom Skinner
Until now? I mean, he should be on his show. He's been gone, what, 16 years? Not 17 years is a successful show. And I think he's the second most viewed show on the BBC. So he still is saying. Right. And I mean.

00:16:09:17 - 00:16:19:09
Matt Haycox
What happened? So you left The Apprentice. Obviously, there was time waiting for it to where it was. You defending yourself, been to prison inmates. Did you just go back to your normal business life immediately?

00:16:19:14 - 00:16:27:20
Tom Skinner
Just getting back on the mark. He's back out in the bad back, selling pillows, just just doing what I do day to day, you know, just building myself out and looking forward to coming out on the telly.

00:16:27:20 - 00:16:29:17
Matt Haycox
And then when it did come out, what happened?

00:16:29:17 - 00:16:50:20
Tom Skinner
I just got mad. Might lie. It was surreal. It was a surreal experience, I suppose, because I'm not really a normal person that goes on The Apprentice to not me where Timberland boots for me, but work out. It's like on line at the old man. I just I'm a new black. I've got a west down. I'll drink a pint of beer and a lot working up just normal and everyone I think went on that show thinks that, you know, I'm the best example.

00:16:50:22 - 00:17:03:09
Tom Skinner
But end of the day, you can't be that good because you need to go and get 250 grand. If he was good, you'd already have it. You're not mine and I'll come. And that's how winning the show thinking, Well, I ain't good enough for what, though? Because I'm not in a position to be where I want to be.

00:17:03:09 - 00:17:24:17
Tom Skinner
And I think that's what made people watch the show. I think I did not time that you I shouldn't bloat. And I finish what people like a lot. Quite a lot. So that show and when when I come out and of the show and I got fired it was my manager couldn't go I go to Lakeside and I'll get carpet shop and I'll get mocked and I loved it and I didn't know what's going on.

00:17:24:17 - 00:17:46:21
Tom Skinner
It's all no to me. And I've got all these TV shows ask me to go on a lot. Done Celebrity MasterChef, then I at and catch in Good Morning Britain with Piers Morgan. I was insane. And obviously my pillars like selling fruit of Rose. It was just it was a mad it was a mad, mad time. And at my place, I'd really started taking off as well, but really started going about selling fucking thousands of pillars and.

00:17:46:24 - 00:17:48:12
Matt Haycox
Off the back of.

00:17:48:14 - 00:18:04:27
Tom Skinner
The Apprentice like it was. It was honestly surreal and I wasn't geared up for it. I didn't really understand what's going on. It was a lot of puts we is coming out of Christmas like we're going to do flat panel pillars. Bang, I shut up 2000 British Navy man and I'm actually stuffing them in bags. We didn't know what to do.

00:18:04:28 - 00:18:29:01
Tom Skinner
It was mad and I full on absolutely rang the bell. We're going to have it off. And that was it for the rest of my life. And in between now so many TV shows and I was getting asked to do lot magazines and in those off well and I just found that search I mean my wife would just we just moved to new house and we were just about to have our first son and get pregnant and everything was going unbelievably well.

00:18:29:04 - 00:18:52:19
Tom Skinner
And also, I'm playing Kobe. It happened. And then literally that really sad but got I was doing the plays of he passed away of COVID so I couldn't get him as pillars. I couldn't buy any popular because that all the TV I'd lined up, I'd shouty shows lined up, they stopped and it was a COVID. And because I've been like wasteful with the money, not twice, but I was like, you know, I put money into it, into where I so I'd like to find that ten grand.

00:18:52:20 - 00:19:10:15
Tom Skinner
My friend and I just moved into a bigger house and just bought myself a big car and all these overheads. And I thought, Fuck it, just stop like that overnight. What am I going to do? Like and like where I was getting like £500 to go on Good Morning Britain. You know, everything was buying stuff that overnight. And I thought, Oh my God, I've got stuff now.

00:19:10:18 - 00:19:26:20
Tom Skinner
I've got these things like and I remember like this fucking shitty watchdog boat and I sold the watch so I could carry on all me makes a working parmo and we couldn't do any piers. We couldn't do anything. And I thought our fucking animal deacons may say as quickly as it comes, as as quickly goes, you said, let's laugh.

00:19:26:22 - 00:19:40:17
Tom Skinner
And it but now when we knew what was actually Mikovits And, and I remember thinking, well, this is a lot of Ballocks I didn't believe in it, really. I thought it was I knew there's obviously a virus that sank and I'm 44 and it's shot everything. Like everyone does not let people see that family life. It was really through time.

00:19:40:17 - 00:19:56:27
Tom Skinner
So we had a bit of money. I had, I remember with my mate big Blanks when I found a van that was still out in the Fast Cove and I rang him up, such as sitting at a brand new Volkswagen Cross, the beagle van. I went wrong. Inmarsat cannot come down and say, you know, you don't want to be on me.

00:19:56:28 - 00:20:04:29
Tom Skinner
Can I come by that fantasy? And I drove down there and on the whole, well, I was I think those kind of things, though, like saying, what can we do? We make any money journey. So this is this is.

00:20:04:29 - 00:20:06:19
Matt Haycox
But why are you going to buy the venture?

00:20:06:21 - 00:20:09:16
Tom Skinner
Not not just I just wanted to get.

00:20:09:19 - 00:20:10:15

The but.

00:20:10:21 - 00:20:28:25
Tom Skinner
I was thinking if we got a van off because I've always full of Boom-Boom ever van get to work. Bang, bang, bang. And we're driving down to get his van. I'll missed a little bit. Sorry. This is the only way to bring but I've told so I've gone down. I bought his van and on the way back, speaking to a friend of mine who I was selling pillars to, and he was like, Oh, I can still sell mattresses because match sales.

00:20:28:27 - 00:20:29:24
Matt Haycox
Essentials.

00:20:29:27 - 00:20:46:06
Tom Skinner
It's essential. And he was manufacturing them up north. And I said, What? He said, Yeah. He said, So if you're selling matches there since you can carry and sell them, I said, well I can't use, why can't you sell pillars? We're not seen as essential, you know, living in China. And it was like it was just a fucking bizarre time.

00:20:46:06 - 00:21:01:09
Tom Skinner
And I went in full, went out and see him when I went and books that that match for an apostle to mark his cheap ones like and I went and bought a few matches of him in November. I'm I going to be back from now I think he told me first about the match they're going to go to that and I'm going to put it on my Twitter.

00:21:01:16 - 00:21:22:04
Tom Skinner
Hi guys. We've got these lovely babies I met. She's lot playing delivery. Savage was brand disinfectant. So, you know, anyway, in a country within 24 hours put on Twitter and I've got lots 300 orders straight away from that She's I think people bought them because I had nothing to do. You know what I mean? And we spent literally the whole of lockdown, me and big links in this van.

00:21:22:06 - 00:21:28:09
Tom Skinner
We've wash them out and I'm like drawn about trying to match people. And then that's our starch and embeds in a big way. He's crazy.

00:21:28:11 - 00:21:35:19
Matt Haycox
And then COVID finished and it's gone from strength to strength since then with with all the different businesses telling me about earlier.

00:21:35:20 - 00:21:45:09
Tom Skinner
COVID finished like a Tottenham, the bed business seems a bit of a monster, lost shops and all that. And then it got to a point where it drives me mad.

00:21:45:11 - 00:21:59:23
Matt Haycox
I mean, obviously you talked about how when COVID happened, you I think things grind to a halt, but you got it going back pretty quickly. I mean, any any of the particular down moments and any any very scary, scary moments along the way.

00:21:59:25 - 00:22:18:22
Tom Skinner
Do you know what I don't really get nervous about because I've been sort of damn hold off at least in night when like I remember when when I was younger up plowed all my money into the possible because I'll filled up my my old sprint of an idea the time we left that for granted, I lost pretty sight ground to a Bible couch in the back.

00:22:18:22 - 00:22:33:22
Tom Skinner
That was all my money tied up in East Coast. And so the market and I remember I was flash when I was younger to alcohol on a granny's wake, you know, and got away then. And I remember parking that southbound might seem Romford went up flat. What you do. Well she didn't want to go swimming about the van going downstairs.

00:22:33:22 - 00:22:52:29
Tom Skinner
My van a bit neat. Yeah. This is like well before friends and I remember I got among our can of we've been it's and it's you know I didn't have the proper insurance weren't properly insured and I never got my money back and I remember again it's I cannot for granted but I'm event I'm going to make you telling me you aren't free grand last week I'll give ironed out.

00:22:53:05 - 00:23:10:05
Tom Skinner
Why did you not think you're not mean and I think that sort of taught me as well to just be resilient crack because it won't be done. They lost to move back to my mum's non janga slept in a put up in the floor here to to up to then asked you not mean I know what it's like to be skint so I'm quite resilient and things don't really faze me, you know.

00:23:10:07 - 00:23:11:20
Matt Haycox
It doesn't worry to be scared.

00:23:11:22 - 00:23:12:11

No.

00:23:12:13 - 00:23:30:03
Matt Haycox
You know, I tell a I guess a similar story as well insofar as I mean, my my career has been one of one of ups and downs, not I not little ones along the way, but, you know, very big, very, very down. But, you know, I was bankrupt at 28 after after having up for an eight figure business and, you know, living like a rock star.

00:23:30:03 - 00:23:53:15
Matt Haycox
I've been 24, 29, 26. And, you know, there's been other things along the way. But I guess I always say that I don't worry. It's not that I'm that I'm reckless and I want to want that to be problems. But I, I feel that I don't have to worry about them because I know that I've got the skill sets that if I do lose everything, okay, you can take my money, but you can't take my knowledge, my contact base, you know, my my hunger, my ability to pick up the telephone tomorrow and do a deal.

00:23:53:15 - 00:24:13:15
Matt Haycox
So I think that that's that's what I always fall back on is my as my pillow. And yeah, I guess when people say, oh you know, you take some risks in business or you're not scared about this, you're not scared about the other. For me, I don't worry about and not because I'm just recklessly blasé, but because I think, well, okay, I don't want to lose this, but if I do lose it, it's not the end of the world because I know that I can pick up the phone.

00:24:13:15 - 00:24:30:05
Tom Skinner
Saying, Oh yeah, she's being resilient in the as it got older. I know if it's going to work, well, put your eggs in one basket. I have multiple sources of income. Do not mean like if one thing's falling, you can control what it's doing. Well, you know, I mean, if. If you put all your eggs into one thing and it goes wrong, you're back in trouble.

00:24:30:05 - 00:24:31:00
Tom Skinner
You know what I'm saying?

00:24:31:03 - 00:24:38:06
Matt Haycox
So tell me about some about the family you mentioned. You mentioned that when COVID happened, you were about to have your. Yes.

00:24:38:09 - 00:24:55:12
Tom Skinner
So we had Leo Emery in 2020. He's two and a half nice, beautiful little boy like my first little boy. I mean, we've mentioned eight. He's fantastic. We've recently just had twins, Darla and Roma. Again, I find that he's really got some guilt free on the free Now matters.

00:24:55:13 - 00:25:08:08
Matt Haycox
And with the twins, we're just talking. Before we started recording about you were away at West Ham, the West Ham Cup final or something. You can tell how much I know about sports and you go to a very scary.

00:25:08:09 - 00:25:21:11
Tom Skinner
Yes. Well, so what I got from START so back in January, I got a phone call from West then Tom, can you come down and stadium to a big movie? I think you fucking know. What's this about? I've been caught swearing. I'm second, not mine.

00:25:21:11 - 00:25:24:18
Matt Haycox
And this is your first interaction with them. I mean, you've been a lifelong fan.

00:25:24:19 - 00:25:39:09
Tom Skinner
I watched them in my life, and I love West Ham of you take my support and come down to West and I sit at home like you're a big West Ham fan. We are doing a West Ham tournament in North Carolina. In America, teams like.

00:25:39:09 - 00:25:40:04

Wolves.

00:25:40:04 - 00:26:06:09
Tom Skinner
Are going Wrexham are going like Open More of the World Again is the winning team gets $1,000,000. It's going to be bringing Premiership, big premiership football big into America. They're building up soccer fan base out there and we would like you to imagine West Ham same and I want you are we would like you And I went what may not I don't I'm a football manager we'll always quite like pies Why are you picking me?

00:26:06:09 - 00:26:11:08
Tom Skinner
And I sit because we just love how your passion is on Twitter. For which time we think you'd be quite.

00:26:11:11 - 00:26:11:28

Oh.

00:26:12:00 - 00:26:35:15
Tom Skinner
This is surreal. So I want you to do the job. Fantastic. And as we've to make and we've got that amongst Dave and I was like, yeah, we come with got, I was like, because obviously that I've wished them as well when I'm getting up this big tournament and should I is pregnant as well and tonight with no she's pregnant with twins and we fly out on the 30th of my climb back on the 5th of June.

00:26:35:17 - 00:27:01:03
Tom Skinner
And then the plan was obviously as we got close, we knew the West Ham would be in the final product, which was going to go straight to Prague into the final. And I was so looking forward to oh, and honestly, but and the babies weren't due to start July. I'm very, very scared to fly in as well. So we get to the airport and I'm with cow and cow movement and there were ants on Fern and Elliot Ward, all these plans of how to Marlene's, you know, seven horns called raid Jimmy Walker.

00:27:01:09 - 00:27:22:00
Tom Skinner
These are players that I've loved watching over years at West Ham. He's a West Ham legends. He's a great players and they're in my squad. The I'm managing in America tests $1,000,000 competition cannot wait want a plane and I'm shitting myself now because I'm scared to fly enough Lovely American couple and we start talking and I'm like, What you up to me wife pregnant with twins.

00:27:22:00 - 00:27:41:21
Tom Skinner
But the opportunity lots of match West time and we get to America and it's fantastic thing and we have a big training time we play in and honestly like Dortmund were that I was in you United and that we wanted to buy America's big American flag. I don't do American shot in Bosh There's all that CNBC page, all big American channels watching it.

00:27:41:25 - 00:27:59:16
Tom Skinner
It was surreal. The third day comes and this is the day where our manager in West Ham for the very, very first time I've done a bit of training Donald of squad Kenny Brown, who is like the legend that West Ham without me and working with me and he's the main man beyond all of formation and of how it's going and we are ready for the big time.

00:27:59:16 - 00:28:21:09
Tom Skinner
I've got up double double world because I am sick so I think I slept and I'm walking around this town in North Carolina Rally Reilly where it's cold and I've had a bit of breakfast with seven lions. Lisa I've got in the gym at little work. I've got, I've got new managers. Kit on Of all the Ballocks, she's big, my big debut as a West Ham manager.

00:28:21:09 - 00:28:38:18
Tom Skinner
And Shane, I texted and I've got that doctor's appointment at the hospital that you're going to put in a due date for next month's I've got now good luck vibe like ring me when you're in there. So about half an hour before we get on the bus and we had a big bus outside, which happens to set it to the stadium around the corner from the hotel.

00:28:38:18 - 00:28:55:05
Tom Skinner
I said, Raven, mate, done it since I've got a phone call from Janet and she's hysterical, crying consequence. It will get you was all smiles. Man. Calm down. She can't stop crying. I said, Put a doctor on a farm. I thought it was going hot. So I'm like, This is really, really serious because the twins were identical and I share the same placenta.

00:28:55:05 - 00:29:08:10
Tom Skinner
And one of the twins hasn't grown at all in two weeks, hasn't grown a gram, and her heart rate has dropped significantly to the point where we're extremely worried and we're going to do an emergency C-section. Now.

00:29:08:12 - 00:29:10:04
Matt Haycox
How old are they at this point?

00:29:10:06 - 00:29:17:01
Tom Skinner
33 weeks, I believe so. Months? Yeah. So just over a month or just the same two months?

00:29:17:02 - 00:29:17:14
Matt Haycox
I didn't.

00:29:17:17 - 00:29:35:17
Tom Skinner
Know. Sign up. No, I just I just over a month early. I think twins come out two weeks earlier. Okay. So I was a fag. So what's that? He said, Well, we're going to look at it now, but we're going to get her in the surgery this morning. Fuck. You know what I mean? I'm fucking 12 hours away.

00:29:35:17 - 00:29:48:24
Tom Skinner
Like, what do I do? So I'm 8 hours and what? What I. What I do. So now I've just started crying. I feel I'm going to lose my wife. But when we got them off, look this. I listen to the doctor. I think we are okay. You'll be fine. I'll be on standby. I'll be on from the a person.

00:29:48:24 - 00:30:06:23
Tom Skinner
Let's say it is. And I remember Cunliffe to go down to the low. Someone's getting bust machines on Ferdinand. Ed these out Tom You might know my other son terrible knows I'm Tenemos those As an honest guy I wanted to leave I need to go on and he's got to be my family and I cannot. And literally the waist time guys went up to the stadium.

00:30:06:23 - 00:30:21:24
Tom Skinner
He was on the way to the airport. So everyone get on a bus. Which are the players at the stadium. Then you go to the airport and you're flying off and brilliant. Well, go get flight. So we took a patch of hormones. Give me a cuddle. Good luck, Tom. We're shifting, but it's winds are shifting, so. And I'm in hysterics.

00:30:21:24 - 00:30:39:16
Tom Skinner
I'm sorry. Most. I think I'll never get my life again. I'll figure that's. It's going to be me. My little boy got on his big school bus. We've driven to the airport the of the legends. I can't be gone in a state one day for you. And we've got to the airport and there's a massive queue and we've got to the front of the queue and I've got to try to come on the next flight back to Heathrow.

00:30:39:18 - 00:30:57:15
Tom Skinner
She come on a computer, She's gone. Tom, is not my flight, so I'm not when he's the next flight, they're fully booked. What do you mean. Hopefully. But when he's the next one, we've got one today. I've got a full a clock now I'm nothing. I'm made to go with an emergency. He's got what? I've got one, but it's in 4 hours.

00:30:57:15 - 00:31:17:12
Tom Skinner
But you need to fly from here to Raleigh, North Carolina, to Philadelphia. And when you get to Philadelphia, you've got to wait 15 or 30 minutes and you get connecting flight Gantry from awful fantastic. Always four out 4 hours. Bear in mind, I think one man I do 4 hours and wish them the first game of torment was kicking off in half an hour, a run back at the buzzer.

00:31:17:12 - 00:31:32:05
Tom Skinner
I was upset. My is still here. Take you back to the stadium. I'll come running back. Alex, you might even seconds. I've won on the pitch. Jumped over his fence, got on the pitch. What is giving that same arrow? And Kenny Brown has never gone. Let's do it with stage. His wife is two weeks now and.

00:31:32:10 - 00:31:34:22

I'll fuck you back.

00:31:34:24 - 00:31:36:09
Matt Haycox
So you got to be the manager for the game.

00:31:36:16 - 00:31:50:08
Tom Skinner
That was all I was playing sort of for hours. The biggest thing in my life, managing much damage. A dream of mine. Oh, let me say this line. Let's do it and I'll give this speech like you can't believe I was off buying this big mob. Actually come at me for my when I was the New Mile optimum.

00:31:50:09 - 00:32:07:04
Tom Skinner
I'm talking talking top game. We got battered for two weeks, and then I've said it. Course, I've got to go back to the airport now. I it the airport tonight sister brings me up now and I thought of a few offerings. Right I got a plane and she's quiet Tom. It's not good. She's got surgery now. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

00:32:07:06 - 00:32:24:23
Tom Skinner
Oh, my God. I'm fucking blind yet. What's happening? What's that? Me Not Boom showcase you. Okay. What if somebody does not know what's going on? She's going to die. She'll get what you mean, she going to fucking die? And I'm right now get emotional. Get within me. Comfort, Shaqiri. I'm going for Shaqiri laughs Shake him, met almost got Ghanem Got to the queue for the plane and obviously these little planes and make love passes.

00:32:24:24 - 00:32:41:14
Tom Skinner
It's so many of them and we've got to queue up to get on his plane. This one gone to fill it Philadelphia and as we queuing up we got in front and I get a text the picture of these I got a text from the sister of these two both who and I was horrible like scary. The two babies are bone tongue.

00:32:41:20 - 00:33:01:14
Tom Skinner
So now I'm sitting applying things I cannot sleep. How is my wife? How should I question Mark? Yeah, I jumped on that the plane. It's like, you know, you got my gap. So I'm lucky lucky lucky logic signal and wears on you now. Thought it was my wife on it so I've been on my fucking watch do a lot And in as we fly in China, a 55 minute flight, we are coming and the curtain goes up.

00:33:01:14 - 00:33:16:21
Tom Skinner
Cabin crew prepare for landing like we're coming down to Philadelphia. We landed in like 8 minutes of here as we coming down. This only fucking happens to me. I'm scared of flying. I'm talking to these old ladies you got on. My husband was in the Navy. I flew. He flew jets of of of don't. I'm talking about planes.

00:33:16:21 - 00:33:33:22
Tom Skinner
But you can see I'm nervous as we're coming down. We must be 100 feet off the ground. Will's at that. I can see fucking people's faces. I can see. I can see cars. We are loud as we're coming down the fucking land. The captain gives you a price on the thing. I'll fucking scream, pay you. Everyone's screaming. The plane is gone.

00:33:33:22 - 00:33:54:12
Tom Skinner
Literally back out rotten like nothing ever felt glitchy. Steven, And take us up and then go right like that. Awful. See people screaming all the things luggage for When some lady stood out of me for quiet lives. Just got mad. There's food, drinks running down the ditch. You like that? And they just. They said after of 2 minutes, he leveled at you.

00:33:54:12 - 00:34:11:25
Tom Skinner
And I'm like, Gentlemen, I'm really, really sorry, but we had a terrible thing. Nearly happened, like you said. Well, we will be given that coupons after the flight bikes radio control tower loud from the taxi until I brought my eyes began to land like I've been flying for like 38 years. But don't realize this just never happened. Bought it.

00:34:11:28 - 00:34:33:15
Tom Skinner
I'm so sorry. We're fine. We're okay. We've we're trying procedures, but obviously we couldn't access. They were planning on our runways. We're coming in, putting out and we fell out of fuck. Does it happen now? Which happens to me. So we're flying back round, come back and landed. Well, now. But he's got an accent. Give it over anyone for for the connecting Heathrow flight on a Mikey.

00:34:33:18 - 00:34:50:21
Tom Skinner
So they've given out these fucking coupons you got for the for the distress. Did you get the plane. I don't think people want to get a flight of run. I've never done before and I've got to the guy at Heathrow anyway and the light in our eye for as we fucking looks at my phone as well. And I got a text from, from Siobhan tonight.

00:34:50:21 - 00:35:03:28
Tom Skinner
Sister, my wife sister gone. Should I. Okay. She's in recovery, she's asleep, but she's all kinds of fucking hell lot. So I said, Well, I feel I'm going to stretch out my little fucking flight. Just that room I've got to the glass is now asked. You know what, It's fucking up. Grabbed me at first.

00:35:03:28 - 00:35:05:13

Class, but I'll.

00:35:05:13 - 00:35:16:21
Tom Skinner
See if I get what it costs. And I ought to cut the $5 of me away every 5 hours. Those are my. And I've pulled him out his bag, so I was able to wake. I've got him. I should also show that.

00:35:16:27 - 00:35:18:01

Cash and.

00:35:18:01 - 00:35:26:28
Tom Skinner
I sent you all fucking out in and luckily this, this, this person actually went Oh yeah. Okay John we've been actually went a wacky amount credit cut outside a dollars. Great exchange.

00:35:26:28 - 00:35:27:10

Right.

00:35:27:12 - 00:35:44:13
Tom Skinner
So it's that so that was tight but I remember getting on onto this and I would slip now and I got on this flight and I'm sitting in the lovely big say and I'll fucking put it and I feel, what should I do in recovery? Well, twins are out of work at twins, not out of wood yet, but they're in the best possible place that braving the cosmos and having brave.

00:35:44:14 - 00:35:59:20
Tom Skinner
I'll be there in 7 hours. Sound effect of what Can't be a kit. Did our fucking slate not a wink and as we come in to land I've got a text calling my driver. She might make sure you're outside. He went to my mode here. Don't worry. He took me by, pick me up, went straight to the airport.

00:35:59:20 - 00:36:18:09
Tom Skinner
I'm straight to the hospital. And Schneider said she was hopeless and it's injuries. I was free pounds. They. I was tiny little babies. And that these incubators we've moss help them brave new scary and it didn't like it I was like you know I was like there'll be a lot that you need a little bit of oxygen to help brave medication but they'll be alright.

00:36:18:09 - 00:36:36:18
Tom Skinner
And I remember sitting in the hospital with these little babies looking like we've designed, we stand here and I don't see moaning, I'm just looking and in a supplements we look you back at home, you look actually shattered like that. Go home And I went back home and state systems were round my ass with my little boy and I walked in.

00:36:36:18 - 00:36:52:25
Tom Skinner
I feel so bad and I was only just over 10 minutes I went home. You been sitting over 6 hours. I was so tired now. But then I what was going on and I slept in a while. Connor went straight down it and tried to come out on and yeah, they're back and I spent, I spent just under a month in the ICU to hell for each night at a week in there.

00:36:52:25 - 00:36:56:17
Tom Skinner
And they once back home. Everyone else. Yeah, that's it.

00:36:56:20 - 00:36:58:17

Well, congratulations. Thank you.

00:36:58:19 - 00:37:21:11
Matt Haycox
I'm with you. The way. Now, when we said three, £3, my daughter was born, like, whatever, 11 weeks ago now. And she was. She was two weeks, three weeks early. She was 2.5 kilograms. So like £5, which, you know, at the bottom end of the scale for, for like a completely health thing. Yeah. I mean she was fucking microscopic so I, you're almost half of that.

00:37:21:13 - 00:37:38:15
Tom Skinner
Like they're screaming their skin was all wrinkly where they had no foundry feet like it was, They was tiny bless them. And we got them white last week that six, six weeks out this week and that £5 nine and £6 one. Okay so they grow in it doing well and yeah my loving it and.

00:37:38:16 - 00:37:41:24
Matt Haycox
Congratulations I mean I don't know how to follow up on that story.

00:37:41:24 - 00:37:49:24

That's what I was about to ask you about. Hadn't been stolen in 2011. The pork and pork, everything else.

00:37:49:24 - 00:37:51:05
Matt Haycox
So I feel like we've.

00:37:51:09 - 00:37:53:08

We've enjoying the points.

00:37:53:10 - 00:37:54:04
Tom Skinner
But I've got out just.

00:37:54:04 - 00:37:56:19

Those and.

00:37:56:21 - 00:38:02:18
Matt Haycox
As work as work change much since don't change much have you. He's spending more time at home.

00:38:02:21 - 00:38:22:14
Tom Skinner
Yeah I mean I've had I've had a cut of weeks of immediate my life. He's just insanely busy and I'm but I'm taking all the opportunities I can. This year for me has been especially with TV work and radio were like, yes, they are done 25 radio shows in a day in a room like these.

00:38:22:14 - 00:38:24:29
Matt Haycox
I was going to say it was in White Plains.

00:38:25:01 - 00:38:40:20
Tom Skinner
Was saying I talked to I'm not even 50, which is why I'm the old age. All right. And then I thought my life TV channel moaning like I've got my own TV show coming out later on this year. It's just that he's come to an advert. I've just filmed two movies this year in which they're manager, I've got no business.

00:38:40:20 - 00:38:48:12
Tom Skinner
It's just been his signing. I'm just trying to make sure I've got time for me and my family. Don't miss out on growing up, but again, at the same time, take any opportunity I can because.

00:38:48:18 - 00:39:09:27
Matt Haycox
It's a hard it's hard balances now. I mean, I mean my, my missus is she's pretty low maintenance. Yeah. She does everything with the kids. With her kids. But with the baby, I mean, you know, she, you know, she wants to do all the night or David's overnight for when she wants to do everything. And it's good for me because, you know, look, I want to do as much as I can as well, because I want to be part of this thing.

00:39:09:27 - 00:39:24:24
Matt Haycox
But I'm also realist and everyone talks about, oh, this amazing town, but the rest is a kid fucking sleeps 22 hours a day, you know? So as long as I'm there, you know, for an hour or two, you know, and I can feel like I take the pressure off, I can kind of get back to work. And it's that balance.

00:39:24:24 - 00:39:35:06
Matt Haycox
Go, man, I could never I couldn't sit at home for the first three months and not do fuck all those who won't be able to afford nappies if if that was the case anyway. But but yeah. No, it's it's a it's a fun time.

00:39:35:08 - 00:39:54:19
Tom Skinner
Is produce is the best time and is just like what I love now is is is is but I am constantly tired I like it a more Tottenham have been my life I am like it's like to even today I start at four I am you start what we 7:00 off seven But I love doing these things. I love you know, I love meeting people like yourself when I'm talk in.

00:39:54:19 - 00:40:09:07
Tom Skinner
But when I get indoors, I'm shattered. I just see my little boy. You know what it was? Sweden's my beautiful wife. I think she's waiting for this. She's wait for, you know, I mean, they she said they can have whatever the thought I want, you know. I mean, they want spoke that I can have whatever I fucking want, you know.

00:40:09:07 - 00:40:27:12
Tom Skinner
I mean and then when I do get with the family, they it's a big family holiday for the full story. You're not me. I'm that's that's what it's all about. Me now. What me? Ballocks off I'll go. I'm across the, you know, always have been, what, from young age. And I'll do it as much as I can so we can have the best life and a bit time affair in that.

00:40:27:14 - 00:40:29:10
Matt Haycox
Do you find you can switch off when you get now.

00:40:29:17 - 00:40:47:02
Tom Skinner
You know not so thank you so I'll I'll I'll be cream cracker now and basically what I've got duty does not mean lots of million things for me it didn't mean that person back it's just constant all ideas and I've, I've never of of always been able to survive on 4 to 5 hours sleep and I don't really care a lot more than that.

00:40:47:02 - 00:41:03:29
Tom Skinner
Not a lot. And I do look tired all the time and not you're not mean like saying so much people can put a makeup on. Yeah. You know, when you do these things. But yeah, I just never switch off. And when I do have a day off, it's just nice to get my phone because my phone rings a thousand times a day like I've got now.

00:41:04:00 - 00:41:13:15
Tom Skinner
I'll put a screenshot on Twitter of my, of some of my I've got 600 unread messages from a day. That's from a day that is just insane, you know? I mean, so.

00:41:13:17 - 00:41:15:25
Matt Haycox
What kind of a team have you got around.

00:41:15:27 - 00:41:16:27
Tom Skinner
Look like time.

00:41:17:00 - 00:41:28:12
Matt Haycox
Do you? I mean, because I guess obviously your background and your styles is clearly very much, you know, buy, sell, you know, do things to do things yourself, craft the market trade. But I mean, have you got assistants or staff. Yeah.

00:41:28:14 - 00:41:43:27
Tom Skinner
Do they get national lot? I mean, I've got a lot. I mean, listen, you are nothing without your time, you know. I mean and a lot of my mates up in we've they won a working with me, you know, I mean like I've got my mates who work in the market with me, I've got my major through delivery economics for me, like with me.

00:41:43:27 - 00:42:01:24
Tom Skinner
But I've also got like calling my driver. My mate is black cab drivers now of now, Hey, what makes a black cab driver? He's now become a full time driver every single day in these black swap, a unlike posh black coat, and he rarely does any private work Now in London, he just drives me about what he's single term because I'm six.

00:42:01:24 - 00:42:12:14
Tom Skinner
I need to be on a phone in the back doing me bits and pieces, trying to make sure that one's been delivered, make sure that one's turned out well. What ceviche I would do in Amara, You know, I've got a publicist now because I've just written a book, Dyslexic, just written a.

00:42:12:17 - 00:42:13:26
Matt Haycox
Book about.

00:42:13:28 - 00:42:16:09
Tom Skinner
That. We're talking about A Days My Life. You know.

00:42:16:12 - 00:42:17:12
Matt Haycox
It's much more.

00:42:17:14 - 00:42:35:10
Tom Skinner
It's not an autobiography. It's more life lessons of what I've learned had to overcome things like overcoming your face, you know, and pushing yourself in life and not giving up. Because the biggest thing now for any young entrepreneur is they give up before they get them. And all I've done in the past, before I started work you up, you kept out, you get a lot.

00:42:35:10 - 00:42:59:24
Tom Skinner
It always happens. And I mean, yeah, but going back to my team, Alex, my manager, Lee, my publicist, you know, will my videographer call him? I drive a big line, big lines. My mate modifies them. You know, colleagues, like everyone, I've got a great team and we've got him. My wife. My wife is the biggest one. Janet I mean, like Rylan, Matty boy, I've got a fantastic team and I love them all.

00:42:59:26 - 00:43:17:22
Matt Haycox
You talk about, you know, youngsters today, you know, giving up, giving up before they started. At your age, you've you've kind of lived in the social media world and see a lot, but you've also very much come from a from a grassroots kind of background. I mean, what's your view of of, you know, social media business influencers content?

00:43:17:22 - 00:43:19:25
Matt Haycox
You're the fake it till you make it to brigade.

00:43:19:27 - 00:43:23:05
Tom Skinner
Well, I don't know if you've ever watched any of my videos on Instagram.

00:43:23:08 - 00:43:31:06
Matt Haycox
I'll be honest. I've only in today seeing the first couple, but you know the ones I've seen. Have you been eating in the cafe? Yes. You can tell me all about it.

00:43:31:06 - 00:43:49:16
Tom Skinner
Yeah. So a lot of Instagram and I've always said this from day one, these people standing next to Ferraris that probably are going to tell you or in in the book and I'm not knocking anyone, but nine times out of ten, what you see on Instagram isn't real. You know, there are the other people out there that are doing in good luck, some cabin smashing it.

00:43:49:16 - 00:44:05:03
Tom Skinner
But you have got a lot people on there that are living a false lifestyle that the average person can afford. Now, my look on Instagram and Twitter is you can have anything you want in life. You got growth for it. And that is why you try and do as many. Well, when I got the cap for him, which I've always been Mangano for him, we have a break.

00:44:05:03 - 00:44:29:05
Tom Skinner
We have a little team mate, you know, because I've always given a motivational space to my staff, to my mates in the morning. And I started sharing on social media. So it and it got to a point where people love me. Got that There's was always easy hang out right just I always have done I bet on your for I am a fucking chicken pie whatever is that because I've been grass in the markets those in the freezing cold lot by out and I just try and share good vibes positivity.

00:44:29:05 - 00:44:50:24
Tom Skinner
But the biggest messages. Look, nothing in life is free. Nothing. You don't get nothing given to you on a plate. Like go out and fucking get yourself. Come on, you ain't shit. You know what you're doing. But push yourself a little bit. Go outside the box a lot less carbon fucking gay. Grab the bull by the horns. And Ernie, you know, I mean, that's what I share on social media is not some.

00:44:50:24 - 00:44:58:05
Tom Skinner
I mean, there's pictures of me standing next to one of my vans. It'll get more like two weeks. That makes me better. You know, maybe that's. That's how I view it, Michelle.

00:44:58:07 - 00:45:03:11
Matt Haycox
I mean, as someone who left school very young, what's your view on education for your kids?

00:45:03:13 - 00:45:29:07
Tom Skinner
I mean, the problem with schools is let's put these schoolchildren as animals. Yeah, Yeah. One kid is a monkey. One kid is a shark. Yeah. Matt, the lesson is about climbing trees. When a kid is a monkey, you going to fucking climb that trade? No problem. It's okay. But the kid is a shark. He ain't going back. How much re He ain't got a Yeah, he's got fins, arms a can get up there but he's but you're so straight you can't do that shark.

00:45:29:07 - 00:45:49:28
Tom Skinner
You must be fake. You're wrong. That's what, that's what's wrong is go. We need more diverse in schools and focus on skills that kids are good at. I've got dyslexia, A voice struggling reading my whole life. Yeah. Thanks. Stop me doing nothing. I can't fill out forms. I fucking. Well, you know, I mean, let's try and teach kids in schools things that they're good at because let's be honest, Amy times and let's be honest.

00:45:49:28 - 00:46:09:23
Tom Skinner
Really, Dude, what you've done in school, why we're not teaching kids you schools basic things. Like do I even see doing fucking on it? Yeah. Like, oh, I had to go and get a mortgage. Had to in a bank can because I did not do that. I walked in, I did not fucking that banker had to get a loan that things that you're going to need in every single dialog had to budget mainly about money.

00:46:09:23 - 00:46:27:03
Tom Skinner
Things had, you know, socialized things that we don't learn. The old curriculum has been the same to 300 years. It needed that. Everything's adjusting. It needs to be more adaptable for all the different peatland states aside, because we're reading the same textbooks from 100 years ago, you know, I mean.

00:46:27:05 - 00:46:45:23
Matt Haycox
One of the things I'm actually most excited about with with my my new kid is when her education does start proper because, I mean, I get my messages pretty relaxed and flexible. I think, you know, when it comes to bringing the money in and deciding how we bring in the money and educate, she'll kind of give me free rein on it.

00:46:45:23 - 00:47:11:14
Matt Haycox
But I actually I won't I haven't decided exactly what it is yet. But, you know, my plan is to homeschool and to very much write a very specific curriculum around basically along the lines of what you're talking about, you know, with with the core basics, but with, you know, with life skills, you know, with with business skills, with languages, etcetera, and really map out exactly what the kind of curriculum for what I see is, you know, the perfect school for the perfect human definition.

00:47:11:16 - 00:47:27:20
Tom Skinner
I'm academic. And so I'm not listen, I'm thinking, shit, I'm not going to I am not clever, but I've sat in boardrooms of millionaires and told them what to fucking, though do not mind because of course copy a confidence if you went to me to do this geography test or duties maths test or English test, I'm going to come last.

00:47:27:20 - 00:47:36:28
Tom Skinner
Yeah, but if you put me in the street with five on it, Mike Montgomery and ten grand of for anyone, you know what I mean. It's like things is things that you just learn. And just so.

00:47:37:06 - 00:47:44:15
Matt Haycox
You've talked a bit about politics and, and you desire to get to get into politics or be a politician. I mean, is that is that something you're serious?

00:47:44:15 - 00:48:04:22
Tom Skinner
About hundred percent. I'd like it to be a now because I can't really see me in the in Parliament giving it giving me all the time. I'm the right person, you know, But I do think it's wrong. They some people can't afford to fucking pay their electric bills. It to me a lot people are starving in life. You Shouldn't have to choose whether you turn on electric or can't put food on the table.

00:48:04:28 - 00:48:26:09
Tom Skinner
That shouldn't be an option in society, not in somewhere like England especially, you know, I mean, like I'd love to be in politics. I'd love to. I think just too many people in politics, but no real life lot. How many politicians and go on the reality of we we all know that. But many fucking politicians know what it's like to have a bailiff knock on the door, know what it's like.

00:48:26:12 - 00:48:38:15
Tom Skinner
So I've got 20 kids last year in the week. Now it's like tonight the gas electric is run out and I got I mind putting I'll electric on and I've got a fucking baby quiet in those And if people know what it's like to go and get robbed and have nothing how many puts you know which not to be like that.

00:48:38:18 - 00:48:58:03
Tom Skinner
None of them though they, they are few but none of them talk every day. Man. We need every people that have been successful in life running the country, not people that haven't seen real world problems. If we have people that have seen real problems, there'll be a lot less issues, a lot less crime, a lot less drug problems, educational problems.

00:48:58:07 - 00:49:01:15
Tom Skinner
If real life people were in power. Fact.

00:49:01:17 - 00:49:14:04
Matt Haycox
I mean, they're the problem as well as I mean, whether some of the people in power are capable or not, it's not really about getting the job done. It's about making sure they can try and get elected and elected again next way around and keep getting paid.

00:49:14:04 - 00:49:27:10
Tom Skinner
What I will fucking lawyer, but not they all fucking lawyer. They'll say whatever they say, what I think you want to hear so they'll get and what I do it now you know you need someone to stop real people. There's going to do what I say they're going to do.

00:49:27:16 - 00:49:31:15
Matt Haycox
So we're talking about stamping and do what you say you're going to do. You did a box. You did a boxing match recently.

00:49:31:15 - 00:49:33:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:49:33:07 - 00:49:34:11
Matt Haycox
Where did that come from?

00:49:34:12 - 00:49:56:16
Tom Skinner
I've always loved boxing in Box Box for years, but I've opened up a gym called Bush Gym. Okay? And I've done that free kids classes down there, you know, like, try and do a little bit for the community. We've got some great we've turned pro like a kid come down. But he was just some of Frank Warren. Yeah, we've got some extras training there's pay tapes and listen some of the guys in the gym say, well, hang on a minute, I comes, you don't get on the floor, so no off.

00:49:56:16 - 00:50:02:15
Tom Skinner
Okay, I'll do it and I'll jump on as well and then just fight. In March, it was surprisingly easy to be there.

00:50:02:18 - 00:50:04:24
Matt Haycox
And was as an amateur, as a pro.

00:50:05:02 - 00:50:17:03
Tom Skinner
Now that just that which is not what kind of thing. It wasn't anything. You just literally just because a lot of people are nervous to fight and know I and I said, well, I'll do it. You know, I mean if a fat gauge that drinks that Stella every night and, you know, I mean you can as well.

00:50:17:11 - 00:50:20:24
Matt Haycox
Did you train? I mean. Yeah, but properly not.

00:50:20:26 - 00:50:27:18
Tom Skinner
Not, not might fuck me now I think two runs a week and let got four for a can of beer if you don't and.

00:50:27:19 - 00:50:29:14
Matt Haycox
But did you know who you were fighting.

00:50:29:21 - 00:50:33:08
Tom Skinner
No, no, no I because.

00:50:33:10 - 00:50:34:07

I really.

00:50:34:10 - 00:50:37:24
Tom Skinner
Could have got knocked back up. I wouldn't have left. Would have ought to just give it me meal, you know.

00:50:37:24 - 00:50:55:07
Matt Haycox
What was it we're talking about actually this afternoon the white collar fight. So just to fight fights in general. I do I do a lot of a lot of boxing training for my just from my normal fitness to me. I live in Dubai and I'm into the air and over that. I mean I mean, it's it's so easy to get, you know, decent martial arts to.

00:50:55:08 - 00:51:09:21
Matt Haycox
Yeah, yeah. You know, I do it every morning. But I always find it so difficult in aspiring situation, not particularly good anyway, but just because I don't, most of the people I love to be there is someone I know and I feel bad hurting them.

00:51:09:23 - 00:51:11:04

And and you know.

00:51:11:05 - 00:51:19:01
Matt Haycox
It's like if I was to do a fight, a proper fight against someone, it would have to be like someone I can count on the fingers of one hand, the people I've properly fucking despise.

00:51:19:01 - 00:51:19:21
Tom Skinner
And like you said.

00:51:19:22 - 00:51:20:16
Matt Haycox
I have to.

00:51:20:21 - 00:51:30:09
Tom Skinner
Since I'm itching to fight my you know. And he's like, You stink. Well, when you have a flat fuck, you know, you don't. You sell 2000 tickets, you don't want to lose, you know.

00:51:30:11 - 00:51:35:17
Matt Haycox
Tell me about about your name. I know she was. She's been a very influential person in your life. Yeah.

00:51:35:22 - 00:51:49:18
Tom Skinner
Both in NZ, many mine. And then, you know, like, legends, both of them do. I mean, in my nan is kind of like someone we may have a mate. Like she's dropped France when we were younger. You a gone by older spot him one's out of gas. Could extend this for like £1.50.

00:51:49:21 - 00:51:50:17
Matt Haycox
He's ever in color.

00:51:50:20 - 00:52:09:03
Tom Skinner
Yeah. You should bring him back. Bring him back to my nan's gaff, fill out a bar, put opposing sort of things peeled off and then get me. Then it's the consultant and advice and stick. It's selling policeman's lot. She would allege that may not mean that much A proper eastender at the East End. And she was tough. She was both my hands were tough, you know, I mean, I was legends.

00:52:09:05 - 00:52:13:19
Tom Skinner
They just taught me I had to be at look, I had to stand out myself and no nonsense.

00:52:13:26 - 00:52:35:29
Matt Haycox
You've clearly had so many influential people around you. And, you know, even at your, you know, relatively tender age, I mean, you've got hours of stories and and years of experience to give. But I guess, you know, if you were to, you know, to wrap this up now, if you were to look back on your on your teenage self after all the things you've learned to date, you know, what will be the one or two real key lessons that you'd want to give yourself.

00:52:36:01 - 00:52:54:06
Tom Skinner
Probably to save more money. When I was younger because I was fuck him, I was very, very good at earning money, but I was even better at knocking at life. I love to work and I've grown up spend five and, you know, I mean, I'll go in that mentality as a young I always made me want to earn more money that I've been are being the Novikov.

00:52:54:07 - 00:53:09:17
Tom Skinner
I know that really when I've been I've been on a nice, you know, like it was lot. It was now as you have got older, I mean as a young age I would be much fairer in life now if I learn how to say properly young age, because I was always been good at earning money. But knock now is king of it.

00:53:09:17 - 00:53:10:19

You know.

00:53:10:22 - 00:53:30:06
Matt Haycox
It's really funny. Second, I mean, it completely resonates with me and, you know, and I was just I always been a good and I've always been an even better spender. And, you know, it's only over the last, let's say, I mean, honestly, really only over the last three or four years that I've really started away from the businesses, you know, invest more, save or put more away.

00:53:30:13 - 00:53:44:11
Matt Haycox
But and I have similar advice to anyone now because I think there's a figure I don't know everyone's got their own different figure. But, you know, I'm really addressing business people who are earning not, you know, because obviously we've talked about the man on the street who's got got to decide, does he eight or does he put the electricity down.

00:53:44:11 - 00:53:59:21
Matt Haycox
Okay. So it's not a realistic conversation for them. But as a as a business person, if you look back at yourself now, you can pick a figure whether it's £100 a week or whether it's £1,000 a week. That has been a figure for your entire life that you could have putting away that from six years old every week.

00:53:59:21 - 00:54:16:27
Matt Haycox
So so whether it's hundred quid away some weeks, you could do five, maybe some ways you could do five grand and you can put it away without even noticing, I mean, not even noticing that figure. And, you know, I think, you know, if I look back at my life averaging out because obviously my darkest hours are going to did do nothing in my best times, I could have done ten grand the week.

00:54:17:03 - 00:54:39:25
Matt Haycox
I could have easily bought a granddaughter a week away. Every single fucking week averaged out. Yeah. For the last 15 to 20 years. Right. Without noticing that I'm, you know and and compound it out and is it's such a simple as most pieces of advice are so simple but so good and I was used to look at remember my dad and my dad used to used to say I'd have a pen.

00:54:39:25 - 00:54:52:26
Matt Haycox
She was really proud of the fact that he didn't have a pension. My business is my pension. And, you know, when I look, look, I used to listen to the time, but I look back on it, I think, well, the stupidest pieces of advice I've heard because, again, you know, really all your pension is is a tax wrapper.

00:54:52:28 - 00:55:08:00
Matt Haycox
Why would you not take advantage of of having a tax wrapper? Why would you not put, you know, put that money away when you don't even notice you're putting it away. So, you know, great advice might and I think for anyone no matter how much you earn as boring and simple as just, you've just got to do it.

00:55:08:00 - 00:55:23:10
Tom Skinner
If you can afford to put it like you said, it is tempting and what you think there was in what you were just talking. Stick it in a bank and don't touch it. Don't have to key, don't lie. And I promise you, you live wherever you go. Liz. Me You're not made eight.

00:55:23:12 - 00:55:30:26
Matt Haycox
Hundred percent was in. Tom, it's been a pleasure to have you. My great stories, great advice. And I look forward to sitting down with you again in the future for around to.

00:55:31:00 - 00:55:32:14
Tom Skinner
Lovely my second very much thank.

00:55:32:14 - 01:00:22:11

You.