UK BEST OF YOU MAGAZINE
A Happening Guy
Wealth, luxury, lavish lifestyles. They used to be the pinnacles of success. And they still are, but there’s a new rich list wish in town, and it’s leaning increasingly towards out-of-this-world experiences.
To put it another way, when money is no object, every object is accessible, but when you want to have dinner at the feet of Michael Angelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, with Andrea Bocelli as the evening’s entertainment, there’s probably only one man who can help – Steve Sims.
Sims’ exclusive, membership-based concierge company, Bluefish, has made more, ‘I’ve always wanted to’ moments a reality for the world’s wealthiest, including a visit to the International Space Station, a submarine trip to the Titanic and spending a weekend in Monte Carlo, pretending to be James Bond.
It’s all a long way from Sims’ start in life, which began in East London as the son of a working class, construction family with, as Sims describes it, “aspirations of making it to middle class”. Knowing a life on a building site wasn’t for him. Sims talked his way into a job in a stockbroking firm, before transferring to Hong Kong.
His financial services career was short-lived as he was fired, four days after landing in the Asian city. Instead of returning to the UK with his tail between his legs, Sims started hanging around the city’s nightclubs, organizing parties and events.
As his reputation grew, so did his clients’ requests for him to arrange access to prestigious events and conjure up ‘out there’ stuff. Sims realized that he had a knack for coming up with the goods, and that his reputation for delivery and no-nonsense approach could be the bones of a business idea.
Fast-forward 15 years, and today Bluefish provides a hugely successful, elite concierge service. Members have to apply to join and, once approved, pay an annual fee of $5,000 – that’s before they even start to present Sims with their bucket list. Sims rubs shoulders with the rich and famous, travels the world pulling the impossible out of the hat at their request.
To view the interview, you can go to: thebestyoumagazine.co/a-happening-guy