Building Businesses, Bodies & Babies - Episode 1

The podcast is about building businesses, bodies, and babies. The hosts talk about their experiences as business owners, their passion for bodybuilding, and their journey as parents. They discuss their businesses, including property maintenance and trading in financial markets. They also share their personal lives, such as their upcoming wedding and their balancing act between work and family. They talk about their interests and hobbies, like content writing, acting, and beauty services. Overall, they provide a glimpse into their lives and the challenges and joys they face. So the premise of this podcast is building businesses, bodies and babies and I don't know if you can hear but... We have one of the bees upstairs. The big bee upstairs is kicking off already. So we'll see how far we get before one of us has to run upstairs to try and see the child. The problem is, here's a parenting hack, don't put your child down for a nap at half four in the afternoon because we both then slept until half six and we're both now wide awake and it's now quarter to ten. So we're probably going to have another wake up call about 2.30 which isn't out of the norm. No. I don't know why she's gone through this episode now because she was sleeping really well and then all of a sudden we've started putting her down and she just has a meltdown. No, she's been alright recently but tonight was not a good one. But she's been waking up at like two or three in the morning for the day so that's always good fun. And not just awake, I'm talking wide and tired. It's wired. Like drug-fueled wiring. Yeah. Then that's us sitting here doing this podcast at quarter to ten drinking coffee. Yeah. I didn't really realise the time when I put in my coffee request to Dan. So we should probably say who we are, although I suspect most people that listen initially are going to know that. Hopefully. Basically, how our relationship works is Laura just talks for me. It's probably for the best. Dan is my toy boy by six months. No, not even six months. February, March, April. Three months. And I'm Laura. Dan and I are engaged to be married this year. Today we actually filled in the applications for... It's like you have to register... Oh, it's all just the moneymaker, isn't it? You have to register that you're getting married and that's £35 each. But then you still have to pay the registrar like £565 or something like that. Like I said, the best things in life are free. Love is supposed to be free. Yeah, we end up having to pay for it. So yeah, so building businesses, bodies and babies. Oh yeah, can the mic pick that up? I think so. I think she hears the word baby and is like, hey, it's me. That's me, bitches. I mean, we might as well cut her in into this. Yeah. I was going to say that there's three hosts. Eloise is well, we're just in it. Yeah. Yes, building businesses, bodies and babies is essentially about our life. So Dan and I are both business owners. Dan has a couple of businesses which he will talk about. We're both into bodybuilding and I'm going to compete at the start of this year before the wedding. Cut a sound into there. Yeah, we need some buttons. Yeah. Or I could be the buttons. I'm pretty good at sound effects. And babies, obviously we have a baby. So we're trying to raise a right. So Dan, do you want to talk about your two different businesses and where you're at with them? Yeah, so I have two businesses. The first one is DAG, obviously, which are my initials, which stands for Daniel Something Green. I'm not going to reveal my middle name. I'll leave you hanging. Government name. Maybe get a poll together. Yeah. So I have DAG Property Maintenance, which is pretty self-explanatory. I do things from extensions all the way down to putting up a shelf, fixing the leak and tap, etc. I've been going for three years. Literally, when the lockdown started. You started in October and then the lockdown didn't last. When I moved here, I moved here August, September 2019. Yeah. And I think I remember when I finished working. Before this, I used to work offshore on the rigs. So I did that for about eight years. But I decided to hook up with Laura Rotland from school. That's a good story from the time. Yeah. So then I decided to track that in. Throughout my life, I was sort of involved in the building trade with my dad. So I always remember when I was as young as 11, 12, I used to go with him on a Saturday. And he used to make me dig footings in the pissing rain. So that was kind of a natural transition for me. So I've got that, that's been going now, as I said, from late 2019. And during this, I've also gained a kind of an interest in the financial markets. So this is where the second business is sort of stemmed from. It's a new business that I've already started this year. But that is Emerald Trading Group, which is going to... The core aspects of it are still being built now in regards to a website and a platform, etc. But in a nutshell, what it is, it's going to be a service. Well, it is a service that I should be doing things like account management. So investors will come to me. And I will then trade their investments in the financial markets and try to give them a decent return on their investment on whatever they decide to invest. The whole aim of it is to give them a better return than what they would get at a normal high street bank or wherever they would usually invest. So yeah, that's sort of the two main, or the only two, I say two main, the only two businesses that I'm kind of involved in right now. But they're sort of, even though DAG, the property manager, has been going for three years, it's still a new company and I'm still finding my feet with that. But, I mean, my passion, they're both kind of my passion, but it's, you know, the trading aspect gives me more of the life that I want to give to Laura and Eloise. And it gives me more freedom. So, you know, I can be at home, I can spend more time. Whereas the property maintenance, you know, I'm potentially going to be looking to try and run both businesses together full-time, but easier said than done. Dan has a real balance problem. It's like working, like having two full-time businesses, but also having the time to live your own life as well. Yeah, there's just not enough hours in the day. Everything that I do, I will put my all into it. So it's like, you know, I want to make the best of both of them. And I think it's going to be a case of one is going to have to give for... You know, I don't know if I'm capable to bring both up at a level par. I think it'll be an exciting year though, won't it? DAG is now booked up until September. So you've got until September with DAG, whatever. And then in that time you can see how trading goes. I think it's good though to have... Like I say, you need to diversify where your money's coming in. You can't be solely resting on one income. I think it's kind of a dangerous thing, you know. If something was to happen to that, then we've got nothing else to fall back on. But I mean, if one doesn't work, I'll always have the other one, and vice versa. I think when you're self-employed, you have to... I was trying to turn yesterday, I was like, I've got an idea for a side hustle. I don't have time for another side hustle. Why did you say that in a cat voice? What? I've got another side hustle. I just had another idea yesterday that maybe I'll talk about at another time. So when Laura says things, like things that she needs, or that she wants, the tone immediately flips, and my listening ears come on. No, you don't have that many listening ears, though. So she goes, um, so I'm just thinking, um, see the thing is... Does it work, though? 100% of the time. Strategy gang. Um... Happy wife. She's not a wife yet. Not yet. We've got seven months to go. I still make you laugh, though. You do. Laughed me into bed, didn't you? Um... Whoa. Oh, we are past the watershed, that's all right. You said pissing earlier. I think that's very out of character. That's a real... That's reserved. I mean, piss, I think, is on the border. I don't think we need to go into details on piss. No, we talk a lot about piss today. We do. Have we? Oh, yeah, we do. Piss went through. Piss went through. Great way. Pissed off. Um, what was the other one? It's pissing down. Pissing down, yeah. Um... Any more? Let us know. Yeah. I'm sure at some point we will talk about bodily fluids in relation to being parents. I also have a couple of businesses, kind of. I have a business, which is a content writing business. The story of how I ended up there, perhaps it is a story for another time, but basically I write content for different businesses and I project manage some marketing projects as well. I work with a really cool designer for those, work with some really cool magazines. So, again, probably go into those in a bit more detail sometime. And then my background is as a trained actor, so I still dabble in that when I can. Really like doing voiceovers, so podcasting is obviously a great route for me to get that out of my system. And then I also do... I actually do a lot, don't I? I do nails and lashes when I've got some, like, regular ladies that come to me. So I do them when they need it. I don't actively promote. It's called Lifted & Nourished, if you want to have a look on Instagram. But I don't actively promote it because I'm actually really busy with content stuff, which is great. And then, also, I'm a mum. So the aim is, like most young... I'm not a young mum, but I mean a mum early in my mumming career. So Eloise is 18 months old, so not many people work full-time when they've got a baby that age because it's practically impossible, and childcare is so extortionately expensive, although worth it. So my plan had always been to work two days a week and look after Eloise the other time, but really I work three to four days a week whilst looking after Eloise, but also have great support from our mums, and she goes to the nursery as well. So sort of a juggling act for me, really. So, yeah, that's what we do. So that's building a business. Done that. Building bodies. We're both into training, fitness. I was going to, so I was going to compete. I think too, basically. Yeah, pre-Covid. Were you going to do it? What, after you'd done your cut? Yeah, so I was actually on stage prep. Were you? Yeah, so what I'd done, I've also done a shoot for a... Would you call that a game? Probably, yeah. A game magazine? Was it a magazine? Was it a calendar? Yeah, so basically... So basically you could see Dan's work the other calendar. Yeah, okay. So yeah, I did, I think, when was that? I can't remember now. What was it? It was before Covid. That must have been in 2019. I basically had... We shouldn't have been together very long by then. No, no, that was another way. I was just trying to woo you. Were you? By saying that I'm very confident in my sexuality. Dan's got the side hustlers as a nude model. Yeah. But, yeah, this was, I think this was when I was... Was I? No. This was definitely pre-Covid. It was, it was 2019, it must have been. I had so many people message me about this company that was looking for ginger guys or... Well, I think it was guys. And... Yeah, I think Red Hot actually do... Hence the name. Men, women, non-binary. Yeah, yeah, hence the name Red Hot. So, loads of people were like, oh, you should do it, you should do it and all this. And I was like, oh, I don't know. And I found out, like, it was actually full, full nude. And I was like... Fuck it. I wasn't really bothered about it, to be honest. So, I thought, I'll sort it out, alright. So, I contacted Dan, did like a little, like... Audition? Sort of. A fair casting. Yeah, sort of. Anyway, that was brought down to London. And what was the photographer's name? Thomas Knights? Thomas Knights, yeah. I believe. He was a very prestigious photographer. Yeah, he's pretty well known, isn't he? Went down there, did a shoot. Full chaboodle out. And I was, I played an American footballer. And I do not know what month I am. Hopefully one of the summer months. I think you're like November or December. Oh, shh. We'll have to have a look. I think my friend Tom's got the calendar. No. Oh, shit. Hi, Tom. So, that's for Tom. We went on a bit of a wormhole here. A bodybuilding. Yeah, it's clearly not about bodybuilding. So, for that shoot, Dan did a prep with his coach that he had then. And by prep, basically, it means you cut, try and cut body fat so that your muscles come out, so you can see your muscles. So, I was due to compete around May, June time, up north. So, COVID hit us, was it February? Yeah. So, that was like, that was that. I can't remember that, but I know we talked about it, but I don't. So, what were you on? Because I don't think the dates were released because of this COVID. Right, this COVID thing. Yeah. I don't remember that. Whatever that was. The thing that floated about. This might be a topic for another time, but I sometimes miss lockdown. I do not. I don't miss, like, the trauma around it and all the people that were ill and all the workers that, you know, all the bad stuff that came with lockdown and COVID, but sometimes I miss having the excuse to, like, not leave the house. I think it was kind of the norm for me, really, because I was out working, was, like, being a tradesman. What do you think was the norm for you? No, it just didn't really feel. Obviously, the first month or two, I was at home, and it was real lockdown. Yeah. Like, one exercise a day. You mean after then, it wasn't the same? After then, it was like, when was the longest amount where we had to? Three months, I think. It was literally, you had to be, like. Yeah, leave your house. I can't believe it was, like, you could have one form of exercise. I think it was actually crazy, wasn't it? When you get back. Well, that is fabulous. Like, and it was, like, you can't travel further than, like, however many hours. Yeah. You can't travel down to. I used to go for two walks a day, and I sometimes, like, thought, oh, what if someone calls the police? The police would tell them. Georgian. Jumping out of the hedge. Oh, excuse me. Excuse me, I've seen you walk here half an hour. So, we're both into bodybuilding. I'm going to compete this year because, basically, I want to do it before our wedding, before the hen do's and all the fun stuff where I can't restrict my, or I don't want to restrict myself. And also, then, we may look to grow our family after then. So, there's lots of things within competition prep that I'll probably talk about another time that affects your hormones and your periods and all those sorts of things that means that, actually, it's not a case of just doing it. Like, it does have to be quite well-timed for you and mindset and that sort of thing as well. So, yeah, my first competition is in the beginning of May, actually, so mid-May, and then in June as well. I'm not sure if I'm actually going to announce dates for it. If people ask, I'll tell them, but I might not make it. Keep it hanging. Yeah, well, then it's less pressure, isn't it? But I'm going into week three of my prep. Her mood is still surprisingly good. Well, it's because I'm still on surplus calories. I'm not even at maintenance calories yet. Great, I can't wait for that. But then, this is an excuse already. Like, don't get cross with me just because you're on prep. Mate, I'm cross with you because you've annoyed me, not because I'm on prep. Well, I think there's some little snaps coming in on the teeth. There is. It's because I'm stressed about it. She was staff at me the other day, and she actually came up and apologized. I did apologize, yeah. And I said, I appreciate your apology if I accept it. Yeah. Then we had a kiss and a cuddle and made up. That's the thing about us is when we do argue, it's kind of nipped in the bud. Yeah, we don't really argue as big as we don't be, and normally it's because one of us is tired or hungry. Yeah, and I think, like, our relationship is good in that way I think we maybe went to bed on an argument maybe once. Yeah. And then as soon as you woke up, I think it was like, OK, yeah. And the other times we've argued at bedtime is when I've been drunk, so... It's been a while, hasn't it? It's been a while. So, I'm quite hoping with prep, because I can't drink on prep, that, oh, this is bullshit, because I say, unless I think on prep that it will stop me from drinking in the future, that I'll just go teetotal. Because in my head I'd like to go teetotal, but I just don't have the minerals for it. But then I did nine months of not drinking. No, that's a lie. I did seven months of not drinking, because I had Eloise two months early. I did seven months of not drinking when I was pregnant, and then that didn't last long, did it, afterwards, so... Babe, I would be celebrating like hell as well. Pretty gross stuff, isn't it? Which is such a nice segue into the final point, which is building babies. So, we have an 18-month-old called Eloise, so we'll probably also talk about bringing Eloise up in what I think is a very different time to when we were our age. So, it's a bit milder, isn't it? Yeah. Like, navigating bloody tablets and phones and social media. She's got a bit of that, I think. She's already picking up. Obviously, with us, like, especially me, with, like, the trading business, there's a lot of networking and, like, speaking to existing clients and stuff like that. And the same with Laura, with her side of things. I think she's already picking up. Yeah, yeah. It's scary, because she's clearly observant of what we're doing. Yeah, she's very observant. I mean, it's hard, isn't it? It's hard to put the phone down and... I always said, before we had Eloise, I was like, right, I don't want her to be brought up around phones. Like, we only use our phones at night time when she's gone to bed, yeah, and TV. But the fact of the matter is, I mean, you have to be... I know there are some parents out there that can actually achieve that, but you have to be very strong-willed within yourself and with them. It's so easy just to put the telly on. And I don't think, if you're showing... I mean, obviously, you shouldn't plonk your child in front of a telly 24-7, but if you're showing them stuff that's useful for their growth, I mean, Eloise watches a lot of things, so I don't know, and the brotheload, I don't know how good that is for her. Imagine her a singer. Yeah, forging her future career. The way that I see it is, if we didn't do that, nothing would get done. No. Well, obviously things would get done, but... Look, guys, just do what you need to do to survive. That's what I say. Whatever you need to do so that you're happy. That's the only thing you've got to do. Eloise would probably be episode in herself as well, because after a very normal pregnancy, surprisingly normal for me because I do have a track record of being quite unlucky, until I met Dan, actually, he's my lucky little ginger shamrock. So, actually, I had such a pleasant pregnancy, and then gave birth 10 weeks early, followed by a 5-week NICU stay, and then all the stuff that comes. There's so much more. It's not like when you leave, all of a sudden she's just a normal baby. I mean, she is a normal baby by most standards, but there are elements where her being a premature baby has played into her life up until this point. So, I think that would be quite a good thing to touch on. Also... We can all... Also, when she did arrive, it was a bit chaotic as well because, obviously, I decided to hit the bathroom. We'll talk about that later. Yeah, I mean, there's a whole episode. Maybe we'll just do an episode of the baby episode. Actually, what I just tried to achieve was just to have as much stress as possible. I think I achieved that, didn't I? Yeah, you won one just 10 out of 10. Thank you. I'm not happy about that one, but... I'll take it on the chin. It's all right now. The bathroom's finished. The bathroom was completed a year later, but that's by the by. Not, like... It was functioning. It was functioning by the time me and Eloise came home. Oh, yeah, yeah. But it took you a year to actually come to terms with it. You know, he's finished in time. That's what he does. The client waits a year to put the trims on. Much working in it. So, yeah, she's an episode, I think, within herself in general. Because I also feel like something I'd really like to promote is completely the wrong word, but in the baby books, there's not a chapter on what happens if you end up in NICU. I mean, there is a book out there about it, or a chapter in a book out there about it, but I certainly didn't read it. And I think it's really important to prepare yourself for that possibility, because what do you do when that happens? And also, like, when you go into labour and it's like, well, look, I didn't even finish my hypnobirthing course because, obviously, we were ten weeks early. But nine times out of ten, I feel like when you have a baby, all of it goes out the window. Like, you just don't think, again, whatever you need to do is right. Yeah, I think it was because we wasn't prepared for how she came into the world. Luckily, I had packed my bag. I'm glad you're nice, because I certainly wasn't. I had to go around that as well. Yeah, I mean, it was like, yeah, we'll go into that. Yeah, I think that's... It's like, most podcasts are mostly hosted the first way. It's just an introduction to us and what to expect. The episodes that are going to be coming up are going to be a lot more in-depth than two. So we'll have a particular subject for each episode. Yeah. And they'll probably be a bit longer. Yeah. And also, if there's anything you'd like to hear about, then just drop us a message. If you've got this far, then thanks for listening, and catch you next time. Bye, guys. Bye.