00:10 - Jess White (Host)

Hey, Neil, thank you so much for coming to the networking spark. I'm super excited to have you here. You've made a long journey, so I really, really, really really appreciate you coming all this way. So, Neil, I'm going to start off with. You have got nearly 70,000 YouTube followers and 7,000 Instagram followers. How did you do that?

00:31 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

First of all, thank you for having me, Jess. You're so welcome.

00:35

So we started our YouTube channel. When we started the business, so about four years ago, it was quite dark times, you know it was three weeks before the lockdowns, so we just started the business. So about four years ago it was quite dark times, you know, it was three weeks before the lockdowns, so we just started the business. Um, and we, you know, we were just trying to like, while other businesses in our sector were absolutely flourishing because, you know, everyone was home, everyone was spending money on their homes, on inside the house, on, you know, extensions, it had gone crazy, but we were just starting.

01:07 - Jess White (Host)

So we had to sort of build a customer base and yeah, so in some ways it was a good time to start a business, but in other ways not right.

01:19 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yes and no. It was good because we got a fresh start, but the businesses that were already established mm-hmm had their best years during that time, whereas we had to sort of build a customer base.

01:30

So it was good, you know, it was good in a way. Yeah, and then we, my fiance, said to me, why don't we start a YouTube channel? I don't know why we would do that, but okay. So we did that and, um, it was slow at first, you know, like anything. Um, you know, I remember I think I said to you we, like some nights, we were sitting there on a friday, um, glass of wine, and you'd see one little blue line come up to say that someone had viewed one of your videos, and that was incredible. And then, you know, and and she was, she's great at it, my fiance, so she, you know, she was every every Sunday regiment, you know, put a video up, put a video up and then fast forward four years and now get a hundred and something, 140 000 views a month.

02:17 - Jess White (Host)

So wow, that's incredible, yeah, so it was with YouTube.

02:20 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

It was sticking to that.

02:24 - Jess White (Host)

That regime of once a week, at least for a year, yeah, so it's being determined and having a routine and doing things at the same time and maybe having a lovely girlfriend, fiancé, to do it for you.

02:39 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yes, yes, of course it's a hard slog. You know the first year of a YouTube channel at least you know, because you're not seeing much.

02:53 - Jess White (Host)

You have to put the blinkers on, you do yeah, absolutely, and know where you're going.

02:56 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah, exactly, and you just have to keep doing it and then you start to see things start to change, and that's why a lot of channels don't make it, because they give up after three months.

03:04 - Jess White (Host)

They're like I can't people lose patience don't they, but you'd say it takes about a year before you start noticing. Yeah, I'd say yeah about that.

03:12 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I mean this was four years ago. So yeah, algorithm changes.

03:16 - Jess White (Host)

I'm not sure, but yeah, for us definitely yeah, and I know it might seem a bit superficial for me to jump in and have that as the first question. I ask you because I really want to dive deep into why you're doing what you're doing and what it is you do. But with any business, marketing is like first and foremost, you don't get customers often without marketing and obviously your social media, your YouTube, is marketing. So it's hugely important for any business owner that I think that should be their priority, do you?

03:50 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

absolutely. Yeah, I mean, it's like going back to instagram. Um, instagram for us, it's more like I say this to my students I'm like, instagram is your portfolio, you know, and it's so important. I say to them like, and I teach them now with the academy, I'm like, I teach them not just how to upholster, I'm like, but I teach you how to, how to, how to shoot, how to photograph a piece of how to really shoot well and show, and show and how to edit that picture and how to make it, because that is your that is your wall and it's free.

04:29

You know it's a free portfolio that the public can see. Um youtube's definitely more for people that are trying to have a go themselves, or you know yeah, I think everyone's on youtube for that, aren't they?

04:40 - Jess White (Host)

yeah, but um so you are multi-talented, and you are not only. You are um. You're doing so much so let's dive deep into exactly what you do. What is Facelift Interiors?

04:55 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Facelift Interiors is a high-end furniture company. Essentially, we do um reupholstery, bespoke upholstery, um high, very high, high quality, um, and so, yeah, that's we do. Yeah, so we, if you want your sofa recovered, we'll do that. We'll take it away and recover it for you. Or if you want a bespoke piece made for you, like for your house, to fit in that exact space, we can do that as well.

05:22 - Jess White (Host)

Um, and I have to jump in and say you've got the most amazing van that you just showed me outside it's like it's done up like a beautiful kind of living room inside. Absolutely gorgeous, thank you, yeah yeah, that's um your showroom that's our mobile show.

05:37 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

So you know, obviously, with the cost of um high street, you know rents, um, I thought that was a pretty good alternative. So I've taken the van and I said this to my students as well. I said leverage whatever you can. So the van is not just advertising and a delivery and collection vehicle, um, it's also a mobile showroom that we can take to customers. They can get in, they can try the chair, they can, you know, they can so it works in.

06:10 - Jess White (Host)

It's got like three and they bounce upon, bounce up and down, but even bounce up and down, I've lost my words upon it. Are they allowed to do?

06:14 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

that it's strong enough so yeah, you can have a go. Um, yeah, that's kind of what we're about with tea with you know, that's Facelift Interiors, yeah, um, but you've also got an academy.

06:24 - Jess White (Host)

Yes.

06:25 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

So the academy kind of was born out of the back of our YouTube channel. So obviously YouTube has been amazing for us. It's like our mate. You know it's been incredible for us and I get to talk to people from you know, all over the world. I get messages from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, America, Canada. Everyone's like oh my God, I've had a go. Thank you so much and it's incredible. But YouTube, as great as it's been, it does have its limits. You know there is certain stuff we can't fit in. To try and find that sweet spot, we have to cut videos off and miss parts out.

07:06

So I said I think it was two years ago. It's taken two years to build the academy. We said, well, we're going to build our own platform where there's no restrictions, we can make the videos as long as we want, we can keep in all the details, um, so, yeah, we built that. And then, um, and we finally launched it about three weeks ago, so, and it took two years to build, yeah, yeah, and it's wow, it's huge though yeah it's.

07:27 - Jess White (Host)

Do you see that overtaking your like what you're doing at the moment, as in like?

07:37 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

helping customers like in person. Yeah, yeah, it's going to teach people how to sort of redo their furniture and have a go themselves, which is obviously great for my industry. Some blokes probably wouldn't agree. Some blokes are like what are you teaching people for? But it's about not just teaching people that want to learn upholstery, but teaching the public as well. We've got to educate people that you know this cheap furniture, that, and we've kind of got into it. We're kind of in a place now where furniture is manufactured very cheaply abroad mostly in china and it, you know it.

08:23

It by the time it's here, it's cheap, it's cheap, which isn't always a good thing, right, Exactly, and it's you know if it's cheap, it's been made in a factory where it's getting shipped abroad and they probably just cut loads.

08:40

You know, use cheap materials, cheap fabrics and it's probably going to last five years and it's going to end up either on a fire or buried in the ground. Um, so my mission with the academy and youtube is to sort of teach people you know about the detrimental effects on like mother earth. You know, with all this cheap furniture coming in, it's not just furniture, it's you know, with all this cheap furniture coming in, it's not just furniture, it's you know clothes timu you know, it's just um my mum loves timo, and um what is timo?

09:16 - Jess White (Host)

Pardon, what is Timo Timu.

09:17 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Do you know? Timu the, uh, the, the shop like a billionaire, oh no yeah, shopping like a billionaire it's, uh no it's.

09:25

It's really like, I think it's like a Chinese company yeah, um, this isn't going out to China, um, but, um, yeah, so it's, you know and it's. We're in a kind of place now in society where we're in a bit of a throwaway place, where people would rather spend £500 on a piece of furniture that'll end up in landfill in five years, and what I am teaching people is that you are going to do that. You will end up buying. You buy cheap, you buy twice because in five years.

09:55

You'll end up doing the same thing again and you'll end up in that cycle. And if you come to us or you know your local upholsterers and have a piece made, they'll make sure it's, you know, top quality. You'll pay more, a lot more, but you know it will last 50 years.

10:10 - Jess White (Host)

And if you do the maths and you work out how many pieces you're buying, you know over the years, you know you are potentially going to save money, but also you're also doing something sustainable, because we do live in a society where everyone's in a rush and people are just buying stuff and there's so much getting chucked away all the time. So I really like that.

10:32 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

That's part of your mission yeah, I mean it's and it's going the right way. I mean there's stuff coming out all the time about like the foams and the fabrics and the fire retardant treatments and even wood dust now apparently is bad for us, but um, um, but yeah, it's going in the right direction. We've got fabrics now that are like made out of plastic bottles from the ocean. There's actually fabrics now that are made out of, you know, totally recycled plastic, and you know my mission is to sort of teach people, you know, spend a bit more, go for the quality and it will last you generations.

11:10 - Jess White (Host)

Yeah, so have to say I did that once when my mum passed. I wanted to have something that I would keep forever to remind me of her and I had a bespoke chaise lounge made and I love it and it's and I know it will be with me forever, so it really is worth it if you want something you know done that's going to last and then your kids, you know yeah, yeah, that's a long time away.

11:39 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

You know, you pass it down to your children and then they can just have it recovered because the frame. As long as the frame's made out of, yeah, but time goes so quickly, Neil, doesn't it?

11:47 - Jess White (Host)

I mean, that was like, that was like 15 years ago and I'm like well, it seems like yesterday but wow yeah yeah, so, um, so what?

11:55

What made you go into what you're doing today? What's your journey been? Would you say you're an entrepreneur? Would you say you're a craftsman? How would you define yourself and have you got to where you are today? And, essentially, what I'd like to know? I and I always ask my guests this like, what has forged you into the person that you are today? Because I see you as somebody that's really active you're super funny, by the way. Everyone, if you get the chance, have a look at face yeah, Facelift into his on youtube and instagram, because Neil is the funniest person ever. And just to come, when I've met you, you come across as quite shy and like, and then I saw all these clips and I was like, oh, actually you're really funny and you're quite confident. So it's, it's funny to see the different sides of you. But where I was leading you is that I believe, with anyone that's really going for it in their business, often there's something that's kind of forged you. Uh, you know what? What is it what? What gives you the drive?

12:58 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

so I've always, you know, I've always wanted to chase something. I've always had to you something. I've always had to, you know, go after something, and if I go after it, I go for it. I don't know what that is. It's something built within me, that's. You know, I've always felt like there's something like I'm there is a purpose. So yeah, and.

13:23 - Jess White (Host)

And if you can put that into your business rather than just having an expensive hobby, then brilliant.

13:28 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah, amazing, yeah, and you know it was, it probably was. You know, just just after COVID that I sort of was like, right, I'm really going to go for this now, I'm really going to go for this now, and some would call it maybe a spiritual awakening or something like that. But I just decided that, you know, this is it and I'm going pedal to the metal and I have done since then and I've come. I say I've learned more in the three years since COVID than I ever did, you know, in formal education.

14:00 - Jess White (Host)

Fantastic. How old are you?

14:02 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Neil 40. 40.

14:04 - Jess White (Host)

I think I'm still yeah'm 40 yeah, you get to that age, don't you, and you start to forget it's happened to me yes, yes, yeah, yeah, it doesn't matter.

14:13 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Sometimes I have to ask my partner how old am I?

14:16 - Jess White (Host)

yeah, um, and she's involved in the business as well, right, is it? Both of you run it together yeah, yeah.

14:22 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

So not so much in the early days, but now you know, with YouTube she was always running the YouTube channel. I mean, she would have been amazing as a YouTube like makeup.

14:34 - Jess White (Host)

Has she got any spare time?

14:36 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I don't think so.

14:38 - Jess White (Host)

I can barely get my stuff done.

14:40 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

But no, definitely now. You know we're trying to build like a family business that you know is going to build a future for our children. Yeah, so, and it's great that we can do that together. It's hard sometimes when you're filming together. I do of course you do snap at each other, but um most of the time we're separate.

15:01

So it's um, but it's nice that you know we're totally aligned on that. So, and that's amazing, you know, and we can, we can do this together. A bit stressful at the moment, um, because you know we're bootstrapping the whole, you know.

15:15 - Jess White (Host)

Yeah, it's not easy, is it? It's not easy starting a business, but you've got to have that drive, and I think you do, so you're going to get there.

15:23 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Thank you For sure, thank you.

15:25 - Jess White (Host)

How important, Neil, do you think networking is for a business owner?

15:35 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

And what's your personal experience of networking so far? Wow, uh, big question. Um. So networking is, I think I said on an instagram post when I was on the way to a, the mastermind, that we're part of um. When you get into a room with people that are on the same wavelength as you, they're all thinking, you know, all growing, all trying to build their businesses. It, it lights you up, it. You know you come out of some of these networking events and I'm like, I'm on the phone to my va, like probably gonna do this, this, this and this. So like it's just, you know loads of um. You come out of there fired up and you know you introduced me to my business coach, uh, mr rob arnold. Um, so we should say hello, rob, if he's listening. Um, rob's been instrumental um, and I knew you know um and it was incredible.

16:24

You know you gave me he said don't just go for one interview, two or three yeah I interviewed you know three and I just knew with Rob that the energy was just I was like that's my guy, that's my guy.

16:39 - Jess White (Host)

So do you think, as a business owner, it's important to have a coach? Yes, yeah.

16:44 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah, 100%. A mentor and a coach. Yeah, and I already know who I want to speak. You know who my next, who, yeah, yeah, the next sort of masterminds and mentors and coaches I want to go to Amazing.

17:00 - Jess White (Host)

And it's through, as you say, through networking. It opens up connections, and the more of it you can do, the better. Right, and as you were saying, just with a business coach, not like with one business coach isn't going to suit everybody. So you want to sort of broaden your network as much as you can, and not only does it just bring you new connections, it fires you up with inspiration and new ideas, entrepreneurs, professionals and industry leaders who are passionate about growth, and like-minded individuals who inspire, support and empower you to reach new heights.

17:40

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18:27 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

A coach is more day-to-day, but a mentor can sort of teach you the stuff that I wouldn't do, that I've done that and that was. That was where I failed. It's sort of it's a fast track, you know, they can sort of guide you around road bumps that they, that they hit and um, it's the same with networking. You know, I've walked into rooms before and then come out like I'm like right yeah, I'm gonna ring my secretary now and be like we've got to do this, this, this and this.

18:52 - Jess White (Host)

Yeah, she's like we haven't got time. I was like then do it.

18:55 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

So yeah.

18:57 - Jess White (Host)

Amazing. So I always say amazing. I've got to stop saying amazing. What word can I use instead?

19:03 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Neil, Apparently, I say right, guys, all the time when I'm filming. And even my little nephew said to me the other week, I want to say it's right, and you know I really can't stand. There's a TikToker who does that a lot.

19:17 - Jess White (Host)

I mean, it's kind of enthusiastic, right guys, I suppose.

19:21 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah, I know, I just, apparently I say it a lot like every five minutes. I'm like right guys, right guys, right guys.

19:33 - Jess White (Host)

It's only when you start to watch yourself back that you realise these kind of like habits that you have, and it's through podcasting that I've realised I say amazing, far too much. Yeah, I'm going to start right now, if I do you can like throw the water on me, but just watch the equipment. So earlier you dropped to word spirituality, so what is your take there? Let let's go deeper. Have you had any? So are you spiritual first of all? Yes, definitely. Go into some more detail if you don't mind sharing.

20:04 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah, I just, you know, it was during a few years back and I started questioning things. I was like, really, does this have to be this way? And I was struggling at the time. I found it quite stressful. So I found some techniques and I started watching some content and I was like, oh, I'm going to try that. So meditation was key for me now watching some content. And I was like, oh, I'm gonna try that.

20:34

So you know, meditation, key for me now, it's and it's so important and I know when I and it and it, it makes me better in so many different ways. Um, as a dad, you know, as a dad of two young kids, um, I find that if I, if I'm not meditating enough, I'm a lot, I'm a lot snappier.

20:54

So, um, that's a massive part of my life now and every morning I wake up and I I write down, you know, and all I think about, and I do it every morning and every night I sit down and I say because you know, I've got two healthy kids, so I know that that is so you're practising gratitude every night, so I'm like I'm already a millionaire.

21:13

You know I've got two healthy kids, so I know that that is so you're practising gratitude every night, yeah, so I'm like I'm already a millionaire, you know, I've got two healthy kids, I've got a roof over our heads. Money's a bit tight at the moment because we're, you know, putting everything into the academy, but yeah, I mean you'll get there if you can feed your kids and your kids are happy and healthy and you've got a roof over your heads. You are spiritual word abundant.

21:33 - Jess White (Host)

Totally. I think as business owners we can get so sort of lost in the to-do list and the millions of things to do, the millions of directions you get pulled in, that it's a really important practice to do exactly what you just said. To go my gosh, I've got a roof over my head, I've got healthy kids. You know, I'm actually really rich already and if you, if you start there, then you, you know you're gonna do well, exactly anything else that comes is a bonus, because yeah if you can start from that every day.

22:10 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

And I've yeah, it's gratitude changed my life, like I was doing it every morning and then, all of a sudden, I was just like I found myself walking around the supermarket. I was like, oh my god, like, look at all this food. We don't have to hunt for it, we don't have to like.

22:25 - Jess White (Host)

You know, we don't have to farm it, you know, it's just and yet so many people take it for granted you walk into a supermarket and you'll just see a lot of people just walking around like blind half in a day. And you're right, it's like we yeah, you don't have to kill it, you don't have to. You know, not that we have to eat meat, but you know it's, it is when you just stop and look at everything from a bigger picture. It's.

22:53 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

It's an important exercise to do, I think for sure yeah, like hot showers, running water, the fact that you can turn a tap, and, yeah, you know you, you're more. It's I think who's it that said it? Someone said that you're, you know, living now you're more, even with not much, you know you're more. Well, you're wealthier than kings and queens of the past for sure.

23:16 - Jess White (Host)

So I think you've just got to remember that. But I agree. Where do you want to be in 10 years time? On a beach um would you not get bored?

23:34 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I don't. Yeah, probably yes, um, but do you have?

23:37 - Jess White (Host)

any aspirations because you're, you're at the moment, you're building this amazing academy, you're bringing up these beautiful young children. You've got a, you know, a great partner. Do you have, you know? Do you also have a goal kind of list, a bucket list if you like?

23:55 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

There is, yeah, there's a few. There's a few, um, there's certain places I want to see, definitely, um, there's a number. I want to hit with the academy um on youtube as well. Should I say it, because I said it the other day and I pulled myself, you know, because I was doing a bit of Instagram content and I said do you think we could get 100,000 followers by Christmas?

24:20 - Jess White (Host)

and now I've put it out into the universe, I've just got to make it happen so important to do that hold yourself accountable yeah, if you put it out there and you say it, and particularly if you say it on social media, then my goodness you're going to do it. Because you put it out there and you say it, and particularly if you say it on social media, then my goodness you're going to do it because you put it out there.

24:35 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

So yeah, it's the best way I think so yeah, I, I tell people that a lot um, like um, if someone says, because I've done so, I've done so much reading on it, on not just business, but like spirituality as well, um, and you know, if someone says, I could never do that you can't now because your subconscious mind, you've told it that you could never do it, so it's like, okay, we can never do that. But if you tell yourself every day, like I've been doing this with business, I was like we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it, and then your subconscious mind will start to go, okay, let's work on this, let's, and then you'll start doing things.

25:11 - Jess White (Host)

And then, before you know it, yeah, so it's incredible, but I've done a lot on that so what are your top tips for other business owners? Just starting out, top tips for entrepreneurs read, read as much as you can have you got top book to recommend?

25:32 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

oh, where do I start? Um, there's one up there. What's that one? The one that I'm pointing to is dot com secrets by Russell Brunson, and it's a secrets trilogy. So there's three books, but, um, rob gave me them books and I swear them books were written for me. Right now, I swear that brussels, brussels, wrote them for me because I'm, you know, with the academy, um, we're having to learn, like it's kind of lit the entrepreneur up in me more because, um, you know, I was just a upholsterer, furniture manufacturer before. Now I'm having to learn. You know, uh, marketing, and you know, obviously, social media, and then you know funnels and websites and traffic and hot traffic, culture, you know, obviously social media, and then you know funnels and websites and traffic and hot traffic and cold traffic, you know, and all these different things. So they're incredible. If you're selling stuff online, then the Secrets Trilogy incredible.

26:24 - Jess White (Host)

Yeah, because it's complicated being an entrepreneur, isn't it? People think oh it's brilliant.

26:28 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I'm working for myself.

26:29 - Jess White (Host)

I'm my own boss, amazing. And then it's like, oh, I've got to get good at account, so I need to do some editing. I need to get my social media under control. I need definitely need to do marketing. There's so many different things to do and then, at the same time, create and deliver what you plan to do yeah, entrepreneurship is not for the you don't go into.

26:51 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I wouldn't go into entrepreneurship thinking you're going to work less hours no, what's your day look like?

26:58 - Jess White (Host)

um starts at 4 30 in the morning, same most days yeah, at the moment I 4 30.

27:06 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I'm up feeding the baby I'm not doing that.

27:09 - Jess White (Host)

my babies are like bigger than me, so yeah, yeah I mean Go on.

27:13 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I can't wait for that day back then I don't want to wish no, but yeah, 4.30, start, and then I'm at the gym for five. Wow, In the gym that was a quick feed. Yeah, Now she pretty much holds it. She can hold it herself, so yeah and then at the gym for five. Yeah, an hour and a half.

27:36

Two hours in the gym wow, seven o'clock home cold shower all the things get the kids up and sort of and then to work for eight and I'm working from eight till, you know, five at the workshop and then family time and then put the kids to bed and then back to work. You know I don't go back to. I have done. You know, in the past I've had to go back to work once the kids are asleep go back to the workshop. But now it's like you know, emails, content, social media, so pretty much 24 hours a day, apart from sleeping, is work.

28:10 - Jess White (Host)

Let's wheel it back a bit. I I just asked you a moment ago where do you want to be in 10 years? Do you have you set up this business with a plan like do you have an exit plan?

28:22 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

no, no, not, not right now. I mean, I know I've got a number in my head that I want to. You know I want to get the business to as a goal and but you know, I'm not sure. I'm not sure, I'm not sure at the moment, but you know, I've definitely got a number in my head. You know I want to get to 100,000 YouTube subscribers. I'd like to get to a million. After that, um then, yeah, the academy, hopefully it'll always be around, you know, because it's it's not just you know, it's actually helping the earth as well. So mission.

29:08 - Jess White (Host)

Do you feel like it's your mission, your purpose?

29:11 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah, yeah, I think, yeah, I do. I think it's my icky guy. You know I'm good at it and you know the fact that I can help so many people as well. You know, and I've had some lovely messages, like some really nice, like some really humbling messages from all over the world Go into those a bit, if you like.

29:34 - Jess White (Host)

And and yeah, tell us about your customers, your best ones, your weirdest ones, the lovely words you've had.

29:43 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah Well, I mean, it's just nice. You know, some I get messages like I've never had the confidence to do that, and now I've just reupholstered two sofas and now I'm going to start my sofa, two chairs, and now I'm going to start my sofa and stuff like that. And then there is people that have actually just off my YouTube channel. There's a guy called Dominic from Slovakia, and he was messaging me back and forward and saying how'd you do this? And I was like oh, and I sent him a couple of little videos just to give him a few tips and um, and then he's, now he runs his own business, his own upholstery business. Wow, doing headboards and walling Um.

30:26

Oh, wow, um, oh, wow so you've kind of yeah, yeah, given him like the tools to be able to start his own business. Yeah, which is amazing. Yeah, and that's just from youtube and now the academy's on a whole, like we've gone really deep with the academy.

30:35

So, yeah, it's incredible, it's really, it's really um feels rewarding yeah, and that's why I say I think that's the way we're gonna we're gonna go towards, because you know we can, you know we can, you know it's not just you know your local county helping, you know it's global. And you know, and we can do a really good thing as well, and that's part of my mission as well I've got to educate the public on. You know the negative impacts of cheap furniture and you know you will buy cheap and you buy twice.

31:12 - Jess White (Host)

So you don't go to Ikea.

31:16 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I have been there a few times. Yeah, yeah, I have been there, but no, I'm, you know, you're free letter sofa companies.

31:28

I've been careful what I say, but you know it's kind of the world we live in, you know it's profit first, always profit, profit, profit, profit. You know, once we've got some, we've got the revenue coming in, we're going to be. So all the furniture we do, we're going to give to charity. So we're going to, you know, find families that need it, local families that could do with it, and you know local charities and start doing stuff like that as well.

31:59 - Jess White (Host)

Your heart's in the right place, Neil.

32:01 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

I love that. That's awesome. I love the work that you're doing, thank you.

32:05 - Jess White (Host)

Weirdly, on the way, when I was driving here, I had a random thought, which is what would the world be like if money wasn't, if money was just something that there was an abundance of and we were just able to go here's, like here's a thousand pounds, and it was nothing, because it was just? You know, what would the world look like? That was my thought. And then, would people actually still get up to run their businesses? Would people still, you know, have the drive that they've got? If money wasn't a thing and there was an abundance of it and we had so much that we could just give it to everybody, what would that look, look like? What do you reckon?

32:50

um is that too big a question?

32:52 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

it's not um.

32:55 - Jess White (Host)

Yeah, I mean would you still be running Facelifted interiors?

33:03 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

yes, yes, but you know, if money was abundant then we wouldn't have, you know the, the issues that we are having. You know where cost, where cost is, you know, put above quality, and that's the world we live in at the moment and it's having detrimental effects globally. You know, it's not just in this country. We send 22 million pieces of furniture to landfill every year. 22 million, and that's just here. And then you think of that globally, and then you know it's either in a fire or it's getting buried in the ground. And then you know, so I think it would probably be a good thing and you know, some people really wouldn't want to get up, but yeah, I probably still would.

33:55 - Jess White (Host)

So let's, if you can, just summarise yourself in a couple of sentences who is Neil?

34:07 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

um dad first I think, yeah, we are definitely dad um, I think, probably my instagram bio. So dad of two Facelift founder gratitude, ambassador.

34:36 - Jess White (Host)

Like that On a mission.

34:41 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Funny guy, I don't know, yeah, you are funny. Yeah, and on my own mission. It's, you know, because once you get into this entrepreneurship and once you really get fired up, it's hard to point of having an amazing networking group to go to, to bring all of these people together, to fire up each other and get together.

35:12 - Jess White (Host)

And it helps with mental health, you know, and it just it is when you're working on a massive sort of thing by yourself, building a business. Yeah, you are by yourself and everything is on your shoulders. So, yeah, I mean that's what we do at spark. We bring people together, um usually in beautiful places as well, to kind of spark all of this connection and, um, you know, it's just good for people. So what you're doing is good for the planet and what I'm doing is good for people.

35:42 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yeah, I mean, that's knock on. You know, yeah, we're all, we're all on a mission and you know your mission is to bring these, bring us together, and then when, when you know you get people in the room together like entrepreneurs, things happen, like big things happen and, um, yeah, it's incredible, it's incredible. So, thank you oh awesome.

36:02 - Jess White (Host)

Well, let's say cheers. It's been amazing having you on thank you very much.

36:06 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Yes, appreciate it.

36:07 - Jess White (Host)

Thanks for inviting me oh, you're so welcome, and is there anything else you want to say before we wrap up? Um I'll say it for you um, do go ahead and follow Facelift.

36:22 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Interiors on YouTube. Yeah, all right.

36:25 - Jess White (Host)

They're funny, they're awesome, yeah, and Neil's super good at these little short clips teaching you but also making you laugh as well. So, yeah, thank you so much for being a great guest, Neil. And yeah, thanks guys for watching the Networking Spark or listening.

36:42 - Neil Banyard (Guest)

Thank you, Jess.

36:42 - Jess White (Host)

Pleasure. Thank you, Jess Pleasure.