The Fun Side Of Business
Let’s keep it real, business life isn’t all boring meetings and stiff suits. Behind the polished pitches and fancy titles is a whole other story!
We’re talking about the real stories, the unfiltered, uncut moments you won’t find in any polished promo video.
Behind every brand is a story—unexpected, totally entertaining, and 100% human. So here’s to the real ones: the dreamers, the grinders, the risk-takers.
Business life? It’s not what you think. It’s way more fun.
The Fun Side Of Business
Golf-Free Zone: The Real James Roper Story
This episode is only available to subscribers.
The Fun Side Of Business - The Extra Slice
Exclusive access to premium content!We dive deep into what makes James tick, beyond the polished networking persona many know him for. What emerges is a refreshingly honest portrait of someone who didn't have life figured out early on—bouncing from job to job, driven by money, yet unconsciously guided by a deeper purpose to help others. As we dissect his path from uncertainty to finding his calling, we uncover the universal struggle many entrepreneurs face: appearing confident while battling internal doubts.
Perhaps most remarkably, we managed an entire conversation about James without a single mention of golf!
Good morning, welcome to the Fun Side of Business. Extras Edition for the Premium Subscribers. So this one. What we thought we were going to do is just to have a little conversation now about the guests. So they've gone, so we've just lost. Well, lost sounds morbid.
Speaker 2:Like we've killed him off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, james has just left, so it's just me and Gem left here. So, gem, tell me what you thought about james roper no, I found that.
Speaker 2:So obviously I know james, probably as most of our viewers are. No james, and you know james from network you mean listeners, what did I say viewers?
Speaker 2:viewers, yeah well, eventually listeners listeners um, just being out and about, as he's a happy chappy networking. I did not know how he'd got to where he was. There's a lot ofappy networking. I did not know how he'd got to where he was. There's a lot of that story. I didn't know how he'd bounce from job to job, didn't really know what he wanted to do, where he fell, where he belonged, and now he's found what seems to be his calling, his passion but?
Speaker 1:but I think I think that was the nice thing to hear that you know, everyone can go along and see. And you, when we talk about imposter syndrome, you have these scenarios where you see people looking so polished and so good at their business and you think, oh, they were cut out for this or they did this.
Speaker 2:They've been trained for this for years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think it's you know and you know, you see people at 18, 19 going oh, if only I knew what I wanted to do. If only I knew what I wanted to do, I could really work towards it. But, James is the perfect story in terms of yeah, he just didn't have a clue.
Speaker 2:It's nice because I think so many people wouldn't like to admit that it's nice to know.
Speaker 1:Did you hear all the way through that where he kept talking about oh yeah, I did this for money, and then money. And then I pay me enough, but they they paid me well. So you could definitely see the money motivation there, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, and he's had that from a young age, like he's paper round.
Speaker 1:From what 13 he said 14, um, but yeah, he's got the drive, yeah, and with the family, the little one on his on his way, it's yeah I think, I think it's nice that you know he, he definitely found his calling, but he's got that motivation that says he's got his why now, and even though his why is probably I would say it's 50, 50, so I'd say I'd say his why is now because he wants to put money in the bank, but I also think it's because he wants to do it the right way and he wants to do the right thing.
Speaker 2:He's got a passion to help people yeah and even back from school, where he'd get in trouble because he's protecting other people yeah, but that's his passion to help people. Yeah. If he doesn't think something's right, he's not going to stand for it.
Speaker 1:But that's the thing. I bet he wouldn't even realise it.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Like do you know what? This is what your drivers actually are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, your whole life you have had a constant. Your constant has been, you know even hearing.
Speaker 1:You know he went into recruitment but it wasn't for him. He did a year and hated it, but at that point not once did he mention oh, but they paid me huge bonuses and what have you, because he'd just blanked it out and kind of gone. Yeah, I got to do some trips and I got to do this and I got to do that solve problems and solve problems.
Speaker 2:He wants to be trusted and he wants to feel when he goes to bed at night. He's done.
Speaker 1:He's done some good yeah, like take people's pain yeah and then turn it into no, let me take this away and make things better for you yeah, no, it was a great. He was a great guest I really and not being funny for anyone who knows james how on earth we kept him talking for that long without mentioning golf?
Speaker 2:oh, do you know what high five to?
Speaker 1:us, because we're air high-fiving right now because, yeah, if you do know, james, within five, ten minutes, golfing I don't even think he can get five, ten minutes, because it's always you know, he could have have seven kids and you'd go. Oh. So, how's life been going to go? Oh well, I was on the golf course yesterday and and the and the fact they had now have the word for it at home, gawk gawk.
Speaker 2:Yeah, golf meets work, golf meets work. Yeah, but no, that was good.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so, so I, I mean I'm, I was really happy with that. I was really, you know, he was definitely one of those people that I wanted to hear from and and and I think I mean how. I mean I've known, known James for now at least three years, because you know, as he said in the um podcast, you know I remember speaking to him and meeting him on the day where he kind of stood up and said I've just gone, like on my own business this week, kind of thing and how many people do you?
Speaker 2:obviously, as us, as accountants, we hear so many people. I've got an idea to start my business. I've got an idea. I want to go on my own. Just do it. Yeah, just take the chance to do it. And he done it yeah, I think.
Speaker 1:I think that's the thing, though you know, he's obviously done it the right way. Where he's decided and he got that bug because you heard it where it's. Well, I might do shipping and logistics, or I was going to do you know something here or I was going to just do anything and obviously he saw the, he dipped his toe with the condensation product, yeah, but at that point he then made that decision of saying I'm doing something for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Whether it was recruitment or transport or whatever it was going to be.
Speaker 2:He was there. He just needed yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, and I think it's one of those things where you know, and I genuinely mean, that the courage it takes to go and do that is unbelievable. I mean, I was there sort of going, I get it where he said oh, I want to do something for myself.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But I was too scared.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's why I've got such huge admiration, because you know, when RSA came about, it was yeah, I know I can do this by myself, but I'm scared. So I ended up going. You know, business partners, business partners, business partners. And you know, even to today, I think the nice part is is that I don't have business partners because of fear anymore.
Speaker 2:I had business partners because of fear when RS Ed was first started out Because you didn't want to to be on, you didn't want to do it alone. It was fear when I first did it it was fear yeah and then the second.
Speaker 1:You know that when, when, that obviously changed and you know you came on board yeah um, that was the point where I went. No, I've just decided I want to do this journey. It's not, for me, about, um, you know, trying to make millions and trying to do this.
Speaker 2:It really is about enjoying what you do yeah and the only way to enjoy what you do is to take the people you want along with you and exactly what james mentioned being I think you do get to a certain age or a certain point, don't you? And you just want to be around people that you want to be around well, I mean, that's the thing.
Speaker 1:I mean, I always have that conversation with doris and and the conversation is always the same thing. You can go along and have the best surroundings, the best you know, for example, like the best holiday, or you know the best weather or the best whatever, but if you're there with bad people, yeah, it's bad it doesn't.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter, how great something is, yeah but if you went along and, like you know, you think about it, if you know eric's your um penguin, you know he's your life person, that you know my lobster. But, by the way, premium subscribers will talk about jev and her backstory and, and you know, in the regular one we'll also have um syndicate in there. But, um, yeah, you know you could go along and you could go to, and not that you ever do. But let's say you went to a hotel that you thought was going to be great and then you find us on the back of a building site, or you know they're building over the road or something that you didn't know was going to happen. Yeah, but you would laugh about how bad the holiday or how bad the hotel was.
Speaker 1:We would make memories from how bad it was because, because you're with the right person and and that, I think, is always the case of you know, go on that journey with the right people around you and you know, on the shit days they become half a shit yeah and the good days become twice as good oh how, how novel is that anyway? So yeah, james roper, definitely for me. I'm gonna score him. I'm gonna give him an 8.5 out of 10. There's a good score, right that is a good.
Speaker 2:Oh no, I see I don't. I know I've got to go second so you've got scoring. Now you can't have 8.5 because I've just nicked it oh, I'm giving him a nine nine, that's a high mark you know I'm gonna give everyone a nine, by the way we'll also.
Speaker 1:We'll also make sure that eric can't have um premium subscription just after he's on and we go seven, seven and a half. He can't have like.
Speaker 2:James Gordon.
Speaker 1:He'll have an 11, no matter what Slight bias there. Brilliant, cool, right. Guess what Premium people. We look forward to you know, releasing more content to you guys. If there's anything you particularly want us to cover, things you want to hear more about, and what have you, um, do drop it in the comments below, because, um, yeah, we'd love to hear from you, and you know we can only make this better based on what people want. So, um, thank you very much for listening, thank you very much for subscribing and um see you next time.
