Episode 13: Simon Middleton. Teaching to Menswear, via Nursing, Branding and Stories.

My guest on today's programme is Simon Middleton. He was a connection I followed and made through LinkedIn. So imagine my surprise to during our conversation when I discovered that Simon is the author of "Build A Brand In 30 Days" a reference source I regularly use with marketing clients.

It is true to say that Simon is in his later years and has had a long and varied career. On leaving education, he trained as a primary school teacher. On qualification, he discovered that teaching was not for him.

Moving into public relations, he honed his creativity and writing skill. Then in one of those volte-face moments, he decided to retrain as a Nurse and spend ten years working in the NHS.

On leaving the health service in another career shift, he returned to the PR and branding world. It was a time accelerated growth, and his career took off, writing books, speaking at events, running a successful brand consultancy. He did the TV slots. He did the world travel.

Moving on again for health reason, Simon relocated to his beloved Suffolk and found inspiration on the beach and in the harbour at Southwold. That inspiration has led to the launch of a new menswear clothing brand. "Blackshore"

In our conversation, you can hear us enjoying the journey. We touch on branding, Stories, What is a success, the meaning of life and the reason why TV detectives drive Volvo cars.

I hope you enjoy the conversation with Simon Middleton.