#551 - VO - Simon Squibb - Content creator - The Dreams Maker

**Simon Squibb** (0:06)
I dropped out at 15 of the school system. Best thing that ever happened to me.

**Matthieu Stefani** (0:09)
Simon, what is your dream?

**Simon Squibb** (0:11)
My dream is to fix the education system so that people can dream. Everything the school teaches you in the real world is the opposite. So I have only been able to be successful because I got a team around me. I don't sit and do an exam on my own. I get the 50 talented people in the company to help me do the exam. Then we definitely get an A every time, and we ace it.

**Matthieu Stefani** (0:27)
Is that doable?

**Simon Squibb** (0:27)
I think like anything, it's not doable from inside the system. But I think if you can build outside the house that's burning down, then you can build. So yes, I think really step one is build an alternative to the education system, which I have done with my team. I was personally interested in stories that were relatable, because my story is a little bit unrelatable. You know, like I was homeless, and then I went to Hong Kong and I built a business.

**Matthieu Stefani** (0:48)
You've been homeless?

**Simon Squibb** (0:49)
Yeah, I was homeless at 15 When I look back, it was a horrific experience, but equally it was very humbling, and I found some joy in the freedom. And then my entrepreneur muscle woke up in my brain. And that's why I tell everyone can be an entrepreneur, because it's there. And this brain of mine, just part of my brain came alive, that had never been activated in school. It's almost like your imagination at five. I think the biggest value that we often bring people is free knowledge and exposure to help them get accustomed. Money that we give to people is just a value add bonus. That's why I ask someone else's dream and I don't judge it. What's your dream? I'm not giving them the dream. I'm not telling them what to do. I'm just asking them what's in their heart.

**Matthieu Stefani** (1:28)
We are the average of the people we spend the most time with. My name is Matthieu Stefani, and I invite entrepreneurs, athletes and artists to raise my average and yours. Just before we begin this episode, I'll switch to French for a brief moment to thank my sponsors.
So, Simon, what is your dream?

**Simon Squibb** (1:49)
My dream is to fix the education system so that people can dream, so that people have all the tools they need to live a good life.

**Matthieu Stefani** (1:56)
Okay.

**Simon Squibb** (1:57)
That's my dream. Oh, Mike's moving.

**Matthieu Stefani** (2:00)
Hello, everybody.

**Simon Squibb** (2:00)
Should I do it again?

**Matthieu Stefani** (2:01)
Is that? No, it's okay. No worries.
Is that doable? I mean, can we fix?

**Simon Squibb** (2:06)
Is it doable? I think like anything, it's not doable from inside the system.
I think if you try to create electric cars while working at Mercedes-Benz, I think you struggle.
But I think if you can build outside the house that's burning down, then you can build. So yes, I think really step one is build an alternative to the education system, which I have done with my team. I have done. So I think now it's just scaling up so that people can access it easily and get the help they need to follow their dreams. The present education system doesn't want to be changed. It's a lot of legacy and a lot of special interests in that education system staying exactly the same way as it is. I mean, frankly, the present education system should have been abolished as soon as Google came along. You don't need to memorize half the stuff they tell you to memorize. Learning is important. Enjoying learning is important, but being forced to learn stuff that doesn't actually interest you or benefit you in your real world life, then it's a waste of time.

**Matthieu Stefani** (3:01)
It's a waste of time.

**Simon Squibb** (3:02)
And money.

**Matthieu Stefani** (3:03)
Is it like the case all over the world? You're talking about the UK?

**Simon Squibb** (3:07)
It's pretty similar everywhere.
The issue is, I mean, let's take the UK, for example. There's 716,000 kids that have come out of uni. They've got on average 60,000 pounds worth of debt here in England.

**Matthieu Stefani** (3:19)
How many you said?

**Simon Squibb** (3:20)
716,000. There are 9,600 graduation jobs. So in other words, there's 700,000 plus people ready to go, smart, talented, hungry, promise the job. There isn't one.
So what are they going to do? They're right now on social benefit, sitting around applying for a job every day that doesn't exist.