An Introduction to Fresh From 50
Hello, and welcome to my first blog post. My name is Darren. I’m 52 years old, married, and the father of two daughters. I live in Basingstoke and grew up in Brighton Hill, before moving across town 20 years ago. I own a business with a diverse portfolio that will, over time, provide a wealth of content for future posts.
Exploring the Motivation Behind My Blog
After stumbling upon a random YouTube video one evening, the idea of launching a blog crossed my mind. It seemed like something I would enjoy, but at the same time, it might serve as a helpful experiment for my youngest daughter, who’s gearing up for university next September and will be starting her blog very soon. Dad’s guinea pig blog might save her some headaches with her own, and she’ll learn from my errors!
Target Audience and Upcoming Content
My blog is tailored for discerning gentlemen- well, ok, particularly those over 50! It will cover various subjects, including sports, business, health, finance, entrepreneurship, travel, outdoor activities, electric cars, photography, videography, and more.
In my upcoming blog entries, I’ll share my adventures as an electric car owner and describe my real-world EV journey during a recent visit to a Birmingham NEC exhibition. Plus, I’ll touch upon the world of vaping – even though I’m not a vaper myself, it’s a topic close to my heart since my main gig revolves around the vaping industry.
My Early Years – London to Brighton Hill
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I have been a loyal Chelsea supporter since my childhood. I grew up in southwest London, and our family was divided regarding football allegiances. I will share the trials and tribulations of supporting Chelsea later.
Our family moved to Basingstoke as part of the London overspill and settled in Brighton Hill. I had an incredible childhood filled with memories of growing up with neighbours who shared similar stories. Times were very different back then, and it’s so sad that my children didn’t have some of the experiences I had during the 1970s and early 1980s.
School was relatively uneventful academically, but my passion for football was constant. I thrived as the school team captain and played for the town and various teams in the Peter Houseman boys’ league.
Transitioning Through Education and Work
After school, I pursued A-levels at college before venturing into the world of work. My first job with a global financial services company in Reading required a daily commute of 58 miles in my trusty Brown Renault 5. The sheer volume of staff and great social scene led to many great memories, giving me a brilliant base to work from in my later career.
Five years later, I transitioned to an insurance broker in Basingstoke, eliminating the daily commute and starting a new chapter. The company I worked for was far smaller than my previous one. Still, I progressed well and enjoyed living and working locally for the first time in my working career.
Love, Life, Career Pivots and Business
It was during my time here that I met my wife. She called the office for an insurance quote, and I remember thinking how nice she sounded whilst we talked. A few months later, I was out in town and walked past one of the bars at the top of town as my now-wife was walking out. We headed in the same direction and started to talk. We sat down for another hour and then remembered talking when she’d been searching for her car insurance. We exchanged numbers, and the rest, they say, is history!
As things progressed with my now wife, we wanted to buy our first house, so it was time for me to move onwards workwise and look for a position that would be more fruitful in terms of earning potential; so this, and my sales understanding paved the way for the world of computers and telesales.
We found a great little house in Hatch Warren, and in 1999 I moved a short distance from Brighton Hill – the place where I had grown up and had so many brilliant memories.
My professional journey took a few turns. By early 2002, I became a partner in a business distributing computer consumables throughout the UK and into Europe. The subsequent ten years were successful until a drastic technological shift, notably streaming services, led to the business’s demise and closure.
Undaunted, we restarted and weathered challenges for a couple of years. A fortuitous encounter with an old customer led us to explore ‘vaping,’ which eventually became our primary business focus. This venture endures to this day.
Parenthood, Business Challenges and New Ventures
The early 2000s brought my daughters into the world, ushering in new responsibilities. The profound love and devotion that fatherhood brings are unparalleled. Still, it also added weight to the challenges when my businesses faced financial uncertainty. Many of you who might have been in a similar situation can relate to these sentiments.
As someone prone to restlessness, I’ve explored numerous business avenues in recent years. Some have been unconventional, like this blog, alongside ventures like a candle business, which I will discuss in a future post.
Engaging the Community and Future Endeavours
Thank you for joining me on this journey. My vision for this blog is to foster a sense of community, and once my initial posts are up and running, I’ll add a comment section. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subjects I write about.
I look forward to embarking on this journey with you all and hope you will enjoy or learn something from what I write. This blog might also help me shed a few pounds of weight and embrace a healthier lifestyle, as future article ideas I have include “no sugar for 10 days”, and “zero alcohol for 30”.
Welcome to Fresh From 50!