Show Notes
Phil Hilton left school in 1980 with one CSE in English. He went on to build a 40-year career in radio and TV that took him from pirate radio in Ireland to the BBC, Granada TV and, eventually, Saudi Arabia. 📻 In this episode, Grace chats to Phil about how it all started with a pretend radio station in his attic in Southport, and about the persistence (and many, many phone calls) that got him through every door since. He talks about learning the ropes on hospital radio, doing breakfast shows straight from a party in Ireland, announcing Coronation Street to thousands of viewers, and launching his own radio station. He also tells the story of the day Radio Merseyside was evacuated because of a suspicious package… that turned out to be a Cumberland sausage from a listener. 🌭 Phil also explains why he thinks most jobs are already filled before the advert even goes up, and what to do about it. If you've ever felt like your exam results decided your future, this one's for you. 📖 Phil's book, Southport to Saudi: https://www.southporttosaudi.co.uk/ Follow us on Instagram and TikTok (@howtobecomea__) for more stories 🎙️ Want to be on the show? Email [email protected] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
More from How To Become A...
How do you turn a side hustle watering pub plants into a business that lasts 30 years? In this episode of How To Become A…, Grace speaks to Natalie, CEO of Acacia, about accidentally finding her career in commercial landscaping and building a business from the ground up. While studying architecture and interior design, Natalie started looking after plants to earn extra money. One opportunity led to another, until she was asked whether she could take care of 55 restaurants nationwide. Her response? Say yes and work out how to do it. We get into: How a side hustle became a 30-year business Why “fake it till you make it” worked for Natalie Teaching herself floristry through YouTube Surviving the pandemic when hospitality shut down Why networking took years to pay off Learning that making more money doesn’t always mean building a better life Creating a swamp for a Shrek premiere at Somerset House Why looking after your team matters as a founder Natalie also shares the deeply personal story behind Acacia Green Spaces and how losing her best friend Sandy inspired her to use nature, workshops and her business to give back to the community. An episode about taking opportunities, backing yourself and being willing to figure things out as you go. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What does a financial advisor actually do and is being “good with numbers” really the most important part? In this episode of How To Become A…, Grace speaks to Eliana about a career that she describes as being surprisingly close to counselling: understanding what people actually want from their lives, challenging their decisions and helping them use money to make those goals possible. Eliana’s route into finance was anything but conventional. She originally wanted to be an actress, studied English, spent nearly 18 years in tech and initially walked away from financial services because she hated its sales-driven culture. Years later, she retrained completing an incredible 18 exams in just 21 months only to discover that despite all those qualifications, nobody wanted to employ her. So she started her own business instead. We get into: What financial advisors actually do Whether AI could replace financial advice Why money is really about what you want from life Starting a financial advice business with no clients Why Eliana deliberately built her business around helping women Risk, investing and why knowledge can change how risky something feels Supporting people through divorce, illness, dementia and bereavement
What happens when an injury ends the career you’ve worked towards your entire life? In this episode of How To Become A…, Grace speaks to Roxy, an immersive show director and founder of her own creative agency, about going from professional dancer to creating extraordinary live experiences. After performing professionally for seven years, an injury forced Roxy to rethink everything. Two weeks after her final show, she stepped into the corporate events world, without even knowing how to put on an out-of-office. Since then, she’s gone on to create experiences for major brands, including Rolex product launches, and build her own immersive creative studio. We get into: Reinventing yourself when your dream career ends Going from performer to creative director What an immersive show director actually does Starting your own creative agency The huge amount of work audiences never see Creating experiences people genuinely want to be part of Why resilience and hustle matter in the events industry
What does an ecologist actually do and can we really balance building more homes with protecting nature? In this episode of How To Become A…, Grace speaks to Evie about her career in ecology and the surprising relationship between conservation, farming and development. Evie explains how ecologists work with developers and landowners to protect and restore habitats, including the new world of Biodiversity Net Gain, which requires developments to leave biodiversity in a better state than before. We get into: How to start a career in ecology Why finding your niche is so important Working with farmers, developers and protected species The reality behind the £100m HS2 “bat tunnel” How AI is changing ecology and the skills it can’t replace Why communication can be just as important as science
What exactly is a live seller and how do you turn selling clothes from your wardrobe into a business generating over £500,000 in sales? In this episode of How To Become A…, Grace speaks to Connor about his journey from logistics and the British Army to becoming a full-time live seller on Whatnot. What started with his own wardrobe, charity shop finds and car boot bargains has grown into 70,000 items sold, around 50,000 followers and a business run almost entirely by himself. We get into: How live selling and Whatnot work Going from side hustle to full-time business Why he starts every item at £1 Building an audience that comes back for him The reality of sourcing, selling, packing and shipping thousands of items Why leaving the Army gave him the family life he wanted