# DIY... it's a state of mind - and slowly getting better at asking for help! ### And how, in one area at least - things are changing a bit - whilst busting some of my own silly myths on Gen Z types! [Greg Penn](https://substack.com/@manwithahammer) Jun 17, 2026 _**‘Necessity is the mother of invention’**_ attributed to Plato (check me out name dropping ancient philosophers… casually)… it’s something I believe rings mightily true and really, is above else, the reason I started DIYing… I won’t bore you with the full story as I’m sure lots will know it but for a very whistle stop bit of context… prior to turning 30, I had no interest in DIY, or skill for that matter, but eventually scraped up enough deposit to buy a house. Being an eejit I wanted a big swanky place with high ceilings and grandeur, which meant buying in Darlington rather than York, and buying one that was knackered! Then, without any money, and one very grand, very knackered Victorian terrace complete with condemned boiler and a bath required a bucket to fill there was certainly no budget for trades - well, or anything really haha - the first thing I did was buy a second hand bathroom suite and learn how to plumb! All good fun indeed… All dressed up and… somewhere to go? So, I learnt to DIY, because I had to… there’s a rather funny audio clip that’s done the round on socials (apologies for those of you offended by the swearing!) along the lines of > ‘the problem isn’t that you’re poor, it’s that you suck at being poor… if you want nice shit, you’re just going to have to take some old shit, and make it nice shit… _**being completely useless is a luxury of the rich…’**_ It goes on for quite a bit longer - and definitely resonates! Were I a vastly wealthy man, I wouldn’t DIY. I mean… I’d still design - and I’d certainly keep busy haha - I’d tinker, and potter, and make and build - but it would be all the fun stuff. It would not be spending 3 months in a face mask scraping paint. It’s hard to imagine anyone that can comfortably and easily afford not to, would choose to put themselves through that in my opinion - it’s horrible haha! But… it’s interesting that I think that ‘DIY mentality’ crosses over into nearly every other area of my life… and the reason behind this post will become clear shortly… but I’m someone that’s always booked holidays themselves - as in - done the research - sorted everything individually etc. rather than just booking a trip. I’ve always moved house myself, with a van… for most of my adult life I even cut my own hair haha (badly!). I fix my own cars and motorbikes (and buy them cheap, second hand and always privately - never from a dealer) and generally have chosen to be fairly self reliant! And this too, is how I’ve approached my business - that kicked off I guess about 6 years ago now - well, happened by accident really is more accurate… but it’s an area I’m realising I cannot manage to do everything myself in, and that I have neither the time or skill set to do it well - not something that’s been easy to come to accept or understand! The last four months have been a massive learning curve for me, on so many levels… it’s daunting, nerve wracking, but also massively exciting and eye opening too! Until about 3 months ago, bar having an accountant, I’ve done every single thing in my business personally - obviously taking the content, editing everything, and all that jazz (and in that area I still do!)… and I’m the only person that has access to my instagram - I don’t employ anyone to manage anything like that so if you ever send me a message there (or anywhere) it’s me that it comes to! And I’ve also always been the one to negotiate with the work I do too - the endless emails back and forth (for each ‘advert’ I do on Instagram, on average there’s approx. 100 emails exchanged for each one, from the moment a brand gets in touch, to the point at which I get paid), checking on the contract, the inevitable chasing of the invoice when they ‘forget’ to pay you… it was all me! And I’d likely thought it always would be. My work experience means those things I’m relatively comfortable with… and of course handing over any responsibility like that comes at a cost - money I thought would be far better spent on Admirals. It’s pretty odd for someone of my size on socials, that’s doing it as a business as I am, not to be represented by an agent. Indeed over the last 5 years I’ve spoken to countless number of them and never felt compelled enough to bite the bullet. It’s also an aspect of the business I’ve always enjoyed (to a point), and felt it was important, a bit at least, to feel reasonably connected to the real world and maintain my business sense should all this go belly up and I find myself at the job centre, having kept my hand in a bit at the stuff I’ve always done for a living! I worked for ‘Riverford Organic’ for about 11 years… this was my last day. About 18 months after this, I was a full time influencer type! But, over the last couple of years… as influencer marketing grows and more businesses put more money behind it (I saw an amazing statistic on one of Katie’s (Come down to the woods) posts that influencer marketing is something like a $35 billion industry this year!)… it’s changed. 5 years ago, typically a brand would get in touch - directly - we’d have a lovely chat, I’d get to understand them and vice versa, I’d often have to explain how it all worked because they were new to it… I’d build their trust and show them what it is I do, and what I think would work for them and they’d share with me what made them special, and then they’d let me represent them in the way I thought was best, to my audience. Time consuming, but very lovely. But, more and more now, everything now is handled by a PR company… which is OK - but, it’s that much harder to build a direct connection with the brand. I get it - when there’s far more work, far more people involved… it all gets a lot more complicated, and it’s a world that is hard for a brand themselves to stay on top of, given the fast moving and ever changing nature of social medial - so a marketing/PR agency becomes the middle man for brands… Of course, they’re looking to increase efficiency too - and now, again with the greater volume of work, the number that will work directly with creators, heading out and scouting them, negotiating with them directly, is getting smaller and smaller… far better for the middle man on the brand side, to go to a few select middle men on the 'creators’ side - the agents… and thrash it out without us primadonna’s getting all excited over every detail and generally making life difficult! So, despite me working my socks off, organically growing my socials, maintaining some of the best engagement in the country in this sector, doing my best to retain my integrity and authenticity, turning down work that didn’t feel right… work was getting quieter. It probably didn’t help too that I don’t really go to any of the PR days type things (if I’m honest I feel a bit out of place - that they’re not really designed for a chap like me haha and I’ve spoken before, about well - being the odd one out!), so I guess my name wasn’t coming up, just plugging away, doing my own thing and not making an impact despite my best efforts. But finally one reached out who impressed me hugely (I was, it’s fair to say, skeptical!) and after lots of chats, and actually meeting the person that would be managing me - I agreed to give it a go! What’s been really fascinating so far in working with them, is that they’re all women (currently) and that a big chunk of them are Gen-Z - and certainly Rosie, my wonderful manager - and the one I have the most to do with - we’re in touch about 10 times a day - is only a shade more than half my age. Pictured at my very first ‘OAC retreat’ last week - the brilliant Charlie Hobbs on the left, and my manager - wonderful Rosie, on the right! It’s an age group I think I might have let a bit of negative stereotyping creep in around - very ignorantly and lazily I might add!… Well - more fool me - they are brilliant - and what an eye opener. Very hard working, motivated, absolutely on it. But also willing to look at things a bit differently! Communication is different - but fun, and fast! I do occasionally have to ask for clarification as to what some of the emoji’s mean having never really used any myself bit they’re fantastic - whilst still clearly making space for them to be themselves, create a solid work life balance - and seem at this early stage, to be getting an awful lot right - which has honestly been so fantastic to see, and so far so brilliant - they’re really making a huge difference to me and Admirals and our longevity here! I’m not gatekeeping btw! The company is called ‘OAC The Agency’ - founded by an inspiring and very capable Charlie Hobbs, who was 27 when she founded it (honestly I could barely find my way home occasionally at 27 it’s remarkable!). And Rosie is rapidly becoming as useful and needed as my right arm - she is a dream come true and I cannot tell you how good it feels after years of slogging along, doing my best and for want of a slightly more elegant phrase ‘pissing in the wind’, to have a team coming along with you that is absolutely engaged and positive about making it a success! It’s been amazing too, to finally being able to engage, through them, with some businesses for whom I know I’d always have been able to do a good job for… they are brilliant at doing the stuff I haven’t been good at - getting out there - pressing the flesh - picking up the phone etc. (it’s probably a lot more digital than that now a days), and slowly but surely, work is coming in! And last week, it all came to a head in my first ‘retreat’ with them! Staying in a big house in Wales together with a chunk of the other creatives they represent for a couple of days, it was so, so good to be amongst a load of other folk who make their living this (strange!) way too - sharing experiences, knowledge, the highs and lows - with the OAC team there too - I came away energised (if a bit knackered - that’s more I’ve spoken than I have for years haha!), and very excited for the future! A really amazing group of people who were so, so welcoming despite being the odd one out (can you tell?). So, whilst I appreciate a lot of this might mean little to you - and certainly nothing is changing as to my content, how I write or interact with folk, behind the scenes I’ve got a wonderful team helping me and looking after me which feels very lovely indeed and very, very slowly, I’m realising it’s OK to ask for help! If you’ve any questions about any of this sort of thing - please do ask!