Blue Fish

Steve Sims' journey with Blue Fish began not as a deliberate business plan, but as a clever gatekeeping mechanism. In the early 1990s, while operating exclusive events in Hong Kong, Sims used passwords to control who accessed his parties. He'd give out passwords like "blue fish," "tinky-winky," and "red fish"—the latter inspired by Dr. Seuss. When attendees started asking about "the blue fish company," Sims realized he'd stumbled onto something. The brand stuck, and what was once just a password became the name of his luxury concierge empire.

The business wasn't intentionally built—it grew organically from Sims' network and natural ability to access exclusive circles. Working in Monaco in the mid-1990s, he met powerful people through Ferrari events, including Teddy Fogelson, who owned Gulfstream Aircraft. By 2001, when Fogelson's company acquired IMG (which owned Seventh on Sixth, the organizer of New York Fashion Week), a partnership opportunity emerged. Sims was offered his first major contract: coordinating hotels, access, positioning, and security for Fashion Week for approximately $35,000. The key insight was negotiating access and inventory—he wanted tickets not just to fulfill the contract, but to sell them to his growing community of wealthy clients.

Sims' first customers came through his personal network and the gatekeeping strategy he'd built. By securing contracts with major events like New York Fashion Week (1999-2001), the Kentucky Derby, and eventually the Grammys (2004), he positioned Blue Fish as the official concierge for these high-profile occasions. The press release announcing Blue Fish as the "official concierge of New York Fashion Week" was pivotal—it created legitimacy and comparison to firms like Ritz-Carlton and credit card concierge services, generating significant media attention. Sims deliberately curated his client list, only working with people he liked and could relate to, which became a core part of his brand.

What worked was Sims' unwillingness to conform to traditional business stereotypes. He showed up on a motorcycle delivering Oscar tickets in West Hollywood, embodying the brand rather than hiding behind it. His ability to get into exclusive rooms and access A-list connections became the product itself. The business model scaled through membership and community—once Blue Fish had access to Fashion Week or Grammy events, he could sell that access and experiences to his growing roster of discerning clients.

What didn't work initially was over-legitimizing the business. Sims noted: "The second you try to make it official and proper and real, that's when you start really diluting the passion and the growth in it." His success came from maintaining the personal touch and selectiveness—turning away clients who didn't fit the culture.

By 2016, Blue Fish was generating nearly $9 million in annual revenue. The company had evolved from smaller, high-volume projects (exotic VIP experiences, regional events) to massive bucket-list undertakings. Sims described delivering clients to the Titanic, arranging marriages in the Vatican, taking over the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and even landing clients on aircraft carriers. In 2017, Sims signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster/Portfolio to write "Blue Fish and the Art of Making Things Happen," documenting his philosophy on relationships, branding, and gaining access to exclusive circles. The business remained largely services-based and personal—Sims insisted on curating every client relationship himself, which naturally limited scalability but ensured quality and alignment with the brand's luxury positioning.