All Steve's People - Steve 1963

family/son, husband & father

A rough sea, a low sky, and the bridge to Hayling Island set the tone for my conversation with Steve — a story about what truly holds a life together. As we talk, he takes me back to a Portsmouth childhood framed by open doors, tight streets, and the hard memory of standing between warring parents. His mum’s grit — three jobs, empty cupboards, and not a hint of self‑pity — becomes the moral baseline he’s carried ever since: show up, work hard, do right.

Family, for Steve, arrives in unexpected shapes. Ray never married his mum, yet lived as “grandad” if not in Steve’s eyes, then certainly in the eyes of Steve’s children. Then there’s Bob, the father‑in‑law who modelled what a good dad looks like: honour, steadiness, and unfussy generosity. The day Bob introduced him as “my son” rewired something deep — a simple phrase that offered a sense of belonging and a standard to live by.

Threaded through it all is Julie, the girl he walked home from a school disco just before they turned fourteen. Together, Steve and Julie build a family business in financial planning and later wills and trusts — a partnership shaped by graft, loyalty, and a shared instinct to look after people properly. Enter Jasmine (Jazz), the daughter who earns every step, surpasses them in qualifications, and eventually becomes the mentor. When a seizure forces Steve out of the driver’s seat, clients love Jazz for her clarity. She modernises the culture too, swapping “back in the day” barked orders for calm guidance and turning complex pensions into plain English.

At the heart of the firm are the “afterlife meetings,” where bereaved families receive clear explanations and a map for what comes next. It’s service in its purest form: keep it human, help where you can, and put family first. Across mother, step‑grandad, father‑in‑law, wife, son and daughter, one creed holds everything together: don’t be a dick. Do the right thing, even when no one’s watching.

If Steve’s story resonates, follow and subscribe for more conversations about love, work, and the people who shape us.

Jazz really is a force to be reckoned with, hence I say it three times!

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