The Clive Bird Experiment

"The Clive Bird Experiment | £11,000 → £300,000 dream farm | Building with grit. One man grinding for success. Nobody is coming — so I'm doing it myself."

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

🚀 Just unboxed my new Bambu Lab P2S — the first big investment in my print farm side hustle!
This isn’t just another 3D printer — it’s a calculated move to help me hit my £300k goal so I can finally start my own farm. Every successful print = more revenue, faster savings, and one step closer to that dream.
Why I chose the P2S:
I’ve been researching print farms for months. I needed something fast, reliable, and farm-ready right out of the box — not a hobby machine that would break down or babysit me 24/7. The P2S checks every box:
It’s built on the legendary P1S platform but with serious upgrades for production work.
AI monitoring (spaghetti detection, first-layer checks, clog alerts) means fewer failed prints and less downtime.
Cold-Air Cooling system keeps overhangs crisp and reduces warping on engineering filaments — perfect when you’re running jobs back-to-back.
Super easy multi-color capability with the optional AMS 2 Pro (already planning to add that next).
This machine lets me print more, sell more, and scale without constant headaches.
Key specs that sold me:
Build volume: 256 × 256 × 256 mm — plenty of room for batches of parts, prototypes, or custom orders.
Speed: Up to 600 mm/s toolhead movement, 20,000 mm/s² acceleration, and 40 mm³/s flow. These things fly.
Extruder: PMSM servo with 8.5 kg of extrusion force (70% more than the previous gen) + real-time clog detection. No more grinding or failed high-flow prints.
Hotend & nozzle: Hardened steel, quick-swap in 30 seconds, max 300 °C. Handles PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, carbon-fiber blends — whatever the customer wants.
Bed: 110 °C heated, flexible PEI plate, auto-leveling with eddy-current calibration.
Extras: 5" full-color touchscreen, 1080p AI camera, <48 dB quiet operation, semi-enclosed design.
Bottom line: This is a true workhorse that’s ready to earn its keep the second I fire it up. I’m already lining up my first paid print jobs this week.
If you’re thinking about starting a print farm, side hustle, or just want reliable production printing — the P2S is worth every penny. I’ll be sharing the full farm build-out, revenue updates, and lessons learned along the way.
Drop a 🔥 if you’re on the same grind, and watch the unboxing if you haven’t already! Let’s turn plastic into profit.
#PrintFarm #SideHustle #BambuLabP2S #3DPrinting #FarmLifeLoading #300kGoal

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

Starting September I’m going all in on a 90-day skill sprint.
Focused task based learning.
For the next 3 months (when I’m not on the rig) my full focus is:
Mastering Autodesk Fusion 360
Taking my 3D printing to the next level (design → prototype → manufacture)
Building and testing my freeze-dryer prototype
This is the foundation. Everything I learn here directly builds The Clive Bird Experiment the automated, regenerative 30-acre Earthship life I’m engineering for age 58. By end of November, I want:
Solid Fusion 360 proficiency
A solid portfolio of practical 3D printed products (feeders, brackets, automation hardware, polytunnel bits etc.)
A working freeze-dryer v0.5 that can preserve strawberries, herbs, mushrooms and more
Why this focus now?
Because in 14 years I don’t want to be learning how to automate and build on the farm. I want to be using those skills daily while growing the highest quality food possible. No trust fund. No shortcuts. Just deliberate, focused effort.
I’ll be posting progress (wins, fails, prints, builds) right here.
This is stacking season. #TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

Nobody is coming.
So I’m doing it myself. I’m 44. Full-time Rig Maintenance Supervisor. Do the last year of my Business Management degree. On the board of a technical school. Training BJJ & MMA, fasting, sauna, eating real food, reading everything I can on longevity and systems. And on top of that I’m learning Fusion 360, building my first freeze-dryer prototype, designing farm automation parts, and slowly stacking a 3D printing business that will one day make practical tools for regenerative farms.
Why?
Because when I close my eyes and picture my ideal life, I don’t see crowds, status, or noise.
I see 30 acres of regenerative land. An Earthship I built myself. Egg-mobiles, pigs, cows, no-dig gardens, polytunnels, mushrooms, a few fish. Solar, automation I designed, and the quiet satisfaction of producing my own high-quality food with my own hands and engineering. I want to answer to almost nobody except myself and the few people I choose to be accountable to.
I want nutrient-dense food, real skills, and freedom, not another mortgage or boss. There’s no trust fund. No rich parents. No “idea guy” shortcuts.
Just effort, responsibility, and small daily stacks.
£1,000 a month into the farm fund
Every rig shift is R&D for future automation
Every Fusion model is practice for the farm
Every book I read and test becomes part of The Clive Bird Experiment (my life’s work, publishing at 58)
I’m writing two other books too, one on health tested on myself over decades, and a thriller for fun. They’ll all drop when the farm is real. Proof, not theory. This isn’t a side quest. Everything connects.
The degree helps me run the future small manufacturing business, accelerates my career and helps me use the system.
The rig job funds it and sharpens my maintenance & controls skills.
The health work keeps me strong enough to actually enjoy solo rural life at 58+. 14 years to go. I might not be the fastest, flashiest, or most consistent poster… but I’m moving. Every week something stacks. Every failure gets documented. Every win gets shared. This is #TheCliveBirdExperiment - building a self-reliant, regenerative, automated life from the ground up with nothing but time, effort, and ownership. If you’re on a similar path, or just like watching someone actually do the work instead of talking about it… follow along. Nobody is coming.
So I’m becoming the man who doesn’t need them to. What’s one thing you’re stacking right now for your own future? #TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

If you don’t make plans for your own life, guess what?
You’ll end up fitting perfectly into someone else’s plans. And trust me nobody else is planning for you to win.
You have to be the difference.
You have to take charge of your life.
Here’s the truth:
If you change, everything around you will change.
You don’t need to change the government.
You don’t need to wait for lower prices or better taxes. Forget all that.
The easiest thing you can change is your philosophy.
Start changing your mind.
Start learning.
Start picking up new information in the areas that will actually improve your life.
With new knowledge comes better decisions.
And when you make better decisions, your whole life transforms.
Your health,
your relationships with family,
your income,
your opportunities… everything changes.
But it all starts with you. You can sit there with your fingers crossed hoping things magically get better…
Or you can adopt a new philosophy and go make them better. This is exactly how I run my life now.
Since I made the shift, everything has changed for the better. What are you changing today?#TheCliveBirdExperimen

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

Dreaming of this exact piece of land right now.
I spend a lot of time looking at land even though I’m not quite ready to buy yet (still building that deposit). But this 27.3-acre plot has completely captured my imagination. It’s exactly what I picture for my regenerative farm in the North East.
I can already see:
Where the market garden will sit
The layout for the 6 × 4-acre fields divided by productive trees/hedges
The perfect spot for the farm shop
Where the sheds, barns, and infrastructure will go
And if it all goes well… where the house will eventually be
Whoever buys this is getting a genuinely beautiful slice of British countryside. Still a long way to go on the £300k target, but days like today remind me exactly why I’m grinding so hard. This is the vision.
Now I just need to make the numbers work.
#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

To achieve the things you really want, you need a game plan. Things start off hard, and that’s exactly where you want to be. Hard means you’re not there yet. Hard means it’s time to get better. When I started running my life this way, everything changed. The more I did, the more I tried, the easier things became, and the more I found I could handle. This isn’t just about grinding for money, career wins, or personal achievements.
It’s about taking full control of every area of your life and shaping it into what you want it to be.
Work for more skills.
Chase harder challenges.
Hunt for real wisdom.
If you don’t know exactly what to do next, just do something. Action beats inaction every single time. Success isn’t something you chase. It’s something you attract by becoming the kind of person who deserves it. Nobody is coming to build your dream for you. So tell me what are you doing today to make your life better? You can start small or start big, but you have to start. #TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

There’s usually about a half-dozen things that create 80% of your results. It’s not exact, but you get the concept. Keep searching for the few things that make the biggest difference.
Take your health, for example.
You don’t need to do a thousand things every day.
Just pick half a dozen that actually move the needle and do them consistently.
Here’s the challenge:
Once you find those key things, spend most of your time on them.
Super-healthy, jacked men have 24 hours in a day.
Lazy, unhealthy men have the exact same 24 hours.
The difference?
Most people waste too much time on things that barely matter… and almost no time on the things that matter most.
Let that sink in.
Focus on the vital few.
Ignore the trivial many. That’s how real progress happens. What are the 5-6 things that would make the biggest difference in your life right now?#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

This is my definition of “easy”
It’s something I can do. I look for things I’m capable of, then I work hard at them until I get better.
Remember the things that are easy to do, are also easy not to do.
That single choice is the real difference between success and failure.
It’s easy to do the thing that will change your life.
It’s also easy not to do it.
The only thing that matters is which choice you make. I still haven’t found the one thing that will make me rich or famous… but I keep working hard at the things I can do. And because of that, my life keeps moving in a positive direction.
I have clear plans for all my goals, and every day it gets a little easier. The biggest barrier to wealth, better health, stronger relationships, and achieving your dreams is neglect.
Neglect starts small like an infection.
If you ignore it, it becomes a disease.
One neglected area leads to another.
Neglect your money → you waste your time.
Neglect your business → you lose momentum.
Pretty soon neglect has you by the throat, emptying your wallet, your heart, and your chances of reaching your potential. Don’t let neglect win. Start with what’s easy for you right now… and work hard at it. What’s one “easy” thing you’re going to commit to today?#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

I really dislike the idea of feeding cows this chemical (Bovaer). It feels like yet another “solution” pushed by the same environmental ideologues who blame cattle for everything while they fly around in private jets. The hypocrisy is glaring. I’ve looked into the numbers myself well-managed cattle on pasture actually do far more good than harm. They improve soil health, support biodiversity, and are part of a natural carbon cycle. But instead of backing better farming, they want to dose the cows with a chemical every day. When this first came out in the UK I actively avoided milk from dairies using it. The problem is it’s almost impossible to verify whether it’s in the supply or not. This is exactly why I keep coming back to the same conclusion: We desperately need more local, trustworthy farmers selling direct to consumers. When I get my own regenerative farm running, everything I produce will be transparent and honest, no experimental additives, no shortcuts, just good farming the way it should be done. Real food from real farms. That’s the future we should be building. #TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

This question keeps me up at night too. If British farmers can produce it and they can for the vast majority of what we eat. Then why aren’t they being backed first? Importing food from the other side of the world while making life harder for our own farmers makes zero sense. It’s not environmentally friendly, it’s not secure, and it’s not logical. Local food has a tiny fraction of the transport emissions compared to flying or shipping it across oceans. So why are we doing this? Whatever the agenda is, I want no part of it. That’s exactly why I’m working so hard saving, learning skills, studying business, and building toward my own regenerative farm in the North East. My plan is simple: grow proper nutrient-dense food and sell it direct to my local community. The future might look dark at times, but I will never surrender on this dream. British farmers should come first. Full stop. Who else believes we should prioritise our own producers over cheap imports?
#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

They can produce it. The problem isn’t British farmers’ ability, it’s the current broken system that holds them back. From everything I’ve researched and studied on my journey toward building a small regenerative farm, diverse, smaller-scale operations that grow many different things (market gardens, livestock, chickens, etc.) can actually produce huge amounts of high-quality, nutrient-dense food. The current industrial model of growing vast monocrops of just 5 or 6 main commodities is inefficient, damaging to the soil, and not feeding people properly. More and more people are waking up and rejecting ultra-processed food. Yes, we can produce far more good food in this country, but the farming system must change. And governments aren’t going to lead that change. It’s up to us, the people who actually care about real food to build the alternative. That’s exactly why I’m working so hard to get my own regenerative farm up and running.
#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

There’s something deeply frustrating about this. Governments and climate experts tell us to eat less red meat “to save the planet,” while they fast-track hundreds of massive data centers that guzzle enormous amounts of electricity and water. It feels like one rule for the people, and another for big corporations and tech giants. I’m not against progress, but I am against policies that attack nutrient-dense food like good meat while giving big industry a free pass. This is exactly why I’m so determined to build my own regenerative farm. When I get there, I’m going to produce the highest quality, nutrient-dense meat and vegetables I possibly can, and sell it direct to people who actually want real food.
Nobody is coming to fix this for us.
We have to take back control where we can. Would rather support a local farmer (or become one) than wait for permission from people who don’t eat their own rules. What do you think, is this really about the planet, or something else?#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

The “greater good” argument is exactly how they justify controlling what we eat. Yes, we should look after the land and ecosystems, I completely agree. But the solution isn’t taxing or restricting ordinary people’s access to red meat. The real answer is better farming, not less farming. Regenerative, pasture-based systems (the kind I want to build) actually improve soil, sequester carbon, support biodiversity, and produce highly nutrient-dense food. Well-managed grazing builds ecosystems, it doesn’t destroy them. Blaming the average person for eating a steak while pushing industrial monocrops, ultra-processed food, and mass imports is backwards.
I’m not against considering the greater good.
I’m against the idea that the greater good means the average family should eat less real meat while the elite fly private jets and eat whatever they want. That’s why I’m building toward my own regenerative farm, so I can produce honest, high-quality meat and vegetables the right way, without needing permission or paying extra taxes for the privilege. Nobody is coming to fix the food system for us. We have to build better alternatives ourselves.
What do you think is the better approach, taxing people for eating meat, or supporting farmers who actually regenerate the land?#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

I will never let them take away my ability to eat the food I believe my body needs. If it comes to it, I’ll raise rabbits in the backyard and grow my own vegetables before I let them tax or restrict proper meat and protein. This isn’t about health or the planet, it’s about control. First sugar, now red meat. They don’t ban it outright… they just make it expensive and inconvenient so you “choose” their way. It’s becoming clearer every day, yet most people still refuse to see it or prepare for what’s coming.
Nobody is coming to save us.
It’s up to us. That’s why I’m working so hard to build my own regenerative farm, so I can produce real, nutrient-dense food and take back control for my family.
#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

There’s something deeply frustrating about this. Governments and climate experts tell us to eat less red meat “to save the planet,” while they fast-track hundreds of massive data centers that guzzle enormous amounts of electricity and water. It feels like one rule for the people, and another for big corporations and tech giants. I’m not against progress, but I am against policies that attack nutrient-dense food like good meat while giving big industry a free pass. This is exactly why I’m so determined to build my own regenerative farm. When I get there, I’m going to produce the highest quality, nutrient-dense meat and vegetables I possibly can, and sell it direct to people who actually want real food. Nobody is coming to fix this for us. We have to take back control where we can. Would rather support a local farmer (or become one) than wait for permission from people who don’t eat their own rules. What do you think, is this really about the planet, or something else?#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

This is such a load of rubbish. Brown eggs vs white eggs… who actually cares? It makes zero difference to the taste, nutrition, or quality of the egg. CO2 generation its the same animal! This is classic marketing nonsense, trying to charge more for something that’s essentially identical by slapping an ideology or “premium” story on it. People should stop falling for it. The best eggs you can eat are:
Direct from a local farmer, or
Even better — from your own backyard hens
Fresh, nutrient-dense, and you control exactly what the birds eat. Plus they turn your kitchen scraps into eggs and great compost. Stop paying premium prices for coloured shells. Support real producers or get your own birds. Simple as that.
#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

Dairy farmers absolutely deserve a fair return for the work they put in every single day of the year. But relying on one giant supermarket as your only customer will always leave you at their mercy. The current system is designed that way, big corporations control the prices and take most of the profit. There has to be a better way. Farmers need to start building their own smaller-scale processing facilities (on-farm pasteurising, bottling, cheese/yoghurt making, etc.) and develop direct local markets. Sell fresh milk, cream, butter, and cheese straight to consumers through farm shops, deliveries, or cooperatives. Produce a bit less, but earn proper premium margins instead of pennies per liter from the supermarkets .Smaller can be more profitable when you cut out the middleman. This is exactly the kind of direct-to-consumer model I’m working toward with my own future regenerative farm. Dairy farmers thriving again starts with taking back control. What do you think, is on-farm processing and local sales the future for British dairy?#TheCliveBirdExperiment

[The Clive Bird Experiment @MOrdinary1982]

Back at work and straight into a classic offshore problem — all the shower cubicle latches have rusted and seized up.
While waiting for the replacements we ordered, I thought I’d have a go at sketching the parts to see if I could design a 3D-printable solution. Just one hour later and I already have a to-scale drawing of a latch that should work perfectly.
It got me thinking… remote sites like the drilling rig I’m on would benefit massively from having 3D printers available. Being able to quickly print replacement parts instead of waiting weeks for deliveries could be a game changer.
Might be worth putting together a proper business case for the company 🤔
What do you reckon?