Experiencing success from hard work, and suddenly being confronted with a business model that worked was almost too good to be true. However, it was true because I had achieved it through my own efforts. This, at the time unfortunately was short lived as success attracted the interest from the brewery and they could see what could be earned from it. On leaving the Borough Arms, Bodmin, I was left with feelings of anger, frustration and sadness that the business that I had built up was being ‘taken away’ and I was being offered ‘alternatives’. These alternatives were for establishments that did not have the same turnover / profit and would need a lot of effort and investment to address this. I was presented with a choice of 20 pubs across Cornwall, the truth was that most would never be able to reach the same earnings potential of the Borough due to many factors including location. Finally, an opportunity came up of having two pubs, One was the Daniell Arms, Truro, which had been a previous haunt and the Star Inn, St Erth. These establishments were very different, the Daniell being a city pub which had minimal seasonal fluctuation and the Star which was in the heart of the village of St Erth in West Cornwall which needed to rely on seasonal trade. Two years prior to this I had turned down the opportunity of a move to Penzance as I believed it was ‘too far west’. Here was I now moving to an establishment which was only 6 miles east of Penzance, what was going through my mind? Anyway May / June 1990 witnessed total upheaval with moving out of the Borough and into the two new ones. I decided to be based at St Erth and have live in managers at the Daniell with me visiting on a regular basis to provide support and guidance. However hard I tried I did have the lingering thoughts in the back of my mind of the successful business that had been left behind. Would the Daniell and the Star eclipse what had been so far achieved, only time and hard work would tell. As you live/work your way through life there will be times of pleasure and regret, these come hand in hand. What I do know is the importance of dealing with the here and now and making the most of shaping the future. If you would like to know more about what I do and how I help others to realise their opportunities in life, visit meetsimonhall.com.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Moving On and West
Experiencing success from hard work, and suddenly being confronted with a business model that worked was almost too good to be true. However, it was true because I had achieved it through my own efforts. This, at the time unfortunately was short lived as success attracted the interest from the brewery and they could see what could be earned from it. On leaving the Borough Arms, Bodmin, I was left with feelings of anger, frustration and sadness that the business that I had built up was being ‘taken away’ and I was being offered ‘alternatives’. These alternatives were for establishments that did not have the same turnover / profit and would need a lot of effort and investment to address this. I was presented with a choice of 20 pubs across Cornwall, the truth was that most would never be able to reach the same earnings potential of the Borough due to many factors including location. Finally, an opportunity came up of having two pubs, One was the Daniell Arms, Truro, which had been a previous haunt and the Star Inn, St Erth. These establishments were very different, the Daniell being a city pub which had minimal seasonal fluctuation and the Star which was in the heart of the village of St Erth in West Cornwall which needed to rely on seasonal trade. Two years prior to this I had turned down the opportunity of a move to Penzance as I believed it was ‘too far west’. Here was I now moving to an establishment which was only 6 miles east of Penzance, what was going through my mind? Anyway May / June 1990 witnessed total upheaval with moving out of the Borough and into the two new ones. I decided to be based at St Erth and have live in managers at the Daniell with me visiting on a regular basis to provide support and guidance. However hard I tried I did have the lingering thoughts in the back of my mind of the successful business that had been left behind. Would the Daniell and the Star eclipse what had been so far achieved, only time and hard work would tell. As you live/work your way through life there will be times of pleasure and regret, these come hand in hand. What I do know is the importance of dealing with the here and now and making the most of shaping the future. If you would like to know more about what I do and how I help others to realise their opportunities in life, visit meetsimonhall.com.
Friday, 24 December 2010
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Success from Hard Work
You don’t realise at the time how good things really are, not until they are gone. 1989 was to prove a mega year of success, it was hard work, but worth every minute.
At that time being a young enthusiastic publican, it appeared that everything I did just worked, it was if I was in control of a wealth tap which I could turn on and off at will. I wasn’t naive enough to realise the success had been built on a solid foundation of principals and standards which had jettisoned a pub which was doing an ‘OK’ trade, to one which was ‘the’ place to be.
Not only did the locals like it but the visitors too, what was also amazing was the amount of food that was produced from a small domestic kitchen. This was achieved because everyone worked together as a team, this was and still is one of my core principals, with team work so much more can be achieved. In turn this linked to my strong belief in sharing success, it wasn’t all about me, it was about everyone who contributed to that success.
Oddly, the licensed trade is one of those professions where a cost would have to be paid if you were ‘too successful’, this was something I was to find out.
Breweries can be quite greedy with a short sighted view on long lasting business. Under the agreement which was signed I was tied to the brewery for all beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. This meant they could charge what they felt fit. The food was all mine, however if I was a manager, the brewery would keep this too.
Like I said, you don’t realise how good things really are, until they are gone. I do believe even though I was not aware of it at the time I did make the most of the good times.
If you would like to know more about what I do and how I help others to realise their opportunities in life, visit meetsimonhall.com.
At that time being a young enthusiastic publican, it appeared that everything I did just worked, it was if I was in control of a wealth tap which I could turn on and off at will. I wasn’t naive enough to realise the success had been built on a solid foundation of principals and standards which had jettisoned a pub which was doing an ‘OK’ trade, to one which was ‘the’ place to be.
Not only did the locals like it but the visitors too, what was also amazing was the amount of food that was produced from a small domestic kitchen. This was achieved because everyone worked together as a team, this was and still is one of my core principals, with team work so much more can be achieved. In turn this linked to my strong belief in sharing success, it wasn’t all about me, it was about everyone who contributed to that success.
Oddly, the licensed trade is one of those professions where a cost would have to be paid if you were ‘too successful’, this was something I was to find out.
Breweries can be quite greedy with a short sighted view on long lasting business. Under the agreement which was signed I was tied to the brewery for all beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. This meant they could charge what they felt fit. The food was all mine, however if I was a manager, the brewery would keep this too.
Like I said, you don’t realise how good things really are, until they are gone. I do believe even though I was not aware of it at the time I did make the most of the good times.
If you would like to know more about what I do and how I help others to realise their opportunities in life, visit meetsimonhall.com.
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Earning Money was never so easy
Would you ever believe yourself saying ‘earning money was never so easy’? Well, that was true for me. The Borough Arms, Bodmin from the outside didn’t appear to be the sexiest of destinations but, it turned out to be a goldmine.The date had been set as the 18th November 1988 to move to the Borough Arms as a joint tenant. It was all very exciting, a month before Christmas and full steam ahead. The Borough had a nice feel to it, it was a pub that had various extensions during its history and was located on the Bodmin Borough boundary, so it was nicely placed on the fringes of the town. Its locals were very friendly too. Due to its location, winter trade came mostly from Bodmin along with some outlying villages, so there was always someone propping up the bar.
In recent years leading up to my arrival the pub had received mixed fortunes with my predecessors unfortunately experiencing a marriage breakup. Being such a public lifestyle it is very difficult to hide. I genuinely felt sorry for the couple as not only they were about to pass over their business but break up at the same time. Pressures of the licensed trade in general make this an unfortunate regular occurrence.
However, this unfortunate circumstance was to present an opportunity as the pub needed a lift. So from day one, additional decor was added to make it more homely and a new menu to entice customers who may have gone elsewhere.
At that point at the tail end of 1988 which started in a different pub in a different county I didn’t realise how things were going to explode in the following year.
Looking back a lot of that success was based on some very basic rules, mainly being polite to the customer at all times, providing what they required and giving them value for money.
If you would like to know more about what I do and how I help others to realise their opportunities in life, visit meetsimonhall.com.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Cornwall Beckons, Another Business Opportunities
As I sit here in my office reminiscing on my life, it’s hard to believe now that so much has been packed in over such a short space of time. When you are a child, time appears to drag. Certainly as we get older, time becomes so much more precious and the realisation of making the most of every day, every week, and every year. A little over twenty years ago a decision had to be made, either stay where I was working, doing very long hours for someone else or moving to the next level. It was time to move and with Cornwall beckoning another business opportunity was around the corner.
The Red House in Yeovil was a challenge but one I showed up for and learnt a lot about business and people in a short space of time. During that 12 months, news would occasionally trickle from Cornwall on what was happening, with the next opportunity appearing on the horizon. It came in the form of a pregnant lady!
Three years previously, I had trained under John and Kay Cook at the Eliot Arms, Tregadillett. Kay had fallen pregnant and was due to give birth, this would mean that Kay would not play such an active role.
You may think to yourself, how was this an opportunity? Well it was as it gave me the time to be on the ground as to new businesses coming on the market in Devon and Cornwall. Sometimes opportunities may not be obvious, but it is understanding that in time something that may seem quite innocuous can provide the vehicle to change your life right around, here it was.
During that time of working back at the Eliot Arms, John and I agreed to enter a business partnership with John for another pub. We didn’t have to wait too long either, after a couple of months the Borough Arms at Bodmin appeared on the horizon. From here on my career changed dramatically.
That is one thing about opportunities, listen to what your heart is saying, your head has an important role to play in this but don’t always thing the quick buck will provide the long term solution.
To find out more about what I do today and how I can help you build your own business visit, meetsimonhall.com.
The Red House in Yeovil was a challenge but one I showed up for and learnt a lot about business and people in a short space of time. During that 12 months, news would occasionally trickle from Cornwall on what was happening, with the next opportunity appearing on the horizon. It came in the form of a pregnant lady!
Three years previously, I had trained under John and Kay Cook at the Eliot Arms, Tregadillett. Kay had fallen pregnant and was due to give birth, this would mean that Kay would not play such an active role.
You may think to yourself, how was this an opportunity? Well it was as it gave me the time to be on the ground as to new businesses coming on the market in Devon and Cornwall. Sometimes opportunities may not be obvious, but it is understanding that in time something that may seem quite innocuous can provide the vehicle to change your life right around, here it was.
During that time of working back at the Eliot Arms, John and I agreed to enter a business partnership with John for another pub. We didn’t have to wait too long either, after a couple of months the Borough Arms at Bodmin appeared on the horizon. From here on my career changed dramatically.
That is one thing about opportunities, listen to what your heart is saying, your head has an important role to play in this but don’t always thing the quick buck will provide the long term solution.
To find out more about what I do today and how I can help you build your own business visit, meetsimonhall.com.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
A Different Challenge
It was a wrench to move away from Cornwall but one that was felt at the time to be the right one and one which offered further development within the licensed trade. After a short stint for training at the Catherine’ Inn, Bleadon near Weston Super Mare, next stop was to be The Red House Yeovil. For someone who lived most of their life within a 30 mile radius of Bodmin Cornwall, Yeovil felt like a foreign land, a new frontier.
The Red House offered a new challenge; it consisted of a large carvery restaurant, extended bar area, skittle alley and a large outside picnic/play area. Add into this a staff of at least 30; the Daniell Arms was a baby brother. Needless to say it was exciting and a real adrenaline rush..... and hard work.
Apart from all of the above a proportion of the local customers resented the change in management, which was the greatest challenge winning them over. Like many things in life, you buy from the person, not the product so it was about appealing to them and building a relationship that evening though a change had been made at the top, business continued as normal. This as you can guess did not happen overnight but over months and gradually one by one the customers were won over. It is fair to say that not all did stay some went onto pastures new.
From this experience and many since I quickly realised that you cannot please all the people all the time, but significantly, the customer actually buys you first and then what you are offering second.
If you would like to know more about what I do and how I help others to realise their opportunities in life, visit meetsimonhall.com.
Monday, 16 August 2010
Another Crossroads
Being successful at first may not be obvious to the eye as you may be doing what you have always been doing but you are not only enjoying it but making money as well. This was very true in my case as a Publican. In the space of just over two years I along with my wife had built a good reputation within the Cornish licensed trade.
Hours were long, holidays rare but that was part of the sacrifice on the road to success. I had a clear focus on where I was going and my ambitions and being a pub manager was but a stepping stone.
With the changes in Truro, the Daniell Arms was coming up against stiffer competition with breweries spending barrel loads of money on redeveloping many of their premises. The majority of the Daniell’s patrons stayed loyal but as you can expect some customers would be curious to what was new.
A business decision had to be made on how to move forward. Was it worth sticking it out and wait for the honeymoon period to die down and hope customers would return or be pro active and look into moving to the next level. Without pondering the latter was ‘the’ option to take.
The licensed trade was incestuous and promotion was normally achieved through being successful at running pubs and not through being good at interviews. On speaking with a couple of contacts soon we were to be approached by not one but FIVE different organisations. Never before had I the choice on which to take and now I was spoilt. Each offer had it’s merits and time was taken over weighing up the options. Eventually it was decided to leave Cornwall behind and chance our arm ‘up country’ with a small pub/restaurant chain. That as you can guess is a story for another day.
What I had learnt from this was to listen to my heart and did it make sense to my head. Life’s decisions at times can be difficult, however believe in what you do and commit to it, then suddenly things don’t seem as difficult as they may first appear.
Hours were long, holidays rare but that was part of the sacrifice on the road to success. I had a clear focus on where I was going and my ambitions and being a pub manager was but a stepping stone.
With the changes in Truro, the Daniell Arms was coming up against stiffer competition with breweries spending barrel loads of money on redeveloping many of their premises. The majority of the Daniell’s patrons stayed loyal but as you can expect some customers would be curious to what was new.
A business decision had to be made on how to move forward. Was it worth sticking it out and wait for the honeymoon period to die down and hope customers would return or be pro active and look into moving to the next level. Without pondering the latter was ‘the’ option to take.
The licensed trade was incestuous and promotion was normally achieved through being successful at running pubs and not through being good at interviews. On speaking with a couple of contacts soon we were to be approached by not one but FIVE different organisations. Never before had I the choice on which to take and now I was spoilt. Each offer had it’s merits and time was taken over weighing up the options. Eventually it was decided to leave Cornwall behind and chance our arm ‘up country’ with a small pub/restaurant chain. That as you can guess is a story for another day.
What I had learnt from this was to listen to my heart and did it make sense to my head. Life’s decisions at times can be difficult, however believe in what you do and commit to it, then suddenly things don’t seem as difficult as they may first appear.
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