Serving the Teesside Business Community | 39
When I was at school , I wanted to be … a radio or TV presenter . I used to be a radio geek and volunteered for hospital radio for years when I was younger .
The best business decision I ever made was … opening my own venue . I started off promoting nights in clubs before opening my first bar , Blu in Middlesbrough . It was a huge learning curve and I probably tried to take too much on . I was young and naive at the time .
The worst business decision I ever made was … I don ’ t think I have a worst decision . I try to learn from mistakes and if you do learn from them , then that has to be a positive .
The best part of my job is … interacting with customers , and the wide variety of customers I deal with . I like spending time with customers and love working the bars on an evening when I can . But we have three venues now , with a fourth on the way – the two Nuthatch cocktail bars , The Townhouse in Middlesbrough and our new restaurant , Finkle & Green , opening in the new year – so running them all takes up a lot of time during the day .
The biggest downside of my working life is … unsociable hours . It ’ s the nature of the industry I ’ m in , of course . But as time goes on I ’ d like to do fewer evenings . Although I think I ’ d struggle to let go completely .
If I could change one thing to help my organisation it would be … having a consistent pool of staff . I have a great team right now , but finding good staff in this area is difficult and I think we have a major issue with talented people leaving Teesside to work elsewhere .
Four words to describe me are … committed , passionate , relaxed and driven .
My business mantra is … I ’ ve struggled with this one . What about ‘ anything can be solved with gaffa tape and a staple gun !’? Or ‘ win or lose it ’ s all about the booze ’? But seriously , I ’ ve never been afraid to take a risk , and I try to instil that in other people . I hate it when people ask me if they can do things , I prefer them to get on and make their own decisions . Don ’ t be afraid to go for it and try something different .
My greatest achievement is … The Nuthatch being nominated for the Living North Awards . We were nominated in Best Bar category . We didn ’ t win it , but I thought being shortlisted was a great achievement , just six months after opening .
The advice I ’ d give to business start-ups is … don ’ t be afraid to make mistakes . I struggle to take advice . I prefer to try it and learn from my mistakes . Obviously , it is a serious business and ultimately the numbers have to add up . But in my game I think you need to be open-minded towards risk .
The biggest character on the Tees business scene is … Jamie Pennington at Viral Effect . I think JP is hilarious . We go back a few years – we used to promote club nights together and he has never changed at all . But he has done really well for himself and I ’ m delighted for him .
Teesside ’ s a great place for business because … I think the help we get from our local authorities here is very good . My experience of dealing with both Middlesbrough and Stockton councils has always been very positive , they ’ re very keen to get involved and help businesses , especially start-ups .
My biggest frustration about Teesside is … I think there seems to be a massive expectation of failure . Everyone seems to be cynical , particularly when it comes to major projects , or when local authorities announce ambitious plans , for example . I think we need to think more of ourselves and be bold .
My favourite local charity is … Zoe ’ s Place . The work they do is fantastic .
DON ’ T BE AFRAID TO GO FOR IT AND TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
When I ’ m not working , I like to spend my time … I don ’ t have any hobbies , I ’ m a really boring person in terms of how I spend my spare time . But I bought a new bike in the summer and I ’ ve used that to get out and about when I can , which I really enjoy .
My guilty pleasures are … eating out . I always eat out and very rarely cook . There ’ s never anything in my fridge . My favourite places are Muse and Cena in Yarm . I also like Wetherspoon ’ s Curry Club !
The best holiday I ever had was … my brother and dad both live in Australia so I go over there to see them at least once a year , sometimes twice . I also went to San Francisco earlier this year , it was all a bit last minute but it was lovely .
Not many people know this about me but … I used to do the traffic and travel reports for BBC Tees a few years ago . I did it for about five years and it was great fun . That was before I accidentally fell into promoting club nights . I also don ’ t drink a lot , which you might find a bit odd given my industry .
In retirement , I ’ ll spend my time … hopefully travelling . I really wish I ’ d travelled more when I was younger . So I ’ d like to think when I ’ m older I ’ ll be able to afford to travel the world .