Blog

I’ve talked about the budget before, but I don’t think I’ve made it clear enough how furious I am about it. Independent businesses like mine are being completely screwed by this government, and the anger is so intense it’s hard to even put into words. Here’s what I worked out recently, around Business Rate changes..... our rateable value at our hotel in Wrexham currently sits at £87,000, from April 2026 it jumps to £171,000. Basically Double! In 2025/26 the rates bill was £87

Every year we all say the same thing: “We should support local more.” And we mean it. We really do. But then December hits, we’re tired, we’re busy, and convenience starts winning. In this day and age when its never been harder to keep a business up and running, we must do more to help our favourite local independents. Because the high street doesn’t survive on just good intentions. It survives on habits. It survives on people choosing the independent café over the chain, the

In the last 3 weeks, me and my businesses have been up for three different awards… and we lost all three. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t sting, because it did. You dress up, you bring your team out, you’ve spent hours writing submissions, you’re sat at a big round table with your stomach flipping every time they pause before announcing the winner, and then your name doesn’t get called. In that moment it’s a punch to the gut, and it’s very easy to slip into, “What’s the po

This is the week I have been awaiting; the budget announcement has been a grey cloud, unsure if it will prevail with disbursement or rain, and of course rain finally broke, and lets simply put November 2025 behind us all round. Sky News counted 43 tax rises in this Budget, and that’s before you factor in the income tax threshold freeze, dragging more people into higher tax bands over time. This Budget doesn’t feel like it was written by anyone who has ever had to make payroll

Alright, reality check. December in the hospitality world is a bit mad! We dread it yet also love all the celebrations. December can be the easier month for revenue yet the hardest month for staff. It’s noisy, overbooked, and can be under-prepped. Things that need to be on your mind as you enter the Christmas party stage. Start with rotas. Make them deliberate, not desperate. No double-closes in to opens. Don’t throw a newbie into a solo section on a Friday. Cover every stati

Hospitality’s wobbling. Too many teams are on autopilot, margins are thin, and guests can feel it. I’ve run venues while stretched, pressed, and stressed, I know the drill. That’s exactly why I built The Hospitality Heroes Masterclass: eight tight modules to take managers from “keeping the lights on” to leading. This isn’t theory. It’s moves you can use this week. We dig into industry-savvy thinking, self-awareness that kills blind spots, venue leadership that sets rhythm and