Steven Hesketh

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 or owned their...

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 station or train it...

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 standards,...