Accent on access

How I got here

I spent 17 years in the world of IT, starting in sales and marketing before working in customer services and eventually becoming managing director. The company was growing - it had a turnover of more than £30m and employed 400 people. When it was bought by a large American firm, I soon realised it was time to pursue a dream I'd harboured for many years - to own and run a country pub.

How I gave the pub back to the people

The Merry Harriers' previous owners focused on the quality end of the dining market, with main courses priced at between £12 and £17. They served lovely food but the pub was viewed as a special-occasion place by many - children and drinkers weren't particularly welcome. We've simply changed it back into a country inn. Our watchwords are: "Consistent quality, accessible to all". So we allow people (and animals!) of all ages in the pub, as long as their behaviour is respectful. We've maintained the food quality standard, but dramatically increased the offering and introduced a "Firm Favourites" menu with more traditional pub-style mains. So our customers can eat or drink as much or as little as they like!

My tips for prospective licensees

1. It's a business - A pub is a business, first and foremost. You need to understand how to run a business before you can run a pub efficiently - it's just so easy to get it wrong.

2. Research - Our six months off proved ideal - I definitely recommend doing this if you can afford it. We used our time effectively to attend training courses and research our market thoroughly, including obtaining details of 100 pubs, visiting 30, and eating in 15. We wanted to create the kind of pub where we would feel comfortable eating and so would our parents. It's important to visualise the clientele you want to attract and also find a pub that suits your own personality.

3. Get advice - Use professional advisers such as accountants and lawyers to help you avoid mistakes. Talk to someone in the trade about the bad things as well as the benefits. Ask them how they feel after working 15 hours straight! I reckon that publicans' lives can be measured in dog years - one normal year amounts to seven spent running a pub.

My marketing strategy

1. Word of mouth - 90% of our new business is recommended by word of mouth. You can either sink or swim, but if you focus on quality and consistency you'll have no problems.

2. Signs - We're in the middle of nowhere, so I applied to the Somerset Highway Agency to have brown road signs erected off all the trunk roads. They inspected our pub and agreed to erect the signs. That sounds simple, but we had to show that we're adding value to our local community and that we have a quality offering. Since then, passing trade - especially in the holiday season - has really picked up.

3. Guide books - We're featured in all the major pub guides - I prefer the Good Pub Guide because it's a guide designed for customers by customers. If I meet someone I don't recognise in the pub and ask how they heard of us I often find they've used the Good Pub Guide. Recently we hosted the national launch of the Q7, Audi's new 4x4 vehicle. The organisers had found us through the guide, and about 120 journalists and TV presenters attended that event over three days.

4. Website - I decided to upgrade our website and concentrated on making it more informative and user-friendly by adding menus and a table-booking facility for our customers to access online.

My food offering

We offer a good range of home-cooked food using fresh produce. We never do standard dishes like lasagne or scampi - people need a reason to eat out-of-home so we include more challenging and interesting menu ideas. Understanding the pub's market is crucial - operators need to talk to customers and be ready to listen and accommodate what they want. Three priorities are at the top of our agenda - seasonality, balance and affordability. Our two specials tend to be seasonal, using ingredients available at particular times of year. For us, balance means providing light summer dishes and more robust winter meals; it also means including some snack dishes for less than £7.50. Price is a key issue here - none of our main courses costs more than £15.

How I keep staff motivated

1. Responsibility - Staff must have the authority to run an area of business - it keeps them involved and willing to participate fully.

2. Communication - It's vital to interact regularly with staff - our weekly management meeting is about business, not menus. 3. Rewards - If you want to attract professional staff, you have be prepared to pay professional wages. You also need to reward them - remember that some staff feel more motivated than others by financial incentives. We send team members to trade events such as PubChef Live and go out as a team once a quarter. We choose a local place to eat, where we can pick up tips while rewarding our staff.

How I ensure high levels of

customer service

It's essential to lead from the front, making expectations clear about standards and levels of service. We aim to serve others as we would want to be served - it isn't difficult, but every-one has experienced bad service at some point. Keep reinforcing standards at the start of service and hold a short review afterwards.

My plans for the future

I've re-opened our skittle alley that was closed by the previous owners and two of our teams play in the Blackdown Hills skittles league. This attracts trade from September to March and pleases locals at a time when many pubs have closed skittle alleys. Our two-acre paddock has great potential as a caravan site, but my real dream is to turn it into a cricket pitch. When we reach our turnover limit - probably about £500,000 - we hope to take on another freehold. The Merry Harriers is closed on Sunday evenings and Mondays, so there's plenty of scope to extend our opening hours.

My Pub

Turnover in 2004: £200,000 net

Turnover in 2006: £350,000 net

Wet: Dry split: 30%:70%

Covers: 60 inside, 60 outside

Average spend per head: Lunch £12-£15, evening meal £18-£21

Food GP: 62%

Beer GP: 58%

Staff: 19, five full-time

Wage bill: 26% of turnover

Training budget: £3,000 a year

Price of pint: £2.20 session bitter

Awards: Taste of the West Gold Award 2006