What a difference a pot of paint makes

Pubs need a new vision for the new decade. That has become my mantra over the past six months.

Vision may be the buzzword of the marketing world, but it can also be just the ticket for an ailing pub that needs to find its own key to success.

When John Staniland, the new lessee at the Horns in Crondall, Surrey, read my last Guv'nor piece, he called me and asked for help.

In the couple of months since John's call, I've worked with him to begin to match up his vision for the Horns with what he's offering so that he can turn it into a reality. And more importantly, he can begin to see a significant return on his investment.

The Horns is a mid-1800s traditional pub, full of country-inn charm with exposed brick and striking wooden beams. The first thing we did was to repaint the main plaster wall, turning it from magnolia (ahhh, the favourite colour-choice of the masses!) to a warm and welcoming terracotta called Firecracker.

Then we added some strategically placed contemporary drink and foodie pictures. And — wow — what a difference it's made! Customers absolutely love the new look and it's transformed the feel of the whole pub.

John and I are making lots of other tweaks too — such as adding modern touches and using simple, but clever and affordable merchandising techniques, while retaining the Horns' natural "pub-ness" and ensuring that the pub doesn't lose its fine country-inn character.

We've also created a whole new menu. This definitely has the wow factor — I'd even go so far as to say it's a little sexy — and the GP is great, but the dishes are not overly testing for the chefs, so they will be able to maintain a consistent quality.

John has done what I believe to be the right thing: he's recognised there are people out there with expertise he doesn't have and he's not been too proud to ask for help.

He thinks of me as his "short cut to success" — and I'm honest enough to admit I've made pretty much all the mistakes there are to make over the past 26 years. So he's tapping in to the end result of all that learning, without having to reinvent the wheel.

Of course, I'm only too happy to pass on my knowledge because I want to see licensees such as John survive and prosper.

John is proving that with a little effort, good business practice, a bit of clever thinking and a pot of paint, he can bring a new vision and success to his great British pub.

Are you doing the same?

Philip Davison is licensee of the Sun in the Wood, Ashmore Green, Berkshire.​