Life Guide we love
I thrive on…
A bit of chaos, I think. I like learning new stuff – like coffee (Steve is very proud of his state-of-the-art coffee machine). I like the challenge of people. I like pleasing - and surprising - difficult customers!
Work/life balance…
I don’t get to skydive as much as I did, or ride my motorbike, but I’m ok with that. I don’t feel like I’m being denied because work is in the way. I love what I do now.
Day in the life of me…
It starts at 6.30am (my wife Claire still has a ‘proper’ job!) and the shop opens at 6am (not always by me). Every day I’m getting our fresh coffee pouring blend ready. I’m always in for about 8am until whenever! Then we’re baking, serving, listening and making people happy – that’s my official job description! The cafe is called Mint (fresh) and Hobo (home). When people come in we hope we can make them feel better than they did when they walked in.
What mid life means to me…
Wearing shorts for work. That is a simple, but unreal thing. When we opened, someone on Trip Advisor said something about the place being run by a ‘middle-aged man’. I’m fine with that. If this is half way, that sees me to 100. You get here with confidence, with experience and with an honesty about yourself. You wear your shorts to work because you can!
The people who are important…
My family, customers and suppliers – we use produce from local people. People like Rounton Coffee, Parlour Made Cheese and Dropswell Farm. My customers really make this place and always it feels relaxed and lovely. LIFE GUIDE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 17
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