"My day starts at 5 am, when my alarm goes off and my seamless morning routine kicks in. At this time of the morning there’s no messing around – every second counts. I pick up Jeremy (Sanders, my business partner and lifelong friend) at around 5.18 am every day and we discuss the issues of the day. This can vary from something as simple as staff or supplier issues or a big delivery, to an important meeting with an investor, or as is often the case, a brainwave for a new product or way of talking to our customers. We normally have a quick round-up of the evening’s sporting news - I am an Arsenal season ticket holder, Jeremy is the same at Spurs, so we regularly have a brief debate on the way in. We split at 5.30 am as, at the moment, I am currently overseeing the management of our new store, at 115 London Wall. This store opened in early June and the first few months are crucial to winning over new customers.
After helping get the store set up, we open our doors at 6.30 am at both Fleet St and London Wall. For our early morning regulars it is all about our premium Climpson & Sons coffee. I spend the morning helping out operationally in the store, talking to customers (some of our best innovations have come via discussions with them) and tackling an ever-growing To Do list. At lunchtime I ensure that I am working in the store. One of the keys to our business is understanding how customers think and no amount of studying the numbers can substitute the first hand experience we gain every day. Lunchtime is without a doubt the most fun part of my day. We serve a constant stream of customers in both of our stores, and the atmosphere is fantastic. All of our team have a great rapport with our regulars and look to help the newer faces, so there is always a buzz in the store around this time.
At around 2.30 pm everyone in the City returns to work - it almost feels like there is a silent bell, returning everyone to their desks - and we return to being a nice, busy coffee shop. At this point I get a chance to work on whatever project is most pressing at the time. For instance, I am currently in the process of developing some great new pasta sauces for the autumn/winter (I won’t spoil the surprise!), as well as some exciting new breakfast products. I might then interview a few people for new team member roles (we seem to be in a constant state of expansion!) before settling down to review the day’s numbers. We monitor everything, a little obsessively perhaps, and Jeremy and I have a discussion each day to make sure we understand any new trends.
At about 7 pm, it’s time to lock up. I typically stroll over to our other store, sometimes stopping for a drink with some of our team. We take our team for drinks most Friday evenings, but we also are fortunate to get on very well with all the people we work with.
It’s a long day and can be exhausting, but Jeremy and I are so excited about the business that it flies by. I think this is the way it should be, and certainly backs up my decision to flee the City".