Takeaways from the Fireside Chat with David Higgs and Gary Kyriacou of Marble & Saint Restaurant
On Tuesday 5 April, Dr Udo Osuigwe from GIBS fired up the Slaying in Your Lane chat with the restaurant owners behind Marble, Saint, Zioux and most recently The Pantry, David Higgs and Gary Kyriacou, with a view to sharing their experience with SMEs.
Sponsored by fintech finance business ProfitShare Partners, this is one of the ten-part GIBS Entrepreneurship Development Academy talks designed to share overall experience, business knowledge and encouragement with SMEs. Here, we share some important titbits from the Fireside Chat – but we’d recommend you sit back and take in the whole episode.
- Knowledge: Learn as much as you can about your chosen field. Any business that begins with an accumulation of hands-on experiences has a head start. David started cooking breakfast in a hotel and then worked his way up to fine dining. Gary’s career began when he left school, with a desire to be an entrepreneur. His knowledge base has been gleaned from a number of industries, and he’s come full circle, to hospitality. Both men note that their success has been hard-earned, and the last six years as business partners has seen them bringing enthusiasm back to the hospitality sector.
- Dealing with issues: Every business will have times when things crop up and solutions need to be sought. David says when this happens, deal with the problems immediately and do not defer or neglect them. Gary concurs, noting that the idea for The Pantry came during lockdown – a time when some SMEs shut shop and others took off. Effective communication in your business is vital – stick to the goals you want to achieve and include your team in this.
- Focus on your core business: In an owner-driven business, Gary and David are always on hand, driving their businesses constantly and looking for new ideas. However, the successful duo warns that veering too far from your primary business can sometimes end up being very costly. Always make sure that new ideas enhance your current business and don’t take your focus off it.
To stay with us through the Slaying in Your Lane journey with a host of successful SMEs and entrepreneurs, save this link and visit the ProfitShare Partners’ blogs to get some info on the next Fireside Chat.
