Your Personality
Mark S. Elliott has spent 25 years working in various management roles within the tenanted and leased divisions of the UK's largest breweries and pub companies. His extensive knowledge and day-to-day involvement with pubs and publicans make him well qualified to know what is required to run a successful pub. He shares his knowledge and many 'insider tips' with you in this book. Mark is based in Cockermouth, Cumbria.
YOUR PERSONALITY
Are you naturally outgoing and able to talk to anyone? Do you like being in the spotlight? Or are you a shrinking violet who finds communicating with people difficult? Being able to interact with customers is a basic requirement of running a pub. The art of small talk has to be well developed and a genuine interest in people is essential. Being able to smile when you are feeling down, and laugh at the joke that you have heard for the tenth time are all part of the job.
Your personality helps develop the atmosphere of the pub. It is important to remember that your personality and behaviour filters through staff and customers alike. A friendly, upbeat atmosphere attracts many more customers than a depressing or aggressive one. Equally, a licensee who appears uninterested in his customers is unlikely to encourage them to come back.
Running a pub involves dealing with many different types of customer. This takes confidence, which can be developed through bar work and other customer-service roles. The more experience you obtain dealing with different types of people, the more confident you will become.
Like running any business, you need to be able to juggle lots of tasks at the same time. Running a pub is not just about bar work; it’s about doing all the behind-the-scenes jobs too: bottling-up; bookwork; cleaning the beer lines etc. You also need to handle the pressures that are associated with running your pub business, for example, paying the bills, managing staff and keeping up to date with legislation.
Your interests
You may find that some of your interests prove useful in running your pub. Being involved in the local darts or football leagues can be advantageous when it comes to running a sports-orientated pub. A passion for food is valuable in operating a food pub. Your interests can also play a part in identifying the kind of pub you would like to run.
Pub teams and clubs can be the cornerstone of a pub’s trade. Getting involved with teams or starting clubs can help boost business on the traditionally less busy days of the week.
