IN THE COMPANY OF: Simon Cotton, Managing Director of the HRH Group that owns some of the best loved hotels, restaurants and pubs in Harrogate

Company name: HRH Group

Job title: Managing Director

Company address: Harrogate and York

Website address: www.hrhgroupharrogate.com

Company founded: 2010

Number of staff: 250

In a nutshell, what does your company do and how did it start?

We are an independent group of North Yorkshire’s best loved hotels, restaurants and pubs

What is your role within the business?

It's a constantly changing role dependent on projects within the business, but ultimately it's about overseeing all aspects of the running of a company on behalf of the owner, but my specialisms lie in sales and marketing, people recruitment and management, financial performance and overall compliance in terms of health and safety and legal requirements within our industry.

If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?

It's a question I've often been asked but can never find a real answer to.

Having started in the industry at the age of 16, it's all I know.

I run the annual Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Awards and in recent years, I am doing a lot of MC/Charity Auctioneering so who knows, maybe I would have had a career on the stage.

What motivates you?

Beating the odds, overcoming the challenge, striving to be the best.

I'm quite a competitive person so I don't need a lot of motivation as it comes naturally but ultimately, I get great personal enjoyment out of seeing other people having a good time, so I guess Hospitality is the right place for me.

What is one thing that you wish you had known when you started out in business?

The saying that says, "you don't know, what you don't know".

Self belief is a good thing, but believing you know everything, a lot, even enough, is a dangerous thing.

My job relies on making big decisions and knowing it's always good to ask just one more question every time is something I wished I had leant earlier.

What excites you about business?

It's similar to what motivates me really, being able to do something when others might think it's impossible.

Being creative and thinking outside the box.

Hospitality is a wonderfully fast paced world that buzzes every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and there's a great energy that comes from running a business that literally never stops.

I love nothing more that seeing people develop too and when you get the chance to grow an individual or a team's ability and talent, at the same time as growing the business, its a very exciting and rewarding time.

What is your pet hate within business?

People who don't try.

The words, 'that’s not my job' are banned in our place.

I hate it when anyone starts a sentence telling me all the reasons why something can't happen, rather than using their time and energy to work out how it can.

The answer is always 'yes' – you just have to find a way to make things happen.

What advice would you give to people just starting their careers?

Attitude is the most important thing.

Being positive and giving your all will get you recognised and rewarded.

Skills will be learned and developed through life, but only with the right attitude will you seize the opportunity to do the most with them.

Surround yourself with positive people and if someone tells you a possibilty isn't possible, move on quickly to those that will help make it happen.

Who in business do you most admire, and why?

Anyone who's taken the final leap of faith to do it for themselves and made a success.

I've spent my life building and running successful businesses for others and I've enjoyed every minute of it, but I often think would I have started my own empire if I was to do it all again.

What moments of your career so far stand out?

So many to list here.

I was the youngest Sales Manager in a national hotel company, I went on to change the development and promotional route within that 50 hotel national group after challenging status quo and becoming the first General Manager to come from a Sales and Revenue background (something much more common now).

Meeting so many famous people, including King Charles (twice).

Also stories I could tell around Euro '96, the Foot and Mouth outbreak, Covid, the list is endless and certainly something that could easily fill a book some day.

Did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your business? If so, how did you adapt during such a tough time and what did you learn?

It's widely known that the Hospitality Industry was hard hit by the pandemic, but we took the decision early on to take risks when it came to investment.

We took the chance to open a takeaway business and diversify what we did.

It was all about staying in touch with our customers, whatever that took, and it paid dividends when we re-opened each time, with more confidence gained through each time we did it.

We ultimately found the last three years an exciting time to do things differently and created a winter wonderland of igloos, a beach for the summer, our Podville venture on the car park at the Fat Badger and one of the most fun projects we've ever done which was the Ales In The Dales project at The Yorkshire Hotel.

Is your business currently experiencing any challenges at the moment?

Like everyone, the cost of living crisis is hitting businesses as much as individuals and the cost of utilities is eroding profitability.

That coupled with across the board increases from most suppliers, but particularly food and drink, means margins have never been so tight.

We are taking a long term view and trying our best to not pass on too many costs to our customers though.

What sets your company apart from the competition?

Being independent, we can react to changes in market conditions quickly.

We support local suppliers and businesses and they in turn support us back so we work together for collective success.

Above all though, we're a people business and its our people that really set us apart at HRH Group.

We employ big personalities and that makes a difference when you're looking for a great place to stay or the best night out.

Have you got a five-year plan for the company?

No, a wise man once told me that 'God laughs in the face of those that plan too far ahead'.

For more for information about the HRH Group, visit https://www.hrhgroupharrogate.com/

Of course we have visions, but we keep our plans fluid as we go.

Why is it good to do business in Harrogate?

We're in the best town in Yorkshire and Yorkshire is the best County in the country, simple.

Great people, a beautiful town, low crime, fantastic local suppliers – there are so many reasons.

For more information about he HRH Group, visit https://www.hrhgroupharrogate.com/