Kat Thorne: So welcome back to the Positive Habits podcast. I am very excited to have James on the podcast this week. James has been somebody I've been following quietly online for some time. And I have to say, I have a lot of envy, James, at the amount of food that you seem to eat and try and consume. think my trick is walk everywhere. Okay. What's more, it's an island city. And to go on the Ports of Food guide, wherever I'm eating out, I tend to walk very fast to and from that venue, hoping that the pounds stay off. And I know, from following you as well, you do like actual sea swimming and things like that. And I could never do that. So that's where I'm in awe of you, Kat, completely. I don't know how you do it with loads of other people. It's quite... bizarre how you can just like get in that sea, regardless of the temperature and just exercise. I think I'll stick with my walking. stick with your walking, but we're definitely going to get into that I'm sure as well in the episode. James, you are quite unique. You've got this passion project that you're really developing, the Portsmouth Food Guide, but you also work for a charity called Enableability, which is a local charity. And I just want to start the podcast by starting the conversation with something that made me really smile when I read it. And you wrote, I want to help reclaim the bright future Portsmouth deserves. And there's a lot of things you've written about no more empty shops and that kind of thing. Obviously, you are very passionate about Portsmouth. You're born and bred here, I assume. I am, yeah. Why does Portsmouth, let's like kind of unpack this a little bit. What do you mean by the bright future Portsmouth deserves? As in it doesn't have a bright future or it's going in the wrong direction. Like tell us what you mean by that and how you're trying to improve that. Sure. Okay. So what I mean by that is that I think COVID did a lot of damage to high streets up and down the UK, not just Portsmouth. So if you have a look at our high streets now compared to maybe 10, 15 years ago, arguably, I think the landscape has changed significantly. And also people, this is the habits, the podcasts, people do have quite unhealthy habits of just getting takeaways and eating in. And not really is that a ⁓ bad habit to get into. Personally, I think it is, but you're kind of, you're creating a very unsocial way of life by just getting takeaways and not meeting up with friends. And what about our pub culture as well? Our pub culture is dying and they, I often refer to them as pillars of our community where we actually really, really need pubs in Portsmouth. Now. Lots of people have a bad impression of pubs where you just go there and get drunk. It's really not the case. And there is this initiative called Empty Chairs that I'm getting involved in. I don't know if you've heard of it, Kat. No. But it's a fantastic initiative where it all stems from a group of, I think it was guys in their 20s or 30s, where sadly one of their friends committed suicide and That's the reason why it's called empty chairs. And so they started up this initiative. It started in the UK, but now it's gone out globally where they have a host which puts up their arm and says, we'll meet in this pub at this time. And it just goes on the website and anyone who's feeling lonely or they might be suffering with mental health issues, they can just come along and have a chat. There's no commitment. There's no booking. They just come along to a pub. and have a chat. And I think that is the beauty to Portsmouth Pub Scene. So even though I'm called the Portsmouth Food Guide, I have a real strong passion on keeping our high streets alive and keeping our pub culture thriving because I'm not sure whether you know or not, but Portsmouth has the most pubs per square mile outside of London. And that is a title that I really want to keep. Going back to what I said in my piece that I feel like we're heading in the wrong direction with the hospitality and catering industry on its knees. I won't go into politics, but certainly government hasn't helped that with their new tax rates and such. So I do think that there needs to be a much better awareness of what's actually happening in our high streets. And part of what I'm doing is trying to, even if it's by a small amount, help and put out the word that we need to look after our high streets and not turn more into vape shops or whatever else. So yeah, I think it's important and something that I am going to really keep on pushing until I die. love that. I love the passion and I can speak on behalf of anybody locally that we really appreciate you and I for one. look forward to reading your posts and many of your posts has inspired me to go into those places that you've reported on. And actually, I hadn't really fully appreciated your mission was much bigger than food. And for me, I haven't drunk alcohol for several years now and I still enjoy going to pubs with friends and things. And I think, but I almost think they need a rebrand. They've got an awful stigma attached. Like I say, lot of people think you just go to a pub to get drunk and it's really not the case. you have a look in a pub these days, at least probably, can confidently say this, 25 % of people are not drinking alcohol. Yeah, so interesting. I think they've, mean, a lot of our pubs locally have definitely helped by being dog friendly. And I think a lot of the pubs are trying to attract people with like sip and pain or other events. And so I think there's a big drive, but I think it's hard not to notice the shops that are closing, the rates that are struggling. mean, I can think of a brewery in our city. I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about that has been. campaigning with our local MP about the rates and are basically just saying if something isn't done, then they will have to be forced to close. And that would be absolutely tragic. Because it's such a beautiful venue, and it's a family place as well at certain points in the week. But I suppose, I mean, we don't want to go into the whole political agenda, but what conversations have you had locally that give you confidence that we can work with these organizations politically or otherwise to help revitalize our high streets. Cause let's face it, as you say, it's happening everywhere. They are turning into these kind of quickie markets and vape shops and, and the life is disappearing. I think I don't have any influence on what the government decides. I've got a very, very good open. working relationship with the local MPs. I know that both of them are following my food guide. So they're aware of what I'm trying to achieve. So all I can do is go on my own little mission of trying to spread awareness and encouraging people to eat out. And I love what you said about what I put online does encourage you personally. go out and eat out and drink out and what I would do is encourage anyone who sees me in the street to come up to me and say that because honestly Kat it really does make my day when people say because of you I found a new place because what do people tend to do is they just stick to the same place I know all my friends or even my family are guilty of it they find that one place and they keep on going back to it time and time and time again And that's not healthy in my opinion because Portsmouth is a great place. I'm often asked, what's the best place in Portsmouth that you'd recommend? And I just won't answer it because I can reel off a hundred different places that I'd happily send you to. And also it depends on personal preference as well. What my palette and what I'm interested in doesn't appeal to another person. I love historic buildings that are converted into new, hip, trendy bars, restaurants, cafes. And there's many places in Portsmouth that are old, they're historic, but have been turned into trendy new cafes. And I absolutely love that. But if history isn't your thing, then of course you're going to have no interest in that. You just want a really decent, cheap breakfast, for example. Yeah? That's what you like, but it's not necessarily what I like. But wherever you're going, I probably say, yeah, they do a cracking breakfast, but I don't like the views or I don't like the architecture. So it's difficult being the food guide because I get a lot of saying, ⁓ come on, man, where's your best place? Where do you eat out? And the honest answer is, is that I don't go back to the same place until about three or four months has passed because that's my rule. And unless my family want to go. to one place in particular, then I'm dragged along kicking and screaming. yeah, no, certainly for me, I like trying new places and different things. And so that's what I'd encourage other people to do as well. me too. And it's interesting you talk about it, because everyone has got wildly different ideas of what's really good. I think about, often I'm traveling a lot with my work and things and so I often take a couple of hours on a Saturday morning and I go and find a spot and I'll just catch up on all my admin and I'll have breakfast somewhere. And I've definitely got a couple of favorite places for that because I know that there's a space and I know I can get my laptop out. But for me, one of the problems with going back to the same places is I love to be recognized and I love to be noticed. I love it when And I'm going to fight really hard not to mention any particular names on this, this particular podcast, I don't want to influence anyone, but there are certain places I go and they say, ⁓ morning cat. Is it your usual? And then they know the name of my dog. And, and that for me, it's like, I will go out of my way to those places. And I think inevitably in any city, there are places in our city that, that keep, I know it's hard to keep the same stuff. inevitably people move on and they progress and whatever. But there are a few places that you see the same people and then you'll go to another place and it's constantly changing and therefore the customer service isn't as good as it could be. I I don't know, have you ever thought about helping people with service? I know it might be a bit out of what you've been doing, but I really believe that a lot of our local businesses are missing a trick, especially as you said about lockdown and COVID and things, I feel like for me, when I go out and eat or I go to a new place, it's 50 % about the consumables and it's 50 % about the experience. Oh yeah, totally. I'm big on experience. Yeah, and the experience comes from the people. feel like, especially in hospitality, it's so difficult because how do you, when you just, especially if you have a high turnover staff, if you've got a big busy place, How can you ensure that the people who are working and giving you that service give you really good service that makes you want to keep coming back? Yeah, I mean, my background is actually customer service. It's where I started my professional world in the historic dockyard and then moving to other attractions. so when I was a student, I was a visitor host and we really played hard on giving the visitor a good experience. And so that is my background. So when I feel like a place is lacking in customer service, it's a real bugbear of mine and it really bothers me and it does get to me. So I'm not saying that they need to know my name as nice as that is being felt like you're part of the family being a customer. I think going to different places still outweighs them knowing your name. And also they don't need to know your favorite order or your name to be good at customer service. And it's so hard not to name places because I picked up on that on this podcast. That's a... a rule that you have in place, but I'm an influencer, so I love shouting out different places. And so it completely goes against what I do. But we can, it's not that we can't, we can talk about our favourite places. Okay, so can I name one place yet? Yeah, we should name them, yeah. Please, yeah, it'll be good and it would be very, very helpful. There's a place called Natty's Jerk, okay? Yes, I know very, popular place in Portsmouth. It's Jamaican vibes with jerk chicken. They've even got like a sandy beach out the back. And I spoke to Natty not that long ago and he gave me a behind the scenes tour just to show me the extent to the business and what else goes on behind closed doors, which a lot of customers don't actually realize. They've got a department for this, a department for that. You've got staff working on this, staff working on that. There's probably about four or five different sections within their behind the scenes that you've got like two or three members of staff working on this one thing and they're doing it extremely well. But the point is, is that he got out this manual and it's a manual for all of his staff that work for him. And it's huge. It's a big book. all produced and written by him on the expectations that they need to show their customers. And I said to him, can I take this book? Of course he said no, but because it's copyright for them. But I just wish that, like you say, I just wish that every single business had that same instruction manual to say customer is king. They come first. Of course you get some idiot customers that are a pain in the backside, but the majority of them, you've really got to value them. And then it makes the customer feel warm and fuzzy inside that they want to come back to that same place. it works for you. You are a fine example of that cat where you do want to feel special. But like you said as well, it's all about the overall experience. Experience is key for me. And that's why in months to come, I really want to develop the business and do tours and that will be like massive experiences where you have people visiting the city and using food and drink as a vehicle to showcase the city. And I think that that's going to be brilliant once that's up and running because it really is showcasing the very best experiences within the city. I hate, absolutely hate going to like a a dingy backstreet cafe in no disrespect to the people of Northend, but you find a lot of those types of cafes in like the backstreets of Northend where you just go in and there's no like femurization, there's no sort of glitz, there's no glamour, there's no pictures on the wall. It's just dull, it's a boring experience and they might do the best food, but the overall experience of the place is terrible. It really is. even think even if the... Because obviously there are places, for example, in Greece that I visited that look nothing from the outside. probably would... And I only go in them if I hear people talking Greek. They might not look anything, but somebody warm comes up to you. And I think if somebody... Not as in standing outside with a kind of drum, like, and eat in my restaurant. But when you enter a place, if they come up to you and... They've got a big smile, good morning. Like, I'll tell you a quick story, actually. I went to London recently to work with a company just on the outskirts of London. they wanted, we agreed that we would start early because they're a manufacturer, so they open really early. So I was there at like, to start eight. And I got, because I didn't want to get stuck in traffic, I was there around 6.30. And I saw a Costa just up the road. And I'm not a massive fan, but I thought I'll just go in there. I'll have a coffee. I'll do some work. but I had very low expectations. And I walked in there and this guy looked at me and he went, good morning. And I was just like, where am I? Who's this guy? And we had, honestly, I was talking about that for weeks. We had the loveliest conversation. He was from Ecuador and he just loved people. He loved chatting to people. And it got me thinking about a conversation with, are you familiar with Mary Porters? she's, I think she's, she had a very, you know, she's, she's quite like famous. She had an incredible career with in retail and she was speaking at a conference that I was speaking at recently and somebody was asking her, she was on a panel and somebody was asking her like, how do you find good people? So it was a garden center association conference. they obviously, everything is about people and customer service as well as products. And she said that she worked with the founder of Pretz, Pretamont, cafes and restaurants. And I don't know if you've ever been to a Pret and had a bad experience, but- Not particularly, no. No, because the guy who started that said his hiring methodology was just hire people who have great personalities- A prisoner. Yeah, who just love- life and want to smile and want to greet people. And I just thought that can't be like, how is that possible? And I've tried it in every single prep and I've never ever met somebody in a prep that wasn't like high vibe. mean, how easy is that in reality? don't know. do you fish out the good from the bad? And do they deliberately go for people who are high in energy? But not necessarily have any experience whatsoever in that sort of environment. I think it's the quality of what they're producing for you. are they going to make you the nicest coffee or are they going to greet you with a smile? And that's kind of like what you're risking with hiring people with a set sort of persona. them. but maybe for Pratt it doesn't matter too much because I feel like with the coffee they're just pushing buttons and I'm not sure how overly barista it is in a Pratt. don't really know because I don't make coffee. it always, ever since she said that, it's got me thinking about how do you find good people? And I know my very good friend Vincenzo, he runs a pizzeria in Albert Road. We've talked about this before. it's been tough for him to find good people because those kind of hours, when is the busiest time, Friday and Saturday nights? It's quite hard work being on your feet, being a waitress or working in a kitchen. And also a family business such as that one is really hard to let go. of your baby that you started from the beginning and then let it free with someone else to run the business and make the pizzas the way you want the customer service. it's tough running ⁓ a cafe or restaurant if you're an independent business because it's so, so hard to let go of what you created and do things the way that you want it to be done. And that's how you sort of develop the business. you know, that's another struggle that independent businesses have because you often find that owners of cafes, particularly in Portsmouth, I can name one, Momet. I went there in Cotner Road the other day and I said, so what's your name then? And there was the owner and he said, well, my name's Momet. And I was like, ⁓ right. So you are the actual Momet for Momet's Kitchen. And he was like, ⁓ yeah, I'm here all day, every day, you know? And then he went on to explain that he's got family's thing from over abroad. So abroad. And ⁓ that was a mixture of overseas and abroad. Anyway, so my point is, is that they have big sacrifices to make because they want to be with their business 24 seven. And he runs another business, which is like a. a morning breakfast type place. So he has a morning breakfast place as well as a nice evening place. And so that is him out of the family home all the way from eight in the morning right through until 10, 11 o'clock at night. And you know, what sort of lifestyle is that? It's bonkers, isn't it? is bonkers. I don't know what the solution is though, because I can think of a cafe that I... was going to religiously and then the people who started it opened another one and then they got somebody who just didn't have the same. Yeah, yeah. Just didn't have the same energy, didn't have the same, it just wasn't, it wasn't worth going there because again, I was only getting 50 % of what I wanted and I could get 100 % of what I wanted much closer. So. That is the challenge, isn't it? I don't know what the answer is. There's another place called Bay Coffee, just down the seafront. that's run by Dave. Everyone knows Dave, but he really, really struggled to sort of hand it over the reins and spend time with his family and kids because he built his business around his own personality. and how he knew his customers and how he'd chat there for ages, making every customer feel unique. that was a real struggle for him. And I'm sure who he's handed it over is fine, but part of the brand, part of the business was him. People went to see Dave and have a coffee with him. It wasn't, let's have a coffee from Dave. It's, let's see Dave. and have one of his coffees while talking to him. So... absolutely. And it's happening all over. And yeah, same as Mehmet, same as Bay Coffee, same as Nati's jerk. That's a family-run business. And he's got his sister doing this and his brother doing that and his son doing this. And you go into there any time and you've got one of Nati's family there. because that is who he trusts in the business and that's where he finds it incredibly hard to step down because it is his baby and so really having such a passion for something can sometimes be like a nightmare in disguise really because you've got to be there for the business 24-7 otherwise it goes down and breaks down and it's no longer what you once knew it. Do you know anyone who's done that successfully? Because I think Dave has done that. Like I know Leon, who works for him. Great. I mean, I'm the same, right? I love Dave. I spend a lot of money with Dave. He's the person I was thinking of, of who knows my order, knows the dogs. He's also a really great human because he's always, because he knows what I do for a living. So he's always thinking. He sometimes says to me, oh, Kat, you should talk to this woman. I think she could help you and trying to connect you, like just being a good human. yeah, yeah. I mean, I know Dave from family parties and stuff. There's own videos where we're like kids together. That's how well rooted and connected we are to Portsmouth because we were born and bred in the same area. And I know his mum very, very well, who's good friends with my mum. So there's a real sort of. family connection. And that's the scary thing about Portsmouth. Everyone knows everyone and you haven't got any private business at all because everyone knows everyone. They call it the seven degrees of separation, but I think in Portsmouth, it's more like two degrees, especially in South Sea. It's a very well-knit community. no, going back to your question, Kat, I don't know any because I like to... spread my business across many places. to be honest with you, the last time that I saw Dave at Bay Coffee, even though I support him, I'm a massive fan of his coffee, I've had it two or three times, but I haven't been there for months. so, because there's a perfectly decent place in Hillsie that has just opened, that coffee place, TCP is known for just around the corner from Coastmates, which is brilliant. They're the owners of Nosh Box, if you know Nosh Box, which is right next door to Natty's. They are big, big, they're passionate about what they do. And I love going places where they have a real passion, whether that be the management or the chef. It's a real, real big passion of theirs. So I love going places that they're passionate about what they do. And there are little nooks and crannies. across Portsmouth where you will find that real genuine passion for what they do. And there's so many. think we're spoiled for choice actually. In fact, like yesterday I was thinking I could go here, I could go here, I could go here. Like I have lots of favourite places. But then as you mentioned in the beginning about the lack of interest in sea dipping. So the sea dipping that's happening is over in another part in Gosport or near Gosport in Leon Solon. And yet there, I really struggle to find the same kind of culture that we've got here. There's a of nice craft beer places there. Yes, but not really the same cafe culture, branch and things that we have here. And I think we are completely spoiled here. And whilst you can just get the ferry over, I, yeah, wondered what your thoughts on... how we can build something similar over there. Like, why do we have it all here? But there's a huge population there. I mean, we live in a very densely populated city. Why do you think no one has really started anything independent there in terms of like cafes? I have no idea. If I knew that, I'm sure I'd be a very rich man. I really don't know. Is it because of the demographics that you have in in Southsea with young professionals, hip, trendy. Why have you got that in Brighton so much? And why is it so different from the south of the city to the north of the city? That's what I was explaining about the back street cafes. like I said, no, no offence to North End, but it does have a different sort of vibe, a different culture there. And I think Southsea is very much, what's the word, cosmopolitan. where it's full of independent places and very Instagrammable places where it's very hip, it's very trendy. Look at Matcha, for example, that's the new thing, the new trend. And I do think people go for trends. And like you say, it's all about like going into a cafe and whether it be good service or good food or great coffee or nice vibes or nice music or... How's it look from the outside? Does it look dull? What's the light like? Is there wifi? Is it pet friendly? Does it have a baby changing unit? There's so many different things about cafes that you've really got to think about. I think Leon Solent, Leon the Solent, I think they are there, but there isn't enough knowledge or enough people shouting about it. Maybe they just need more influences. Maybe there needs to be a Leon the Solent food guide. You just started. I've got time for it, but I'd love to explore the best places there. And I can actually tell you, is it Daedalus? Is that how you say it? Daedalus Airport? Right in the middle of it, there's a cafe there where you can sit and have like a bite to eat. and watch all the planes taking off and landing. And that would be my top tip. Forgot the name of the cafe, but it's really easy to find. It's right in Daedalus, near the waterfront there. And you can go in there and sit outside on a nice sunny day. And that's my number one place that I would go. So there are pockets of interesting places and I like going places that are different and unique. And certainly that cafe, where else in the area can you sit? and watch a plane landing about 200 yards from where you're sat having your, your bacon baguette or something. And yeah, I didn't even know that was there. And there's a great, know you're not into like craft beer and drinking alcohol and stuff. I'm sure they do zero alcohol things, but there's another place called Sea Fire, which is in Leon Solent. So they're my two top places that I go or what's it called? Pebbles. Stokes Bay, that's another great place. And throughout the summer they have live jazz performances outside. And I shouldn't really be saying that, but if you don't want to spend the money in the restaurant, then you can just sit out on the beach and bring a picnic or a barbecue and then just be listening to the live jazz provided by the restaurant. But it's a great restaurant as well. So yeah, there are pockets of exciting places. It's just really discovering them. And I think we are very blessed in Portsmouth where we do have not only Portsmouth Food Guide, but there's so many different influences that do spread awareness of these little pockets of greatness. absolutely. And I have a little bit of a love hate relationship with TikTok, but when I was in working in Marrakesh recently, I turned to TikTok because I wanted to find, I had a little window and I wanted to go to the Medina. but I wanted to find like a really special place to go. And there was an influencer and she said, oh, these are my top five places. Anyway, I found it and it was the most incredible experience. I mean, everything was great. The host, the guy who served me was phenomenal. The food was great. Like I was sat at the very top of this building and I could look out across the whole Medina. It was really, really incredible. And for me, it was affordable, but it was probably like five times what you would pay if you went to, like if you ate on one of the food markets or something. But what was so lovely is the tea that I chose, it came out and it was called Strong Woman. And I said, ⁓ like, I'd love to, can I buy you this tea? Because sometimes cafes that are making their own produce, sometimes they package it and sell it like, bread addiction, for example, they sell their own granola and things like that. So ⁓ he said, ⁓ we don't sell it, but everyone's always asking me about that. And I said, well, talk to your boss, like, see if you should sell it, right? Anyway, just as I was leaving, he gave me like a little espresso cup with three of these tea bags in. And he said, there you go. ⁓ wow. You can drink some when you go back to England. And I just thought, like, that is so, so over and above, but just made like, and I wrote, I actually sat and I don't often write reviews unless I'm completely over excited about a place. And I just wrote the nicest review because I just, I thought he really deserved it and the whole place deserved it. I know. But how did you find out about that? It all comes from social media. So there's a lot to be said about TikTok, which is your worst enemy, and Facebook and Instagram. They are the ways of discovering places. And if you actually type into Google where to eat in Portsmouth, I think I come out like second or third, but it's not my website. It's my Instagram account, which is really bizarre. I don't know how I've managed that. so it's pretty cool. And I swear I get a few of my followers from a Google search because that is the number one thing that people type in. where to eat in Portsmouth. I cannot go all my different reels and places and so hopefully if you are visiting the area then you can go on my Instagram and then you'll see somewhere such as the example that you gave and I came back from Singapore last year I went and then I came back and then another influencer who I know she said ⁓ I went to this incredible place like really up high you could overlook the the marina and the harbor and stuff and it was an amazing place and she showed me photos and I was like, ⁓ if only I saw your post before going. But even going places like Abu Dhabi, I think it's Abu Dhabi, where they have like a 10 star hotel or something ridiculous like that where you can have like gold leaf tea or something like that. And it cost me 15 pounds, but again, it's an experience. And nowhere else would you pay £15 for a cup of tea. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But yeah, I still did it just because I want a £15 cup of tea, you know. it's ridiculous about, you know, and I love this podcast because it is all about habits, isn't it? Yeah. And so I want to kind of ask you about that. So you're juggling a lot. You've built up this from nothing. You've built up this incredible following. You are like Portsmouth Trip Advisor and more. And you've got this much bigger mission, helping different kind of parts of the community. You're working with Enableability, which is helping young people as well. So how does, how do habits play an important role in, in managing all of this? 12 week old baby as well in the midst. 12 week old baby as well. Which is particularly challenging. I'm not too sure how I'm managing it really because before the baby came along, I'd used to say to my wife, ⁓ I'm off out and doing like a post or whatever. And then now it's kind of, no, you stay here. You've only got 10 hours of food guide stuff. know, so that's my limit now. that my wife has set, which I think is quite helpful having like a 10 hour limit to doing like influence food guide stuff. But yeah, that's what I've got for the food guide and business development. And 37 hours is enablerability work. And so that's how I break down my week. And the rest of the time is spent with my family, helping out my wife. going on little day trips here, there and everywhere in and around Portsmouth because even though I'm Portsmouth food guide, I don't like to be trapped on the islands. know, there's a big world to explore outside Portsea Island and the South Downs and you've got the New Forest and dare I say it, Southampton just down the road and Chichester and Brighton. We live in a fantastic place. so coming back to like splitting your time. It's a challenge. It really is, you know, because everything today is my office day and today is my sort of working from home day where I've got to prioritize my work. But where do I prioritize it? I really want my tours to be happening at the weekends and that's taking a lot of work in terms of like insurance and policies and documents and getting that all sorted. But at the same time, I've got an event happening. on Thursday with my young people with disabilities where I need to keep parents informed. And also with my over 25 group, we're meeting at the pub on Thursday night, which is a safe place where I can have one-to-one chats with ⁓ people with disabilities. And so I'm trying to sort of sort that out as well. So, you know, there is a lot going on and the honest answer is I'm struggling if there's someone who is a time management coach where you pass them my way because like, yeah, it is tricky and looking after your own health as well is important. So you've got to spend time on that as well. But there's things like mundane tasks like cooking and cleaning and going to the supermarket. I just have not got the time for that. So. It's a struggle. is a struggle. And thanks for sharing that because I think sometimes one of the challenges with social media and just online presence is it always looks glossy and rosy and like everything's amazing. And there are people who would, who'd be listening to this podcast going, wow, you've got a 12 week old, I would give my right arm for a 12 week old. But of course we all have these different perspectives, don't we? And one of the things I always say with anyone I'm working with, whether that's individually or one of my talks or whatever is, see if you can just give yourself something for 10 minutes a day. And now I rarely go into the day without thinking, okay, because you have to be brutal with your time. Because what we don't do very well is we don't factor in all the calls and the emails and all the other things that take that kind of silently stealing our time. So my kind of top tip to people is like, give yourself 10 minutes of energizing yourself, whether that's a run or reading or just a bit of being outside, whatever that is for you, and then just try to prioritize the most important thing you've got to do today. And then once you've done that, everything else is a bonus. But I think we overcomplicate things and we are really good at saying yes to everything. And sometimes you've just got to say no to something, haven't you? Yeah, yeah, no, that's been my main sort of mission over the past 10 years to learn to say no. Because being the food guide, of course I get, very, very fortunate. Like you say, I've got a 10, 11 week year old baby and it's lovely to have that at home. But also if you've got an offer of like a restaurant saying, ⁓ I've got 60 quid's worth of food for you. Everyone will jump at that opportunity. It's what a ⁓ brilliant opportunity. I'm very, very thankful for those sorts of opportunities. but often comes with that is that they want some sort of free promotion and the time in which it takes to put together well polished reel that showcases what I'm going to because I want to do it, do it justice. And that comes with commentary. It comes with finding appropriate music. It's the caption both on screen and the caption below that sits to describe the experience. and it's all the editing and getting the shots, you know. So even though I'm getting 60 quid's worth of food, I'm actually putting four or five hours, including going to the experience, which totals to about eight hours in total. That's eight hours of my time for 60 pounds worth of food. And I don't know what your hourly rate is, Kat, but I tend to like to think that my hourly rate is a little bit more than... 60 pound for eight hours. So a lot of people say, oh yeah, you're so lucky getting this as this. Us influencers, and I know that I speak for all the influencers out there, it's really, really time consuming to put together a well polished piece which tells people and it's a storytelling, it's the same as writing a book. How long does it take to for you to write a decent review that you're then putting out to thousands of people? I'm not looking for being TikTok famous or whatever. It's all about influencing you to say, yeah, I like the look of that place. I'm going to go there and I'm going to try it out. that's my purpose. Yeah, absolutely. So yeah. So you, I think you mentioned in our sort of when we were talking before about how you manage all of this and you said about staying consistent. So I always ask my guests at the end of the podcast, what is your number one habit? Would you say? being consistent has without without the expectation of seeing those immediate results, because I think that's a trap we fall into, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, it is. I'm not too sure, to be honest. The expectation is just to do your very best in whatever you're doing, I guess is the best thing that I can tell you on that. But then you become your worst enemy, really, because if you always try and your best at doing something and not giving out a half-hearted effort, then something that, for example, my wife, she just gets the job done. And that's not my theory. I absolutely hate it when she like does like something half-hearted effort. Even putting on baby girls nappies. I spend a lot of time like putting on the cream, making sure that it's done out properly. But she does it in like two minutes. She's like a ninja, you know, she does it really, really quickly. And I'm like, how do you do it so quick? And she's like, oh, no, you don't bother about putting on the cream. She's not doing much. then, and I'm like, really? And it's like simple task around the house. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but I always like giving it 110 % on whatever I do. And that is really, really tough, especially when you're developing a business that you're calling your own. you know, it's not like I've got like one or two people seeing how I do. I like to share what I'm doing on social media. So whatever I'm doing, I'm like putting, you know, my heart and soul across social media. And I want people to follow me in the journey. And if I screw up, then that that's seen by loads and loads of people. So that's just an added pressure as well. So, yeah, times are tough. And I really do think that us business owners, have to be open and honest about what is working, what isn't working, struggles and reach out for help because there are people out there who are there to help. I've just joined the Federation of Small Businesses because they have the templates to provide you with policies, documents, insurance, and health and safety, just to make sure that you're doing things right and by the book, which terrifies me, by the way. ⁓ James, I'm so inspired by you. think people listening to this podcast will, it's so lovely to get to know you better and hear about your mission and also your struggles, very real. I've been running my own business now for four years and it's an absolute roller coaster. One that I don't want to get off though, one that I know that if you, the more positive habits you put in place, the more you stick to them, the more consistent you are. think, but I think one of the things I have learned is when you run your own thing, there's always going to be a hundred things that you could. do. Like if there were 24 hours a day and you were working in every single hour of every single minute, let's imagine for a second in another universe you didn't have to sleep, you could work all the time. But at the end of the day, you get one life. So the way I see my days is I've got a plan, I do as much as I can. And then I've made a promise to myself, like I don't work after certain hours, and I'll pick everything up tomorrow and nothing is Life or death? Yeah, yeah, no, that's what I'm trying to teach myself, Kat. it's hard, you know, because if I had it my way, and don't tell my wife, hopefully she won't listen to this podcast. But 24 seven, I'd happily be sat at a laptop or out in the street doing the things that I'm most passionate about. But then throw a baby or a beautiful, stunning wife into the mix. And then of course you do want your time with them as well. So I am completely and utterly split right now on where my priorities lie. And you're right, you just got to be so strict with yourself and just say from this time onwards today is family time and you work nine till five. But yeah, it's a hard habit to break because before I had a wife, before I had a child, you know, my unhealthy habit was working until like two, three o'clock in the morning. And that's not healthy for anyone, is it? No. And I think just I've tried to also remind myself on a regular basis, just try to enjoy the ride. Like we don't know how long we're here for. Try not to stress about every little thing and worry about in the end, we We don't know when our time's up. So enjoy your family, enjoy your work, enjoy the food, the development, the tours and everything. That sounds so exciting. I look forward to following that. And thank you for sharing your story with us on the podcast today. Really excited to see where it goes from here. Thank you so much, Kat. I really appreciate the chat. And yeah, you've me a few tips yourself on... I give you tips on where to eat and you give me how to manage my time. That's a good deal. So thank you so much. We appreciate the chat.