#115 - Juggling Business Growth and Family Life with Sarah Lock

In this engaging episode of The Ceres Podcast, Stelios Theocharous is joined by Sarah Lock, the owner of Harbourside Fish Bar in Plymouth. Sarah provides a candid look into her journey in the fish and chip industry, sharing insights into managing multiple outlets, handling staffing challenges, and creating a customer-focused operation.

Sarah starts by revealing how she juggles her demanding business with family life. As a mother of young children, she finds early mornings her most productive time, allowing her to plan and think ahead before the day's demands take over. This proactive approach, which involves waking up at 5 a.m. to set herself up for the day, is a crucial strategy for managing her personal and professional challenges.

An interesting part of the discussion focuses on Sarah's approach to staffing. She believes in finding the right person for the right job, emphasising matching skills to responsibilities. Whether assigning someone to handle finances or ensuring front-of-house staff are adept at customer service, Sarah's ability to manage people and leverage their strengths has been key to her business's success.

She also discusses the importance of flexibility in staffing, especially in the fish and chip industry, where unpredictable demand and staff turnover can create significant challenges. Sarah highlights the benefits of running multiple outlets, such as having a larger pool of staff to draw from when one location faces unexpected shortages. This flexibility allows her to manage peak times more efficiently and ensure high customer service.

One of Sarah's most memorable insights revolves around her approach to recruitment: "If they can't make a cup of tea, they're out." While this may sound like a tough stance, it illustrates Sarah's focus on practical skills and reliability. She values employees who can demonstrate initiative and basic competence, which, as she explains, are essential in creating a successful and smooth-running business.

Sarah also speaks passionately about reducing waste, especially in a business that relies on volume. She advocates for using trimmings and byproducts creatively, noting that even small savings—like eliminating food waste—can significantly impact profitability. She reflects on her experience with other suppliers and discusses the increasing costs in the industry, particularly with fish, as prices continue to rise.

A key theme in this episode is Sarah's commitment to adapting and incorporating technology into her operations. From introducing click-and-collect services at her shops to trialling self-service kiosks, Sarah has embraced innovations that improve efficiency and customer experience. This forward-thinking approach has not only streamlined operations but also increased customer satisfaction.

Sarah also discusses the strategic importance of location when acquiring new shops. She emphasises that while a well-performing business is crucial, having the right location—especially one with a steady customer base—is equally important. She highlights how her business in North Devon nearly doubled its turnover within three years by implementing a click-and-collect system, showing how the right technology can profoundly impact growth.

This episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone in the hospitality industry, especially those in the fish and chip business. Sarah's candidness about the realities of balancing business growth with family life makes her story relatable for many entrepreneurs. Her focus on flexibility, staff training, and technology adoption provides a blueprint for anyone looking to enhance efficiency and customer service in their operations.

Whether you're managing a single site or running multiple outlets, Sarah's approach to leadership, innovation, and customer service offers practical takeaways that can help businesses thrive in the competitive hospitality landscape.