Starting a business is always somewhat Haphazard, however a gas leak, no water, weeks of storms, and Coronavirus initiating a stock market crash has been a little more than was bargained for … and Brexit is still yet to come!
Gas Leak and No Water
A few weeks back, it was announced on this blog site the opening of two new haphazard.business hub within weeks! The intention was to do some cleaning, basic repairs and get the places open before slowly developing each site over the coming year, while encouraging local people to join the journey with suggestions that would steer the design.
Within a few days of taking the keys, hub one had access issues to water and hub two had an odd smell that turned out to be a slow gas leak. Both places require much more attention than first believed and it was clear opening would take slightly longer than first expected. Although disappointing, this is not unusual when occupying old buildings.
Storms
In January, Storm Brendan kicked off more weeks of rain. It was soon followed by Storm Ciara, Storm Dennis and Storm Jorge causing major disruption and becoming the wettest February on record. Although Great Yarmouth was one of the luckier places not to suffer flooding, travelling, transporting equipment, and just generally moving around without getting soaked all began to cause issues. Visitors and help struggled to reach GY due to transport issues. A general gloom had already descended on many people because of the lack of sunshine, almost constant wind and dealing with the drizzle cum heavy rain, even before the Coronavirus outbreak reach the U.K.
Covid-19 Coronavirus
This last week (March 01-07) Covid-19, commonly known as Coronavirus, claimed its first life in the UK. As I write, there is a discernible sense of rising panic as cases increase across the globe leading to large falls on the world stock markets and panic buying in some supermarkets. London is noticeable quieter on the streets. Surveys of the hospitality industry capture the growing worry as the spring holiday season approaches.
The data showed 85% of senior executives across the out-of-home food and drink market were now “concerned” about the threat of coronavirus to their businesses, with 58% of leaders “very concerned”.
The Caterer
Haphazard Business Blog
The intention behind this blog is to document the often haphazard nature of creating a business, project or idea, as even the most careful planning can be scuppered by unexpected circumstances. However, the last few weeks have had a number of quite exceptional circumstances way beyond what would be normal, and things may yet get much more hairy!
Documenting The Next Stage and Stress
Beyond a ban on public gatherings, or some further issue that causes delay, one of the hubs, probably hub two will open later this month, with a very stripped back offer. My intention is to try and document the journey as best as possible. One of the greatest causes of stress is not being in control of circumstances and lacking information. The last week in particular has been difficult, trying to decide how best to move forward. A new normality will creep in over coming weeks and I hope to capture this here for future readers to understand how decisions have been made and are affected by unknown, far off as well as close to home events.
John M
References
The Caterer, (06 March 2020), Restaurants and pubs ‘left reeling’ from coronavirus and new immigration rules, Jennie Milsom, London, online. https://www.thecaterer.com/news/hospitality-businesses-reeling-coronavirus-immigration-rules
Haphazard Business 