29th March 2026

Opening Reflection — Gadgets and Getting Older

I’m a man who loves his gadgets.

This week I picked up a new one — a pair of glasses with a built-in hearing aid.

Now, I have to admit, the idea of wearing a hearing aid has never sat comfortably with me. In my mind, it’s always been a signal that age is catching up with you.

But these glasses? That’s a different story.

The hearing aid is built into the frame. Subtle. Discreet. Practical. And, most importantly, it works.

It’s not perfect, but it does the job. Especially in crowded environments where conversations can become a blur. Now, with a simple adjustment, I can dial up the volume of the world around me.

It’s a reminder that while ageing may be inevitable, how you adapt to it is a choice.

When Creativity Recognises Creativity

This week also brought a piece of news that lifted the spirits.

An advertising agency approached us to use one of our farm shops as a location for a major shampoo brand campaign. They were drawn to the look and feel of what we’ve created.

I won’t lie — I was over the moon.

We’ve agreed to close the shop for a day to allow filming. Financially, it makes sense — the fee comfortably exceeds what we would normally take in a day.

But more than the money, it’s the recognition that matters.

The fact that creatives see our space as something worth showcasing tells me we’re doing something right. That the environment we’ve built — one based on connection, not just transaction — is resonating.

Of course, we have to be careful not to upset our regular customers. So we’re planning to offer them a money-off incentive as a way of sharing in the good fortune.

I’m looking forward to seeing the final ad. I’ll be sure to let you know when it goes live.

The Long Shadow of January

That said, the realities of business haven’t disappeared.

The fire at one of our key suppliers back in January is still affecting us. We’re hopeful that supply will resume by the end of this month, but in retail, three months without product is a long time.

Retailers don’t like gaps. Shelves don’t wait.

So, there’s a fair amount of relationship management — or, to put it plainly, placating — that needs to happen.

It’s another reminder that in business, problems rarely arrive one at a time.

The Real Test of Business

There’s a lot of theory out there about how to run a business.

Frameworks. Models. Strategies.

But in my experience, it comes down to something much simpler:

How do you respond when things go wrong?

Because they will.

And not just once — repeatedly.

The last few months have felt like being knocked down, getting back up, and then being knocked down again. But the job is to keep getting up.

That’s the real test.

And it’s why small wins — like this week’s advertising opportunity — matter more than people realise.

They remind you that the fight is worth it.

Outgrowing the Past

As the business evolves, something else becomes clear.

Not everyone evolves with it.

The people who help you start a business are not always the people who take it to the next stage. That’s one of the hardest realities to accept.

We’re now refining how we operate:

• New EPOS systems
• Stronger health and safety procedures
• More structured processes

If you want to build something that can scale, process and discipline become everything.

And that often means bringing in new skills, new people, and new ways of working.

Humans vs Systems

One thing I’m increasingly aware of is this:

Most problems in business occur at the point where things rely too heavily on people rather than systems.

Humans are inconsistent. We have off days. We make mistakes.

AI, on the other hand, is consistent. Reliable. Scalable.

Which raises an uncomfortable question:

How do we build businesses where human performance matches the reliability of systems?

That’s not easy. But it may well be one of the defining challenges for the future.

Closing Reflection

This week has been a mixture of progress and pressure.

A new gadget reminding me to adapt.

A creative opportunity validating what we’ve built.

Ongoing challenges testing our resilience.

And the constant need to evolve.

That, in many ways, is the reality of running a business.

You don’t stand still.

You don’t get comfortable.

You keep adjusting, refining, and moving forward.

Because in the end, it’s not about avoiding the challenges.

It’s about staying in the fight long enough to make something meaningful.

Onwards.