So here we are in a new year and I’m oficially “on holiday” in Hanwell. Who needs a new year trip to Sri Lanka? Well, me, as evidently I’m clearly rubbish at switching off from work mode! To be fair, on day one of my “holiday” I did throw myself into out of office mode. I had a relaxing facial and was so in the zen zone that I didn’t even realise my bag and wallet had been lifted from my posession in the pit of hell that is Lidl! Lesson learnt, I’m just not built for the chilled life!
I’ve been easing into 2019 at a gentle pace, popping into The Dodo and doing some laptop admin bits here and there. I had a productive meeting today with my book keeper Esther and on Friday I head to Brighton for a creative meeting to start work on the new website. I’m looking forward to getting some inspiration from Brighton’s many glorious independents!
Come early next week I’m all out goal setting like a woman possessed though and mapping the sh*t out of 2019 so I’m ready and raring to go when we re-open on Thursday 17th Jan!!
Team meeting with the real brain behinds the business!
If you follow The Dodo on social media then you’ve probably already seen my 2018 re-cap. It was one hell of a year and went a little like this …
Celebrated our first birthday.
Double award winning – Ealing Pub of The Year 2018 & West Middlesex Pub of the Year 2018!
Got name checked in an actual book, The London Craft Beer Guide, thanks to Bryan at Weird Beard!
Made local news in Get West London and Ealing In London.
Made London news in The Evening Standard as a reason to move to Hanwell!
Got accepted onto an Innovating For Growth Business Programme with The British Library.
Got myself a kick-ass team which meant I actually managed to take a week off in August. No mean feat for any small business owner!
Made a beer in collaboration with Weird Beard! Dream come true but learnt that brewing is hard work!! Ha ha!
Launched said beer, The Dodo, a DDH pale ale, and sold out of 2 casks (140 pints) in less than 3 hours!! For a solid few weeks no cask ever made it past 12 hours of service. It’s safe to say you loved it!
Cloudwater, ranked the number 2 brewery in THE WORLD, selected The Dodo Micropub as the only venue in the whole of West London to help them re-launch their cask beer offering!
It was a bit of a rollercoaster to say the least! Operating the second year of The Dodo was hard work and I learnt a hell of a lot more compared to the first year. Despite all of the achievements listed above, to be very frank, my greatest success was not ending the year burnt out and an exhausted potato like I was at the end of 2017!
I’m still standing (and smiling)!
I’d put every inch of my body and mind into ensuring the first year of my business was a massive success (which it absolutely f**king was) but it came with a price. So, in 2018 I made a pact with myself to be kinder to me!
I learnt to rest, take a time out when required and enjoyed time away from the day to day running of The Dodo so I could think about the bigger picture of how I want my business to evolve and develop. I actually managed to be slightly less headless chicken and slightly more business boss! Mission accomplished for 2018!
The actual highlight of 2018 was without a doubt the launch of The Dodo beer! It sounds cheesy A.F but it was when all the passions of why I do what I do came together – beer, community, togetherness, good times!
You lot TURNT UP! Bigger and stronger than I ever could have imagined. The evening was just so epic and I remember physically shaking when I announced that 2 whole casks were gone in less than 3 hours! It was a bit much to take in how well the beer was received and the excitement was just pure electricity! Thank you Hanwell Massive! You really do well and truly ROCK!
Enough of the past though and here’s to moving forward with even more passion for beer and community in 2019!!
I’m very excited about what the new year is going to bring, I know what works in my business now, have data to work off, have customer research to draw from plus I have a few ideas running around in my head that will hopefully become a reality in 2019.
As ever, a massive, gigantic thank you to everyone who has ever supported the grind that is The Dodo Micropub!! It really does mean A LOT! I’m working hard on my dream come true and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon but that dream would literally be nothing without you guys!
Here’s to a mighty fine 2019 for all of us!
