What if profit isn't a plan but a consequence? James Nye turned one rundown coastal pub into a 10-site group by betting on a single belief: look after your team like family and the numbers take care of themselves.

James Nye is managing director of Anglian Country Inns, the family-owned hospitality group his father Cliff started 30 years ago. It now runs 10 venues across Norfolk and Hertfordshire, including The White Horse at Brancaster Staithe, built on simple, brilliant food and local suppliers. James holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management, and ACI was named Best Pub Employer for businesses under 500 staff.

He explains:
◼️ Why he codified "DNA" behaviours instead of writing more rules
◼️ The four-pillar scorecard: retention and eNPS for teams, satisfaction and revenue for guests
◼️ How to empower general managers inside a clear framework without flattening what makes each site special
◼️ Why "Be More Beyoncé" turns reflection into a daily habit
◼️ How recognition rituals like "happy checks" make going above and beyond contagious
◼️ Why the right GM matters more than the right building
◼️ What backing his people early in COVID actually bought him - four-day weeks, sustainable hours and stronger retention
◼️ How growth outpaced price rises once recruitment costs fell

James also explains why better comms tools like All Gravy matter when you're scaling a culture across 10 very different venues and trying to keep it feeling human.

Follow James:
LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/james-nye-26b11623

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