A love letter to doing things YOUR way

Last Thursday I went to one of my favourite places for lunch.

There’s no booking system. You might need to wait in line for up to 45 minutes on a busy canal towpath. Service might be a little slow. It’s closed from late October to early March. It’s closed Monday and Tuesdays. They don't do take-outs. Oh, and depending on where you’re seated, you might be an elbow’s width away from cyclists, e-bikes, joggers and pedestrians, whizzing and strolling by.

But also - you might have one of your best lunches of the year.

Welcome to Towpath Cafe, the legendary spot on the canal in east London started by Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson. It operates out of four small hatches, with tables and chairs outside on the towpath. There are wild flowers in jugs, an ever-changing menu chalked up on the blackboard, and great music playing. It’s full of heart and soul. How many restaurants can you go to where in their sixteenth year, the founders remain so hands-on? Lori is wiping down tables and showing us to our seats. Laura is bringing the food over.

I don’t like queuing but I go back to Towpath because I really admire what they do and how they do it. It’s about being totally confident in your offering, doing things well and doing it your way. They’re not trying to grow. Or open more days a week. Or move to a bigger premises. Or introduce an on-line booking system. They’re not trying to be ‘more efficient’ - they’re fine as they are.

They’re doing it The Towpath Way.

I think many of us can take inspiration from Lori and Laura. When you're running a brand or small business I know there’s often a pressure or temptation to introduce new product lines, to develop digital offerings, to hire more people, to grow and scale!

But actually there’s something compelling and also sustainable about ‘doing one thing well’ (hat tip David Hieatt) - running a business YOUR WAY. No compromises.

So here’s to the founders, entrepreneurs and brand owners doing things your way.