A new and much-needed challenge

I was always very nervous starting any new job, having to get to know faces, names and procedures and worrying about getting it right.

This was particularly true when we bought the pub and I was faced with knowing locals who all had an air of wisdom and thought they knew everything there was to know about licensed retail.

It came as something of a shock, therefore, when I started at the Quality Hotel Scotch Corner that I felt none of these emotions. I was looking forward to a return to hotel management, but I wasn't worried or nervous.

I had the luxury of a seven-day handover from the previous incumbent, and had time to find my way around and get to know the team in a relatively relaxed fashion. I also knew the area and the hotel before starting work, and therefore was aware of some of the opportunities and problems I would face.

Now, having been in the job for just over a month I am thoroughly enjoying the new role. I have a relatively new and enthusiastic management team who are, in their own words, "full of potential", and it is up to me to get the best out of this potential.

When the staff find me wandering around the banqueting kitchens looking lost, they always point me in the right direction rather than send me on a wild-goose chase.

The most difficult aspect of the job so far has been renewing my acquaintance with a corporate body, although not in terms of now having a direct superior to report to. When we had the pub we always had to report to the taxman, the VAT inspectors and the bank manager, and we always felt we were working for them.

It is more in terms of having standard reports that have to be in a certain place at a certain time, and in a set format. This is far removed from the informal and relaxed approach that we employed at the pub and will take a while to get used to.

All in all, though, Helen and I are still happy to have sold the pub. There comes a time when you need a new challenge and I am currently thrilled by mine.

We can now socialise more readily than we used to, and can actually enjoy a Saturday night out for the first time in seven years.

Next diary from Ian Vipond: 22 November