Smaller, Tighter, Better: Why Lean Teams Win in 2025

What is reshaping how I think about teams in 2025?

Firstly, thank you so much to everyone who replied to my email on Monday, regarding interviews for my book. I am extremely grateful, and thank you to everyone for your continued support!

Let’s get into it…

Looking at rotas. Talking to clients. Getting in the weeds with the numbers. One thing I keep coming back to, the teams that are thriving right now aren’t the biggest, flashiest, or busiest.

They’re the leanest.

I’ll be honest, I have always thought a bit of “slack” in the rota was a good thing. A safety net. A way to stay flexible. Casual staff are relatively cheap because of the contributions, or lack of them…

However the October 2024 Budget changed the maths, and I don’t think it will fully bite until the end of the season when trade drops off slightly.

The National Insurance threshold for casual workers dropped from £9,100 to £5,000. In plain terms, you’re now paying 15% on most of your casual hours.

And suddenly, that “flexibility” starts to look a lot like a leak.

What I’ve noticed with my clients, and across the broader sector:

When labour costs climb, most clubs cut hours. But the smarter ones? They rebuild from the ground up. They’re working on quality over quantity. They are focused on creating lean, tight, motivated teams, and investing properly in them.

Smaller, because every hour really matters now.

Tighter, because without excess, systems have to run smoothly.

Better, because when there’s nowhere to hide, the right people shine.

It’s not just a labour issue, rather it’s a mindset shift.

You can feel it. Prep gets tighter. The service flow has to be bang on. There’s no room for passengers, but also, no room for doubt. Everyone on shift knows their value. Your team feels it.

Chef wages have jumped up to 50% since pre-Covid; but the churn has slowed. That pressure’s easing. The new challenge? Casual staff drifting in the off-season. For some clubs, that’s no big deal, for others who have a busy but sporadic event calendar, it might be tough to manage. Either way, when every casual hour now costs 15% more, it’s harder to justify that expense.

So this is where I’ve landed:

• Casual labour isn’t the margin protector it once was.

• A brilliant core team is key!

If you’re heading in that direction too, here are a few things worth looking at:

• Start now. Post-season is too late; build your lean team today.

• Design your rota around the core, not the casuals. Let them fill gaps, not hold foundations.

• Invest in training. Multi-skilled teams are your secret weapon in 2025.

• Refine your systems. Fewer hands = fewer steps. No room for fluff.

• Update your costings. Make sure you’ve properly factored in the NIC changes.

• Protect morale. A smaller team needs more care, not less.

• Plan for the lean season. Don't let October sneak up on you.

I’ll be sharing more over the next few weeks — especially on what you can systemise, how to tighten up prep and service, and how to build training around real-world pressure points.

Thanks so much for taking the time to support and read my newsletter!

I’ve had a hugely positive response to my first month’s posts, the support means a huge amount! It’s tough to put yourself out there, but the support is awesome and very motivational!

If there are any topics you like to see covered, please drop me an email!

Much love, and thanks all ✌️

Quick one — if you’ve not done this yet, my scorecard helps you spot gaps across guest experience, costs, and day-to-day ops. Takes a few minutes and you’ll get a proper report at the end.