On Wednesday 18 January 2023, as part of the Visiting Speaker programme, Habs had the privilege of welcoming Old Haberdasher Will Beckett to speak to us about his experiences leading a food business in the 21st century. As the co-founder and CEO of Hawksmoor, a successful steakhouse chain in the UK, Mr Beckett shared valuable insights and lessons with us students in Year 12 and Year 13.

One of the key themes of the talk was how Mr Beckett and his business partner and Habs classmate, Mr Gott, were always thinking of new business ideas throughout school. Mr Beckett spoke about the challenges and failures they faced along the way, and it was truly inspiring to see how together they were able to overcome these obstacles to build a successful and sustainable brand. This resonated with our school’s value of ambition and taught us the importance of perseverance in achieving our goals.

Perhaps the most impactful message from Mr Beckett’s talk was his emphasis on accepting failure. Mr. Beckett and Mr. Gott had three initial business ventures that ended up not making any money, but they never gave up and accepted failure as a learning opportunity. For us at Habs, we appreciated this message as it reminded us that failure is a natural part of anyone’s life, and we can embrace these challenges and view them as opportunities for growth.

Another aspect of the talk that was truly interesting was Mr Beckett’s emphasis on the importance of people and culture in a business. He shared with us how Hawksmoor is particularly proud of being voted in the Best Companies awards for over 10 consecutive years, and it focuses on keeping its special qualities and warmth towards all its employees, regardless of the size of the business. We found this approach quite unique in the working environment, since it showed us that it is still possible to have a successful business while valuing your employees and creating a positive family environment.

This inspiring talk also gave us a new perspective on the impact we can have as future leaders in our respective fields. Mr Beckett mentioned that Hawksmoor is a purpose-driven business, with five key values at its heart that focus on creating special moments for the people that eat at the restaurant, the employees who work there, and the communities of those around them. This philosophy of scaling a business with integrity aligns with our school’s values of community and courage, since it shows us that Hawksmoor is a part of something much bigger.

Lastly, Mr Beckett’s spoke about the impact Habs had on his journey and highlighted that in particular, he was able to grow his character here, which allowed him to create such a welcoming community at Hawksmoor. As an Old Haberdasher, he reminded us of the privilege of receiving a fantastic education at Habs and encouraged us to give back as much as possible to our community.

We are incredibly grateful to Mr Beckett for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing his wisdom and experiences. His talk was truly beneficial for us students and gave us much to think about from entrepreneurship, to his emphasis on culture, as well as the acceptance of failure – these valuable lessons will stay with us as we continue on our own journeys in hopefully making the world a better place. Thank you once again to Mr Beckett for speaking with us at Habs.

 

Written by Yash Shah (Upper Sixth)