“There’s nothing worse than someone coming in and changing a bunch of things before they understand the lay of the land.
I’ll be upfront: the Yinnar Hotel is my local. So when I sat down with Steve Brown, the new owner, eight months in, for The Business Huddle, I wasn’t just interviewing a guest. I was talking to someone I’ve watched quietly get on with one of the harder things you can do in regional business: take over a place that people genuinely love.
What came out of that conversation surprised me. Not because Steve said anything radical, but because he kept landing on truths that I see businesses overlook all the time, including businesses that have been around long enough to know better.
Listen before you change anything
Steve’s plan on day one was simple. Learn the business the way it already ran, because it was already running well. No rebrand. No new menu. Just curiosity.
There’s enormous pressure, especially when you’ve just invested everything, to make your mark quickly. Steve did the opposite. Eight months on, locals will tell you it feels like it was never anyone else’s.
Your existing customers will tell you everything you need to know, if you ask before you act. As Steve put it: “There’s nothing worse than someone coming in and changing a bunch of things before they understand the lay of the land.”
Build an emergency fund before you need one
In the first few months, around $30,000 worth of kitchen equipment needed repair or replacement, all at once.
“If we didn’t have a really strong first couple of months, we might have been in a lot of trouble.”
Business plans focus on purchase price, stock, and marketing. The contingency fund gets treated as optional. It isn’t. Build it in before you sign anything.
Community investment is a marketing strategy
Steve cooked a free barbecue on Melbourne Cup weekend on a whim, put out a donation box for a local cause, and people are still talking about it.
He’ll tell you his marketing is still a work in progress, mostly Facebook and word of mouth. But backing local producers like High Country Hooch, sponsoring the footy, and simply showing up has built the kind of trust no boosted post can replicate.
“If you look after the community, they look after you it seems.”
The opportunity is pairing that instinct with a consistent, intentional approach to getting the message out. That’s where the real growth is.
Know your why before the hard days hit
When I asked Steve what keeps him going through the long hours, his answer was quiet and honest.
“Most of the reward is in the work itself. It’s just the people we interact with and the fun we have along the way.”
Motivation isn’t a given just because you bought the business. Build your why before you need to lean on it.