Founder of Vaulkhard Leisure, Ollie Vaulkhard, share his insights with Portfolio North.

Q. My morning routine is…

Alarm at 6:15 and the day starts with the usual chaos of a family home where showers, breakfast and dog walk blend into the school run and into work at 8:15 for some strong black coffee.

Q. What puts me in a good mood

Sunshine, laughter, friendship and fresh air.

Q: What makes me angry

Laziness, litter and rudeness.

Q: Values I try to live and work by

Treating others as you wish to be treated in both personal and business terms is so important. In life we get some much more with sugar than with spice and I genuinely believe it’s nice to be nice.

Q: Bad habits I try to break

Being controlled by my phone. There are times when rather than be a tool to make my life easier it dominates me and I find myself constantly re-acting to calls, email, text, WhatsApp and Twitter. I want to be in charge of the phone, not the other way around. Some days I win, others not so much.

Q: What motivates me most

The experience of our customers. If we can make them happy, we are doing things right. It’s not always perfect, but we work to try our very best.

Q: My sources of joy are

My family and time with them.

Q: I relax and destress by…

Finding moments of calm in nature, whether that’s the mountains, a golf course, a dog walk or a moment in the garden. Pretty keen on a beer with my friends too.

Q: What most people don’t know about me?

I don’t care for wine, spirits or ale and tend to eat spicy or sweet food. I have a terrible palette.

Q: If I didn’t do my current job, I’d like to be…

I would like to work outside, working with or on the land or sea. The job title would be less Important than the ability to be outside for the majority of the week.