Will Merison

May 19

Written By Tom Cronk

Will is Director of Summer Camp at The Good Life Society and was previously Director of The Good Life At Home.

He joined our team after quitting his job in London during lockdown.

Will is a huge Liverpool FC fan and generally accepted as the office joker at Hawarden Estate HQ.

Over to you, Will.

Please tell us what your role in the business is?

I am the Director of Summer Camp and I also help with the marketing for Hawarden Estate Experience.

Where do you do most of your work?

I work from my desk in the office for 85% of the time. The other 15% is spent out and about - in the Farm Shop, on the Summer Camp site, in The Glynne Arms.

I try and do as much of the latter as possible but old habits die hard...

How many people do you work with closely on a day-to-day basis?

I would say there is a core group of about five people who I rely on day in day out, but I also work closely with a much wider team of more like 20.

What is the biggest challenge that you face at work every day?

I think it is probably making sure I haven’t forgotten anyone or anything. I obsessively write to do lists as a result.

Talk us through lunch. A sandwich at your desk or a full hour in the park?

I eat at my desk reading through news websites. I’m addicted to it.

What is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned that you wish you’d known when you started your career?

I’m early in my career, but the thing I keep reminding myself of is the fact that you don’t have to answer emails straight away. Or maybe you should? I’m not sure.

Email. Friend or foe?

I can’t not read an email if I see it come through on my phone. Which makes it a foe if i’m doing something not work-related.

Do you use a digital or paper To Do List? And how effective are you at getting everything done?

I bought an iPad about a month ago. Downloaded a note taking app. Used it for about a week. Now I'm back to paper. Moral of the story: don’t reinvent the wheel.

Do you leave work at a set time each day?

I usually do an extra hour when the office empties at 5pm. I find that an hour alone seriously productive.

How do you relax? Do you look after yourself properly?

I think I'm at my most relaxed whilst running. Or walking. I started walking by myself in the mornings about five years ago and it changed my life. It might be my favourite part of the day.

How confident are you about the future of your business?

I’m very confident of the future because we survived all of the challenges that the last year threw at us. I think that says a lot about a business.