HOWNHALL SHOOTING SCHOOL

We speak to Simon O'Leary, co-founder of Hownhall Shooting School with Benita Wright, about the journey behind building the school into a thriving success

Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS AND HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

A: Hownhall has been running now physically for just under 10 years, and my partner Benita Wright and I took over the ground eight years ago.

I started instructing part-time about 16 years ago, and through my enjoyment of teaching, helping people and above all building confidence, I then decided that I wanted to commit and do this as a fulltime job.

I had my own business, so I made the decision to slow down what I was doing and look to formulate a plan that would enable me to make teaching a job that would stand up financially in its own right, without the need for a side hustle.

As fate would have it, I got divorced and met a new partner, Benita, and through one of her photography jobs we found out there was a ground available at Cowdray estate. After a few meetings with the team at Cowdray, we were fortunate enough to be given the rights to take over the ground, and that’s when Hownhall began to flourish. Previously they were only doing pop-up corporates and in-field instruction, which we do still entertain.

Q. HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS CHANGED SINCE YOU FIRST OPENED YOUR DOORS?

A: Firstly, our business has changed in an obvious sense in that it’s grown – we started with very few customers, and over the years our footfall has increased as we’ve become better known and established.

Much more subtly, though, the clientele has also changed over the years. Whereas back in the day we basically had hardcore game or clay shooters, we now have what I would term lifestyle shooters. They’ve got all the gear and a pretty good idea, but they’re not your stereotypical clay or game shooter. They’re enjoying the lifestyle element of shooting – they enjoy investing time and money in the art of shooting and in learning how to shoot well, but it’s not the be all and end all of their lives. They’re what I term the new wave of shooters, and I think they ’ll have a healthy impact on the industry.

Hownhall has a very welcoming, warm atmosphere with a high percentage of female shooters, and I like the fact we don’t have a cliquey customer base. It’s an environment in which people seem to feel very relaxed, and that people just enjoy spending time in – and I think this is why these new wave shooters tend to congregate here, because it ticks all their boxes and they do not feel intimidated or out of place.

That’s absolutely not to put down any other grounds or disciplines – there are plenty of people who want to go to a ground that’s all about Skeet or Trap – it’s just to say that we have quite a unique environment here and we are very proud of having created it.

People don’t come here out of convenience, it’s because they specifically want to spend their time here.

Q. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED AS A BUSINESS OWNER?

A: The price lift in cartridges and clays has always been testing, because we’re always trying to manage that pricing for clients. The main challenge is that we’re small, so we feel these changes acutely and there’s less opportunity to absorb rising costs elsewhere.

Another challenge is trying to find good instructors that share in the Hownhall ethos, but I do think that APSI is the first body to make a real start on educating and creating good shooting instructors, so that’s great for the future.

“IF I WAS STARTING THE BUSINESS TODAY, I WOULD ENSURE THAT I HAD WATERTIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE TO MANAGE AND DOCUMENT FOOTFALL”

Of course, Covid was a massive issue, but that’s across the board. It was our biggest hurdle – we had no control, and there was the obvious fact that we couldn’t operate. The cost in closing down the school and not earning any money, followed by the cost of setting things back up and getting going, was extremely challenging. It’s not as simple as closing the doors and then opening them again – there’s a lot of work and maintenance that goes into preparing the ground and staff for clients.

Another challenge has been the total and utter ambiguity surrounding the introduction of steel shot. Nothing is black and white, but I personally feel that the whole subject has been handled appallingly. As an industry, we have enough external pressure, so to have internal pressure as well has been tough at times. I still feel the industry is not aligned on this issue and is very fragmented, and that’s a great shame.

Q. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST AND WORST BUSINESS DECISIONS?

A: I don’t really believe in bad decisions, because we started organically from nothing, so what perhaps turns out to be a “bad” decision is all part of learning how to run a business.

We didn’t have a clear plan from the get-go, which in hindsight was a little unnerving, but at the time we weren’t sure what our market would be like given the location so we had to just go with the flow and learn as we went along.

I think our best business decision was to focus hard on exercising empathy, kindness, and understanding, and being welcoming and accepting of all. It’s at the heart of everything we do here at Hownhall. This goes back to why the school is unique, in that it attracts people from a wealth of backgrounds and everyone feels comfortable and welcome here – we really do care, and we are very proud of that.

Another great decision I personally made was to take an extra day off a week!

Q. IF YOU WERE TO START UP THE BUSINESS AGAIN, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY?

A: If I was starting the business again today, I would probably ensure that I had an absolutely watertight process/ technology infrastructure to manage and document footfall right from the get-go.

Business today is much more technology led, and I would look to implement that straight away and keep proper records of our customers right from the start. This would have multiple benefits, allowing us to measure and project footfall and use of the ground over time, and categorise our customers depending on their preferred type of shooting – sporting, pigeons, game, etc. – enabling us to market our initiatives and events more effectively to the right people. This would have helped to build an accurate picture of our customer base much more quickly and in a more measurable and actionable way.

Q. IF YOU COULD GIVE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO A NEWCOMER TO THIS INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

A: My advice would be to listen to all, but have a clear idea of exactly what you want to do and achieve. Stay in your lane – there’s lots of conflicting information and opinions, so if you’re coming into the industry be very specific about what it is you want to achieve. Set your sights on a goal and stick to it, while being open to taking advice on how to get there. Also, be realistic – it’s a tough industry and margins are tight, so it sounds brutal but be prepared to pull-out of an idea early if it all goes wrong, rather than learning the hard way.

Q. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY INGREDIENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS IN THIS SECTOR?

A: Within reason, putting the customer first, and also putting your staff first. Having a clear direction and plan for what you want to achieve on a daily basis. Also, sticking to your beliefs – you can learn a lot from people but you must create your own path, and if some people don’t like what you’re doing sometimes it means you’re just doing it really well!

Q. ARE YOU PLANNING ANY NEW DEVELOPMENTS RIGHT NOW?

A: We’re always trying to move forwards, refine our infrastructure, and create new events and educational courses, so keep an eye out for more information as we do have some exciting things in the pipeline.