Aged 23 and 25 years’ old respectively, ambitious young couple Natalie and Stevie had long dreamed of running their own business and decided to embark on a new adventure.

Stevie had been working in retail, starting at the bottom of the ladder and working up to management level, building a great reputation for himself. As part of the Army reserves in his spare time, Stevie already had a busy lifestyle, so he knew he could cope with the challenge of taking on a new business.

Natalie had a very different career path: her first job was at 16 years’ old as a part-time waitress in a pub restaurant. She fell in love with the hospitality trade. After gaining a degree in Events Management and studying Marketing and Finance, Natalie also gained qualifications in Business Enterprise. She started working in events management in Newcastle and then took a job in Northumberland organising and running various catering events, parties, weddings and fairs.

Natalie said, “We wanted to be self-employed and had often talked about how great it would be to have our own pub, so one day we decided to take the plunge and start looking in to it.”

Stevie was researching different agreements and breweries when he discovered Marston’s Pub Franchise. Stevie said “It stood out to me as Marston’s have a fantastic reputation within the industry, and the support and financial side of the model looked great. At such a young age, we felt we didn’t have anything lose and knew if we ever wanted to take a risk starting our own business, now was the time to do it.”

They then attended a Marston’s Discovery Day, which cemented their interest in Marston’s. Stevie and Natalie took on the Crown Tavern in Scarborough last May and haven’t looked back since. Natalie said, “We knew it would be a big lifestyle change and it is 24/7, but the satisfaction is so much greater than with any other job. To know we are building the business makes all the effort we’ve put in and the hard work worth it. Marston’s have been so supportive throughout the process. When we need help they are there for us, but also they are not overbearing. They trust us to do what we need to do to grow our business.”

Both wet and dry sales have increased since the couple took over, and they’ve had great comments and reviews from customers. The reputation of the pub is growing and it’s locally becoming the place to be!