When James Thornley took a part-time management position at Peake of Catering in the spring of 2010, he never could have imagined he would end up buying the business two years later.
Thornley's friend David Peake, the company's founder and executive chef, had been running the successful catering firm for 21 years. In November 2010, aged 52, the seemingly healthy father of four had a fatal heart attack while playing racquetball. Peake's tragic passing was completely unexpected, and Thornley was thrown into a new position overnight.
“From that moment, the responsibility for the company landed on my shoulders,” he recalls.
Thornley felt overwhelmed. But he chose to keep these feelings to himself in order to set an example for his staff. “The team needed a rock and a leader more than ever,” he said.
In order to deal with the daunting task ahead, Thornley moved forward by getting through three-month periods at a time, rather than trying to take on everything all at once.
“You set small milestones and markers and, as each one is accomplished, you ease up on yourself just a little bit.”
Thornley became the official owner of Peake of Catering in March of this year.
