#267 - Hospitality Meets Hannah Swarbrick-Done in The Story of Two Left Flip Flops and the AI Non-Exec

Hannah Swarbrick-Done followed a boy to Thailand with dreams of an idyllic island life.

The relationship lasted approximately one weekend.

Hannah stayed for two years.

What followed included living in a house made from bottles, running one of the world’s largest pub crawls, guiding travellers around Thailand and becoming sufficiently relaxed about footwear that she once wore two left flip-flops without noticing.

Eventually, Hannah returned to Manchester with plans for her own hostel, including the uniforms, interiors and complete guest experience.

There was just one minor omission.

A business plan.

Today, she is the founder of The Yellow Group, helping hospitality businesses align their people strategy with their plans for growth - while also building AI tools, employing a virtual non-executive director called Simon and developing a highly influential golf account with nearly 400 followers.

We CoverFollowing that boy to Thailand - and outlasting the relationship by nearly two yearsTravelDesigning an entire hostel before learning how to operate oneThe leader who asked Hannah one simple, career-changing questionWhy promoting somebody is pointless unless you also build the support around themThe difference between holding a leadership title and actually leadingWhy hospitality develops skills that transfer far beyond operationsBeing told she was “not very good with data”How AI removed the barrier between Hannah and the story inside the numbersCreating Simon, her AI non-executive directorBuilding The Yellow Group as a collaborative people consultancyBecoming a professional golfer and part-time influencer

Quotables“I did follow a boy.”

“I had everything, honestly. It was everything but a business plan.”

“At one point I realised I was wearing flip-flops - the two left feet ones.”