Guy Holder is a hospitality management and business professional with twenty-five years of experience in the industry, who was originally trained in the hotel and events sector in London before relocating to Australia. “Here I discovered a passion for commercial restaurants, which has culminated in owning and operating Epocha,” he said.
Let’s get to know Guy better as he joined EO Melbourne earlier this year.
Q: Can you give a brief background about you, your family and your business?
I was born in the UK and moved to Australia in 2003. I have always been in hospitality, it is in my blood and I love the industry. I worked my way up through the Hotels and Events sector in the UK and found a love for commercial restaurants through dining out in London in the late 90s.
Having moved to Australia, I spent 7 years managing restaurants in Port Douglas in sunny QLD before relocating to Melbourne after securing residency here. I met my now business partner Angie Giannakodakis at the Press Club in 2010 and then met my wife in 2011. We opened Epocha in 2012 and Elyros in Camberwell in 2014. I now live in Reservoir with my wife Susan and 2 children Polly (8) and Rupert (6).
Q: What inspired you to be an entrepreneur?
I love the creative aspect of being able to curate concepts, I also love being in control of my own destiny.
The restaurant industry is hard and we have met many challenges along our journey but I am determined to grow and live a life of meaning and intention.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur?
Autonomy and self-dependence.
Q: What are the biggest challenges you have faced as an entrepreneur?
Isolation and financial stress.
Q: Why did you decide to join EO?
To share my experiences and connect with others with a view to continued learning and personal and professional growth.
Q: Can you share a golden nugget that you learned from your experience or from another entrepreneur or mentor in the past?
I have had a couple of great employers over the years, but no clear nuggets of wisdom that I can recall – I’m on the lookout for a good entrepreneurial mentor!