Meet Noel Preston

Meet Noel from Preston Insurance Brokers

Noel Preston is the Managing Partner of Preston Insurance Brokers.

They arrange, place and service insurance policies and programmes for businesses, predominantly throughout Sussex.

Their clients are all types, shapes and sizes of business with a significant number in the hospitality sector including independent restaurants, pubs, caterers, hotels, coffee shops, bakeries and the like.

They also look after visitor attraction clients such as escape rooms, ice rinks, sports and leisure venues and the famous Brighton i360 since it opened in 2016!

Here is our interview with Noel.

Tell us about your business journey?

This started in insurance in 1989 when my girlfriend at the time said I’d enjoy working for General Accident Insurance because everyone went to the pub after work on a Friday and I’d get in the football team! Not necessarily the best reasons to choose a change of career but it seems to have worked out OK. I went into insurance broking a few years later and after only a couple of changes in employer, eventually started Preston Insurance Brokers in 2012 – the rest as they say is history!

How do your services meet the needs of your hospitality clients?

We provide a personal and bespoke service to our hospitality clients and with a number of years’ experience in the sector, understand the many challenges faced.

The pandemic was an awful time for hospitality and while from an insurance perspective there was little good news to give, we ensured that communication with our clients was quick, concise, clear and empathetic. Our approach and attention during this period gained a positive reputation in difficult times, and consequently we are pleased to be now looking after even more clients in the sector due to word getting around.

We’re immensely grateful to our clients who have been our advocates in this respect and look to support them in any way we can.

What do you like about the hospitality industry in Brighton?

Very simple, the variety and the quality.

We are blessed with so many amazing independent venues to eat and drink in our City. Brighton has 11 pubs per square mile (only 2nd to Portsmouth in the UK) and a restaurant scene that has burst open over the last 10 years, we’re spoilt for choice which is great.

We now have a number of restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide with that first star surely not far away!?

You are a Trustee of Table Talk Foundation, tell us more?

Both my boys are keen foodies and have been since they were little, yet food and nutritional education was limited to non-existent in primary and junior schools.

As a Trustee I’ve been very proud to give something back in this respect, providing such education for their junior and secondary schools in recent years. Table Talk Foundation also supports local independent restaurants and hospitality. We look after a number of businesses in this sector and it is great to be able to support them in the provision of services such as mental and physical support in addition to the Table Talk Business Club holding events at their premises and promoting them through the membership to help support them financially and raise their profile locally.

What do you like about being involved in the BRAVO Awards?

The Brighton Restaurant Awards or BRAVOs are fun awards, they positively support the hospitality sector in our City and encourage and promote our fantastic venues across Brighton, Hove and throughout Sussex.

From a business perspective, being involved with the awards, provides us with plenty of positive exposure to the hospitality sector.

We hear you’re a drummer in a rock covers band, tell us more?

A hobby that I don’t get to do enough due to how busy the business is, but a real love of mine. I have played drums in various bands for the last 30 odd years, generally with a rock influence. It’s the best form of escapism for me, a chance to wind down and switch off from everything else, I properly lose myself when I’m in the zone behind the kit. Hopefully we’ll get to play more in 2024.

What do you like about doing business and building relationships in Brighton?

We’ve never been a hard-sell, telesales, email marketing kind of business. Since we started we have always preferred the more personal approach, meeting people face to face, building relationships with business owners.

It provides more of a chance to get to know people and their company properly before doing business with them. A lot of businesses will already have an existing insurance broker in place, quite often for a long time, in such cases we will always be happy to be their plan B as and when they may need rather than try and crow-bar them out of their existing relationship. Things changes, personal contacts move on, businesses sell and change ethics so opportunities will always arise in time, it’s just a case of being a little bit more patient and when someone is ready, wants or needs you then the time and opportunity to look after them and their business will come.

Which Brighton networking events do you attend?

We’ve done most of the local networking over the years but the events that continue to work for us are those where you find the business owner or a decision maker, who are there to get to know other peers, build relationships and share business experiences (as well as do some business together). The likes of Best of British Members Club, County Business Clubs Top Table events and the Table Talk Business Club serve us extremely well, in addition to long term attendance at the likes of Sussex CCC Boundary Club, Property Professionals Lunch Club, First Friday Lunch Club and BNI Hove Albion.

How is your business adapting to current economic conditions?

Like every business our costs continue to escalate year on year. Whether it’s staff salaries, operating costs such as gas and electric, costs of managing hybrid working whilst continuing to maintain our office and the increase in our own insurance premiums all continue to be challenging.

So many businesses face such costs and exposures, ultimately needing to increase their own charges and prices to try and cope.

Finding the happy medium and a fair balance to help the business run profitably without penalising or losing clients and customers is not always easy but it is both inevitable and necessary to ensure the business thrives and most importantly survives. Ensuring the business continues to provide a value for money offering and retains or improves its service standards are both key attributes.

Biggest challenge for Preston Insurance Brokers?

Retaining the positive reputation.

Our service levels are the key factor behind why our business has grown through introductions, referrals and recommendations in the main – largely from our existing Clients, introducers and business contacts.

It is important that as the team grows the service remains intact and we don’t lose sight of our existing clients being looked after correctly. They are our best source of marketing and new business as well.

How do you relax?

Going out to nice places to eat with my wife, watching sports such as football and cricket and enjoying live music at gigs across the UK with my two sons. Playing live music myself with our rock covers band Planet Trousza, when we get the chance.

Favourite places to dine in Brighton?

We are so fortunate to be properly spoilt in Brighton and Hove with so many amazing quality independent eateries offering all types and styles of food and experiences.

I’m perhaps a little biased as a number of them are long term clients but the likes of Burnt Orange, Curry Leaf Café, Gars, Jo & CO, Pesca Trattoria, Nostos, Riddle & Finns, Wild Flor and Carne all come to mind.

I also enjoy eating at the likes of The Cricketers in Brighton, The Cleveland by Blakers Park and Hove Place on First Avenue, all of whom deliver amazing high level pub food.

So difficult to pick an over-riding favourite but for a special occasion, whether it be a quiet table for two or downstairs private dining table for eight then Steven Edwards at etch takes a lot of beating.

As for next on the list, I need to try the Little Fish Market.

Are you a home cook?

Yes I love cooking and do most of the cooking at home. Other than Sunday roasts and of course everyone has their take on a Spag Bol, I really enjoying cooking Indian and Thai food at home.

I find the variety and number of ingredients all coming together to provide the final taste sensation quite fascinating, along with the process and different types of cooking required really rewarding too (my lamb balti always seems to go down quite well with a side of sag paneer!).

What’s next for Preston Insurance Brokers?

Quite simply, more of the same. If we don’t grow as a business we will go backwards. We will continue the focus on servicing our existing clients, take on new clients where the fit is right and build our team further when we need to. We will also continue to support our local community, charities and hospitality along the way.