James: Tell me about Josh Bowles - where are you from, what was family life like when you were growing up?
Josh: I am one of 5 children and I was brought up as a Mormon until I was 21. I was raised with a very strict structure, with my whole path in life mapped out and decided for me. The Mormon religion almost breeds you to be financially successful in the world, perhaps so then they can insure their 10 per cent from everyone.
My dad at first worked for the church and in sales and then became very entrepreneurial. Watching him break free, I saw the happiness and the freedom that came from that. I also saw struggle during that time, but it was a good struggle. I think being told what to do my whole life partly led me to being an entrepreneur, not having to answer to anyone.
I grew up in a village in Northamptonshire and when I was 19, served a Mormon mission in Russia for two years near Kazakhstan. It was very remote, and I became fluent in Russian. While I was there, I lost my faith because I couldn't comprehend how a God could love all his children equally when I compared life back home to the hardships and inequality of life in Russia.
I came home, went to university in Manchester to study Business Management and Russian. It was a time to define myself and I couldn't have chosen a better place. Manchester was the first time I had the chance to explore life freely with no rules or expectations. After university, I lived in Australia for 3 years where I fell in love with Hospitality and the variety it offers as a business. My brothers are also entrepreneurs.
James: I saw that you were part of the team behind Silo in Hackney Wick as well. Tell me about that. Where does the founder/builder energy come from?
Josh: I was the Operations manager for Crate Bars; looking after Crate, Mick's Garage and The Alfred Le Roy. The next project was Silo and I was lucky enough to be a part of helping create structure and organisation behind the creativity. Doug McMaster was the genius behind it. One of the greatest lessons from Silo was around sustainability and how to deliver it in a meaningful way without greenwashing. When we opened Two More Years, we were inspired by this. We couldn't be zero waste, but we did what we could. We have found that true sustainability is about finding balance between ideas and reality across all aspects of the business. Now, we don't shout about sustainability; we just try to be as sustainable as possible where we can.
James: What does Hackney Wick and Fish Island mean to you today - especially given how you’ve seen it change over the years?
Josh: Hackney Wick is amazing. The biggest thing is the people that create everything here. It is a proper community. I have never been to a place where everyone brings back their glassware to the bar; there is an approach that we are in this together, not you’re here to serve us. Crate and ourselves are not in competition; a lot of the operators in the area know each other and spend time together. There is collaboration. As Hackney Wick thrives, we all thrive.\ In regards to gentrification, I believe it is important that things evolve and that health and safety and infrastructure improve, but then it is almost used and weaponised to make money and then it’s bled dry by developers. You push the creators out, and that pushes out the essence of the place. I would like to see more planning involved around keeping creatives in London and more soul in the buildings.
\ James: What’s your approach to hiring, retaining and growing team members? Are you gut-driven or highly structured?
Josh: Being sustainable when it comes to people is a massive part of who we are. I used to go on gut feeling during interviews, but I was often wrong. I found that those who are introverted often turn out to be the best staff. Now, I don't rely on the interview as much. We give people the opportunity to come in for a trial to see how they integrate with the staff and if working hard is part of who they are. We never do zero-hours contracts; we commit to hours and pay as high as possible. We try to create an environment they want to work in.
James: What’s your approach to business partnerships (vendors, suppliers, strategic)? What are some of the qualities you look for and value in a partner?
Josh: We are super selective. Quality and independence are very important to us. When we create a relationship, we stick with it and invest in it. We used to work with Purity Brewing because they were the most sustainable brewery in the UK and people we really trusted, but they fell into administration due to the impact from COVID. Now we work with Five Points Brewery on Mare Street, and they are wonderful. We have different reps coming in all the time, but we prefer to go out and find the best suppliers and preferably local.
James: What do you think makes Two More Years uniquely special? And how do you see it evolving?
Josh: My business partner Dan Howells and I are operators. We have elevated what was already here. We haven't created something new in that sense; we were given an amazing opportunity and turned it into a business that works. The space is amazing - we have the bar, the restaurant, and the late-night disco, and we have brought back exhibitions and co-working with a cafe. We have studios upstairs and we keep them affordable to support creatives. Everything you see here is basically what was created by Hackney Wick over the years.
James: What would you recommend to a budding entrepreneur or founder who wants to start a hospitality or service business?
\ Josh: The one thing I would say to anyone is just do it. Nothing else - just 'do'. We spent years thinking and planning, but when you actually do it, you realise you cannot plan for what you don’t know is coming. You have to evolve and adapt to things as they come your way. Mainly what we do all day is solve problems.
James: Will Two More Years remain on rolling two-year lease extensions for the foreseeable or something else?
Josh: We have no idea. We can't predict it. We just hope it continues. We feel incredibly lucky because originally it was just a two-year project to get our foot in the door, as it's very hard for new entrepreneurs to get landlords to trust them. The fact that we have had five years makes us feel blessed. For however long we get it, we will be grateful.
James: Tell me a couple of things you love about Hackney Wick, Fish Island or the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park?
Josh: I love Lucia’s. I love the vibe there - it’s raw, it's tiny, and you're literally hanging out with the chef. It's delicious. I am also sport-crazy, so I love F45 (the fitness club in Here East) to the Bola beach tennis, the Aquatic Centre, and the VeloPark. I used to resent the crowds from West Ham at the stadium, but they are what kept us alive for our first year of trading. We've realised they're generally a good bunch.
James: Where can people learn about Two More Years (beyond this interview) e.g. website, Instagram, etc.
Josh: We like to be serendipitously discovered. It keeps us unique and off the beaten track. People can find us here on the canal.