Nick Coupe, senior estimator, Veatu Flooring
MY day usually starts at 5.30am. I take a little time to get out of bed, so by the time I’m up-and-moving, it’s usually around 6am or 5.50am. I head to the gym first thing. Morning exercise is important to me because it helps me arrive at work fully awake and ready.
In a senior position, I can’t just stroll in tired. I need to be alert and able to respond to my team. Giving myself that headstart makes a huge difference.
The drive to the gym is only two and a half minutes, so no traffic, and I can fly through my workout. After a shower, I usually arrive at the office around 7.30am or 7.40am at the latest. I spend the first 20 minutes making coffee, catching up with anyone who’s early enough to be there, and just easing into the day.
Mondays are usually our estimators’ meeting. We review what’s come in, what needs to go out, and I take a broad look at how we finished the previous week. I like to segment the week a little: I focus on key projects early on, while my juniors and colleagues manage a lot of the small, quick-turnaround jobs that make up a large part of our business.
Around 9am, we plan the week, delegating tasks, deciding priorities and checking in with everyone about what they feel they can achieve. I always welcome ambition if someone wants to take on more, as long as they can deliver.
After that, we usually have the weekly sales meeting with Michael Fraser, the owner, and Emma Taylor, who manages marketing. We review numbers, discuss clients and talk about business strategy and value. It’s less about micromanaging and more about understanding where we are and where we’re going. Once those meetings are done, the focus is on ensuring the team and leadership are aligned and happy before getting stuck into the week’s work.
By Wednesday morning, we take another half-hour to check in with the team. It’s informal: a Q&A to see how everyone’s coping with their workload, what’s come in since Monday, and how we’re going to approach it.
I find it’s the best way to keep everyone on track and maintain a clear line of communication throughout the week.
Once that’s done, it’s back to work. Friday can be the most stressful day because you’re hitting the end of the week and deadlines are landing. The worst is a Thursday bank holiday, because you’ve lost a day and you don’t get it back. You still have to deliver, so you just have to work around it.
That said, the real crunch time is Monday and Tuesday. You need to be on it, get ahead of the week, and be as efficient as possible. That way, when things come in last minute, you’ve got the capacity to deal with them. If you get the start of the week right, Friday can be a bit easier, although it doesn’t always work out like that.
Lunch is usually about 2pm for me. I tend to follow a bit of intermittent fasting. Black coffee and water get me through the morning, and the job is intense enough that I don’t really notice. When I do eat, it’s a quick break, then straight back to it. I don’t skip lunch, but if I’m deep into something, I’ll sometimes delay it until I’ve finished what I’m doing.
I try to make 5pm a hard stop. The owners and senior team are very good at encouraging people not to overwork, which is important. That said, I do feel a responsibility in my role to put the hours in when needed, but that’s on me.
After work, I head home and catch up with my fiancée. I like hearing about her day. She works in a school supporting children with special needs and is really passionate about it. There’s always a story, and you never quite know what you’re going to hear, which keeps things interesting.
Evenings are fairly simple. Because I’ve already been to the gym in the morning, I can just relax. Cooking, washing up, even gardening, those kinds of tasks help switch me off. When your day is constant emails and decisions, doing something straightforward is actually a good reset. You focus on one thing, and it clears your head. By the time I sit down in the evening, I can properly relax.
