Solutions Leisure Group’s CEO on foundational breakthroughs and key business insights
Solutions Leisure Group co-founder and CEO Paul Evans, on foundational breakthroughs and the key insights that have ignited and grown a global business.
What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine?
I usually wake up around 6am and have a quick coffee on our terrace with my partner, Dom. We’re for- tunate to live on Palm Jumeirah, and that sense of calm you get overlooking the water as the sun comes up over the horizon is something special. I’ll then check messages and scan emails, touch base on any meetings I have during the day and get ready for a workout. Depending on the day, I’ll either walk the beach and take some time to reflect and ground myself or go to the gym. We’ve been training with the boys from Benzone for a few years now and they’ve been epic. So-much-so they now host a bootcamp for our team three times a week on our office rooftop, which I’ll try and get to once a month, too.
What are the pillars of DNA that define Solutions Leisure Group as a brand?
Our mission is to create the moments people live for, and we’re working hard to ensure we live and breathe that through every channel. From our team members to our guests, the brand design and the experience creation, the moments matter, big and small. Whilst we fly by the seat of our pants at the rate of change, we’re often steering, we remain grounded with our pillars: Excellence is the standard; Leadership is the strength; Relationships are the source and Mindset is the solution.
“our mission is to create the moments people live for, and we’re working hard to ensure we live and breathe that through every channel”
Solutions Leisure Group offers lifestyle and holistic experiences. Was this the plan from the outset?
Freek and I first landed in Dubai in 2013 after 13 years developing the entertainment destination that is, today, Egypt’s Hurghada Beach. Our little brown Dutch bar soon turned into 20 venues, turning the sleepy seaside town into a tourism and nightlife hotspot. But the Arab Spring came, and we lost it all, making the move to Dubai with nothing much more than the clothes on our backs. It was here we noted that, amidst the glitz and glam of the Dubai social scene, there was very little for the everyday patron; the average guest who just wanted to enjoy quality food, great vibes and a consistently good time. So, we introduced the once-favourite Q43 restaurant and bar to the region, quickly followed by our acquisition of the iconic Karma Kafe, and conceptualisation of Asia Asia and Lock, Stock & Barrel. We saw our brands growing with our guests, and realised it wasn’t about creating a product anymore, but, instead, a lifestyle. Something that serviced various needs, both emotive and physical. People wanted community and experience – a break away from the day to day with a guaranteed consistency of enjoyment. So, we focused on the quality and experience as the heart of our venue design to enable our product to, not just meet, but exceed expectations. We introduced the family entertainment sector with Wavehouse, and then Central, which soon saw the industry follow. Both within the group itself and within our venues, we are focused on lifestyle experiences that are brand-led and culture-based. We no longer hire for the experience our rockstars have, but for the experience they can create. They are brand ambassadors – a visual and verbal representation of who each brand is and what it stands for. We see every person who joins us as entering our home, creating a lifestyle experience that exuberates fun, energy and ignites trust through a relationship that is, both, valued and nurtured.
You built everything yourself from the outset. How did you overcome the challenges?
We’ve always been known for our middleman sector, but that’s certainly changed these past few years. The F&B scene in the UAE is becoming fiercer and fuller than ever, and I think our team has gone above and beyond to really set the bar across design, marketing and operations. They own their brands – own their careers and have blown me away with their dedication and passion as a whole. It might not have changed the industry, as such, but it’s certainly separated the term employees from the team. I feel our real ability to overcome challenges has been our ability to come together. The last few years has seen a real shift in the way brands unite. We no longer deem ourselves as competing, but rather complementing each other, creating opportunities that feed our industries and create epic moments we really do live for. And that’s pretty remarkable. Big brands are opening doors to smaller ones, enabling some incredible creative collaborations that feel authentic and accessible. Similarly, competitive brands are working together to bring out the best in one another and enter entirely new markets. It’s like the world began to trust and open its mind and stop working so hard against one another. That openness has led to some super cool experiences being created – and some we are looking forward to being a part of.
What are the pivotal milestones you are most proud of – and how has this shaped your understanding of success?
From seven venues, to 21, and counting, in the space of 24 months, my proudest achievement? My team.
The past decade of business has shown that, throughout everything Solutions Leisure has grown through; all that the group has come to be known for – it was because the team are, as I call them, Spartans. Commitment, discipline, courage, and the fortitude required to stand one’s ground to push through. Those are the characteristics of a Spartan. We have come together in adversity, learning through the challenges and celebrating the wins, because I know they are stronger together. Through the hard work, kindness, and all-embracing nature of each team member, it’s honestly one of the best places to work in the Middle East – if not the world. The team’s ability to take it all in their stride pushed Solutions Leisure into an entirely new ballgame. And that invigorating sense of reaching new heights in the group has put us where we are today; confident, motivated, inspired and ready for the next challenge.
How do you approach scaling without compromising quality and what factors do you consider when launching a new venture?
We decide against the safe route, branching into partnerships that enable us to conceptualise projects that aren’t just hospitality-focused, but experience-led, driven by brand immersion and memorable moments. It isn’t about how hard we work, but how smart; how creative we are and how much we trust our gut when it comes to what’s next for the industry.
This mindset grew the group from six to 21-and-counting venues in just three years, introducing a whole new sector of beauty, wellness, fitness and retail to its portfolio, and expanding into Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. Our approach? As a group, we don’t define our target market anymore. And, as controversial or as ridiculous as that may sound, it’s because they’ve become such an integral part of us; so, embedded in how we design, operate and imagine the brands we deliver, they naturally evolve into what we need them to be.
Instead, we’re conceptualising experiences. The Boujee Boot Sale at So Much Trouble makes our consumers the brand ambassadors, giving them a place to sip and shop one another’s vintage and pre-loved luxuries. Our bespoke brunch crawl personalizes our venue with an exclusive chauffeured party bus between each stop. What had worked before, didn’t work now, so finding an omni-channel approach to dining and socialising slowly opened doors to a new sector for the region; one we wanted to grab by the horns and make our own – entertainment. Be comfortable in what you don’t know, both in leadership and collaboration. A key player to some of the leadership partnerships we’ve implemented in our group leans exactly to this – complementary skill sets and ideologies that drive our senior management to think differently, more laterally and outside their own box. Similarly, we’ve removed the stigma around aligning ourselves with our competition. We’re not here to gate keep – we want to work with those that better us; that better our product and service and create more enhanced moments for guests. From putting branded F&B outlets into our own, to branching out from our usual entertainment, we don’t say now, and we don’t keep our secrets to success to ourselves. It’s all about the end game.
Have you had any mentors along the way and if so, what knowledge did they impart?
Freek and my business partners. You don’t succeed alone. I think that’s something many people overlook. They see success as solely individual – as something they need to achieve by themselves. But I’ve learnt that isn’t the case. Success is collaborative. You need to surround yourself with individuals that bring out the best in you; that inspire you, compete with you and drive you to be the absolute best you can be. Individuals who know when to push the gas as much as when to slow down.
What advice would you give to yourself starting out?
Embrace the challenge. It’s meant to be hard – that’s the thrill, that’s what makes it all worthwhile, that’s what gives it a purpose.
Where do you get the motivation to be consistent and are there any practices which have helped you with this?
I am big on perspective. We spend so much of our early life worrying; comparing ourselves and try- ing to keep up. Time wasted trying to be something we think we should be, instead of leaning into the journey and grabbing a hold of opportunities as they arise. Enjoy the absurdity and find excitement through the growth. Celebrate the milestones and find passion through the journey. That’s what keeps it interesting.
What new projects are in the pipeline for Solutions Leisure Group?
2025 is our biggest year yet. We’ve got an entire new destination to develop with one of the most iconic brands in the GCC, an exciting partnership with one of the world’s most recognised five-star hotels for our wellness division, and a further expansion of some of our staple brands including some pretty major collaborations and experiences, like Stanley Cup, Roll DXB, Namshi, Ounass and more…
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