White Rabbit CEO Nick Croft-Simon on micro-managing, skaters and pizza

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Nick Croft-Simon White Rabbit

Name: Nick Croft-Simon

Job title: CEO

Company: White Rabbit

What was your first job? I was an exceptionally average host at Jamie’s Italian in Oxford. I have no sense of direction, so it took me about six months to remember where all the different table numbers were.

I was good with the customers though, so could usually win them round after sending them to the wrong table. You could argue they had a better experience overall as a result, but that’s not for me to say.

What’s been your worst job interview? I’ve actually never really had one. I worked at Jamie’s before uni, then worked at the White Rabbit pub in Oxford for six months after graduating before starting the brand. I was then a tutor for kids aged 7 to 13 in the evenings for the first year or two while we were getting it off the ground.

What was the first music single you bought? Hmm, I was a wannabe skater kid in my early years. Couldn’t skate, obviously, but wore the requisite clothes (including a wallet attached to chain). It would’ve been something like Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit. I 100% had a black Nirvana hoodie, which I wore with immense pride.

“I had a phobia of the wind when I was a kid. I was convinced I’d get blown away”

How do you describe your job to your friends? It’s really evolved over the years. Now my job is to lead the business, set out where we want to get to, ensure everyone’s aligned across all functions etc.

It’s also about knowing enough about all areas of the business to ask the right questions, showing up consistently for the team and not being the cliched micro-managing control freak.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? There are so many, but I think the most rewarding would have to be when I see positive reactions to our products, particularly from those who may not have been able to enjoy things like pizzas for years. So much thought and hard work has gone into those recipes and into developing our bakery over the last decade, so it’s incredibly cool when you see that coming across in the quality of our food.

What is the least rewarding part? I think it’s all rewarding, to be honest. It’s not all fun, but it’s rare that you don’t at least learn something from the really hard times, and that in itself is rewarding.

white rabbit almond biscotti 1

What is your motto in life? “It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting.” My best friend and I have shortened it to “fake it until you become it”.

If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? I’ve just got into padel, which is as fun as it is expensive. So it has to be a private padel court in the office that was free and always available. That would be dreamy.

Do you have any phobias? Not so much any more but I had a phobia of the wind when I was a kid. I was convinced I’d get blown away. I had to get picked up from a school trip once because it was too windy. I was about five but still, not a great look.

If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? It’s slowly getting better, but I’d say if retailers could broadly do the same thing when it comes to how they merchandise free-from, it would make ours and all our consumers’ lives much easier. At the moment, where free-from sits in store and which products make up the fixture varies massively between the major grocers and how much value they place on gluten-free specifically.

It makes it even harder for people to navigate a gluten-free diet, especially if they’re new to it or shopping for someone else.

What luxury would you have on a desert island? A dog. Any dog.

What animal most reflects your personality? I would say a wolf. I’m very loyal and just love hanging out with the people closest to me. If you put me in a room full of people, and I only knew one of them, I would happily just chat to that one person all night. Deepening a single connection is more valuable to me than making five new ones.

What’s your favourite film and why? I think it would be American History X. It’s so moving, and the acting is incredible. It’s one of those films that just stays with you.

What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? Probably my mum having to pick me up early from a school trip because it was too windy. See above.

Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? He’s sadly not around any more but I’m still going to say Carl Sagan. He died when I was six but he’s always been a hero of mine.

I’m obsessed with astronomy, and he has a way of bringing it to life that just really resonates with me. I would be constantly talking to him and asking him questions: not sure I’d get much work done.

What would your death row meal be? I’m Greek-Cypriot and it would have to be avgolemono, which is a lemon chicken soup that I’ve grown up eating and making. It doesn’t look great, but it’s deceptively delicious. I once made a three-part video for my friends on how to make it, such was the level of demand for the recipe.