You never really switch off when you're managing your own business, particularly when you're developing and promoting a new brand from scratch. I relented and got a Blackberry so I feel like I'm always switched on to working mode regardless of whether it is a Monday or a Saturday. It's essential though. We only launched in Waitrose at the end of 2008 and we're very much in the embryonic stage of developing our brand image. Every day is different thankfully and getting new listings, hearing glowing feedback from a loyal customer or introducing the drink for the first time to consumers all keep me going. Whatever happens I make sure I start my day with a nutritious breakfast of homemade muesli with rice milk and try to fit in as much exercise as possible to get some time away from the mobile phone.

Monday
John Lewis Oxford Street sampling. Travelling in to London from my home in Kent is becoming a more regular occurrence now as business is taking off and it gives me a chance to think about the brand rather than getting swept away with a long 'to do' list. It seems like there is always someone to meet. More recently, we've been working with the Waitrose and John Lewis teams to organise unique antioxidant sampling events at key stores in London and the South of England. The events are incredibly hard work but very rewarding. We have started to work with the prestigious chocolate company Prestat, as they have a chocolate product called Choxi+ that is high in antioxidants. It's a great fit for our brand, which is an exceptionally high antioxidant drink made from natural ingredients (not from concentrate like so many drinks out there).

At the John Lewis Oxford Street sampling event, people were drawn in by the idea of free chocolate and juice. They hover around for the chocolate, try the drink, say things like "Oh it's really nice, I wasn't expecting it to taste so nice because it's good for you" and throw a few bottles into their basket. They ask about the antioxidants so we always advise that people can incorporate Mile High into their daily diet as it provides the required amount of antioxidants in just one bottle. I have found that older people in particular tend to think it's too late for them but consuming antioxidants can make an impact - it's never too late! When you exercise you need more antioxidants - people really don't know about this despite running marathons or training for triathlons. It is a shock when they hear it and I often find myself telling the same story to shoppers who have just jumped off a bike or finished a workout at the local gym.

If you don't eat and drink properly, the antioxidants counteract the free radicals that are produced during exercise, which attack the body and over time age the skin. If you don't support yourself during and after exercise you're actually slowly killing yourself when you're trying to make yourself healthier and live longer.We're buzzing with free radicals all the time; they deplete our ability to produce antioxidants internally. It's straightforward really...I believe that the more antioxidants you consume the longer you'll live. The people who exercise fanatically don't replenish antioxidants but they're usually interested to hear all about it when they meet me at these sorts of events. People should probably drink a couple of bottles of Mile High a day (3,600 ORAC units per 250ml compared to 1,200 in orange juice and 275 in tomato juice according to published results) if they're doing a lot of exercise. It's all down to oxidation - we use oxygen to live by and the more you take in, the more free radical debris it causes. When exercising harder you're taking in more oxygen and therefore more free radicals.

After chatting at length to a woman who is a self-confessed gymaholic, she bought 14 bottles saying that it would last her two weeks and that she'd be back in the store for more.
Speaking to our logistics people after the sampling event, it was rewarding to hear that our sales had recorded a four-fold uplift due to our recent listing in Ocado and promotional activity with both Waitrose and Ocado. It makes the long day worthwhile and gives me something positive to think about on the train home. 

Tuesday
Meeting with the Vulcan team

I have been passionate about flying, aeroplanes and aviation in general for years. In fact, combining my love of aviation and nutrition resulted in the creation of Mile High Drinks! So, it only seemed fitting that I should get involved with the Vulcan. Mile High Drinks is now an official sponsor after we donated a chunk of money to them earlier this year, and we're working together to sell the drink at air shows with a percentage of the profits going straight back to the Vulcan fund.

The Vulcan XH558, which was built in 1960 and is now based at a wartime airfield at Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire, flew for the first time in 15 years in 2007 following a £7mn restoration. The money was raised by the Vulcan To The Sky Trust but funds to maintain the aircraft continue to run dry. To keep the Vulcan flying at air shows and to continue with their educational activities, the Trust has to raise more than £1.6mn each year. They are now totally reliant on donations from the public and on sponsorship, so it seems only right that Mile High Drinks should contribute to the fund. They're a lovely bunch of people and the meeting was very productive with lots of opportunities to work together in the future including information about the Vulcan on the Mile High Drinks website (www.milehighdrinks.com) and reciprocal links, which I hope will boost visitors to our site.

Wednesday

After a morning of catching up with emails, sending sample bottles out to potential customers and grabbing lunch on the go, I met with my wife, Sue, to travel up to Gloucester to watch the first production run of our limited edition bottles in association with Conde Nast Traveller magazine.

Our PR lady, Helen Lewis, originally set up a meeting with the Conde Nast team at Vogue House last year with the aim of holding a sampling event for their staff (which we did) and to get editorial in the magazine and on the website. The relationship has proven fruitful ever since and we are working with them again this year at the Luxury Travel Fair in November in London. The bottles are the result of a huge amount of hard work, so I was thrilled to see the fabulous new design finally. Each bottle provides details of an on-pack subscription offer: just 12 issues for £12. After a few meetings and finalising artwork it was exciting to see the first of 10,000 bottles coming down the line. Another exhausting but exhilarating day!

Thursday

After a much needed long bike ride (which thankfully didn't involve a crazy dog biting me on the leg followed by hours in the accident and emergency department of my local hospital and a rabies jab, as had happened the month before!) to clear away some of the cobwebs, Clare Pughe (sales & marketing) and Helen Lewis (PR) and I came together for a marketing meeting at my home. My wife Sue helped me to prepare the food before heading off to work herself and we had a very productive meeting over a delicious lunch of smoked salmon, salad, cous cous, olives and, of course, some Mile High Drinks. We all went away with an even longer 'to do' list but full of enthusiasm after a few hours of brain storming!

Friday

More emails, telephone calls and chasing people in the morning. In the afternoon, a new client came to visit me at home in relation to my nutrition business. Although Mile High Drinks takes up the majority of my time, I still get word of mouth recommendations about my nutrition advice. We ran through their background from a health perspective through their life up to now including past and present diet. It's important to build a picture of their current condition based on what has happened to them in the past. It's like putting a jigsaw together; it's not just one thing that you need to look at when it comes to health and nutrition. It's very much like the synergy of the drink; you have to put all the pieces together to come to a meaningful treatment. Where do they live? Where were they brought up? Are they nagged by their marketing and sales team? What do they do for a job?

I then suggested an eating plan and some natural treatments and will see her again in a month.
After another long week, I receive an email advising me that Mile High Drinks is a finalist in a big drinks award ceremony in Europe. Naturally, I'm straight on the telephone to my wife ensuring she can get the time off work - we could do with a break!