About Us | Built by Real Operators with Hands-On Experience Since 2010
We Build Food Businesses That Work
— From Vision to Execution
Livinism is a hands-on restaurant consulting firm founded by two brothers — real operators, not just advisors — who started as architects and became full-stack food business builders. We help restaurant owners build and fix what matters through practical, on-the-ground solutions.
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Now based in the UK, with hands-on experience across Asia since 2010, we bring operator insight to food entrepreneurs — turning ideas into systems that work.
Our Story
We didn’t plan to become consultants.
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From Architects to Restaurant Consultants
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Back in 2005, we were two young architects — fresh into our careers, quietly imagining what it would take to build something of our own.
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At the time, we were working at Benoy, a UK-based architecture firm known for landmark shopping malls like Bluewater and Bullring. Through large-scale retail projects across Asia, we weren’t just designing — we were learning how real businesses worked, how people moved through space, what shaped spending, and why some formats thrived while others didn’t.
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That experience made us ask:
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What if we didn’t just design for other people’s success… but built something of our own?
So we set up Livinism — not as a consultancy, but as a container for future ideas. We didn’t know exactly what we’d build. We just knew we wanted freedom, and believed our creative instincts could carry over into business.
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In 2006, Donald moved to Thailand to explore opportunities on the ground. Mickey stayed in Hong Kong, continuing at Benoy while supporting early ventures on the side. In 2007, he helped set up an education business with his wife — still running today — while both brothers continued to explore what it really takes to build a working business.
By 2010, we were doing it full-time — consulting for others while testing early concepts of our own.
By 2015, we launched our first full-service food and beverage businesses in Thailand — giving us the operator experience that now anchors our work.
Every challenge we worked through — in our own ventures or with clients — deepened our understanding of what actually makes a concept work.
In 2023, Mickey relocated to the UK with his family. While continuing to manage operations in Thailand and Hong Kong remotely, we decided to focus Livinism on what we care most about:
Our Mission — Real Help from Real Restaurant Operators
We’ve been on both sides of the table. We know how it feels to bet everything on an idea, and what it takes to make it sustainable.
Livinism exists to help others avoid the blind spots we’ve faced ourselves.
Why We’re Not Like Most Restaurant Consultants
Most consultants advise from the outside. We are on the inside — running kitchens, fixing pricing, rebuilding service flow, and launching restaurant brands ourselves. It’s how we spot blind spots faster and solve what actually matters — because we live these challenges every day.
Meet the Founders of Livinism
Mickey Woo – Co-Founder (UK-Based)
Mickey has been UK-educated since age 16, attending Truro School in Cornwall and earning his architecture degree from Oxford Brookes University, where he met his British wife. After graduating, he worked at David Chipperfield Architects in London before joining Benoy, where he became Associate Director — overseeing large commercial projects across Asia and drawing heavily from UK references like Bluewater and Bullring.
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After leaving Benoy, Mickey and Donald began consulting and building their own businesses together. Today, Mickey is based in the UK and manages strategy, operations, and finance across their ventures.
Mickey now focuses on helping UK food entrepreneurs navigate restaurant operations, bringing clarity beyond what most restaurant consultants offer.
His focus is on helping restaurant owners and food entrepreneurs bring structure and logic to passionate ideas — while keeping the big picture in view.
Donald Woo – Co-Founder (Thailand-Based)
Donald also studied at Truro School and graduated from Oxford Brookes University, before joining Benoy as an architectural designer. In 2006, he moved to Thailand to explore startup opportunities. After Mickey left Benoy, the brothers began working full-time — consulting for clients and building their own restaurant brands from scratch.
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Donald now leads hands-on execution in Southeast Asia while working closely with Mickey to align strategy with what actually works on the ground.
Livinism is their shared platform — shaped by years of doing the work, learning from experience, and helping others build real businesses with clarity and confidence.
Ready to Build or Fix Your Food Business? Let’s Talk.
Whether you're starting a food concept, repositioning a space, or simply tired of surface-level advice — we’d love to talk.
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Want practical help from real food business consultants? See what Livinism offers.