AS midwinter approaches an entrepreneur highlights the challenges involved in operating a gardening business in Scotland when the country is under a blanket of snow.
Name:
Jim Byiers.
Age:
65.
What is your business called?
Gardens Galore.
Where is it based?
Scone, Perthshire.
What services does it offer?
Landscaping and garden design.
Who does it sell to?
The clients who commission us to do work for them come from a vast cross section of the general public, from owners of 2nd properties from as far afield as Hong Kong, Dubai, London and Singapore to exclusive new builds, to professional people who either live in or have 2nd homes in Scotland to well known people like Andrew Fairlie, the two Michelin-starred chef.
What is its turnover?
£900,000.
How many employees?
12.
When was it formed?
1997.
Why did you take the plunge and what were you doing before that?
I decided that at age 47 I needed a challenge and to be in charge of my own destiny. I had been a construction plant operator for many years. When I was 25 I bought a plot of land in Newtonmore in the Highlands and built a four bedroomed house and landscaped the garden! At that time there weren't a lot of prospects apart from the building of the A9. It was regular income and I got to drive and play with big boys toys! However, the experience I gained from this work regarding ground levels is what we now work with on a daily basis.
We moved to Perth in 1980 and to Scone in 1987. My next-door neighbour was an avid horticulturist who helped to start the horticultural society in the village and eventually taught me everything I know about gardening. By 1997 I knew I had the package of skills to do something with. By this time Scott, my elder son was an apprentice joiner while his brother Jamie had studied horticulture at Perth College. Jamie and I started the business in 1997 with Scott joining us in 2001.
How did you raise the start-up funding?
When the former building society Alliance and Leicester became a bank we were given shares, which on cashing in gave me about £1,500. I used our family hatchback car, tools from the garden shed, borrowed a desk, lawnmower and a hedge-trimmer and bought a friend's old computer. Our first van was bought from an auction at Errol - a red ex post office vehicle, which on the route home belched smoke from the exhaust - so much so that I couldn't see Jamie was following me!!
I didn't consider external funding as an option because I was not looking for overnight success but rather wanted to prove that I could do this myself and didn't want to be answerable to anyone. Our only marketing initially was in the local paper, the Perthshire Advertiser which gave us the exposure we needed and the phone began to ring
What was your biggest break?
In the early stages I was given invaluable advice by a friend who was a successful businessman on the key issues of running a business. David spent time with me writing a business plan and helped me to understand the importance of profit and loss, as well as having an office and a desk to work from - this was worth its weight in gold. It is essential to have a dedicated space, even though it was a spare room at home! This initial help led on to studying various business development books including the E-Myth by Michael Gerber.
What was your worst moment?
The winter of 2010-11 gave us six weeks of snow on the ground. We had no money coming in as we couldn't work on our contracts. We chose to retain our staff because they had grown with us and their skills were the future of the business. We learned to take it one day at a time, knowing we had survived another day and when the snow finally melted and we returned to our existing contracts our staff came to us and said they would work seven days a week to help us recover. That is what they did allowing us to recover in a matter of months.
What do you most enjoy about running the business?
One great pleasure comes from meeting lots of very interesting people. As well as clients, people who have helped build the business such as John Frater, our resident landscape designer who I met on a Buddhist retreat many years ago. I believe because of John's Buddhist practice he brings very different elements into his designs.
What do you least enjoy?
The trick with difficult times is to find a way through them, accept the situation as it is and be prepared to do whatever is necessary to move forward. The biggest lesson I've learned over the years is to try to stay in the present, not to dwell on the past and not to worry about the future - however this is a work in progress!
What are your ambitions for the firm?
I consider the market to be quite buoyant. As we build a reputation for our skill and workmanship our intention is to become a major player in landscaping and design in and around central Scotland.
What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?
As we are on the edge of the construction industry, our fortunes tend to fluctuate with the strength of the economy. Recently the nervousness and apprehension prior to the referendum caused ripples of uncertainty, which has affected our business. Now my hope is that the will of the five main parties coming together at the Smith Commission will reach common ground and begin to deliver a package of new powers for Holyrood, which will allow economic growth in our country.
What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?
Acceptance of what is and to deal with difficult situations immediately. Everyone can make a mistake - what is important is how you deal with it. Mistakes need sorted asap and so our snagging is done within a week of the job completion and if there is a reason why this can't be done our client is kept in the loop as to why.
How do you relax?
In 2001 my interest in Buddhism grew at a time I was looking for ways to relax and bring balance into my life. Although I do not consider myself to be a Buddhist, the principles taught me to practice being in the present moment, to accept what is, to be calm and non-judgemental. I find that starting each day with some quiet meditative time works!
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