In this week’s SME Focus we hear from two people who developed a venture that has brought them great satisfaction after suffering reverses that prompted them to reassess their priorities.

Name:

Ishbel Moffat and Richard Baird.

Ages:

45 and 47.

What is your business called?

Vintage VW Campers

Where is it based?

Falkirk, five minutes drive from The Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel.

What services does it offer?

Chauffeur-driven wedding and event transport in our 1965 VW Splitscreen Microbus. We also have VW Campervans from the 1960s and 1970s, which along with our TeardropTrailer, go out with our guests for self-drive holidays.

To whom does it sell?

People getting married or celebrating events across the central belt of Scotland. On the self-drive side we have had guests from all around the world but our domestic market accounts for over 60 per cent of guests.

How many employees?

One.

When was it formed?

We formed the business in 2013 and started trading in April 2014.

Why did you take the plunge?

2012 was a horrible year, I'd lost my Mum to cancer and then we both were told our jobs were being made redundant around the turn of the year. So from three terrible life events, we found ourselves at a crossroads with some money to invest and wanted to build something positive from the tragedy.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I was Area Manager for a hospitality recruitment firm and Richie was a Head Chef.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

From bad things like bereavement and redundancy, we made good things come by investing in classic vehicles. Putting money away in bank accounts no longer makes sense because of the low return, this is encouraging people to make the leap and be more entrepreneurial.

What was your biggest break?

Purchasing our Splitscreen was the point of no return, as we had to build a business after the money we invested. She was just the right vehicle at the right time and we were smitten before we met her, after seeing her on eBay. I wanted to call her Meg in memory of my Mum but didn't want to think of her by that name until we'd done the deal!

Meeting Davie our mechanic was a massive break too. He's got 30 years’ air-cooled engine experience and is an all rounder who knows how to fix everything Volkswagen. On top of that he's a lovely guy.

What was your worst moment?

Having a campervan breakdown and not having a replacement but then seeing Carty Campers and Solway Campers save the day and our customers' holidays, with their replacement campers. I'm very happy to say, the longer we've owned the VWs, the more Davie has taken them apart, put them back together, the less trouble we've had. I'm pleased to report (touch wood) we've had nothing on a tow truck this year. We've just agreed a deal on a new campervan, which we'll be extensively road testing over the next few months before it joins the fleet for Easter.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

We are incredibly fortunate to be the custodians of all our classic VWs and to share the joy of them with some genuinely great customers, who love the vehicles as much as we do. Sharing our top tips for holidaying in the best country in the world, also gives us and our customers pleasure. We're dealing with people going on holiday and celebrating life events, we've met life-long friends and we do love going on a campervan holiday ourselves.

What do you least enjoy?

Occasionally we have guests turn up, who haven't thought about the realities of driving a 40 to 50 year old campervan. If you are a good, confident driver you are likely to pick it up quickly but if you aren't the best driver in the first place, you could struggle with the challenges of no power steering and finding gears on a long gearstick.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

Continue to assist good people celebrating and enjoying the milestones of life, with these amazing vehicles.

What are your top priorities?

Ensuring: our customers have a great time when in our vehicles; our vehicles are given the best parts and care available; Scotland remains a beautiful country for people to visit for as long as possible; we make enough of a profit to be able to continue sharing the joy of these amazing VWs.

Supporting other small and local businesses.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

Keep providing rates relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

As camper hire is such a seasonal business, we really do need to get them all booked at peak times, or they won't be paying their way and then we can't afford to keep them.

How do you relax?

We love going on our own campervan adventures whenever we can, before and after our customers, in spring and autumn. Camping up by a sandy beach or lochside, admiring nature and switching off from technology.