IN this week’s SME Focus the experience of a successful leisure entrepreneur provides fresh evidence of the scale of the increases in business rates bills some firms face following the recent revaluation of properties in Scotland.
Name:
Sandy Bloomer.
Age:
35.
What is your business called?
I have three: Gift Experience Scotland (with subsidiaries in Ireland and South Africa), Ingliston Revival and Experee.
Where is it based?
What services does it offer?
Gift Experience Scotland sells over 1,000 experience ideas that are available in the country and through its subsidiaries in Ireland and South Africa. The experiences include supercar driving, helicopter tours and afternoon teas. We manage all the legwork so that the recipient of the gift can experience their day stress-free.
Ingliston Revival is a classic car festival that celebrates the historic Ingliston Circuit at the Royal Highland Centre. The event was born out of the Gift Experience supercar driving experiences that also take place there. It is set in the 1960’s with cars, racing, family entertainment, camping and food, drink and hospitality options.
Experee is my latest venture and sells global experiences to people travelling overseas from the UK.
To whom does it sell?
Consumers in Scotland and other target markets.
What is its turnover?
Group turnover is in excess of £3.5 million.
How many employees?
19 full time plus we work with a group of contractors and event staff to help with Ingliston Revival Festival, which takes place in May.
When was it formed?
Giift Experience Scotland in 2006, South Africa, 2009, Ireland in 2014; Ingliston Revival Festival in 2015 and Experee in 2016.
Why did you take the plunge?
I started off working in financial services marketing which provided a good introduction to big business and big budgets but was boring. I decided that I could start up my own business ‘on the side’ and then take the plunge when I could afford it. Things however happened much quicker than I expected and after a brief period moonlighting as a (not very good) tour guide, I went full time. The rest is history and I do not regret it one bit and look forward to the future all the time.
Choosing to focus on gift experiences was down to a touch of fate. I auditioned for Dragon’s Den with an idea for a smart phone app, called TouristMate. I didn’t get on, but was inspired by Rachel Elnaugh who was one of the Dragons at the time. She had a gift experience business based in England. I wasn’t aware of anything similar in Scotland and thought we were missing out. I followed her lead and even now bring a number of products from England to the Scottish market.
Expanding into South Africa was another leap of faith. A colleague was moving back to South Africa and it seemed a good opportunity to test the international market. There were a number of cultural hurdles, including getting the supercars through South Africa’s customs protocols and procedures, but we are able to offer the exact same services as we do in Scotland.
Taking the cars to Ireland on the other hand is easy. We saw a market opportunity, little competition, and because it is only a 30minute flight away, launching in Ireland was a relatively straight forward business decision.
What were you doing before you took the plunge?
Working in marketing for Standard Life and then Aberdeen Asset Management.
How did you raise the start-up funding?
I borrowed £500 from my aunts.
What was your biggest break?
In 2004, I won the account for Knockhill Racing Circuit experience vouchers. Getting them to come on board was the catalyst for my experience-based business, which went on to become Gift Experience Scotland in 2006. If they hadn’t signed up then I probably wouldn’t have pursed this line of business.
What do you enjoy most about running the business?
We sell fun! Every day is different and the variety of activities the different brands offer keep us on our toes.
What do you least enjoy?
It has to be admin. Luckily I am able to defer most of it to others!
What are your ambitions for the firm?
Each brand has huge potential.
What are your top priorities?
To continue to grow our businesses to be global brands, through great products and clever marketing.
To see the team prosper with the challenges and opportunities they have.
To drive income and profit for the businesses.
To build on the successes at Ingliston Circuit and grow our events business.
To constantly innovate.
What could the Westminster and/or Scottish government do that would help?
Reduce the tax burden on small businesses, especially business rates to allow us to expand. Business rates are a really contentious issue for me. I am more than willing to contribute to the ‘greater good’ of our society, but when services are removed and costs go up (35 per cent in 2017) I really struggle to justify that in my mind.
The rates system is out-dated and a means-tested model seems to be a much fairer solution, based on company turnover and profit rather than a spurious age-old valuation of the property they inhabit.
What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?
To delegate, you can’t do everything yourself. Protecting your ideas and trusting the people you work with is also extremely important because if you have similar goals, it becomes easier to achieve them. I want to run an ethical business and have taken a stance, for example, that we will not sell products that support animal cruelty. It’s not just about the money. To be successful, I believe you have got to enjoy what you do and always try and do the right thing.
How do you relax?
I’ve got three children and five businesses including international subsidiaries…I don’t relax. Joking aside, we go away as a family quite frequently and I have become a lot better at not checking emails when I am away.
I also gained my pilot license about five years ago which is a great way to take a step back from work. I don’t have much time for flying at the moment, but I do look forward to getting into it more and taking some extended trips to Europe.
My ultimate goal would be to attempt to fly around the world solo for charity, but it will have to wait until I’ve got the time.
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