LIKE many entrepreneurs, Steve Turbill has been through a dark period when he wondered if he had done the right thing.

He questioned why he had given up a well-paid job and company car to sit on upturned crates at a second-hand desk in a tiny room when there was no guarantee of success.

But seven years on from that point he now has a grin on his face and said: "It has gone quite well."

Previously, he decided there wasn't much future in staying as managing director of Wallace Arnold's Caledonian coach tour holiday brand as new private equity owners revamped the business.

Rather than wait to be pushed he jumped. With the help of some start-up capital and advice from Mr Turbill's long-time mentor Paul Bennett, founder of the UK Holiday Group, Glenton Holidays began to take shape.

Mr Turbill and colleague Harriet Stamp started out with a plan "to be different" from other coach tour operators. That extended to the Glenton branding being a black Scottie dog.

Mr Turbill said: "The dog instilled some Scottish identity without being naff.

"The idea being that even if people didn't remember the [Glenton] name they would remember us as the company with the dog."

Glenton also laid on welcome packs for every traveller featuring branded goods including water, stationery and toiletries.

Its luxury brand Select even offers shortbread shaped like the dog.

Mr Turbill says key operational decisions were including travel insurance on every holiday and not charging single-room supplements on all its holidays.

Since those tentative first few months the Glasgow company has steadily taken on more and more passengers and is now dealing with upwards of 55,000 every year.

After eking out a marginal profit in year one there have been consistent six-figure returns and revenues now running at around £13 million.

Staff numbers have leapt to more than 40 with Mr Turbill now scouting locations for a potential new office away from the company's current Gordon Street home.

Mr Turbill said: "We are at a really exciting crossroads. We started here in one room and are now spread across two floors but we have outgrown the premises and will have to move soon.

"We would like some retail presence as that would help us improve the customer experience."

As it has grown, Glenton, which took inspiration for its name from a now-defunct luxury tour company which had its heyday prior to the Second World War, has widened its product offering to trips outside the UK while also incorporating flights and cruises.

The acquisition of Palmer holidays in West Yorkshire in 2011 opened up a larger customer base in England.

Mr Turbill said: "We weren't picking up in England at all.

"We thought if we had 35 people being picked up in Scotland and we can add 10 in the north of England and 10 in Yorkshire then that really improves our profit.

"We spotted Palmer and funded it from reserves. We rebranded it and it is starting to go really well."

Mr Turbill, 40, also signalled Glenton is planning to be active in taking over further businesses as he is seeing "lots of opportunities".

He said: "We are well resourced, in a financially good position and we are actively looking for acquisitions."

Still alongside the corporate management of the business Mr Turbill still keeps his hand in as a guide leading the occasional tour party in order to keep his hand in on the shopfloor.

He said: "The only way I know how the business is doing is if I'm out there."

Glenton is investing in technology in what Mr Turbill describes as an 18-month programme to overhaul all systems and position the company for its next phase of growth.

He said: "I think we are probably average in how we use technology but I want to put technology at the heart of the business and change the whole way we communicate.

"We are looking at some very innovative things which should make us much more effective and improve the customer experience."

Included within that overhaul will be enhancements in Glenton's online presence as the silver surfer market becomes more lucrative particularly with the rising popularity of tablet devices.

Mr Turbill said: "The silver surfer is quite active in terms of research but confidence to book has not been as strong.

"But tablets are helping to change things as they are so easy to use.

"You ignore the online market at your peril."

Sitting in the room where it all began, Mr Turbill maintains Glenton will try to bring out new initiatives every year.

Overnight cruise breaks to give customers a brief taste of that market and a Good Companions brand for solo travellers anxious about holidaying alone are among the recent launches.

He said: "At the end of the day we are selling an experience and our aim is to be the number one holiday provider for the senior market in Scotland.

"You can't really put a coach holiday together on your own unless you have 50 friends so hopefully we are protected from the things that have affected traditional tour operators.

"It is a growing demographic we are serving so it is really exciting."

Factfile Beside the seaside

Steve Turbill grew up in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland then went on to study international tourism management at Birmingham University.

Part of that involved being a coach courier showing people around Scotland as part of the UK Holiday Company. Mr Turbill then re-trained to be a teacher and worked in education for a year before being lured back into the holiday industry.

Paul Bennett, UK Holiday Company founder, decided he would take Mr Turbill on as a graduate trainee and the pair worked together for a total of five years.

At that point Mr Turbill was poached to take over Wallace Arnold's Caledonian brand.

When Wallace Arnold and Shearings announced a huge merger Mr Turbill was retained as a managing director but felt his position may not have been secure in the long-term.

Glenton was formed with colleague Harriet Stamp and financial backing from Mr Bennett.

Away from work Mr Turbill enjoys skiing and escaping into rural Scotland in his camper van.