Name:

Keith Ingram.

Age: 46.

What is your business called? Assai Records (HTS (Scotland) Limited)

Where is it based?

We have two record shops in Scotland – Dundee and Edinburgh – but we largely sell online via Amazon marketplace.

What does it produce, what services does it offer?

We sell Vinyl records, CD’s, band merchandise as well as our own brand suitcase style record players, vinyl carry cases and accessories.

To whom does it sell?

Around 70 per cent of our customers are online and buy our products via Amazon. We ship a lot of stock to Europe – mainly Italy, France and Germany but we also have customers in the United States. We find that British artists sell very well in Britain and America.

What is its turnover?

£2,000,000+

How many employees?

17.

When was it formed?

2004.

Why did you take the plunge?

I was a big music fan from a very young age. By the time I was about 14-years-old I was travelling from Dundee to Glasgow to get my hands on limited edition records from the likes of Madonna and Prince – it was a great feeling to find collectable items for my own personal collection. This progressed to selling music to my friends on the school playground, and then through advertising in Record Collector Magazine where I’d send collectable, limited edition picture discs to people from all across the UK. I quickly realised that if I re-invested any profit into buying more stock there was even more money to be made. My personal collection is still pretty impressive with well over 4,000 records – much to the annoyance of my wife.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I was the Store Manager of HMV on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. I started working there when I was 22 in 1992. I also had an online business selling vinyl records, CDs and DVDs via Amazon to people in the UK and overseas, which I started doing in 2002.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

I got a decent annual bonus from my previous employer, which helped towards the initial start-up costs to open my first store but I also received bank support.

What was your biggest break?

Two things – moving to bigger premises in 2013 and making the decision to sell with Amazon not only to customers in the UK but also to record collectors across the world. The latter was a game changer for the business and allowed us to sell a huge number of products direct to customers worldwide. It’s only because of the success online via Amazon that we’ve been able to open two record shops in Scotland and sustain ourselves as a high street business.

Nowadays people can stream music online for free but we offer an experience you can’t get from the internet. My relationship with record companies is very important as they help me create unique events that bring us a huge amount of publicity. We have a small stage at the back of the shop where we hold small, exclusive gigs to no more than 100 people. Over the years we’ve had some brilliant performances from high profile musicians including folk singer James Yorkston, singer-songwriter Tom Walker, KT Tunstall, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream and Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons. We’re selling a completely unique experience. Some of these musicians are selling out big venues but they come to our stores and perform with their guitar and a microphone for free to say thanks to the fans who love their music. You can’t experience that online.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

I’m a huge music fan so it’s the dream job for me. If I’m not thinking about music when I’m awake, I’m dreaming about it in my sleep. I also love the different avenues it takes you down. For example, in 2015 we developed our own record label ‘Assai Recordings’ featuring Scottish artists Carousel, Hamish Hawk & The New Outfit, Brownbear and The View frontman Kyle Falconer’s debut solo single ‘Poor Me’. We try and give up and coming bands and local Scottish artists a chance.

What do you least enjoy?

The long hours can be tough. Running your own business can consume your life – the perception that working on your own gives you greater freedom to choose your working hours isn’t true.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

To continue to develop the Assai brand through shops, record label, accessories and good customer service. The live gigs are a fantastic way to introduce a new generation of people to the music industry, or for parents to bring along their children who are too young to attend big arena tours or to listen to local bands in bars and clubs.

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

They could try and reduce administration time and costs on small businesses to allow them to concentrate on growing without being swamped by continued changes. They could also look at abolishing business rates for smaller premises.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

Be adaptable as consumer demands change constantly. I’ve always understood the need to constantly evolve and adapt to suit our customers’ needs.

How do you relax?

By spending time with my family and going to gigs. A fond childhood memory is listening to the same three albums every time I was in the car with my parents – the Beatles, Gerry Rafferty and Dr. Hook.

It’s my turn to pass on my love of music to my two young girls.