I admire those with entrepreneurial spirit and often have the privilege of consulting and mentoring start-up businesses.
One such example is pet food brand Nuts for Pets, whose founders really impressed me.
I met husband and wife team Alastair and Amelia Black when they were looking to scale up their warehouse space.
Four years ago, Amelia was in a different business entirely. She had bought a London book shop stocked with 50,000 second-hand books and began selling them through Amazon.
It proved profitable enough to create a nest-egg that has since allowed the Edinburgh couple to start a new venture that they are hugely passionate about, and which reflects their values.
They’re dog lovers, and they’re environmentally conscious, so they noticed that it was hard to find pet food that was ethically produced. They’d spotted a gap in the market, and Nuts for Pets was born.
The Edinburgh couple’s first product was Pooch Butter (dog friendly peanut butter with no palm oil or additives) and the range has now expanded with an impressive 11 natural pet products.
Their growth strategy follows the playbook for how to build a successful business.
They started with all-important market research.
Dog-loving friends and the connection website, Borrow My Doggy, were instrumental in getting feedback from their furry target market.
They promoted themselves well.
Recognising the huge importance of social media in today’s marketing strategies, they established an impressive presence with a staggering 11.2k followers on Instagram and growing TikTok following too.
They identified the platforms that were right for their brand, which is key.
If you want to boost social engagement, a scattergun approach is the wrong way to go – you need to make sure you’re picking the channels that reach the right demographic.
On top of that they secured distribution deals with retailers, meaning their products are not just online…they can be found in 290 pet shops across eight countries.
These include larger retailers like Just for Pets and it looks like this is just the beginning for this dynamic duo, because they’re currently in talks with other major retailers and pet stores.
So, what does the future hold for Nuts for Pets?
The team recently set up a crowdfunding page, which they hope will generate the capital to realise their vision for the brand.
They have a solid plan of ambitious goals for the investment, including growing their team, improving stock levels and launching new products, and expanding their marketing outreach so that everyone on “planet dog” (their words!) knows about them.
And it doesn’t stop there. They want to move into a new warehouse as well as creating a concept store where they can showcase the range and provide a meeting space. They’ve really thought of everything.
We’ve seen many a Scottish company successfully using crowdfunding to fuel their growth – just recently I wrote about Livingston-based Matugga Distillery surpassing its £300k crowdfunding target.
There are loads of others doing it to fund an array of businesses, from renewable energy and rewilding projects to retail ventures covering everything from tech to textiles.
Personally, I think the future looks incredibly bright for this Nuts for Pets.
They started out in the same way as some of the biggest and most successful brands out there – by spotting a gap in the market.
They recognised the demand and the growth potential and they went for it, and now pet owners are going nuts for their products.
What an inspiration for others who are thinking about starting a business – absolutely pawesome!
Scotland’s Space Ambitions Taking Off
Scotland’s space industry is flying high and now accounts for a fifth of the UK space workforce after a recent jobs boost.
Figures from the UK Space Agency show Scotland has the highest proportion of its population employed in the sector compared to any other part of the UK.
In 2020 the sector’s jobs total rose by 6.7 per cent and the rise in Scotland was even more impressive, growing nearly 9.6 per cent.
The figures have been released as the UK’s first vertical small satellite launches are set to lift off from Scottish spaceports – marking an incredibly exciting new frontier for Scotland.
In February, planning permission was granted for the construction of the Saxavord Spaceport in the far north of Scotland. Plans include the construction of three rocket pads at the Lamba Ness peninsula in Unst.
Elsewhere, plans for a spaceport near Tongue in Sutherland cleared a major legal hurdle in September when a Scottish Land Court judge approved a change of use of an area of croft land for the building of the facility.
Scotland’s space industry has benefitted from a share of the UK Government’s space-related research and development spending which has rocketed to £836m.
I’m so excited by the potential of these projects which are likely to create even more job opportunities in the coming years, fuelled by the growth of regional space clusters, international investment and emerging technologies.
And it’s not just the space industry that reaps the rewards of this growth; supply chains and workers across the country also stand to benefit.
In an uncertain economic climate, it’s encouraging to see investment being made into resilient and innovative industries like this – it seems like the sky’s the limit.
It Made Me Laugh
It always makes me smile to see Scottish culture being celebrated.
This month saw New York Tartan Week return with a bang, or rather the roar of 3,000 bagpipes.
The celebration of Scottish heritage and culture saw saltires flying high across Manhattan, with Nessie even making a surprise appearance, as the parade returned for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s event, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, was led by Guardians of the Galaxy and Inverness-born actress, Karen Gillan.
Scotland’s connection with America has always been important, with Scottish exports to the USA providing £6bn towards the country’s economy.
It is great to see this celebration of our historical bonds and importantly provide a chance for those in the Big Apple to develop meaningful connections with Scottish heritage.
It Made Me Weep
Easter holiday-makers heading to warmer climates had their hopes dashed last week as major airlines, including British Airways and easyJet, axed dozens of flights from Scottish airports.
Both domestic and Europe bound flights from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen were impacted.
The issue was partly caused by difficulties in recruitment and getting their security checks processed after thousands of jobs were cut during the pandemic.
BA has said passengers were warned in advance with the airline reducing its schedule until the end of May to limit cancelling flights at short notice.
Unfortunately, these cancellations affected excited families wanting to travel abroad for the school Easter holidays – many for the first time in two years.
I don’t envy any parent delivering that news and it’s another blow to our travel and tourism industry.
Q&A
Q: I am interested in renting a property I saw, and the landlord and I have been discussing terms. He has said that he will rent it to me for at least 3 years and asks for quarterly payments in advance. The landlord insists on a security deposit of 12 months’ rent as we’re a new company and they also want a director’s guarantee. Do we have any options?
A: While the market for industrial property is very hot now with demand exceeding supply, I would not sign up to these terms without doing some serious thinking. In terms of rents and rentals, there are no hard and fast rules. Everything comes down to market value and how well you negotiate a contract. It is always best to use an agent to negotiate on your behalf when you are renting or purchasing a property. Most agents will only charge a fee if the contract is successful. Additionally, you should keep in mind that the landlord wants a directors’ guarantee as this is a personal responsibility. If the company cannot pay the obligations under the lease, you are agreeing to pay them yourself.
Q: I recently bought a business and signed the contract. I expect to take over in August but when should we let the staff know?
A: It is imperative that you get to know your staff as quickly as possible. You will have paid a premium for buying a business rather than starting your own, so you cannot afford to let the rumour mill find out what happened. Your current staff has intimate knowledge of the business, and you must ensure it is not devalued. Your new employees need to know that their jobs are safe, as they hate uncertainty.
