Away from the hustle and bustle of big cities, small businesses are flourishing. Taking inspiration from their surroundings, eight entrepreneurs tell us why they chose to start a business off the beaten track:
Paola Dyboski-Bryant, founder of Dr Zigs Extraordinary Bubbles – Caernarfon, Wales
“I am from Italy and came for a visit about 20 years ago and never left. This is a beautiful place to live and a great place to bring up kids.
“Living in an area with a little economy I think you have to make your own – especially as I wanted to work around the kids. I threw myself into it and the business grew as my son grew – I started off working two hours a day when he slept.
“Being based here is amazing, it doesn’t get any better. We are in a big old estate in an old dairy building. We have massive fields and lakes to work with. It is an idyllic location and an inspiring place to work.”
Martin Murray, co-founder of Rock Rose Gin – Caithness, Scotland
“My wife Claire and I were at university in Edinburgh and wanted to come home – this is where we were both brought up. We love the area and the freedom that comes with it.
“I have heard the expression that the sky here is a “cathedral sky”, and that’s what it’s like. You can see all around you in every direction.
“It can be challenging being here – we are really quite remote. We had a few days without power last winter, and most people would struggle without power. When I was down in London recently I told a gin tasting session that sometimes I only speak to five people a day, and taking family out of that, you are down to one.
“We have these lovely northern lights and there are some great light shows. But at the same time in the winter we have really short daylight hours.”
Emma Williams, founder of Harry & Jack’s – Minchinhampton, The Cotswolds
“We sell adventure packs – a backpack design that came about because my eldest son wanted a jet pack bag and when we looked online we couldn’t find anything.
“We lived in Surrey and wanted to move somewhere a bit more rural before the kids started school. It’s amazing here, really calm and peaceful. In our village the cows are let out for six months of the year, so they roam around.
“All our business is done online so we sell through online portals. We are very lucky, we have got a good broadband connection, which is great. And Gloucestershire has a really good business network, which has been really supportive and helpful.”
Dara O’hArtghaile, co-founder of Ursa Minor Bakehouse – Ballycastle, Northern Ireland
“Three years ago my wife and I were traveling in New Zealand and loved their cafe and bakery culture, and when we were there we realised how many cafes were self-sufficient. We were looking for places that we could go to that were like that when we came back, and we decided to do it ourselves. I taught myself how to bake bread and it developed as a small business from there.
“We lived in Belfast before we went traveling and each time we were off work we would be coming up to Ballycastle. In the summer time people will come into Ballycastle when they are taking the coastal route from Belfast to the Giants Causeway, and we are trying to encourage people to stop a little longer.
“As a baker you get to know your customers and it becomes a little part of their Saturday morning.”
James Rufus, co-founder of 180 Degrees Health Clubs, Sandbanks, Dorset
“Myself and my wife lived in London until four years ago, I was a regional manager of a personal training business. We have three kids so wanted to move back down to the south coast where I was brought up. All in the same month we re-schooled three children, moved house and started a business.
“We have a 250-member gym. I have six trainers and a separate yoga studio. In the last four years we have gone from just myself to around 11 staff, including yoga teachers.
“We do a couple of beach boot camp classes a week. They are all year round, rain or shine. Quite a lot of the guys will take classes out to the jetty, and take [clients] on runs and cycles. When you finish work at 5 o’clock you don’t necessarily want to go to a gym and be inside again.”
Simmi Duffin, founder of Grace’s Favours, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
“I create personalised gifts and sewing patterns. I work completely with felt, which is perfect for beginners. I quite often do kids’ craft parties and birthday parties for any age.
“I am from London, as is my husband, but my in-laws live in Ireland. The Forest of Dean is halfway between the two. We live in a little village in the forest and it is beautiful, absolutely idyllic.
“Going from an hour and a half commute every day each way for both of us, not getting home until 7 o’clock at night, to my husband being able to walk home across the field, and me working from an extension on our house – it’s amazing.
“A lot of my inspiration comes from the colours of the trees outside. Because felt is full of bright colours and colour patterns, what I see outside definitely transfers into my work.”
Cemanthe McKenzie, founder of New Media Angels – Broadstairs, Kent
“In a nutshell we do online media – so social media, websites, design, illustration, SEO and pay-per-click. There’s around 10 of us, but it fluctuates per project. All of my team basically run their own businesses and we work together on certain clients.
“I only moved here a year ago. I needed a change of pace and scenery, to get away from the pollution, the stress, the rush, the prices, in London. In London people live to work, but here they work to live. Living here gives you more space to think. It is a different pace so you are a bit more laid back and relaxed.
“You realise that pretty much what you are doing already is successful, whereas in London you are constantly comparing yourself to the Canary Wharf set.”
Faye Waterlow, visitor centre manager and brand ambassador at Isle of Arran Distillerrs – Arran, Scotland
“The visitor centre of the distillery has a cafe, a shop and runs guided tours, and I also do the marketing and advertising for the business on the island. Last year we had 66,000 visitors – already this year we have had 82,000. There’s been a change in the ferry prices – the prices have halved so there are an awful lot more visitors coming across.
“The distillery opened on 29 June 1995, and the visitor centre was officially opened in 1997 by the Queen.
“Everywhere that you in Arran there’s welcoming faces, everyone knows your name. The community support is incredible. I have lived in places where you don’t know your neighbour next door, but here you have the Arran welcome.
“Everyone who works for this company is so proud of what we do. Everyone is empowered by that.”
This advertisement feature is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with NatWest, sponsor of the winning new business and business essentials hubs.
