“Mum, when you pass away, I’ll run your business for you.”

These words delivered by my seven-year-old boy this morning, still sleepy-eyed and hair-tousled in his PJs. Yawning and stretching he added: “Not that I want that to happen. Just so you know I have a plan.”

Once I’d stopped laughing, I started thinking. In no particular order, my mind ran through:

Children are natural entrepreneurs

It occurs to me that kids are naturally hopeful, naturally ambitious. Life hasn’t knocked it out of them yet. They have no sense of time, or money. My boy earnestly believes he will either be a Premier League footballer or a YouTube multimillionaire when he grows up. Then of course he will invest his millions into my business, once I have passed away… kicked the bucket… croaked.

When do we lose that childish sense of optimism? When I cast my mind back to the first time I thought about Rebel Creative, it was a tentative, apologetic half-thought. Could I go freelance? Could I eke out a living self-employed? Is it mad/irresponsible/arrogant to leave a stable job and roll the dice?

I imagine a lot of others feel the same, especially if, like me, you have kids to support. Gradually, and with the right encouragement, I started to change my thinking.

What if, instead of aiming to not fail, we aim to fly?

When I was a teenager, I read a quote from aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, that has stuck with me ever since. She said ‘Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.’ Now admittedly she vanished somewhere over the Atlantic, but the sentiment still stands.

Indeed, it’s the same advice given by many people who have achieved extraordinary things. How many successful businesses would not exist if their entrepreneurial founders had entertained that kind of fear and self-doubt? On the contrary, they often hang on through little more than dogged determination.

In that spirit, I took a deep breath and started to write a business plan. I started to think about what I wanted to try to build. I just started… which is often the hardest bit.

The right support

I can honestly say I’ve had a lot of help, support and encouragement. Friends and family are often the first folk to learn about your fledgeling business plans, and I’m so lucky to be surrounded by people who both believe in me and know how to gently challenge me. I also spoke honestly with my boss at the time, and sought advice from former managers and colleagues too. I asked the views of people I admire, and respect. I came away believing more than ever in the importance of having a good network.

On that point – as a brief segue – I recently joined a new LinkedIn group started by Adam Bell of PPC agency Yatter. Adam is based in the Highlands and started a networking group for Highland marketers. This goes right to the heart of my ambitions for Rebel, and the need to link up and grow the creative sector in the north.

Collaboration and knowledge exchange are crucial, especially in rural areas.

Once I had drafted a business plan, I got in touch with my local Business Gateway office for some advice. I have heard from others that support for new or growing businesses is not what it used to be. I can’t comment on that, but can comment on my own experience. I attended two free webinars – one on LinkedIn marketing and the other on financial record-keeping – both of them excellent.

I also sent my business plan, cashflow forecast and various thoughts and questions to the BG adviser, who was very helpful. Importantly, she signposted me to a Start-Up Grant provided by the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund and Business Gateway Highland via the Highland Council. I was successful in securing a grant of £1,000, which has been really helpful in covering my initial costs.

Learning to fly

Returning to the theme of entrepreneurship, the Highlands is quite an interesting case study. Historically, we have suffered from quite low rates of business start-up and enterprise. Back in 2018, the Press & Journal quoted figures highlighting the stark contrast with other parts of Scotland. Between 2010 and 2017, new business registered in the Highlands increased by 5.7%. This compared to a 16% increase in urban areas. In that same time period, Scotland saw a near-20% increase in people registering as self employed, but the Highlands lagged behind with a 7.6% lift.

It begs the question: why do rural areas have lower rates of entrepreneurship?

In the P&J article, the Federation of Small Businesses refers to demographic change – specifically younger people moving away – alongside infrastructure lags such as broadband and transport. These can also hamper business growth, and the Highlands has a high number of micro businesses but comparatively few businesses of scale.

Are there psychological factors at play too? Up in Caithness, where I’m based, we won’t hesitate to tell someone not to get ‘up yersel’. We’re experts at hiding our lights under the proverbial bushel. Some would also argue that we’ve come to rely on major employers such as NRS Dounreay to shore up our local economy, though I’m less convinced by that theory.

The good news, is that I think we’re starting to see the seeds of change. Last week, Highland Council reported a record number of new businesses registering in the region. Its Business Gateway service helped 2,000 businesses get started. Perhaps some of that is a result of Covid, and people reassessing their work-life priorities.

There is also growing positive momentum behind the boom in renewables, heralded by many as a second industrial revolution, and with it the prospect of attracting and retaining talent in the Highlands. My former employer Focus North is at the vanguard of much of that renewed regional optimism – more on that another day.

Have you started a business in the Highlands, or elsewhere? I’d love to hear your hopes, fears and opinions about entrepreneurship. Comment below.

_{Note: Featured image is model kid, not my kid (-:}