Tayside catering firm has recipe for success

CHEF: George Urquhart founded 3G Catering after years in the hotel trade

Why did you start in business?

I worked in the hotel trade as a head chef for 14 years. As the years went on, my workload became more office-based and my skills and passion were not being used to their maximum potential – I knew it was time to go solo.

How did you get to where you are? Many, many long hard days.

In the hospitality industry it is not unheard of to work a significant run of consecutive days without a day off, and as I had signed up with four different agencies allowing me to build my expertise and reputation – for me, this was the norm.

How has the business been impacted by coronavirus?

Our events and main line of work stopped literally overnight – as soon as lockdown was announced.

It has been a worrying time, and like many small businesses we have felt vulnerable, however we have used our time effectively and spent more days in the office planning and strategising for when lockdown is lifted and we can get back to doing what we do best.

Who has helped you along the way? Business Gateway Tayside has been with me every step of the way.

Five years ago, when I started my journey, the team’s support was instrumental in helping me get up and running.

What has been your biggest mistake? I would say this is more of a regret than a mistake, but I wish I started 3G Catering five years earlier.

What has been your greatest achievement?

A hard one to pinpoint. I could break them into my top three, with number one being the first company to win the Scottish Wedding Awards’ Caterer of the Year category, not once but twice in 2018 and 2020.

The second is winning the 2019 Scottish Food Awards Caterer of the Year accolade, while the third is securing the 2019 Event Planner of the Year title for the Perth Business Awards.

What are your hopes for the future?

In post Covid-19 recovery, we will look to become a stronger team.

We have worked hard through this challenging period and I am determined to continue this growth.

Working with local authorities and Business Gateway – once again, will bolster this and help provide the knowledge and experience we need to make this a reality.

Are you hoping to recruit in future? Recruitment will be high on our list. We project a significant demand for events in the future, once people can return to our new normal, and – with respect, we know some companies wouldn’t survive these current times so we aim to recruit locally to support our community.

What is the hardest thing about running your own business?

If you want to really make it a success, then you have to be prepared to forgo your free time.

It is a 24/7 way of life with a lot of personal sacrifices.

Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

If you have a dream just go for it. If you don’t, you will never know what could have been, meaning you will be left always asking “what if”.

George Urquhart runs award-winning firm 3G Catering.