The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Rosy future for garden firm
Darren Reid is the owner of Darren Reid Gardening Services, based in Dundee.
He offers a variety of services including maintenance, turfing, landscaping, pruning and small building work.
Q.
How and why did you start in business?
A. When I left school at 16, I decided to go on a landscape gardening course at college. Initially, this was just as a stop gap to keep me busy over the winter before I could apply for another course which I actually wanted to do.
I then applied for an apprenticeship with Dundee City Council and out of 120+ applicants, myself and another apprentice were taken on.
I set up my own part-time gardening business with a good friend. Suddenly, the business took off and I developed a big client base.
I handed in my notice and started my business full-time in spring 2019.
Q.
How did you get to where you are today?
A. By really putting my all into it. I take pride in ensuring that my business supports all of my customers’ needs and I am very passionate about what I do.
I believe that every day is still a school day. I put a lot of thought and research into my business and I am always looking for ways to improve it. Social media has played a large role in the success of my company so far – I’ve used advertising and thought about how I want my business to be perceived and I think it has worked so far.
Q.
How has coronavirus impacted the business?
A. Fortunately, as we can work safely outdoors, coronavirus hasn’t had too much of a negative impact. Materials have been more difficult to obtain for landscaping work which has been a challenge sometimes. We have adapted the way we work by implementing social distancing, limiting the number of employees in the van and having appropriate signage and PPE within our depot for our staff.
The changes and sacrifices we have made as a business are small in comparison to others, so I feel very lucky in that sense.
Q.
What was your biggest mistake?
A. I’ve made many mistakes but I manage to rectify them and I use them as a learning curve to constantly improve in the future. I do have a habit of being overly harsh on myself when I make mistakes – this comes from the pressure I put on myself to make things perfect for the customer. My biggest mistake would probably be not having a good enough work-life balance. I also sometimes wish I had started the business up earlier than I did.
Q. What do you hope to achieve in the future? A. I hope the company continues to grow as much as time allows and I can continue to provide job opportunities. I’d like to build a larger client base and expand my contracts portfolio as well to cover all different aspects of the trade. I also hope to find a way to give back to the communities and individuals who have supported me this far.
Q.
What is the hardest thing about running your own business?
A. I find it difficult to switch off from work as I am constantly returning calls, emails, texts, planning for the day ahead, and so on. It does take over your life at times, but I wouldn’t change it. I am proud of where I am today and all the hard work is worth it.
Q. Any advice to wannabe entrepreneurs?
A. Go with your gut feeling. I knew when it was my time to leave my previous job – I took the gamble and it has paid off.