Dunkeld business is a hands-on enterprise

Alison Annison offers sport and remedial massage

Q. How and why did you start in business?

There was a distinct lack of jobs I was interested in and an opportunity arose to do something I was interested in doing.

Q. How did you get to where you are today?

Trial and error. I finally settled on what I wanted to do with my life after various jobs, sports and injuries over the years. I then spent a long time getting a range of qualifications.

I worked the whole time, getting experience as well as always learning and planning.

It wasn’t easy, straightforward, or predictable, but I like a challenge.

Q. Who has helped you along the way? James, my partner, fed me sometimes when I would otherwise have starved, and unquestioningly put up with my self-doubts and anxieties while dealing with his own.

The members of the Perthshire Care and Wellbeing Community Interest Company, which I joined a couple of years ago, have kept me sane, and of course my clients – they’re brilliant and supportive.

Q. What was your biggest mistake?

I don’t make mistakes, I present myself with opportunities to re-evaluate.

Q. What is your greatest achievement to date?

Retaining my sense of humour.

Q. How has coronavirus impacted your business?

Mostly positively, depending on the perspective.

The new unit was scheduled to be ready to lease around June, but the delays meant a gap between the end of the shop lease and moving, so we’ve got a storage unit and we run things from home for now.

That meant moving the strength and conditioning services online and delivering by Zoom and focusing on online sales for the shop.

Q. What do you hope to achieve in the future?

We are opening a strength and conditioning and climbing gym in Dunkeld and everything is moving there .

We are also collaborating with an established physiotherapist in the area and hope to attract a variety of therapists and trainers to work alongside us in the new premises.

Q. Do you want to recruit in the future? Yes, for lots of reasons, but mostly because we would like a good team around us as we grow.

Q. What is the hardest thing about running your own business?

I wouldn’t describe it as hard, but it can be a bit all-consuming sometimes. I’m pretty organised and disciplined, and I always keep in mind what’s important and why I’m doing this in the first place.

Q. Any advice to wannabe entrepreneurs?

Read a lot. Run your ideas past anyone you trust to give you an honest opinion.

Run your ideas past anyone you trust. ALISON ANNISON, IN SITU CLIMBING