North Pole expedition helps create growing organisation
Former betting shop manager who missed working with plants was spurred on by Arctic achievement
AS gardeners look forward to the approach of spring following Storm Doris we hear from a man who has developed a successful business from modest beginnings out of his love of plants and the great outdoors. Name: Thomas Angel. Age: 41. What is your business called? Thomas Angel Gardens Ltd Where is it based? Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. What services does it offer? Horticulturally informed grounds maintenance and tree surgery services around Scotland – we’re commercial gardeners. To whom does it sell? Anyone with outdoor space that needs looking after, but predominantly property factors, facilities management companies and land agents & developers. Also commercial premises and some larger private residential estates. What is its turnover? Around £750,000. How many employees? Approximately 15 in the winter, and 25+ over the summer. When was it formed? I started the business up in 2006 and became incorporated in 2010. Why did you take the plunge? To be honest, it was primarily because I wanted to get back into gardening and it seemed the easiest way to do it at the time. I’ve always been a keen gardener and fascinated by plants, but prior to setting up the business my job involved hard landscaping primarily, and I missed working with plants. As time went on, I realised that I loved the variety, excitement and unpredictability that business ownership brings every day. What were you doing before you took the plunge? A variety of jobs, but I had been working as a landscaper and upland footpath builder in the years prior to setting up on my own. I’ve also managed betting shops and pubs in the past. Immediately prior to setting the business up I went on an expedition to the Geomagnetic North Pole – this was a memorable experience and a culmination of 18 months of training in my spare time. I’ve no doubt that the Arctic expedition helped my decision to set up the business -– I came back with a real sense of achievement and potential. How did you raise the start-up funding? I didn’t. When I got paid after each job I’d go and buy another tool, until I’d built up a complete set. I didn’t even have a leaf blower for the first year! I had to be pretty frugal – I ate a lot of pasta and lentils! What was your biggest break? After writing a lot of emails and making a lot of awkward phone calls, I eventually built up a network of contacts amongst reputable landscapers and garden designers. I’ll always be grateful for the faith some of these people put in me and this was when we started picking up bigger contracts. In 2010 we managed to win one contract in particular on a very large private estate, thanks to one of these contacts, and being trusted with that felt pretty special (and still does!). What was your worst moment? I spent the first couple of years operating with a car and a trailer until I eventually saved the money for an old Mark 4 Transit van. One Email: mark.williamson@theherald.co.uk Telephone: 0131 240 0282 day, after only a few months, the van broke down with an un-diagnosable fault. It still makes me shudder to think of it. I had saved hard and extended myself financially to make the purchase. After some time off the road, the seventh mechanic I took it to eventually fixed it. I definitely considered packing it all in at that stage, but looking back it was not long after this – around year three -– that things actually began to fall into place. What do you most enjoy about running the business? The people. I have a great team that make my life a lot easier, and really “get” the vision of the company. I also enjoy dealing with clients and helping them get the very best out of their outdoor spaces. What do you least enjoy? Spreadsheets. In recent years we have had to become far more focused on analysing data and everything that goes along with that. This is invaluable and absolutely essential, but it still doesn’t make staring at them any more enjoyable! What are your ambitions for the firm? To continue to carefully expand the size of the business, financially and geographically. What are your top priorities? In no particular order: Happy staff; quality; reliability; efficiency; customer service. What single thing would most help? An improved perception of horticulture as a career for young people. What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help? In terms of operating an SME in Scotland, making the business rates relief permanent would be a great start. We would have had a really hard time getting to where we are now if we’d been expected to pay the full rates. What was the most valuable lesson that you learned? Keep an open, inquisitive and curious mind about everything.
There are countless clichés about needing to fail to succeed, butsomuchofwhatyou get right in business comes from experimenting with different ways of doing things. It’s important to listen to (and seek out) advice, and watch and learn from others. How do you relax? I run, I ski, I read, and travel whenever I can. I make sure I spend some time in nature every day – even if it’s only walking my dog in the park.
It took me a while to realise that I actually get more done if I take time out to maintain my mental health on a daily basis.