The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Passion for cycling sees Grant pedal to success
Grant Murdoch targets growth to recruit more staff for social enterprise
Q. How and why did you start in business?
The Coupar Angus Cycling Hub came about after local resident John Palfreyman wrote a book about cycle routes in and around the town and set up a monthly Sunday cycle get together.
He got funding for a cycling development officer for the town, which is where I got involved.
Since I started, a lot of time and energy has been invested in applying for funding for the project.
In 2016 we got LEADER funding which enabled us to open the bike shop and workshop and has been a major step forward in terms of making the cycling hub project sustainable.
Q. How did you get to where you are today?
I moved to Dundee to go to university and I had always had an interest in cycling. When I saw the cycling development officer job in Coupar Angus advertised I thought it sounded like my dream job, so I applied for it, got the post and five years later I’m still here.
Q. Who has helped you along the way?
Volunteers, without a doubt.
We have hundreds of volunteers who have put in literally thousands of hours helping out at events or in the bike shop and workshop.
The staff I have surrounding me in the Hub are incredible and the local community has also been hugely supportive of what we are doing here.
Q. What was your biggest mistake?
There have been lots of things to learn from along the way.
Not least of which was forgetting to order toilets for one of our events.
Q. What is your greatest achievement to date?
Winning the first gold award for a cycling friendly town in Scotland from Cycling Scotland in 2017.
On a personal level, cycling round Scotland in 14 days to raise £10,000 to buy a portable pump track for the town.
Q. What do you hope to achieve in the future?
A permanent pump track for Coupar Angus, which would bring people from all over to the town and to the Hub. Also to unite and develop this amazing community further and of course promote and develop cycling in the area even more.
Q. Do you want to recruit in the future?
We have a full-time mechanic in the shop and thanks to support from the Smarter Choices Smarter People Fund a part-time active travel co-ordinator.
We have seasonal staff for the portable pump track and the bike shop and have work experience pupils from local high schools.
But yes, the more this develops the more staff we will be looking to take on.
Q. What is the hardest thing about running your own business?
Managing everything and keeping focused on moving forward.
It is also important that we stay true to our core values at the same time as making money to keep what we do sustainable.
Q. Any advice to wannabe entrepreneurs?
It is good to be ambitious and take risks. If you believe in something then fight for it. Pick up the phone or email community enterprise support organisation GrowBiz.