Start Up Stories: Young Gardens, spreading its roots

Anne Young, a former RAF Supply Officer, suffered a series of career-setbacks including the onset of ill-health, However, over a decade on, she is now enjoying a blossoming career in garden design.

Having completed eight-years service with the Royal Air Force in 1987, Young returned to 'civvy' street with no clear idea of what she was going to do next.

She did various jobs including administration, teaching and training but none of the positions inspired her.

"This was not the happiest period of my life. The stress was particularly bad," recalls Young.

The idea

While studying, Young entered a competition run by BBC Scotland's 'Beechgrove Garden.' In 1998, the exciting news came through that her design for a sensory garden for the blind had won. Her vision became reality soon after when it was built in Balmaha, Loch Lomond.

Despite successfully graduating from the course and having the garden-competition win under her belt; Young feared that she would never be able to see her dreams come true.

Young was diagnosed with arthritis and as well as dealing with her own poor health, she had to cope with looking after her ill daughter. Teachers often called her to the school and finding a flexible employer who would put up with absences proved to be very difficult.

"I was thoroughly miserable," Young says. "I felt I hadn't achieved anything with my life. So I decided I had to take control and began investigating what was causing my arthritis."

She soon discovered she was allergic to certain foods and began to avoid eating the offending products. After a while, she had lost weight and began to feel she was on the road to recovery.

But the 11-year break from employment had dented her confidence and she knew making the leap back into work was going to be hard.

Last year, she made the first step. Unsure of herself, she put her gardening-skills to one-side while she looked at other business opportunities. Latching onto the concept of professional organising she signed up for a Small Business Gateway course and became officially self-employed.

Spurred on by the idea of being at the forefront of a new trend, Young moved into the homes of disorganised friends and family and successfully ‘decluttered’ their lives.

Unfortunately, finding real clients proved hard. The customers she did secure tended to misunderstand the concept so Young reluctantly decided that being a professional organiser just wasn't for her.

Despite these problems, the flexibility and satisfaction of being her own boss had taken hold and it was now that Young decided to put her garden design abilities to the test.

The leap

Young's business adviser steered her in the direction of available finances including a £1000 start-up grant from Glasgow Council and £500 in e-commerce funding. At last, Young Gardens was born.

Encouraged by her newfound determination and with happy memories of success in the Beechgrove Garden competition, Young contacted local contractors and showed them her portfolio.

She received a call from a client in Motherwell and after a face-to-face consultation; Young put together an extensive design plan, which received a favourable response.

Since this first success, Young has been involved in various projects including turning an old outdoor swimming pool into a sunken garden and building an architectural style garden from a sea of mud.

Placing advertisements in the local press has proved unsuccessful, generating no new leads.

"I've never had a proper response to an advert although I once did hear from someone who wanted me to build a wall!"

Young has found networking more fruitful. She often attends female start-up meetings and has joined a micro-credit group made up of eight women.

"The group provides loans to women who've started their own business. My loan proved very useful and I also got some computer and financial training. Most importantly though, we regularly meet up to encourage each other."

But setting up Young Gardens has not all been a bed of roses.

Among the toughest challenges has been finding reliable contractors, which will become even more crucial as her business expands.

But she has managed to build a good relationship with one landscaper. The arrangement has so far been mutually beneficial resulting in some interesting leads.

Juggling her business and family life has also been difficult at times, making the encouragement of Young's husband critical.

"If it wasn't for his support the business wouldn't have happened. He's got faith in me and that's very important," she says.

Where next?

"My personality has changed. I spent a lot of time in the past on my own, feeling very negative and very down. But now I'm more positive. I have a much more can-do attitude," she says.

Young's head continues to brim with ideas and she still has plenty of ambitions to fulfil. Becoming a published author of a range of gardening books is high on the list.

Developing her website is another key priority. Young sees the internet as critical to the future success of her company and intends to develop the businesses e-presence.

The business will also receive nationwide publicity soon when Young appears on a new garden design television show.

Her ultimate objective is to become a designer that people will queue up for. The company still has some way to go but with Young in charge the business looks set to blossom.

"I know I have talent and I want to use it," she concludes. "I don't want to leave this world not having achieved anything. I want to make my mark."