An inspirational quote read at a friend’s funeral motivated a couple in the Highlands to jump in the deep end by starting their own white-water rafting business.
Joint owners of River Wild Adventures, headquartered in Newtonmore, Bonnie and Jennifer McGhie-Convery were motivated to start the business after losing a close friend, Claire, last year.
At the funeral, the friend’s husband read a passage including the message “don’t wait, do it today, don’t expect tomorrow is always going to be there”, which inspired the duo to put their ambition into action.
After deciding to take the leap, Bonnie started looking into business loans.
She came across Transmit Startups, delivery partner for the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.
The couple were approved for a £25,000 loan, allowing them to invest a total of £50,000 in vital equipment such as lifejackets, helmets and wetsuits in every size, as well as rafts, tubes and marketing materials.
Participants can be met across the Highlands
Not wanting to limit the business to only one base, they set up a mobile operation with two trailers containing all the necessary equipment.
This allows them to meet participants at different locations throughout the Highlands, providing a more bespoke experience.
They hosted their first group trip in June, offering a range of white-water experiences such as rafting, canyoning and river tubing, with the level of bookings for the rest of the summer “highly encouraging”.
Jennifer said: “It all started at Claire’s funeral when her husband read this beautiful sentence she had written before she passed about not putting your dreams on hold.
“Both Bonnie and I really took this to heart and decided then and there it was time to finally go after our shared dream.
“Initially, we struggled to secure a business loan which would cover not only equipment but permits and insurance for all participants as well.
“Then we came across Transmit Startups and the Start Up Loans programme, which enabled us to get the business off the ground.
“Looking ahead, we would like to expand the portfolio of rivers accessible to us and widen the experiences we can offer, however, one thing we both took away from working with other rafting companies is not to make the operation too big.
Not just another water adventure.”
Jennifer McGhie-Convery, joint owner, River Wild Adventures.
“We aim to keep our group sizes small to maintain quality. The goal is for everyone to come away from our experiences feeling like it was not just another water adventure, but something unique and a little bit special.”
River Wild Adventures is one of 312 small businesses in the Highlands to receive funding from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme since the initiative was launched in 2012.
Barry McCulloch, senior manager, UK Network, Scotland, British Business Bank, said: “Scottish tourism is emerging from the pandemic and on track to become a thriving sector once again.
“It’s inspiring to see entrepreneurs like Bonnie and Jennifer realising their dream with the help of our Start Up Loans programme.
“This initiative was designed to help build and develop businesses by investing in creative, ambitious talent through our network of delivery partners across Scotland and the wider UK.”
As part of the scheme, the McGhie-Converys received advice and support from Transmit Startups business advisor Anssaf Cook.
The couple benefited from guidance on River Wild Adventures’ cashflow forecast and capital expenditure, plus help to begin developing a marketing strategy to engage target customers.
“It’s inspiring to see entrepreneurs like Bonnie and Jennifer realising their dream with the help of our Start Up Loans programme.”
Barry McCulloch, British Business Bank.
Mr McCulloch added: “This initiative was designed to help build and develop businesses by investing in creative, ambitious talent through our network of delivery partners across Scotland and the wider UK.”
Conversation