After years of working as a joiner, Aberdeenshire’s Garry Smith grew frustrated with the lack of effective project management in the industry.
He saw how often customers were let down, and knew he could do better. With that vision in mind, he founded Aberbuild over 22 years ago and he hasn’t looked back.
Since then, his commitment to quality and customer satisfaction has fuelled the Westhill company’s success.
Garry answered our questions on his biggest challenges, achievements and more.
How and why did you start in business?
I’m a joiner to trade, having served my time working mostly in the Angus area. I worked for various joinery firms but felt it was too restricting. I could see customers’ frustrations when their projects weren’t well managed, and I wanted to be in a position to help them.
How did you get to where you are today?
By sticking at it. I was once told by a business advisor that 50% of all businesses fail. I was determined not to be one of those statistics.
My first contract was converting a large warehouse, so I had to employ two joiners straight away. I learned a lot that first six months.
As with any business, there have been some difficult times along the way. At one time, I employed sixteen workers, but with various recessions and lockdown, I’m now down to four. Overall, working for myself is the best thing I’ve ever done.
Who helped you?
I’ve got a loyal team, with one joiner still with me from when I first started. I’ve also built up a list of other reliable tradespeople and subcontractors, which took a few years to pull together.
Business Gateway Aberdeen City and Shire helped me set up the business initially and I’ve been a member of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) from day one.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
Make time to network more. Many sole traders or small business owners don’t see the potential of networking, but it just takes one contact to get that life-changing contract.
Okay, I’m still waiting to find that life-changing one, but along the way I get a lot of jobs through people I’ve met at networking or people they know.
What is your biggest mistake?
I haven’t made any big mistakes in business, but there have been plenty of small lessons along the way.
What is your greatest achievement?
I’ve built a new build for a client from start to finish. That was a great experience, and this is the direction I want the business to go in.
How are you managing the rising cost of doing business?
Prices of materials are high, but at least they’ve settled a bit lately. Some gypsum products like plaster and plasterboard are still rising, inevitably.
Unfortunately, I have to put price rises onto the consumer, but to keep costs lower, I’ve built a good relationship with my suppliers.
What do you still hope to achieve?
We’ve focussed on renovations and extensions recently, but I want to get back to building new houses.
It’s difficult, because to me it feels like the housing market is slow in Aberdeen. New builds are selling, but not like in other Scottish cities.
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