Not many siblings would choose to work together let alone quit their stable jobs and buy a food van.
But it seems to have worked for brother and sister, Josh and Alex McKenzie.
Seven years after their risky purchase and sitting in the warmth of the four walls of Cloggy House in Dyce – their latest business venture – they said they have no regrets.
Josh, 30, said: “We can safely say we’ve never really had a family feud.
Alex quickly adds: “Touch wood.”
A laugh later, Josh continued: “I think it just works well.
“We get that question all the time, ‘How can you work with your sister?’
“I think we’re a unique family. Not only are we family, we’re genuinely very close friends.”
‘We used to fight like there was no tomorrow’
While things might seem harmonious now, when asked if they ever thought they would be running a business together it was a quick and firm ‘No’.
“We used to fight like there was no tomorrow, back then no way would I have worked with you,” said Alex looking at her brother.
“No offence.
“And that’s funny in itself to think that we’ve come from that to working together.”
But these days, the 29-year-old said their family bond is a strength.
“If we do have an argument, I think it’s a lot easier to talk it through because we are related. We are siblings.
“And also because we’re related we tend to know when something’s wrong. We know each other inside out.”
In 2017, the former Aboyne Academy pupils decided to leave their jobs in retail and launch into the world of catering after buying a burger van.
At the time, Alex was working for Norvite Farm and Company in Aboyne while Josh was a section manager at John Lewis in Aberdeen’s City centre.
They said they were both grateful for their jobs but it reached a point where they needed something new.
So when their dad Steve heard about a food van on Wellheads Crescent going up for sale, knowing their love of food, he suggested they give it a go.
Alex said: “He knew that we were unhappy in our jobs.
“He came to us and said, ‘This is coming up, would you guys be interested? I think you would be great at it.
“He got in touch with her then we got in touch and it just spiralled from that.”
Why a burger van?
When asked what inspired the move into the culinary landscape, it seemed to be a mix of watching their dad with his business and music festivals.
Growing up going to gigs and festivals like T in the Park from as young as 14 years old, Alex and Josh were well-acquainted with often expensive festival scran.
Josh said they would see food vans at the festivals and added: “We liked the idea of doing that but also we thought we could do it a lot better and there was an opportunity to do it for a more reasonable price.”
Alex added watching their dad running his business McKenzie Printing was always inspiring.
“Our dad works the other side of the airport and he’s self-employed. So we’ve always had that drive and want to be our own boss and I suppose like him.
“I was only in retail… but Josh was a manager so he had a lot more to lose. It was a big risk.”
Move from retail to a food van was ‘terrifying’
At the time, the investment caused mixed reactions.
Some of Josh’s colleagues encouraged him to go for it while others suggested caution.
“I was terrified,” said Josh. “Absolutely terrified.
“I felt like I needed a change but it was really, really scary.
“A lot of people said, ‘Why would you do that?’
“There’s a slight stigma around burger vans. They’re often not great environments to work in but that spurred us on… because we want to change that.
“You just look at the beach and how much that’s growing. It’s a trendy thing now.”
Aged 21 and 23, Alex and Josh started running Amanda’s Kitchen in October 2017 before rebranding to Skoff in April 2018.
But it was not easy.
‘Some days we were making £7 an hour’
It was a huge lifestyle change particularly when it came to the admin side of the business and the duo would often pull in family or friends to help on the busier days.
Especially since the van was only owned by one person before but now two people had to live off the earnings.
Alex said: “So we had a massive drive and pressure to double the numbers which we did, and we succeeded.
“There were some days where it was really quiet and we were like ‘What have we done? Was this right?’
“Looking back now some days we were sitting twiddling our thumbs.”
Josh said: “When you broke it down it was £7 an hour total sales and it was like how are we going to take a wage from that?”
Alex added: “We need to change that asap. That was a bit touch and go.”
Using their young age to their advantage, Josh and Alex used social media to widen their customer base and after the first year managed to buy a bigger van.
They started doing events in and around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire before tackling the larger ones like the Kilt Walk and Aboyne Highland Games.
Eventually quadrupling their sales within three years, they became known – as quoted by a long-term customer – for their “outstanding quality, service and value”.
Cloggy House in Dyce, Aberdeen
Seven years after catering numerous weddings, markets and events, the chance came up to buy the Dyce stalwart Cloggy House.
The family-run “no-frills cafe” is a staple in the area and has been a much-loved part of many people’s lives, including Alex and Josh.
Their dad used to take them for lunch as a treat when they were kids when they helped out at his work.
Looking around the space, Alex said: “My highlight is taking this on.
“When we first started Skoff something like this was never on the cards so to think that we’ve managed to get from a small wee box to this, some warmth and not being battered around in the wind, it’s quite nice.”
Now having nine staff and four solid walls, the siblings said their work-life balance has definitely improved.
But they could not have done it without the support of family and friends.
From their younger brother and sister, Jack and Anna, parents Steve and Debbie, their aunty Karen Craigmile and Josh’s partner Rachel O’Shaunghessy as well as close friends, Alex said they were so grateful for their support.
Even if they are at times banned from talking about work at family get-togethers.
Being able to finally switch off a bit more when they leave for the day, looking back they said they have “no regrets”.
Alex added: “I think if anybody had the opportunity they should definitely take it. Don’t think about the what ifs, just go for it.”
More stories from our My Family series:
- The never-before-told story of Aberdeen’s Alan Codona and his incredible family historyÂ
- ‘Don’t you want to kill each other?’: The Aberdeenshire mum and siblings who travel and sing together for family meet upsÂ
- North-east mum of nine’s transformational journey of love with her abusive motherÂ
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