Each week, we ask small businesses key questions. Here we speak to Stuart Mason, of Lossiemouth-based pet food enterprise Paw Bags.
How and why did you start in business?
Paw Bags was never meant to be – it started out as a fictitious enterprise. As a business and marketing coach for six years, I created a system called the Piranha Planner. Paw Bags was the business that completed that plan to illustrate the power of planning and being specific.
It didn’t take long for us to realise this had the makings of being an awesome and fun business, and on August 1 this year, Paw Bags was born. It combines the ease of e-commerce with traditional values of personal service, so all food orders are delivered by us.
It’s a big change from my previous roles as an air traffic controller in the RAF, running a print business and being an award-winning author.
How did you get to where you are today?
The right mindset and the determination of a dog with a bone. In business I live by two sayings: “Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t – you’re right”; and “if you want to do it, you’ll find a way, if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse”.
I also believe you become the average of the five people you hang around with most. I hang around with people smarter than me, and that includes Monty Dog.
Who helped you?
The Federation of Small Businesses has been a great help. Its banking, insurance and credit cards resources are first-class, and the networking events have been a great marketing strategy for us to help us fly the Paw Bags banner.
What has been your biggest mistake?
There are no mistakes in business – you simply find other ways that something doesn’’t work and learn from that. Every day is a school day.
What is your greatest achievement?
The appointment of our “managing director”, Monty Dog. This is a fun business fronted by a two-year-old German shepherd, and we make sure we see everything from his point of view. After all, our customers have tails and their human owners just pick up the tab.
Paw Bags was created to stand out from the crowd. Yes we could have sold pet food through a retail store or online but that market is well catered for. Our “raison d’etre” was to provide healthy and nutritious options – the highest quality UK sourced and manufactured food – and package them in a passionate and fun business that our customers feel part of.
If you were in power in government, what would you change?
I could write a book but let’s start with delivery charges to Moray and the wider Highlands. There should be no excuse for anyone to say: “Oh, IV postcode – you’re an island”.
Lossiemouth is not an island, but delivery charges and delays are a huge problem for us.
So, if I was in government, I would fix that, rather than just talk about i,t and use the topic as a political football. Every day I see businesses penalised and financially disadvantaged due to disproportionate delivery costs.
What do you still hope to achieve?
Global domination, what else can I say? You get one shot at life so dream big. I want a 747 cargo conversion in the Paw Bags branding.
What do you do to relax?
Spare time is spent with the MD where we’ll discuss marketing strategy, treats, the best food, the best lamppost to pee on – we cover a lot. Entire marketing campaigns have been created during walks along West Beach or at Roseisle.
What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?
We have Sky so it’s difficult to get glued to anything. I’m reading Big Ideas for Small Business, by John Lamerton, and writing the sequel to my own book – How To Wreck Your Business.
What do you waste your money on?
I’m an expert at that, although life is now simpler and more enjoyable. I used to be able to dispose of vast sums of money when flying helicopters. Today, I’m much more grounded and spend a lot of time and money on amateur radio.
How would your friends describe you?
Probably as the person who always cancels at the last minute – that’s the trade-off with running a number of busy businesses.
What would your enemies say about you?
To be honest, I really could not care less. I believe you get in life what you give – energy, attention and focus – so I’m not going to waste a second on an enemy.
What do you drive and dream of driving?
Done the dream already – it was an Aston Martin Vanquish S, which I managed to get to 201mph. Not on the A9 but at RAF Leuchars family day, where we used the Aston and a Ducati to race a Tornado.
You quickly learn that dream cars depreciate more than a third-world currency. What do I drive today? That’s easy – my wife up the wall.