Chamber News
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY | Mackenzie & Cruickshank
9 December 2024 • Sarah Medcraf
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!
We caught up with Ali of Mackenzie & Cruickshank
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how did you overcome it?
Becoming a director and stepping up to general manager when my father Peter passed earlier this year. I’ve often said over the last few months it’s very different managing a garden centre to running the garden centre. I would say the main way I have got through it is with the amazing support of Team M&C and the great people I work with. This is coupled with our fantastic suppliers, supportive customers, great financial advisors and most importantly my own family. All of these different people have been there to guide me on things to be done and critically when decisions need to be made by. The result has been one of the best back-end quarters M&C has ever had so I can only say thank you to everyone.
What’s a typical day like for you as a small business owner?
A bit of a cliché but I don’t believe there is such a thing as a typical day. I think you can go in with a plan but as an independent business owner/director, that plan can be out of the window with about 5 minutes. If there are no forklift drivers, I could have to turn my hand to that; If there is a queue at the till, I need to step in and help; if someone needs to net a Christmas tree or take a barrow of compost to the car, it needs to be done. Most importantly I feel alongside the must dos of financial planning and budgeting is that the team see that I’m there to help and support them and do what needs to be done to serve the M&C customers.
What do you do to stay motivated and inspired?
For me the biggest motivation and source of inspiration are the tradeshows we visit. In a typical year we attend 3 Christmas and gift shows, a gardening show, a garden furniture show, and several plant shows. We also travel abroad to look at nurseries and other interesting suppliers all to make our centre a point of difference vs other centres. There is nothing like the buzz of a trade show and hunting out new products or suppliers or display ideas to bring back to our customers
Who has been your biggest influence or source of support in your business journey?
My biggest influence within M&C has to be my late father Peter Wilson. After spending 10 years in a corporate world where there were about 10+ rungs above me and people changing roles every 2 years with limited decision making, coming into a family business where you are the decision maker was a big change. What has stuck with me the most was how great he was at forming positive relationships with suppliers for the betterment of the business. He always made sure he had time for people making the trip up to see us, often making sure they sat down for a coffee and a chat. I very much try to emulate this, as ultimately working well with our suppliers makes them want to work harder for us. Dad was a great people person and taught me so much about the industry in the time we got to spend working together over the last 8 years.
How can customers best support your business, both during the festive period and year-round?
Customers can best support our business by popping down and seeing what we have to offer. With the seasonal retailing we do from spring through summer to Halloween and then Christmas we always have something new to look at. We are most proud of our loyalty scheme with over 9500 members with the vast majority of that being from within Moray. Being part of that scheme entitles you to tremendous voucher offers and we are always looking to expand our loyalty base so if you’re not a member get signed up 😊
What does being part of the small business community mean to you?
The best thing about being part of the small business community is there is always someone you can pick the phone up to and ask for advice or help. Certainly over the last few months that has been invaluable to help get me through it.