Name: Malcolm Morrison.

Age: 57.

What is your business called?

GMG Energy Limited.

Where is it based?

Forsinard, Sutherland.

What does it produce, what services does it offer?

GMG Energy operates on a farm in the Halladale Strath between Tongue and Thurso. We produce kiln-dried logs, chip and sawdust for consumers and wholesalers and make door to door deliveries throughout the north Highlands. We also manufacture timber products for agricultural businesses, builders and consumers.

Our business is committed to replacing every log of timber we use, so we plant 10,000 new trees a year; we exceeded this target last year, planting about 20,000 trees.

The £150,000 investment we made recently in a Wood Mizer LT70 sawmill means that wood from the local area will not now need to be transported 125 miles for processing. We also made a strategic purchase of 400 acres of softwood-planted land at Quintfall Forest, towards the east coast south of John O’Groats to protect future supply and increase our resilience to market shocks.

To whom does it sell?

Consumers and wholesalers locally but we are looking north, not south, for markets and have clients such as a pallet manufacturer in Orkney who supplies the fishing industry. Local estates and farms are outlets for fence posts, gate rails, cladding and the like. Customers can cut down on imported timber and timber products, road miles can be minimised and a sustainable market can be created for this area’s abundant forestry resources.

What is its turnover?

£2m in this current year.

How many employees?

10.

When was it formed?

2016.

Why did you take the plunge?

When I worked for Clydesdale and then Santander banks I had a lot of customers who were exploring renewables and I saw the opportunities which were becoming available so, in 2016, I set up a standalone renewables business with six-megawatt biomass boilers to dry logs, sawdust and chips. Our farm had 200 acres of trees then, as it does now, so I was pretty familiar with the timber market. The sawmill, which gives us further wood processing capability, was established just 18 months ago with support from the Forestry Commission..

As a farmer from boyhood I am all too aware that the agricultural business is risky and that returns can be low. This is the exact opposite of the mantra that high risk should equal high rewards which I learned and fully endorsed in my time as a banker to the agricultural sector. I have been planting trees on our farm land since 1993 and they are still growing, aside from selected trees that we have cut annually and sold at Christmastime. Most of the original planting will be ready for harvest from 2027 / 2028, that is, typically, after 35 years of growth.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I was studying agricultural economics at Glasgow University but decided to return to farming before going into the agricultural business sector and thence into Agri banking, initially with Clydesdale Bank.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

With our own capital, supported by medium term loans provided by the excellent Paul Healy and Sandy Hay, and now Jaqui McLaren, at Bank of Scotland in Dumfriesshire where I live.

What was your biggest break?

When I was 19 or 20 I had the privilege of working for my grandmother, Annie Douglas, on the family farm. She was an amazing person, a farmer and businesswoman and an inspiration to me in her integrity and clear focus on achievement. Another big break was meeting Andrew Shepherd, now chairman of property consultants, Galbraith Group. He mentored me and taught me the importance of having a vision for your business and of seeing things through to a conclusion. More recently, I have had the good fortune to have another mentor in Stuart Clark, managing director of our accountants and financial advisers, Russell & Russell.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

I enjoy creating and sharing wealth and the feeling of success that comes with it. Working with my team and growing the business, having it punch above its weight in a rural area and becoming steadily more profitable as we innovate and develop it is a great source of enjoyment.

What are your ambitions for the business?

To grow steadily and profitably and to provide local people with the opportunity to have a productive career in a professional environment which delivers success for everyone.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

Both governments need to relax planning regulations, let entrepreneurs be entrepreneurial and encourage investment that can secure a good return. They should also invest a lot more in infrastructure, especially the road network, to encourage commercial trade.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

If you aim to be successful, surround yourself with clever people. If you find you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.

How do you relax?

Watching our children’s success and spending time with close friends.