Name: Belinda Jarron.

Age: 53.

What is your business called?

Fleurtations Plantscapes.

Where is it based?

East Lothian.

What does it produce, what services does it offer?

We create plant displays and plantscapes for some of the best-known businesses and events in Scotland and the UK

To whom does it sell?

Commercial premises and event operators.

What is its turnover?

£1,000,000 plus.

How many employees?

20.

When was it formed?

1991.

Why did you take the plunge?

My parents and grandparents were self-employed so there was always an expectation I’d one day run my own business. I grew up with a passion for plants and gardens, and did a BSC in horticulture, so the two eventually met to create Fleurtations. We celebrated our 30th anniversary last year.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I had a brief flirtation with corporate life after going to the University of Cambridge to do a masters, and was offered a job with a surveying company in London. I considered it to see what the starting salary was, but I always knew I’d take the plunge and work with plants. Even back then they did biometric testing and the report I got was unbelievably accurate – the lure of horticulture was too strong.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

I applied to the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust. They were huge supporters of me throughout the first few years, and are a fantastic organisation. Of course you couldn’t just Google funding options then, but I found out about it via the graduate enterprise programme at Stirling University. I was 22 by that stage and my parents thought I’d never leave education!

What was your biggest break?

The one that made the biggest impact was gaining a contract from renowned autocare entrepreneur Sir Tom Farmer. He was talking at the East Lothian business club in Aberlady. A friend insisted I go and prospect him, which I eventually did after initial protestation, and he asked me to do the plants at his headquarters. Over the years he’s given me amazing advice and been a real champion. He really made a difference. I met him again a few years ago and he was so delighted I went over to speak to him.

What was your worst moment?

The pandemic. I honestly thought I was going to lose everything. I feel as though I’m suffering from PTSD now. We are about to undergo a post-Covid reset and have brought in a business coach to help us review our systems, review the culture and just to heal. The pandemic was a terrible situation. I knew it wasn’t me causing the problem, but some people lost their jobs. It was a horrible position to be in. The personal and the professional are so entwined in a small business and it takes its toll. I’m sure there are many other business owners who’ll have gone through the same.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

I just love plants! The business coach said, ‘what would you like more time to do?’ and I responded ‘be in my garden!’. It’s a privilege to be surrounded by your passion and to be innovating in plants is exciting every day. We do it because we love it.

What do you least enjoy?

Running the team when there aren’t enough people. Everybody knows where we want to be going, but we can’t quite get there because there aren’t enough people. We’re recruiting at the moment, but as with every sector it’s a challenge to say the least.

What is your biggest bugbear?

When people don’t finish a task. I’m a completer/ finisher so when people leave things unfinished it drives me mad. I just can’t understand it.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

It’s been the same for 30 years – I just want to keep doing what we’re doing. At the minute plants are hugely popular. The quality of leads we are receiving at the moment is phenomenal. We’d almost hit the perfect spot in March 2020 and then it all just evaporated. But it has come back to the same level – people are really into plants just now and it’s the best business to be in. I just wish there were more of us so we could do more of it.

What are your five top priorities?

Build the team; expand the space; keep standards high; have weekends off ; for the team to be happy and the culture to evolve.

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

Improve mobile phone and internet coverage all over Scotland. Even on my way from Edinburgh to places in East Lothian my calls drop out – and it seems utterly ridiculous to me. I can’t even work from home because of it. We need to do work all over Scotland – and I’m sure plenty of others do too - and we need to be connected. It’s utterly pathetic in the 21st Century.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

My husband came to work with me, and wouldn’t do things my way, which led to friction. An investors in people coach asked me if I’d considered that our strengths were in our differences. So the lesson is that things don’t always have to be my way (even though it’s best).