Ayrshire-born entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter has spent the best part of three decades trying to boost the number of Scots taking the plunge to set up their own business, with a particular focus in latter years on those aspiring to become major operators in their field.
Having set up what would become the Sports Division retail group in 1984, Sir Tom was a founder member of Scotland's Entrepreneurial Exchange in 1995. Three years later he sold Sports Division to JJB Sports in a £290 million deal, earning himself his initial fortune.
READ MORE: Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter reveals investment plan
From there he went on to grow his wealth through the West Coast Capital investment business, while on the philanthropic side he created The Hunter Foundation (THF) whose numerous initiatives include the forthcoming "Founders Conference - Scaling Up Scotland" to be held in November at Gleneagles. The event continues the partnership between THF and the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) following the launch last year of their Scale Up Scotland 2.0 collaboration.
Meanwhile, in 2014 the Entrepreneurial Exchange merged with the Saltire Foundation to become Entrepreneurial Scotland, an independent charity devoted to accelerating the country's economic growth.
According to its website "an entrepreneurial society is not just a loft ambition; it's an urgent necessity for Scotland's future".
"With a staggering £20 billion deficit each year and an economy that struggles to grow, we face critical challenges that demand entrepreneurially-minded leaders at the helm."
From innovation hubs and business incubators through to support and networking groups, Scotland's entrepreneurial ecosystem has nearly 200 organisations dedicated to supporting people who want to set up and grow their own business. While THF is among the largest of the country's entrepreneurial support organisations, Figures published earlier this year by Scottish Enterprise list more than 50 others such as Women's Enterprise Scotland and Scottish EDGE.
READ MORE: ‘Britain not the powerhouse we think it is’ says Sir Tom Hunter
Asked what impact this has had, Sir Tom said to The Herald: "Is it moving the dial? That is the big question, and I would say intuitively yes, but I don’t have the hard data [to back that up].”
He added: “I sometimes wake up and despair and think have I made any difference [with] all the time, money, heart, sweat and tears that we put into this, but then I go along to these events with the businesses and it’s brilliant. It’s inspiring for me – I come away all energized."
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