Newtonmore-based adventure company River Wild Adventures is continuing to grow as its owners put their “heart and soul” into its development.
Jennifer and Bonnie McGhie-Convery launched the white water rafting business in early 202.
The death of a close friend inspired them to put their ambition into action.
They invested £50,000 in equipment such as life-jackets, helmets and wetsuits in every size, as well as rafts, tubes and marketing materials.
Now, two years later, they have seen customer numbers nearly triple and are forecasting a further rise by the end of this year.
River Wild Adventures growing ‘organically’
Jennifer, 41, said: “The first year we said we’d be happy to serve one paying customer because it was very much our set-up.
“I think we welcomed just over 50 clients which was great for us. In our second operating year we served 134, so we almost tripled the number of clients which was really wonderful.
“We have continued to grow organically and really beautifully.
“This year we’ve got lots of people coming and booking with us, including bigger groups.
“It’s small scale, compared to what someone else may be looking for, but we are absolutely delighted.”
Business growing ‘sensibly’
River Wild Adventures offers a range of activities including rafting, canyoning and river tubing.
The couple behind it have been married for four years.
They run River Wild Adventures while both working full-time in other jobs.
Jennifer said: “We are hoping to hit the 200 mark for customers this year.
“It seems to be going in that direction. Because the business is in its infancy it’s, of course, not quite sustaining itself.
“We are both still working full-time, whilst trying to support the business, and trying to grow it sensibly rather than uncontrollably. We do all the hours we need to do.”
Women-led business
The couple have been together for eight years.
They are proud to be running a wholly owned, women-led company which has not gone unnoticed by some visitors.
Jennifer said: “One of the things a client said to us that attracted them to booking was that we were the only wholly female-owned organisation they could find.
“We just wanted to set something up for ourselves and hadn’t thought about the potential lack of presence of full female ownership.
“Also being a queer couple has opened doors for some people who didn’t feel comfortable going to some of the other outfitters that were available.
“We’ve had a few different people from the queer community find us, and are really delighted to come out with us and know they are welcome and safe.
“It’s been wonderfully rewarding.”
Future plans
Looking to the future, they are aiming to keep growing the business to a point where Bonnie, 36, can work part-time and concentrate more on River Wild Adventures.
Jennifer said the pair had “never been interested in taking over the world”.
She added: “We really want to keep things where we can run small, high-quality trips.
“We’ll need to see where it takes us in the future.
“But our hope is that it becomes a lifestyle business where we can continue to put our heart and soul into it.
“Ideally, we’d like Bonnie to drop down to part-time work to allow her to focus more on the business.
“It’s all about us wanting to make sure we are giving people something worth spending their money on.”
