Each week, we ask small businesses key questions.
Here we speak to Anna Patfield, who runs dog behaviour and training venture Pawsability in Ardgay, Sutherland.
How and why did you start in business?
Computing was new and exciting when I left school and I was intrigued. After graduating with a computing science degree from Glasgow University, I spent the next 20 years in IT development and project management until it was time for a change. Opportunity and a difficult dog sent me down a new path.
Once I started studying how dogs’ brains and bodies work – or don’t – I was hooked, and in 2003 I set up Pawsability, initially in Perth, to help people with troubled and difficult dogs and to give puppies the best possible start in life.
How did you get to where you are today?
I’m proud of the fact I’m still running a successful sole-trader business and loving it. Experience, constant academic study and a desire to share knowledge prompted me to write books, mentor other behaviourists and trainers, and run workshops and talks.
It’s great to see the profession thriving, and I believe education, both for dog owners and those who work with dogs, is becoming more essential.
Who helped you?
Starting out on your own is both exhilarating and daunting but I had expert support from graduates and directors at the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology, from which I qualified and Perth was alive with educational and networking organisations, including Business Gateway and Bacon, Eggs and Entrepreneurs.
I also joined the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to benefit from its legal and accounting support, removing the need to worry on those counts. I’m really enjoying the FSBConnect networking meetings in Inverness.
Highland Craic has been great for networking, and thanks are also due to the many vets, clients and colleagues who’ve recommended my services to people with hounds in need.
What has been your biggest mistake?
Perhaps moving around – I moved Pawsability from Perth to Aberdeen and then the Highlands. It takes time to build a new client base after each move. Then again, I’ve always had contingency plans and it’s been great fun getting to know new folks with each move.
What is your greatest achievement?
Playing the banjo at 160 beats a minute. More seriously, it’s the buzz I get from seeing my business survive and thrive for 16 years. I’ve helped more than a thousand dogs get back to happiness. Completing my book, The Good Dog Diet, was quite an achievement and a second edition is in the pipeline.
If you were in power in government, what would you change?
I’d change the whole ethos of how this country is run towards a more cohesive, socially fair society.
What do you still hope to achieve?
Even faster banjo. I want to write a new bestseller, Dog Behaviour Made Simple – now there’s a challenge.
What do you do to relax?
I enjoy the amazing Sutherland music scene and recently formed a local planet-saving group. Like many people in my position, I actually find relaxing difficult. I’ve always got so many ideas buzzing around my head. Even when walking in the lovely Highlands or working out at the gym, I’m usually sorting out new plans.
What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on the TV?
Rob Gibson’s Highland Cowboys is an amazingly detailed book looking at the links between cattle management in the Highlands and the US. Bluegrass music gets a fair amount of playtime.
What do you waste your money on?
I’m a circular economy kind of girl, so nothing.
How would your friends describe you?
I’d like to think my friends consider me helpful and supportive. They’d also probably say that I keep moaning about not having enough time and then embarking on new projects.
What would your enemies say about you?
Surely I have none – I strive to be as kind as possible with everyone, although of course, we all make mistakes. To any enemies, I would say: “I’m sorry you feel that way, how can I help you?”
What do you drive and dream of driving?
I drive cars that make it easy to transport dogs. I dream of the day when eco-cars are available for the masses.