Branching out with a company promoting Highland hangouts

By Keith Findlay

June 15 2020, 7:27 am

William Roe

Each week we ask small businesses key questions. Here we speak to William Roe, who runs tree tent firm Highland Hangout from Duirinish, near Kyle of Lochalsh

What did you do before you started your new business?

I spent 15 years working in local economic and social development in Scotland and Maine, in the US, culminating in running a 15-country programme to counter long-term unemployment in the EU.

After this, public service roles in Scotland and the UK ended with eight years as chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

I was also chairman of the disability and carers service of the Department for Work and Pensions.

For the past 15 years I have worked as a consultant and I’m currently busy on the design and development of net-zero carbon communities in Scotland.

Last year my partner and I started a new business, Highland Hangout, to do something completely different but compatible with our environmental ideals.

Highland Hangout works in partnership with Tree Tents International (TTI) to develop the Scottish market for TTI’s unique, beautiful and sustainable outdoor living and working structures.

There is a rapidly growing worldwide interest in nature tourism, where people can immerse themselves and experience the pleasure and wellbeing of the natural world.

TTI’s range of products is among the most innovative and sustainable created anywhere in Europe yet, until recently, it remained unknown in Scotland.

We have just received the first planning consent in Scotland for a TTI-designed tree tent. It will be up and running by autumn and available for rent throughout the year.

How did you get to where you are today?

It took longer than I’d hoped to get to this stage, but I’ve learned so much on the journey. I am now very confident about the market potential in Scotland – even more so with the arrival of Covid-19 – and I’ve learned a lot about the many large and small estates, rural hotels with grounds or woodlands, community woodlands, canal-side landowners, community development trusts and adventure-activity companies, who are all interested in earning money from outdoor accommodation

Who helped you?

I have had the benefit of insights and practical help from many people and organisations, including Cairngorms Business Partnership; Forestry and Land Scotland; Highland Council; West Coast Media; Skye Highland Adventures; Mac & Wild at Falls of Shin; Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Federation of Small Businesses.

What has been your biggest mistake?

Marketing TTI products only as outdoor holiday accommodation at first. I was delighted to discover the many different uses people buy or lease them for, including home-based offices and studios, music-making spaces, nursery extensions, outdoor dining spaces, fitness gyms and more.

What is your greatest achievement?

It’s still to come but work is under way. I believe I have managed to persuade TTI to establish a production facility for all of its products in the Highlands. It lacks the space in Sussex to expand there and knows one of the best UK markets is likely to be in Scotland.

If you were in power in government, what would you change?

To intensify and accelerate Scotland’s journey to becoming a net-zero carbon country by 2045. The recent announcement of the creation of an Energy Transition Fund is a great move forward.

What do you still hope to achieve?

My partner and I are committed to transforming our lives to become as close as possible to net-zero carbon.

What do you do to relax?

Two Hungarian Vizsla dogs give me all the relaxation I need.

What are you currently reading, listening to, or glued to on the TV?

I’m reading Rewilding: Real Life Stories of Returning British and Irish Wildlife to Balance, edited by David Woodfall. Also, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari.