We’re highlighting an environmentally-friendly initiative in Moray this week.

Though it’s probably got come cost-saving incentives to it as well, nevertheless, the positive impact of Wildlflowers on wildlife habitats, the environment and the senses is hard to dispute.

Our article on being among the Wildflowers in Moray can be found if you scroll to the bottom.

Other Moray-related issues from the online world which we wanted to draw to your attention…

Hand-Pict for you

A 3-dimensional recreation of a thousand-year-old Pictish Fort at Burghead headland on the Moray Firth has been developed by a team from Aberdeen University (BBC News)

On yer bike from Lhanbryde to Fochabers

Bear Scotland is working to make the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road safer for pedestrians and cyclists between Lhanbryde and Fochabers. A four-month project – presumably up to about February 2022 – should see completion of an Active Travel Route which will link Fochabers to places such as Elgin and Lossiemouth via off-road tarmac. (Press and Journal; Forres Gazette).

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You belong among the Wildflowers in Moray

Legendary rock musician, Tom Petty, was not the only person to extol the virtues of wildflowers.

Facing up to the environmental challenges confronting us all, Moray’s local authority wants to expand its approach to management of open spaces.

Wildflowers are proven to improve biodiversity, develop the human community’s health and wellbeing and support wildlife.

Especially benefited are insects such as bees which have come under increasing pressure across the world, Worryingly, certain pesticides which undermine pollinator populations continui to be promoted by some governments.

As some commentators have asked: what if pollinators are not simply a link in the chain of life but its clasp?

There is a clear argument that anything which improves the habitat for insects and birds should be encouraged. The visual impact can also be stunning.

Over a 3-year period from 2021, the Moray Council plans to create up to 8 new wildflower areas each year, across the region.

The blueprint envisages that only seed mixes containing native wildflower species will be used at the selected sites.

The hope is that local communities across Moray will take on the care and management of these wildflower beds.

In selecting suitable places, considerations will include whether an existing green space could be more wildflower-friendly if grass cutting is stopped. Or whether a shrub bed could be removed, making space for wildflowers.

In Forres, for example, a place already famous for its blooms, community groups have nominated various diverse locations, including Mannachie Park, the burnside area close to the Mosset Tavern, Sanquhar Pond – and even one of the roundabouts on the A96.

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Our focus is on one of Moray’s top businesses this week.

It’s also one of Moray’s oldest businesses.

Our article on Johnstons of Elgin can be found by scrolling to the bottom here. It’s based on a Business Gateway Innovations podcast interview with (as has later proved to be the case) outgoing Chief Executive, Simon Cotton.

Firstly, as we warm-up for Winter and Christmas, here are some other Moray-related matters from the internet…

Blizzard of Oz

In a week where BEAR Scotland has indicated it is gearing up for the gritting of Scotland’s roads over the winter, it’s been interesting to see Scotland name-checked in the U.S. for starting a trend of naming “snowplows” – Kids in Vermont got to name some of the state’s snowplows, and the results are delightful (Northern Scot; Boston Globe).

Moray Speyside: A Travel Guide

“Moray Speyside covers everything from picturesque fishing villages to a secret seminary in the remote hills of The Cabrach.” A new book about Moray by Iona Grant – who was born in Burghead – releases on 30 November 2021 (Forres Gazette).

From the Hip

Each Benromach x HÔRD flask uses old leather that would otherwise head to landfill, with all cladding, dyeing and detail added by hand. A Moray distillery has teamed up with fellow craftsmen from Yorkshire to produce a limited-edition – and apparently eco-friendly – hip flask (Forres Gazette).

More than a Foodbank

One food parcel will typically feed a household for three days. Breaking the cycle of relying on handouts is a key priority of Elgin-based charity, Moray Food Plus, as well as getting rid of the stigma of accepting help from a food bank (Press & Journal). Donate to The Big Christmas Food Appeal 2021.

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Weaving Dreams in Moray

The Business Gateway Connections Podcast for 27 October 2021 featured an interview with Simon Cotton, Chief Executive of Johnstons of Elgin.

Family-owned businesses are a crucial part of the Moray economy and the wide-ranging discussion with Simon covered topics as diverse as the history of the business, its future plans, operating the business in an environmentally-friendly fashion, the benefits of the Royal Warrant to Johnstons and Simon’s proudest moment with the company.

Johnstons of Elgin was established in 1797.

It is one of the last remaining vertical mills in the UK still processing raw cashmere and woollen fibres right through to the finished product.

In the centuries since its formation, the company has been owned by just two families – the Johnstons and Harrisons. Current chairman, Jenny Urquhart, is the great granddaughter of former Johnstons’ owner, Freddie Harrison.

Johnstons export to 65 countries.

It has employees at its mills in Elgin and in Hawick.

In 2013, it was granted the Royal Warrant by the Prince of Wales for the manufacture and supply of estate tweed cloth to the Royal Household.

Johnstons is still in its original location in Elgin, on the banks of the River Lossie.

The meandering river forms 3 sides of the business’s site.

In 1851, the company was experimenting with wild fibres from around the world. Among those was “discovery” of cashmere for weaving and the development of the mechanical processing.

Simon Cotton says that, if you love working in the textiles industry – as he does – then being chief executive of Johnstons is akin to getting the keys to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

Johnstons is in the top 3 of the oldest family businesses in Scotland.

As Simon points out: “Everyone thinks that 200-year-old companies are a bit “dusty”, but the reality is that, to survive two hundred years, you have to be able to change.”

After all this time, Johnstons are still innovating. There is constant external pressure to innovate but Johnstons aim to produce ‘timeless pieces’ rather than short-lived single-season successes. Simon considers that the Johnstons brand is growing in self-confidence and finding it easier to express its true personality – an authentic expression of the craftsmanship that goes into the products.

Johnstons are working much more closely with some of the biggest brands in the world. They are developing their China-based business. The Japanese market has been extremely strong as well.

Johnstons does not regard itself as a “large” employer.

One of their values is “community”.

They have a “small business” ethos. They try to avoid bureaucracy. They are small enough that it can be possible for employees to make decisions in their own areas of work.

They are large enough to have clout, for example, when discussing sustainability issues with chemical suppliers. But they are small enough to innovate easily.

At the beginning of the pandemic Lockdown, Johnstons had all except about 20 people on furlough.

The market has been turbulent. Retailers whose shops were closed were – understandably – not wanting to buy new product. On the other hand, some markets became buoyant. Others remained very quiet.

It was, and continues to be, a huge confidence-booster that they can knit and weave such a wide range of products – socks to scarves to coats to knitwear – and do it all in-house.

Johnstons are now going ‘full on’ to encompass all aspects of sustainability.

Johnstons were recently awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category.

It’s not just about reducing carbon emissions, though they have reduced those by 53%. It extends to looking at ways to take the use of hazardous chemicals out of the textiles industry.

Furthermore, it’s about how you treat your staff. Johnstons is a Living Wage Employer. (Increasingly, this is an important issue, across Moray).

It’s also about widening the net to examine how those suppliers they deal with from places as far away as Mongolia and Australia operate in producing the raw wool and cashmere. For example, the company is training children in Mongolia – the herders of the future – in sustainable grassland management. This aligns with Johnstons’ value of ‘community’ – really, just taking a slightly broader view of what ‘community’ means in practice.

What does Simon Cotton know now that he wished he had known at the beginning of his career?

He says that it’s remarkable how common the basic challenges are across all sorts of different businesses.

He wishes he had realised sooner that ‘it’s okay to be yourself. That you don’t have to conform to a stereotype. You don’t have to behave in a way that’s different to how you would naturally behave. You can and should bring your open, honest self to everything you do at work.

You should not be afraid to display vulnerability. It should be okay to say when you’re ‘having a bad day’.

No two people will ‘lead’ in exactly the same way. According to Simon, “we’re all leaders”. When you were in the cot and demanding to be fed, you were already ‘leading’ – or at least influencing!

We all do it but everyone does it in a slightly different way. At work, you’re applying these skills you’ve always had but just in a different context. It’s not necessary to artificially ‘be someone else’ in any leadership role.

Simon Cotton says his proudest moment with Johnstons was when it became a Living Wage Employer.

To his mind, the public had always viewed textiles as a ‘low wage’ industry.

Yet it’s a highly-skilled, luxury-goods industry. Scotland is one of the leading players in the world.

Johnstons have more than 100 employees who each have more than 20 years’ service. They like the community atmosphere and take pride and pleasure in the work that they do.

Does having the Royal Warrant give Johnstons an advantage over their competitors?

Johnstons know they are making the best product they can possibly make, in all circumstances.

But, for the average consumer, it’s not easy to differentiate why Johnstons’ goods are more expensive than some other apparently similar products.

Consumer trust can be built up over time but consumers also need more ‘instant’ reasons to believe that that quality is present. Johnstons ‘help themselves’ in that process by telling their story, highlighting the craftsmanship and opening up the mill to visitors. They’ve had 200,000 visitors a year in Elgin. These visitors ‘get it’ when they see the set-up.

But, Simon agrees, you also need ‘shortcuts’ to trust and proof of quality such as the Royal Warrant. The ‘certification’ is a powerful tool. No label is more respected than the Royal Warrant: being suppliers to the Royal Family.

You can visit Johnstons of Elgin.

Find them – the Mill, Shop and Weavers’ Restaurant at Newmill, Elgin.

All photos by Johnstons of Elgin via Unsplash

 

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This week’s issue contains a feature article on an important aspect of business control in the digital space.

Or, more exactly, how to avoid relinquishing control of crucial elements of your business’s ability to survive, thrive and grow.

These lessons apply wherever in the world your business is located but, of course, our focus is on Moray – and Moray businesses, the people who run them and who are employed in them.

Scroll to the bottom to find out all about the hazards of digital sharecropping. In the meantime…

Other Moray-related matters which have caught our eye this week…

Who’s that gull?

The North-East Scotland gull menace issue was raised in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood (Press & Journal).

Still illicit

As a result of recent excavations, archaeologists have discovered the floor of an illegal whisky distillery in Glenlivet which dates back to the 1800s (The Herald).

Bloomin’ Forres

The green-fingered volunteers of Forres in Bloom have paid tribute to the Rotary Club of Forres as it celebrates its 70th birthday. (Forres Gazette).

Give the Gift of Moray

Moray Council is urging businesses to sign up for a new gift card that is exclusive to the region The Moray Gift Card aims to boost the local economy following the pandemic (Press & Journal).

The Dangers of Digital Sharecropping in Moray

When Facebook suffered an unexpected outage on 04 October 2021, it highlighted to many businesses how integral the platform – and its associated apps – was to their day-to-day operations.

Facebook, in their update following the outage, recognised the impact outages like these have on the millions of businesses that use their services to find and reach customers, from Moray to Mongolia.

Their communication began: “To all the people and businesses around the world who depend on us…”

“Depend” is a strong word.

Making your business dependent on something you do not control is a bad idea.

It could be on the physical level, such as renting premises and finding that, when the lease comes up for renewal, your landlord wants to double or triple your rent, which you cannot afford and that’s the end of your business.

Or, on a digital level, it could be relying too much on platforms outwith your control, such as Facebook or YouTube. If the rules change – and they usually do without warning – you can suddenly have a business headache on top of all the other usual hassles that come with the territory. And this problem cannot be fixed by you using your own powers alone.

Anybody can create content on Facebook.

But the material you create then belongs to Facebook.

As we produce more and more content for Facebook for free, the more the value of Facebook increases. We work, they profit.

In the online sphere, this sort of practice has come to be known as digital sharecropping.

Sharecropping is a method of farming where tenant farmers cultivate their land and give a part of each crop as their rent. The landlord owning the ground allows each individual farmer to work their land and creams off most of the profits generated from the crops produced.

The landowner has ultimate control. If they decide to kick you off the land, your livelihood is gone. Should they put their charges up, you must somehow work harder or make less income.

It’s rumoured that some Facebook accounts accidentally disappeared as a result of the outage in October 2021 (“kicked off”). And we’re all familiar with the gradual, ever-increasing difficulty of achieving a realistic level of organic reach with Facebook posts for businesses (“make less income”).

The problem with relying on Google or Facebook to generate leads for your business is that you are sharecropping.

But why should your landlord continue to support your business as before (or at all)?

All the signs are that they don’t really know you or care about your business.

How do you escape from the digital sharecropping trap?

If we take the need for your to have a quality product or service as a ‘given’ – because your business is not going to thrive or grow without demand for it in the marketplace – here’s what you need.

In the first place, you build your own website and host it in a way that you control. This becomes your digital headquarters and the place to which you aim to direct all potential leads and customers. Don’t send them to your Facebook page.

Secondly, you want to set up, maintain and grow an email list. It’s a means of communicating with new customers and retaining existing ones. This is the kind of thing you set up through email marketing software provided by companies such as MailChimp, ConvertKit or AWeber. Many options are available, some of them free.

It is possible to make this workable just with a website or just with an email list.

A website is probably the best investment to start with. It allows you to explain your business in a way which is easy to find online and – provided it’s set up well enough – makes it easy to add content regularly (which increases its visibility and findability via the various search engines).