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In 2022 Mairead Hume took the brave leap of making her hobby into a full-time business. Business Adviser Stephen Cranston caught up with Mairead to discuss her journey and what it’s been like.
“For centuries the islanders of Lewis and Harris, the Uists, Benbecula and Barra have woven cloth by hand calling it Clò Mór in the original Gaelic or ‘The big cloth’.
Originally woven for home use and protection from the colder climes of the highlands of Scotland, today Harris Tweed® is a cloth that is made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides and has been handwoven by islanders.
Having been born and raised in Scotland, harbouring a deep passion for the game of golf and the outstandingly beautiful Island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, I saw a natural synergy between the hand-woven, highly durable, colourful Harris Tweed® and the traditional Scottish game of golf. And so, it was inevitable that one day the Harris Tweed® Golf Collection would be created.
That day came in 2014.
While working full-time for a business arranging golf tours I began experimenting with Harris Tweed, as a hobby in my own time. Initially, I designed and made a golf shoe bag for myself.
A few of my friends started asking if I could make one for them, and that led to other designs. Having already close relationships with various golf clubs, I started to win commissions and they wanted to stock my designs in their pro shops and use them as gifts and prizes.
Fast forward eight years later and demand has grown to a level whereby I offer a wide range of Harris Tweed items manufactured locally by a tailoring business in Stirling.
I have been able to turn the business into a full-time job and over the next year, I’m going to take another big step in hiring staff to support our growth in the North American and Asian markets post-pandemic travel restrictions.
It was great to connect with Stephen from the Business Gateway support team at STEP to introduce him to my small (but growing rapidly) business. Stephen took great interest in my progress so far and he was able to offer assistance with areas such as trademarks, my website performance and help sourcing more sustainable materials to be used in the production of our accessories.
The future is exciting but I still have a long list of challenges to work through in the process of growing the business. It’s reassuring to know that Stephen, with all his knowledge, experience and resources, is always approachable should I need any assistance.”
Stephen said, “It’s been a privilege to work with Mairead, her enthusiasm for Scotland, traditional industry and growing her business is infectious. It’s always going to be a challenge to start your own business, but Mairead tested the water for her product while still in full-time employment and has now effectively turned her hobby into a sustainable source of income.
We want to encourage more people who have a bright idea for a business but aren’t necessarily ready to give up their day job to explore their options and develop their plans so there can be more Mairead Hume’s moving to self-employment and contributing to growing the Scottish economy in the future”.
Today Mairead Hume Harris Tweed Golf Collection supplies some of the world’s top golf courses and golf tournaments such as the Old Course St Andrews, Kingsbarns Links, Castle Stuart, the Open and The Dunhill Links Championship. You can find out more at https://www.maireadhume.com/.
