Nightbreeds

The business world can be a predatory place but Mike Hesketh is well accustomed with some of nature's most deadly. He runs Nightbreeds that runs educational programmes and retails in exotic animals. He tells startups.co.uk about teaching, battling ill-health and very big snakes.   

Name: Mike Hesketh
Age: 35
Business: Nightbreeds
Type of business: Exotic animals/equipment breeder/retailer, mobile exotic animals/art education specialist.
Start date: December 2004

When did you first decide you wanted to start your own business?
I have tried to run my own business before, which failed due to ill health. The decision this time was a natural progression from a long-standing hobby, the acquisition of new qualifications (teaching) and my love of making art. (I am a freelance artist). And also continuing health problems, which makes working for an employer very difficult at best).

Was your decision to start a business inspired by any other companies or individuals?
It seemed like a logical progression, especially in light of my specialist knowledge and skills. However, seeing the way most pet shops operate makes me want to improve things a lot. My business is two pronged – the reptile/equipment retail, and the educational visits. As far as I am aware, I am the first really qualified person in UK offering these services.

What makes you think there’s a market for your business?
One of latest directives in the educational sector is the need to draw the arts and the sciences closer together - my venture does this very directly. Another directive is that learning should be interactive and innovative, criteria that my venture fulfils in every way. This country is full of individuals who are prepared to sell exotic animals without providing the buyer with appropriate information – this is wrong! There is a real need for experts within the hobby. It is a vastly expanding market, and up to date captive care information must be provided with every sale.

Once you’d decided to start a business, what did you do first?
I wrote a very basic business plan and strategy to cope with necessary expansion. I then contacted several organisations for support and possible funding.

What research did you do?
Spent a year or so finding out what other similar businesses were out there, completed swot analysis, etc. I then looked into possible funding sources and legal aspects, etc.

What other help did you get?
For those that completed the course, north west chartered accountants and business advisors Moore and Smalley offered £500 towards accountancy fees, which I have decided to accept this year. This has taken a huge burden off my mind, as I can concentrate more on expansion and less on end of year tax returns.

Does the government need to provide more help to people trying to start a business?
The government need to do much more. In my experience they offer little support and no real incentive to new businesses. I started my business on a shoestring budget, and it has been very difficult, and still is. New business is vital to the economic climate in this country, if there were more support offered at the beginning, and in the early growth years, for new businesses, any more would survive, thrive and help maintain the economic climate of the UK. Look at the lengths Charles Dyson had to go to.

Talk us through the process of writing your business plan.
A really good comprehensive business plan is provided to all students that undertake the NES course at UCL. Not only that, the course helps its students to develop the skills and awareness to be able to complete the plan in a very professional format. It is an awful lot of hard work, and it took me some weeks to complete it. But I’m glad I did, as I now have a strategy to follow for the first few years of my business.

How useful has your business plan been?
My business plan is a very integral tool to the success of my business. It gives me targets to aim for, and it keeps me steering on the right track at all times. If I ever lose faith in what I am doing, my plan reminds me that my business is a viable one, and that I should do well if I continue on the right track. Not only will I stick to it, I hope to have to re-write it, in order that it can cover the expected growth.

How much did it cost to start the business?
It is difficult to say really because of difficult circumstances, if I had to guess I’d say around £10,000.

How did you fund this?
The start up money came from NES scheme £3,500, £500(Preston Creative Industries), the rest of the cash was injected from my part-time job, disability benefits, and certain work related benefits. As I said earlier, this was started on a budget of almost nothing.

Similarly, how are you funding your running costs until the business takes off?
SSP from employer, work related benefits, disability benefits and income from business.