DUNOON BUSINESSWOMAN Nicola McGowan has been selected as part of the UK- wide Top 100 small businesses.
The award comes as the country prepares for the latest celebration of Small Business Saturday, coming to a high street near you in December.
Former Dunoon Grammar School pupil Nicola has established her high street shop, Breagha By Nic, in the Highland Perthshire town of Aberfoyle.
It’s a vibrant, independent gift shop with a curated selection of products from more than 80 Scottish small businesses and offers a mix of unique, authentic gifts and artisan items with a focus on affordability.
She told this newspaper: “Being chosen as one of the Smallbiz100 is a super big achievement for me. It makes all the hard work, passion and the love I pour into my shop even more worth it.
“The Small Business Saturday campaign is so important. It shines a spotlight on small businesses, giving us all recognition and
helping us get a stronger platform to share our stories and grow our audience.
“Celebrating creativity, resilience and the value that small businesses bring to our communities is so vital.”
Nicola left Dunoon when she completed her schooling and moved to Glasgow.
She set up her own hand- made jewellery business called Breagha By Nic – translated into English as beautiful things by Nic – and travelled across the country for trade fairs before settling in Aberfoyle.
“This is such a beautiful place,” she said. “It is a very attractive town and attracts a huge range of visitors and tourists. Some pass through in a day, others are longer- stay.”
Nicola gets back to Dunoon to see her family “whenever I can”, but she has to focus on the business, especially at weekends.
She thinks the Small Business Saturday project is “vital” to entrepreneurs in villages and towns across the UK.
“I became more aware of the project here,” she said. “It is a really special idea and recognises the hard work small business do to deliver and survive.”
Small Business Saturday will run nationwide on December 6
