Case study - Rachel Bailey Garden Design

Rachel Bailey Garden Design was founded by Rachel Bailey in 2015. After completing degrees in biology and a diploma in applied Permaculture – an approach to land management that helps ecosystems flourish – she decided to launch a studio with a focus on sustainability.

The award-winning practice offers low environmental impact landscaping design services for residential, public and commercial projects in both rural and urban settings.

After strong initial success, Rachel was ambitious to grow the business and contacted Business Gateway, Scotland’s national business advisory service, for advice on increasing capacity while maintaining profitability.

Since then, she has accessed a suite of scale-up services through the local Business Gateway, including 1:1 support from a dedicated business adviser to set out a growth plan, specialist advice on finance and HR, as well as an employer grant to take on a graduate.

Rachel’s workforce has since expanded to include two members of staff within the last 3 years.

The business has also benefitted from support from a digital expert, helping Rachel to develop her digital media strategy and analyse results, to effectively build the online presence of the business.

Jen Smith, Business Gateway local adviser, said: “Rachel’s knowledge and passion for her business have shone through, and not only does she and her team provide an excellent service in Scotland, but the work they do also contributes towards lesser environmental impact for her customers. Through working with Business Gateway, Rachel has been able to explore new areas for growth, and we’ve been delighted to support her.”

Rachel Bailey, founder, said: “Expanding the team has allowed the studio to increase our capacity and create gardens that are good for the environment, good for biodiversity and good for people across Scotland. After gaining experience in the industry, I understand the challenges that people face in making sustainable choices. That’s why it was important for me to use my skills to create a studio with sustainability at the heart.

“With support from Business Gateway, the idea has become a reality and we can’t thank the team of advisers enough for helping to make our growth journey smoother.”