TRICKY BUSINESS

PROGRAMME 2: STEVEN MITCHELL

The entrepreneur

Twenty-two-year-old Steven Mitchell is the youngest of three brothers. His family has owned Clentrie Farm in Fife for a century, but in recent times the fields have lain unused. After taking an agricultural degree and spending a year abroad, Steven decided to return home to fulfil his childhood ambition of joining the family business. He wants to make the farm profitable again. He has a herd of Aberdeen Angus but the beef market has few expansion opportunities, so Steven has decided that the way forward is to farm water buffalo.

Steven has purchased a hundred head of water buffalo as breeding stock. Water buffalo produce a low fat, low cholesterol meat with a high mineral content. Steven plans to sell it at local farmers' markets. He also thinks that there is potential to sell other buffalo products such as milk, ice cream and mozzarella cheese. In becoming a water buffalo farmer, Steven is taking on a huge personal financial risk. The breeding stock alone costs £100,000. He has funded the enterprise with an inheritance, his personal savings and a bank loan.

The programme follows Steven as he tackles life as a novice water buffalo farmer. The challenges seem never-ending. He is the first water buffalo farmer in Scotland and, as the vet is more used to cattle, he has no-one to turn to for expert advice. Water buffalo are in short supply in the UK and his money does not stretch as far as he would like. He is multi-tasking and calling in favours from friends. He is dyslexic and struggling to keep up with the paperwork that running a business generates. Working days are long, the rewards small and the stress levels high. But Steven takes whatever life throws at him. He is a true entrepreneur. He is motivated to succeed and passionate about his animals and his business. He sees opportunities where others see problems. He is innovative, manages uncertainty and takes calculated, albeit high-level, risks.

Entrepreneurs have to be able to respond to change, spot opportunities and think creatively. Steven's snap decision to sell cooked burgers instead of raw meat saved his business. As Steven's experience demonstrates, even well thought out business plans can go awry and some of the best and most profitable business ideas occur by chance.

The business

Puddledub Buffalo was set up in 2005. Puddledub is a family brand.