As a family owned British Countrywear brand, Hoggs of Fife started making top quality leather footwear for the local Farming and Fieldsports community over 130 Years ago and have gradually built the brand and extended the collections so that today, they have a great reputation for providing hard wearing, good value clothing footwear and accessories across the globe. Paul Andrews spoke to fourth generation Managing Director Robert Gibson to find out more. When was the business founded? 1888 What does it do? We provide good value and fit for purpose clothing and footwear, predominantly for people who live and work in the countryside, but really for anyone who is enthusiastic about outdoor life. Tell me a little about the history of the business? The business was started by Andrew Hogg, a cobbler, in the small Fife village of Strathmiglo. Initially he made boots and shoes for the country folk of Fife, but soon this expanded to all corners of the UK, as he was an early pioneer of the concept of supplying goods by post. After his passing (in 1928), the business evolved into high street retailing, and then in the 1970’s, responded to a demand from other retailers, by opening its own trade business. Clothing had been added to the Hoggs of Fife product range in the 1950’s, so this combination of hard wearing country clothing, as well as the established range of footwear, became very popular with country retailers across the UK. What generation are you and what are your first memories of the family business? I am 4th generation. I guess my first memories are when my father would bring home boxes of catalogues, for us to ‘stick and stuff’ before being delivered to the post office for despatch to the thousands of customers on the company’s database. I also remember the beginnings of our Trade business, when I worked helping to pick orders in our very first warehouse (which was a disused cinema, whose only claim to fame was that it had held the Scottish premier of the film Brigadoon!). I remember my father telling me how important it was that everything carrying the Hoggs of Fife name, whether it be the product or a catalogue, should be fit for purpose and presented professionally, with all the details correct. Are there any other family members working in the business? Although she hasn’t settled on a career path yet, my eldest daughter has begun working part-time in the business. How important was the business in your life as you grew up? To be honest, in my early years, the business was more ‘something my dad did’ and living on the family farm, I was influenced more by farming, as a child. Of course, this background was to help enormously in my understanding of the wider country market, as my interest in the business developed later on. What was your journey into the family business and what do you do now? I studied with a local accountancy firm and, on leaving, took up a supposedly temporary job in the business, and never left. I got the bug! I’m now the 4th generation of the family to run the business. As a long standing family firm, what has helped your firm stand the test of time? Although we realise that the value of a brand name stands a business in good stead, we have never tried to take advantage of this fact by becoming greedy. We have always believed in making sure that the price we charge properly reflects the worth of the product. In some ways, our brand name stands for honesty, fairness and trust and hopefully this is how our customers view us. What values are important to the family and the business? As stated above, honesty and trustworthiness are important to us. At Hoggs of Fife we also have local responsibilities to make sure we keep safe the jobs and livelihoods of the people who work for us, as well as wider responsibilities to try and take the correct environmental and ethical decisions. Do you build the family ownership into the marketing and brand narrative and if so, how? Only very marginally, as we still think talking about the quality and value of the product is what is most important. It’s not really in the Scottish psyche to talk about yourself! More recently however we have begun to understand the importance of letting people know who we are, and trying to share our heritage with our customers, by including this is our point of sale, catalogues and social media. What do you think makes working in a family business special? Not having to be concerned about following corporate rules and procedures, just for their sake alone. Everything we do has to have a clear reason and end goal. Are there any disadvantages associated with working in a family business? There can be long hours as well as extra responsibilities to other people such as to our employees. Have you taken any particular steps in terms of governance to help protect the business for the future? We make sure that we are not in debt and never take risks with the future of the business, always growing organically in small manageable steps. Maintaining a good reputation in the marketplace, for the quality and endurance of our products, is of course the best way to assure the future of the business is looked after. And having the right people in place in key positions is also vital. Is there a next generation in the wings? There may be, but it is too early yet to say. As mentioned above, the eldest of my daughters is working part time in the business, and my youngest is in the middle of a business degree, but it is too early yet to know where their careers will take them. What advice would you give to anyone in the next generation considering joining their family firm? Be prepared to learn on the ‘shop floor’ about how the business works, and to experience as many aspects of the business as possible, so that you have the respect of all your colleagues in the business. Remember also that without loyal customers, there would be no business, and never take our customers for granted. If you could talk to your younger self before you joined the business, what would you say? Be prepared to learn from those already in the business, and don’t think you automatically ‘know it all’ Work hard but also try and leave business at work, and have time to unwind and relax. If you could sum up the family business in three words, what would they be? Effort, achievement, satisfaction.

Explore differentiators that help family businesses to thrive and the areas of focus that will make a critical difference as we look ahead. Our value creators discussion built on the themes in our recent Mastering a comeback report. Insights from thousands of family and non family firms help to explain the resilience of family businesses during the pandemic. In conversation with Dominic Samuelson, CEO of publisher Campden Wealth, and Hannah Cool from KPMG’s ESG practice, Ian Beaumont explores this and the areas of focus that stand to make a critical difference for families and their enterprises during the coming months and years. Family businesses have not been immune to the challenges of the last year or so, but the influence of the family is their special ingredient, compared to other business structures, when it comes to resilience. In a host of different ways, long termism is the theme: The benefit of multi generations – enabling them to lean on the history and experiences of previous generations and the skills and mindset of the younger generations as digital transformation and ESG play a bigger part in strategy. An approach of stewardship rather than quarterly results in sustainable solutions not quick fixes. The motivation to invest for the next generation could explain why R&D spend has largely continued. Being less highly geared and encumbered to third parties, many family businesses have the financial flexibility to call on patient capital for both weathering a storm and investing in transformation. In some cases, we have heard that the crisis of the pandemic has pulled the family closer together and allowed more focus than ever on their purpose. Dominic was clear that the nature of leadership in family businesses can be key: “It matters that leaders are in post for considerable periods, sometimes three times as long as in other corporates. This experience helps them to see past the storm.” He referenced speedy decision making giving some businesses first mover advantage during COVID-19 when it came to innovating, pivoting and indeed cost cutting. Communication is also a key differentiator according to Dominic. Not only do family owned firms tend to have values or core principles that set them apart from non family businesses – such as giving greater consideration to external stakeholders – but they understand the importance of communication with stakeholders, having handled issues like succession during their tenure. It tends to be more embedded in the culture and comes into its own during challenging times. Hannah was in no doubt that family businesses perform strongly in an ESG context. After all, so many already understand that purpose and profit are not at odds with each other. With an eye on their legacy, business owners are comfortable operating in an arena that prioritises both generating returns today and proving the operation is sustainable long term. After all, it’s often forgotten that ESG considerations are not just about your impact on the planet but its impact on you – so resilience to climate change and a low carbon agenda, for example is a practical and relevant subject. ESG a value creator given it is impacting customer decisions and access to capital. It may be incumbent on family businesses to tell their story at a greater volume in order to maximise the competitive advantage their social, community and sustainability credentials should garner. Additionally, in recent years family businesses have told us the war for talent is one of their biggest challenges. They stand to benefit from the changing appetite of talent about what they want in an employer, with ESG principles moving up the agenda post COVID-19. So, what should those leading family businesses focus on for future prosperity? Dominic urged them to remain true to their roots, warning against drama: “Allow yourself to continue to be patient by nature, and adhere, where possible, to your long-term vision. Also, reflect on what has been done well and on what has been learnt during the crisis.” He suggested four areas of focus: Cash flow Assessing where investments should and could be applied Workforce – building on their reputation for looking after staff well Risk management – given the times remain very uncertain Hannah encouraged business leaders to think about what they are already doing, how that fits with an ESG narrative and to elevate it with the senior team. For myself, I think there’s an opportunity to take advantage of the burning platform the pandemic has created in a couple of areas: Informal governance structures have been challenged and as we get back to a new normal it may be an opportune time to review purpose and governance structures to ensure they are fit for the future. We have seen the next gen find their voice more speedily in many firms; critical to the business’ response to a changed market and I am excited about the prospects for families that continue to tap into multiple generations. Finally, continue to be brave. This may mean identifying skills gaps and looking outside the family to meet those needs, for the benefit of the business of the future.

Communication in a family business always seems to be a moving feast. Someone, somewhere, in the family, may appear to be out of alignment with business decisions or strategies or family roles or responsibilities. And yet, communication is a core competency that all family members and staff employed in the business must have to effectively operate and reach their goals. We spoke to John Broons who shared his 5 tips to consider discussing at your next family meeting: 1. Do not try to discuss and resolve family and business issues or challenges in the same meeting. Separate the challenging questions so the facts are the focus of the information flowing across the table. Have separate meetings with family to discuss family issues and other meetings to discuss business issues. 2. Really listen to the other people in your conversations. Check in with the others in the conversation that “This is what I’m hearing. Is this what you are saying and meaning?” 3. Be very wary of your messaging when using technology to communicate with other family members and business associates. When not meeting face-to-face the dynamics of communication change and we lose the body language and tone segments of our conversations. Create an online strategy for all to understand and utilize. 4. Educate family members and staff on how to communicate better. Training can be part of an on-boarding process for new family and employees joining the business and can also enhance the skills of those already in the business. 5. Conduct a review your current perception of communication with the family and maybe even include the top management team. Ask questions like: On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think we are communicating now? Is there something bothering you that has not been addressed by the family? What can we do to improve our communication? Look for an average communication score and discuss members perceptions. Then you can look for ways to improve your family’s communication by running another sample a month or two after some recognized adjustments have been made. Improving communication is a goal worth spending some time and effort to achieve. Working through these 5 items will enhance both your family and business outcomes. Find out more about the work that John does with family businesses by visiting his website here

Paul Andrews is joined by Jacqui Jackson, fourth generation owner and leader of Thomas Jardine and consultant to family firms exploring the role of the next generation, gaining a voice and ways to get involved with the family business.

Values: Do they really matter in a family business? Families have enough on their plates when it comes to running a successful business. Do values really matter or do they just belong on the company website? What role should values have in running a business? Should values evolve? How can families define their values? Join Paul Andrews with Rochelle Clarke from Succession Strength and a discussion that covers the role of values and their importance for the long term sustainability of families in business.

Prior to the onset of the global pandemic Dr Linda Murphy (Lecturer – Management, Cork University Business School) and Dr Giovanna Campopiano (Director of the Centre for Family Business at Lancaster University Management School) had begun a research project into the organisational resilience of family firms. The topic is in the spotlight even more in light of ongoing events and here they share their initial findings from the research with us and explore some of the ways that family firms have been resilient throughout these challenging times.

An insight into J-Flex from the second generation highlighting the steps taken since taking over and their plans for the future. Sam is Managing Director of J-Flex, a second-generation family business based in the East Midlands. The company was founded in 1984 by John and Jill Kirk, and supplies innovative rubber solutions to international, industrial markets such as; food and drink, pharmaceutical, renewable energy, marine, rail and automotive. In 2018 the business underwent its first major succession with Sam becoming Managing Director and John taking on the role of Chairman. Since his appointment, Sam – working alongside a highly-respected family business mentor and a newly formed Senior Leadership Team – developed and implemented an ambitious new Vision and Company Plan that has provided clear focus and direction and has seen J-Flex earn recognition at the Midlands Family Business Awards and the Institute of Directors Awards, where Sam was named Young Director of the Year. Join us to hear more of the J-Flex story and the plans the second generation are implementing to help the business move forward.

Linking in with Yorkshire Family Business Day 2021 this family business forum for the Yorkshire family business community seeks to celebrate the sector and provide insights, learning and best practice to enable family firms to survive for generations to come. Paul Andrews was joined by David Kerfoot MBE DL, Jason Rockett (Potter Space) and Fergus Bailie (Bailie Group). David Kerfoot MBE DL, High Sherriff of North Yorkshire David founded The Kerfoot Group jointly with his wife Elizabeth in 1980 using £300 capital which grew to sales of over £80 million on a global basis exporting to over 50 countries. The company processed, packed and distributed vegetable oils on three sites in the Port of Goole with a subsidiary in Poland and a sales office in New York. The Group was sold to French agricultural giant Avril in 2015. David is a passionate social entrepreneur and has a long history of community service. Currently Chairman of the LEP for York, North Yorkshire and the East Riding, Chairman of the Pendragon Community Trust which he helped found 12 years ago to build a facility for the multi disabled, trustee of a food bank and founder of an initiative called Smile for Moldova which supports people in the poorest country in Europe. He is also a patron of the Samaritans and a lifelong activist in the Prison Service as well as being a trustee of Breadline. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire and High Sheriff of North Yorkshire for the year 2020. Jason Rockett, Managing Director of Potter Space Jason is the new, non-family Managing Director of Potter Space and brings a wealth of property experience to the company, having operated at a high level within the sector for more than 25 years. He joins from Gentian Development Group, prior to which he was at Scarborough Property Group and, more latterly, Sheffield United. Jason spent over ten years with the Scarborough Property Group, ultimately as Development Director responsible for the growth and management of a £350 million+ development portfolio within London, the South of England and Wales. From a standing start with Gentian, he built a diversified £25million+ portfolio of completed projects and created a development pipeline of more than £50 million. Prior to that he was CEO of Sheffield United where he was responsible for the growth and diversification of the club’s off-field revenue streams, as well as creating an international presence across three continents. He will share an insight into the family business and what inspired him to join the family firm. Fergus Bailie, Group CEO, Bailie Group (formerly known as the Baird Group) Family-owned communication specialist The Bailie Group has recently revealed a fresh identity and a completely new name, as the 158-year-old firm eyes a £20 million rise in turnover, by the end of 2021. Group CEO Fergus Bailie will share his thoughts on entering the family business and how purpose and values underpin all that they do. Their intention is to continue with a programme of internal investment and acquiring companies which meet their philosophy and purpose, for the benefit of future generations. As well as hearing their family business stories, key learnings from the session include: – The need for clarity of purpose Communication at all levels of the organisation The need to be adaptive and flexible as a business The need to talk (customers, suppliers, staff, other stakeholders) Help others and invest in the long term Listen to the people around you Take account of the wellbeing of others Keep checking in on staff.

Join Paul Andrews as he interviews the entrepreneurial third generation family business directors of Dunsters Farm, Managing Director Hannah Barlow and her brother Operations Director Tom Mathew. Dunsters Farm is an award-winning family firm with strong values and entrepreneurial spirit at their core, nimble and innovative and focused on the future. As a wholesale food distributor at the start of the pandemic they were quick to adapt, introducing a new B2C business with new products and a new website. In their own words, it is important to ‘focus on the business and not get caught up in the day to day operations’ and to ‘keep the show on the road’ too.

Paul Andrews talks to Ally Maughan, CEO of People Puzzles to identify some of the ways that family businesses should respond to the incredible rate of change that 2020 has seen as a result of the pandemic. How should family business owners respond and what can they do to ensure that their people strategy remains relevant to support the ongoing needs of the business. “When people don’t feel safe, supported or emotionally secure, they simply cannot do their jobs” – Josh Bersin This short session looks at some of the things that should be on the family business agenda when it comes to people and suggests five key areas of focus.

Paul Andrews speaks to Steve Clarke from Freeman Clarke about the way family businesses can use systems to manage risk and improve management processes as they move forward.

Sound Leisure are the longest continuous manufacturer of Jukeboxes and have been manufacturing high quality Jukeboxes in Yorkshire since 1978. Set up by Alan Black in 1978 the company is still family owned and run by the original family. Sound Leisure remain one of only two traditional Jukebox manufacturers in the World and are the only manufacturer in Europe to be producing classic styled Jukeboxes. Originally launching their first vinyl playing Jukebox in 1980, Sound Leisure was the first manufacturer to re-engineer a vinyl 45 playing Jukebox in 2016 and in 2018 launched an LP playing version to celebrate the companies 40th and the LP’s 70th anniversary. In addition to the vinyl playing machines Sound Leisure also produce a wide range of CD and digital machines. Working alongside some of the world’s best known brands they export up to 75% of their machines. Their Jukeboxes are sited in some of the World’s most prestigious locations with many famous personalities boasting a Sound Leisure Classic Jukebox in their home. The Sound Leisure team takes great pride in the quality of their machines and their craftsmen and women have been refining the iconic machines of yesteryear for over 4 generations. The machines not only look as good as the originals, they are built to last! Every machine is built to order and can be tailored to personal specifications – each Sound Classic Jukebox can be totally unique. Watch the insight with Chris Black, Managing Director at Sound Leisure who shares his insight into the family business and the challenges and opportunities that it currently has to address.