Glasgow enterprise coach links starting a business with positive mental health

A Glasgow-based enterprise coach launching a guide for first-time entrepreneurs has claimed starting a business can bring wellbeing benefits.

Iain Scott says he has see peoples' 'mental wellbeing lift' when they start their own ventures. Picture: Contributed

Iain Scott, also known as “Enterprise Iain”, has unveiled his latest venture, Have Fun, Make Money, Live A Better Life – a book sharing the experience from his 30-year career as a business coach and owner.

Scott has been running enterprise and start-up programmes on behalf of enterprise agencies and local authorities since 2001 and is currently director of Can Do Places, the Scottish Government-funded initiative to turn redundant town centre buildings into co-working spaces for emerging entrepreneurs.

He previously set up and ran Scots Kitchen, one of the UK’s first wholefood, vegetarian and vegan food companies, and worked with a group of tomato growers in the Clyde Valley to co-found Scotland’s Tomatoes – creating the first branded salad vegetable in Britain.

Scott said: “I’ve seen people’s mood and mental wellbeing lift instantly when they’ve decided to take the plunge and strike out on their own.

“For the first time, it can mean you’re in control and able to follow your passion, or put your talents and skills to good use.”

Self-employment in the UK has been rising since 2001 and now accounts for around 15 per cent of the working population.