People: The business diary

Ginger the cat has become an instant hit for Pets n Vets

Jim Duffy is due to appear on the first show in a new series being launched by entrepreneur and author Lyndon Woods. The programmes, which will be available to viewers on Sky and Freesat, will draw on Woods’ life experiences and are dedicated to helping SMEs and potential business owners on their “journey to making a fortune”.

Each episode of Fortune Hunter will feature high-profile guests with “top industry insight”, and Duffy is first up on tomorrow’s debut offering.

Duffy, who worked as a cabin steward with British Airways and spent more than a decade with Strathclyde’s boys in blue before venturing into the world of business, tells us: “Fortune Hunter should be the ‘go-to’ programme for any entrepreneur or certainly one who is looking to start a business.

“The programme offers great insight into what help and guidance is available out there in the often scary world of business.”

Woods is splitting the series into chapters along the lines of his best-selling book – Diary of a Fortune Hunter.

He says: “The book and show are based on real-life situations. Nobody tells you what to do when things go wrong in business, for example, so that’s just one of the many things we aim to do.”

Budding business folk should tune in to Showcase TV on Sky or Freesat at 8pm tomorrow, or to Showcase +1 an hour later. The remaining 11 shows will be premiered once a month, continuing throughout 2015 and into 2016.

Souper start for haggis trio

A BIG thanks and a thumbs up for Michael Jarvis, the head of marketing for vegetable supplier Scotty Brand.

The firm, part of venerable potato picker Albert Bartlett, is introducing fresh haggis soup to its product line-up and the Business Desk was among the first to receive a sample of the new line.

Jarvis says the inspiration for the soup – which features the traditional Burns’ Supper trio of haggis, neeps and tatties – came from “the wonderful recipes found in leading restaurants and mixing it with Scotty Brand’s principles of good, honest wholesome food”.

The soup certainly hit the mark with our resident food connoisseur, but only after the flask had been passed on with a certain look of disdain by its initial, strictly vegetarian, recipient.

Ginger a big hit for vets

Oliver Jackson, a partner in the Pets’n’Vets Family network of neighbourhood veterinary practices, is proud of the business’ latest addition.

Created by Malky McCormick – one of Scotland’s best known cartoonists who has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the veterinary outfit – Ginger the cat has become an instant hit.

All Pets’n’Vets Family ambulances feature a different character on the back. In addition to Ginger, a new “Special Scottie Dog” is also said to be proving extremely popular.

Jackson elaborates: “The response from the public has been nothing short of phenomenal with numerous cat owners popping in to welcome Ginger to the family.

“As most of our customers know, we are extremely proud to be Glasgow’s own vets and Glasgow-owned vets and everyone seems to agree that Malky has depicted Ginger as a quintessentially Glaswegian moggie!”

Crane contest a real winner

Should there ever be an award for the strangest stock market announcement, the Business Desk thinks it has found a winner.

Cargotec, a Finnish maker of cargo-handling equipment, took to the regulatory news service to tell us about the results of the inaugural World Crane Championships, held earlier this month at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham. Johnny Jensen from Denmark took home €25,000 (£17,900) after steering a remote-controlled crane through a series of obstacles.

Here’s hoping Johnny can defend his title at next year’s event in Germany.