Exam Question
Anna O'Neil had worked for a large supermarket chain for eight years and, by the age of 24, she
wanted to run her own retail business. She was creative, driven and wanted to be her own boss. Her
father lent Anna £40,000, plus she used £10,000 of her own savings to open a shop. She chose to
locate the shop in the town of Fort William in the Scottish
296
Highlands, near Ben Nevis, in order to sell outdoor pursuits
2 Scottish highlands
equipment and accessories. Her initial aim was to ensure that
13%
Central Scotland
she was still trading in two years' time.
Scottish Borders
North East England
North West England
Rest of England
Other
6
Figure 1 Where Anna's customers come from
After two years, Anna's business has started to make a small annual profit and has a strong cash-flow
position. People such as climbers and skiers visit from all over Scotland, though usually only when
visiting Ben Nevis and the surrounding area. The business has attracted publicity in national outdoor
sports magazines because of its commitment to providing personal attention and advice for customers.
Ut has also attracted a huge following on social media, where it shares pictures of its staff and
customers climbing, skiing and mountain biking.
Anna is now considering setting new objectives.