A KIRKCALDY-BASED garden maintenance firm established just four years ago aims to continue to grow after completing a landscaping project for NHS Fife at Victoria Hospital.
Brothers Arthur and Simon Krolczyk started their business, Arthur & Simon Ltd, in 2008 with just £300, but through hard work, dedication and a determination to provide a quality service, they now employ a team of 14 people.
And they hope their landscaping of a 1300 sq m area at the front of the newly-extended hospital in Kirkcaldy will further raise their profile.
Arthur said: "The job at Victoria Hospital is our biggest so far. It wasn't particularly complicated but the scale of it, and the location in front of the new building, made it an important job for us."
The hospital project is a far cry from how the business started out. Simon worked as a quality controller but carried out the odd garden maintenance job – cutting grass, trimming bushes etc – to earn some extra cash.
People were happy with his work and as he became busier, he decided to take a risk, quit his job and concentrate on garden maintenance full-time.
Arthur, who had studied agriculture back in Poland, joined Simon and they began growing the business, building a client base and gradually increasing their staff to meet the growing demand, with much of their business coming through word of mouth recommendations from customers.
Simon said: "We always wanted to have our own business. We've always had big dreams. The business has grown quickly, but we've always been cautious, planning our strategy, and we're fortunate to have a excellent team with lots of great experience."
Their success, they said, was due to hard work and focussing on doing a good job.
They had support from Business Gateway and The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) – they were runners-up in the PYSBT young entrepreneur of the year awards in 2010.
Arthur said: "Business Gateway was a great help when we started up, and I'd recommend anyone thinking of starting a business to talk to them.
"There have been hard times when we wanted to quit, but we've been able to encourage each other. It's important to have support. You have to be prepared to work hard and not be afraid to take risks. It's not easy but it's worth it."
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