I Bet the Farm

This is the story of how a farmer from the Isle of Arran in Scotland's Firth of Clyde started a business trading in shellfish, which grew, within a few years, from small beginnings into a major player in its market.

On the way, he faced a plethora of bureaucratic challenges, some of which threatened the viability and even the survival of the business, necessitating arguments and even battles with multiple regulatory authorities.

All this was while being conscious of the financial risks involved, in a business which paid for its purchases on the nail, yet had to wait weeks for payment for its sales. This required massive borrowing for a business secured against a working farm, in an industry notorious for bad debt.