Despite being Scotland’s fifth largest county in terms of area (2,000 square metres), scenic Sutherland is sparsely populated. Its 13,000 inhabitants, who live mainly in coastal towns such as Dornoch, Helmsdale and Lochinver, rely on agriculture, fishing and tourism for their income. Four of Scotland’s 40 national scenic areas are located in Sutherland.
There are numerous ways to make money running a business. Franchising is a way of running your own business, but with the training and support of an established national - or even international - company. There are hundreds of business opportunities that are classified as franchises operating in dozens of market sectors. Franchisors give full initial and ongoing training, so you don’t necessarily need any experience of the market you wish to enter. In addition, the success rate of franchises is many times greater than independent start-up businesses.