absolute aquatics

Absolute pride and success for new business venture

Within a year of Colin Skeoch undertaking his new business venture, Absolute Aquatics is now thriving on Redcar High Street and has already been nominated for two business awards.

After running Cherry Hill's nursery aquatics for a period of time in Hemlington, Colin, 44, decided to go it alone with the help of his wife, Kyra, who teaches at a local school. And thanks to support from Redcar’s Enterprise Team (LEGI) who provided him with funding, he was able to do so.

Since then and only nine months in business, Absolute Aquatics was nominated for the Brand New Business award and recently the Redcar Enterprise Team award competing against other businesses that had been running for up to two years.

Colin has had a passion for aquatics since he first started keeping fish 30 years ago, and admits that it is a pleasure to work in such an environment on a daily basis.

He said: “I love what I do and at the end of the day, my hobby is my work and not many people can say that. This is something that I have always wanted to do.”

After obtaining the property  Easter last year, it took just eight weeks to refurbish and then open the shop.  

Colin also prides himself on providing the personal touch so customers always know what they are getting, “I always tell people about the fish they are interested in and I enjoy doing it. I'll let them know how big they are going to get and how aggressive. The last thing I want is to sell someone a fish, only for it to destroy their tank.

“We are trying to bring customer services back to how they used to be. We are prepared to go that extra mile for them.”

Absolute Aquatics also offers a house maintenance service, whereby Colin will travel to people’s homes to check their water and tank for them and ensure everything is working correctly.

The produce that Absolute Aquatics sell include Marine fish, Coldwater fish and Tropical fish, as well as tanks, accessories, ornaments and treatments.

To succeed in business, Colin believes that finding the right place and the right people to help you are two of the most significant factors.

“You have to contact the right people initially. I received a lot of help from Business Link and The Enterprise Team. Knowing the area that you are going into, is also of paramount importance, and you need to find the right place. Where we are situated is ideal as we have so many people walking past each day.”