Business Gateway helps Scottish grandmother turn idea into business reality

Alison Marshall, who has spent her life raising and supporting children as a stay-at-home mum, came up with the idea for her product while making up a bottle for her youngest grandchild.

The business, Ready in One, now sells a range of pre-measured scoop sizes to help make bottle-making from baby formula milk powder a quick, one-step process.

Alison Marshall, owner of Ready in One, said: “Making a bottle with baby formula becomes trickier as your child grows, and the likelihood of being interrupted or miscounting is high, leading to a wasted bottle.

“I realised that I must have made thousands of bottles in my life and have probably had to throw hundreds away. I wanted a scoop that gave me the correct amount of formula I needed. After months of research, measuring and designing, Ready in One was born.”

Alison, who had no business experience, approached Business Gateway for support to get her business off to the strongest start possible.

Alison accessed a suite of Business Gateway’s start-up support, including one-to-one advice from a dedicated business adviser, as well as advice on her business plan, company regulations, and marketing.

Business Gateway also supported Alison with the development of a prototype of her first product, as well as offering advice on naming, branding and pricing.

Thanks to support from her adviser, Alison was also able to access a business start-up loan, as well as a grant from South Ayrshire Council’s AMBITION programme, with funding going towards prototype development.

Business Gateway also supported Alison with social media marketing, with Ready in One’s first TikTok reaching just over 600,000 views.

Alison added: “I’ve been a stay-at-home mum all of my adult life and so I didn’t have a clue about how to turn the idea in my head to a product in my hand.

“Business Gateway has been so helpful, and I feel very lucky to have had the support from my adviser. I’ve gone from being a wee granny with an idea to an inventor and businesswoman. It still doesn’t seem real, but it feels amazing.”

Jane Toye, Business Gateway adviser, said: “It’s always so rewarding to support a business with an innovative product, and Ready in One is no exception. Alison has enjoyed great success since launching in late 2023, and I’m very much looking forward to watching more and more orders pour in for her pre-measured scoops in the months ahead.”