As award-winning small animal specialist brand HayPigs! celebrates its 7th anniversary, founder Rik Cridland admits it has been ‘bloody hard’ running the business during such turbulent times.

And he has this advice to fellow business owners: “For anyone having a tough time right now, stay strong and remember why you started it.”

Rik, who started HayPigs! with wife Helen seven years ago, said: “In all honesty, it’s an achievement that we are even still in existence! We like to call our niche a ‘niche niche’. 

“Running a business is bloody hard at the best of times, but when you’re constantly fighting the status quo and championing a completely different way of going about things, you’ve got to be prepared to be in it for the long haul! In truth, the only reason we are still in business, is because we care deeply about the community we serve and our purpose. We adore guinea pigs (and all animals in fact) and strive, every day, to change attitudes towards their welfare and enrichment. When we’ve had our shins kicked from underneath us (metaphorically speaking), we’ve been strong enough to regroup and start again. This has not come without massive sacrifice.

“Would I recommend starting your own business? I guess if you’ve got that itch to scratch, it’s very difficult for me to say “Don’t do it!”. But, rest assured, if you make the commitment to start, you will create something that will feel impossible to let go of, will consume a huge portion of your time and energy and will be both your ikigai and your tormentor.”

Rik added: “At HayPigs! we have achieved some incredible things, but we’ve done it with the leanest team imaginable! Not everyone knows or appreciates the fact that my wife and co-founder, Helen, is only in the business 2 days a week. For the rest of the time, she is a full-time mum, a dance teacher, and my mental crutch (she’s pretty amazing really!). Or that for the first 3 years of trading, we did HayPigs! part-time (a pet project if you will!). Not everyone knows that we also took over the running of Guinea Pig Magazine 4 years ago saving it from the brink and manage to juggle these two businesses alongside commitments to our two kids, dog and 8 guinea pigs! It’s pretty exhausting at times!

“Some mornings I wake up and wonder if I’ve still got the energy to stick at this, but then I see some social media post and it’s a guinea pig (and it’s human) enjoying something we have created and I’m re-energised. Today, I can’t quite believe it’s only been 7 years; it feels like 20! But I don’t think we’re done just yet. Enriching the lives of small furries (and their humans) every day, is what we are proud to do and will continue doing as long as we have the energy and strength to do so. While we have the love and support that we have right now, I can’t see this being a problem.

“For anyone having a tough time with their businesses right now, stay strong and remember why you started it. I find peace in the fact that we have already succeeded because we started and have given it everything. We’ve had some tough times and have failed more times than I can remember, but we’ve learnt so much along the way and are stronger for it.”