When Carl Morenikeji returned from India bearing gifts of leather satchels, journals and wooden boxes, the idea for his business was born.
So well received were his gifts by family and friends, Carl thought he’d found a gap in the market.
In 2006 he launched Scaramanaga, which specialises in a wide range of leather products.
Now the business has had its items featured in 25 Hollywood films. It also employs eight staff from its base in Cupar.
Carl talked us through his business journey.
How and why did you start in business?
After spending six months in India after several previous visits, I brought back an old leather satchel, handbound journals and a few old wooden boxes from a dusty bazaar.
Friends and family loved everything and that told me there was an opportunity to start a business in those.
So in 2006 I took £2,000 and a couple of empty suitcases to India and Scaramanga was established.
How did you get to where you are today?
By developing a brand and reputation for designing classic leather bags and sourcing vintage furniture, but above all by being able to spot opportunities.
Working in the technology sector for 12 years gave me a unique insight into how the power of the internet and apps were going to revolutionise the way we live and work.
Who helped you?
We have a great multi-skilled passionate team behind Scaramanga and everyone is very dedicated to making sure our success continues.
Friends and family have been a great support over the years, as have our suppliers, with whom we’ve developed long-term relationships.
Being a member of the Federation of Small Businesses has helped me meet and share experiences with other small businesses across Scotland.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
Do your research, check it’s valid and plan. Then plan for things not working according to the original plan.
Customers’ tastes and trends change. Sometimes slowly, sometimes very quickly and often subtly.
What is your biggest mistake?
In 2010, we were using a very small bag maker and they found it hard to make enough bags.
I thought we’d found a reliable additional supplier and after placing a large order they let us down.
It took us 12 months to find another bag maker and get a decent supply. We lost a lot of business.
We now have several makers capable of increasing production at short notice without issues.
What is your greatest achievement?
We’ve created a niche as vintage and antique film props specialists with front-of-mind awareness with many props buyers for film and TV.
Our products have now appeared in films in half of the top 10 biggest-grossing movie series of all time.
Our products have featured in films such as The Hobbit, Paddington 2, No Time To Die, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, both Maleficent movies, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and The Batman.
Eleven years after our first sale to this market, we’ve recently celebrated seeing our 25th movie client appear on the big screens worldwide – The Marvels.
We’ve also supplied our vintage and antique items to 27 TV shows across 10 major channels across the world.
To establish the reputation for high quality sufficient to do that is something even a big global brand would be proud of.
How are you managing rapidly rising costs, and how could the government help?
We’re constantly reviewing costs and are always streamlining processes. We bulk-buy and fix prices where we can.
But we would like to see more support for using sustainable and reusing packaging.
What do you still hope to achieve?
We have had great success supplying vintage, antique and repurposed furniture to several large fashion retail chains for their store merchandising. We’d like to work with several more.
The final five…
- What do you do to relax? I love walking and exploring the countryside with my wife Emma and kids, Josh, 15, and 13-year-old Ella. There are some amazing walks on our doorstep as well as world-class beaches on the coast of Fife. During the summer we visit fairs hunting for vintage finds. I also love planning family holidays to far-off places and enjoy reading Irvine Welsh, Ian McEwan and Elmore Leonard.
- What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV? I’ve just finished William Boyd’s The Romantic, an epic tale that tracks the adventures of a 19th Century traveller. Pure escapism.
- What do you waste your money on? Books. I enjoy buying and collecting novels.
- What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? Feed our three cats, who’ve just woken me up.
- What do you drive and dream of driving? A VW Golf. As a big James Bond fan, I’d love to drive a classic like an Aston Martin DB4.
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