The rise of family vlogging has seen parents around the world make a living out of sharing their lives online.
And one such family about to join the growing trend is that behind Fossoway Stables near Kinross.
The modern countryside estate near Kinross is led by Karen Anderson, who runs the business with mum and dad Gordon and Moira, with help from kids Cora, 12, and Callan, 10.
Fossoway Stables is home to a woodland-based, outdoor children’s nursery, an equestrian centre and a holiday lodge.
It also runs a series of kids clubs, workshops and events.
New YouTube series will follow family life at Fossoway Stables
The family are about to launch a four-part YouTube docuseries which will chart the highs and lows of the development of the estate over the next 12 months.
And they have big plans, including launching a farm shop and cafe, where they will sell their line of at home products and home-grown vegetables.
Karen says that the series “won’t be a glossy glamorised version of events”.
“It’s all about charting the challenges of what it is like to run this size of property without any knowledge or skills on how to do it,” the 43-year-old says.
“We are as a family just trying to learn as we go – it is trial and error.
“Some things don’t work, some things do. It’s not always the things that we predict will do well.
“This will cover family life and business – a bit of both.
“My parents are new to the world of social media.
“I don’t know how much they will allow me to film, but me and the kids will do lots of that.”
Karen and her parents bought the land in 2011, when she was with her then-husband Chris.
Although the pair have now separated, he continues to run the Fossoplay Outdoor Nursery on the 77-acre site.
“When we bought this place it was part of our dream to live more sustainably,” Karen says.
“At the time myself and my husband were together and we were pregnant with our first child Cora.
“It was a big new project and we were kind of blindly naive to the massive amount of work that it would actually require to manage it and to make it happen.
“One of things we did early on was sit down and decide what we wanted it to look like.”
This is how they came up with their three core values – sustainability, nurture and harmony – which have shaped how they run their business.
It’s not the family’s first foray into the digital realm.
Fossoway Stables to launch new podcast
Karen also runs a weekly lifestyle blog as well as an Instagram account with nearly 8,000 followers.
She is developing a podcast, too.
The show, Friends of Fossoway, will feature a series of guests who have benefited from the family’s charity, The Acorn Charitable Trust.
Founded by Moira and Gordon in 2000, the organisation provides funds for educational purposes.
Karen says she and her parents, who all live on the estate, have a “collaborative” approach to managing the business.
“I run the stables, all the horsey stuff is mine.
“Mum and dad are totally non-horsey, that was my dream, my endeavour.
“My mum has led the development of the kids clubs – she loves working with kids.
“She is very musical as well so that has been her emphasis.
“My dad had a really successful career in finance and was able to retire at the age of 49, so he has been able to invest a lot of time and money into the business.
“His business expertise has come in useful.
“He is the figures man, he keeps us all on track and doesn’t let us spend too much money!”
She added: “We all have totally different roles but at the same time we are very much a team.
“We have different skills and qualities and skill sets. When you put those together it is a strong team I think.”
Cora and Callan, who Karen hopes will one day take over the reins, love to muck in as well.
“The kids are remarkably useful, even at this age,” Karen says.
“They are great, they really get involved.
“They help out with the animals, do odd jobs around the site as well.
“Eventually this will become theirs too, so getting them involved at this early stage is great because they can help shape their own future.”
Karen’s partner, John McCusker, a well-known Scottish fiddle player, is also coming into the fold. “We will hopefully have a wee story there soon,” she smiles.
‘It’s not a Monday to Friday job – it’s a lifestyle’
Working together has made the family closer than ever before.
“Most people my age only see their parents six times a year or something, but I see my parents every day.
“We are working together as well as being a family, and often, those lines blur.
“The other night, myself and mum and dad went out for dinner, and it was lovely, it was really nice, but we ended up talking shop, because it is our passion.
“It’s not a Monday to Friday kind of job, it is a total lifestyle.
“There are disagreements, as there are in every workplace, but we keep it as a business disagreement and remember that it is not personal.”
Gordon and Moira are also incredibly close to their grandchildren.
Born on the estate, Cora and Callan have had a unique childhood.
From the age of three, Karen says, they have been driving themselves to their grandparent’s house in an electric John Deere Gator.
She says: “We are three generations on one site. We don’t all live in one house, but we are all on site here together.
“The kids have always had a huge amount of freedom.
“And they are incredibly close with their grandparents.
“They are not just people who visit once in a blue moon, they are people who are in their everyday lives. It is lovely.”
Despite 13 years of growth and expansion, Karen says it still feels like the family is “just at the beginning” of their journey.
“We still have so many ideas about how we can develop as we go.
“Every project we dream up takes double the amount of money and double the amount of time that we ever imagine it will – we still haven’t learned that lesson.
“I guess the challenge going forward is just managing our expectations, but at the same time, remembering to dream big, because if you don’t, then nothing ever happens.”
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