SME Q&A – Jason Brunton, Partner and manager of Rubadub
This issue we speak to Jason Brunton who is the retail manager and partner of Rubadub, which specialises in music retail and distribution.
We asked Jason a few questions to find out all about the business, as well as how learndirect scotland for business has helped with Rubadub’s training requirements.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about Rubadub?
A: Rubadub has been on the go for 16 years. We’re based in the city centre of Glasgow and mainly deal with music retail and distribution, as well as selling music and DJ production equipment.
Q: How many employees are there?
A: There are eight full-time and two part-time employees.
Q: What did you do before you decided to start up your own business? What made you decide to take the plunge?
A: I used to work for a leading chain which sold studio production equipment. I left there to live abroad for a while and when I returned to Glasgow and the opportunity came up at Rubadub, I jumped at it.
Q: What training has been offered to staff?
A: Up until now, all the training has been more or less ‘learning on the job’. We have very low staff turnover – one person has left in the last five years – and there is a wide selection of combined skills among staff. The business has expanded massively in the last five years so we’ve all had to take on board new skills to deal with this.
Now that we’re in touch with our lds4b training partner, James, we plan on a much less ad hoc approach to staff training. With James’ help, we’ve already done a detailed analysis of the whole company to look at the skills and training we need. This is something that’s never been done before but, going forward, will benefit Rubadub greatly.
Q: How has this benefited the business?
A: We’re all desperate for new knowledge and to learn new skills. Anything that makes all our jobs more interesting and challenging can only be a good thing.
Q: What do you most enjoy about running the business?
A: I particularly enjoy connecting to customers and finding the right solutions for their particular issues. A lot of people will come into Rubadub with only a vague idea of what they’re looking for. So pinpointing exactly what they’re looking for can be very satisfying.
Q: What do you least enjoy?
A: The paperwork! A necessary evil I’m afraid!
Q: What was the most important lesson you have learned?
A: I’ve learned that it’s important to take a step back from the day to day running of the business every once in a while and take a look at how it’s working as a whole. This can be really useful to give an overview of how everything is running and how it works altogether.
Q: What single thing would most help?
A: For me, I would be very happy if there was an integrated stock and web stock system. If only there was such a thing. Anything out there even approaching this is far too expensive to consider.