As a dairy farmer, the demands of managing a dairy herd were becoming increasingly difficult, and I knew it was time for a change.

In the back of my mind, I always had the idea of diversifying my enterprise.

A few years back, we considered having five caravans, but the prospect didn't seem worthwhile, as the earnings were minimal at just £10 per night without a license. That's when someone introduced me to the concept of yurts. They were charging £100 a night, and the idea of a small number of guests paying a higher price for an exclusive site intrigued me, It seemed much more appealing than a regular caravan site.

For several months, I delved into research on yurts, but I quickly realized that I would need a toilet and shower block to provide a complete experience for my guests. Then, in 2017, while attending the NEC Farm Diversification Show with my wife and daughters, something extraordinary happened. Right in the middle of the exhibition, there was a Clear Sky Safari tent set up. My daughter urged me to take a look inside, even though we had come to explore toilet options. And that's when it hit me—the convenience of having a self-enclosed unit with a private bathroom, rather than walking across a field to use a shared facility. The marketing potential of Clear Sky tents far surpassed that of yurts. It was a light bulb moment.

From there, my vision began to take shape. I embarked on the journey of setting up and marketing the Clear Sky tents, and my daughters enthusiastically joined me while balancing their full-time jobs. Leveraging their expertise in marketing, they utilized blogs and social influencers to raise the profile of our venture. I admit, at first, I couldn't believe that we had to give away a few nights for someone to post about their stay. But to my surprise, it worked! The strategy brought us significant exposure and positive word-of-mouth.