A family-run car dealership in the Scottish Highlands is fighting its local council to stay open.Angus MacKillip has run Horsepower Cars since 2015, from land next to his home. He’s been a licensed dealer since 1991. Now his licence renewal is headed to a council hearing in late October, after objections he says he only learned about because he called to ask what was taking so long.
“If I hadn’t asked, what would happen?” he said.
I don’t know who’s right here. A Scottish Government appeals body has already ruled that part of his site broke planning rules, while letting him keep trading from the rest. The council says it’s simply checking whether the business is allowed to operate where it does.
But I know this story. It’s one of the most common growing family business mistakes I see.
It starts small and informal. A few cars by the house. A spare room for the office. Everyone’s fine with it.
Then the business grows. A new garage goes up. More customers, more traffic. And the business is still running on the permissions, handshakes, and goodwill of its smallest day.
Growth doesn’t just change your revenue. It changes who’s paying attention: neighbors, councils, regulators, and the guy down the road who never liked you.
So every few years, ask the unglamorous question: is our setup still allowed for the business we are today?
Because “we’ve always done it this way” is not a legal defense.
It’s barely a family motto.