GPS Training Podcast – number 99 – 1

GPS Training Podcast

How is Shepherd’s Walks made up? x 4 aspects of the business in 2024 – multi-million-pound turnover

Shepherds Walks – Events, courses, retailer and guided walks

Shepherds Walks Holidays – Guided and self-guided walking holidays

Capricorn Mohair Socks – 60 + trade accounts and retail

GPS Training/ Outdoor GPS Shop – largest retailer of Outdoor GPS units in the UK, I know what our competitors sell, not very professional to say what they sell

1999 – Shepherds Walks – Northumberian Shepherds Walks

– But, let’s go a back a little further than that

I’m Jon Monks –

School – not academic, school just did not work for me – Dyslexic

But excelled and Cubs, Scouts and Duke of Edinburgh

Hiking competitions

Maps made more sense to me than text in a book

Career choice – work outdoors – farmer?

Career officer – School

Career office – St Helens

James Hayes

Lancashire College of Agriculture – Careers office

YTS x 2 years – Arable framing

College x 3 years – Dairy and finally sheep

Post college – Australia, Lord Carnarvon (Highclere Estate) and Northumberland x 2 jobs

1999 – Shepherds Walks – Wrote walking guides (from a Shepherds perspective)
The web was made for walking – marketing
Telegraph, Guardian, Radio 4 (Ramblings x 2), Countryfile, Country Walking Magazine
Country Shows, Farmers Markets – really learning how to sell – hard work

2005 – Went full-time – Health Walks
Barclays Bank, Local District Council (now dispended) – Small business adviser and Business Link

Hard to make money, as did not really have a viable business –
Had a small shop/ unit on a converted farm with coffee shop and 8 other small ‘more crafty’ businesses.

Guided walks, self-led walking guides, maps, local history books, postcards etc

2006 – Bought Capricorn Mohair Socks

Needing 36k to buy business

15k bank, 15k our own money but 6k VAT
Became VAT registered after this – 75k ish turnover

2006/ 2007 – Selling GPS units – Contacting Peter Judd and Sheep Trails

Started selling GPS units/ training courses

2008 – Shepherds Walks Holidays – part of Saddle Skedaddle

2014 – Bought GPS Training – doubled my turnover – not scared of talking figures (125k x 2 – ¼ million turnover) – But more about that in next weeks podcast

And what a story that is – GPS Training

Covid – First lockdown – March 2020

Started to understand that often less is more – My shepherding background was the more I went around the sheep at lambing time the more sheep I would have, but this was not the case with GPST

We had a great stable base to build the business on – 50k Bounce back loan

New website –

GPST Jan 2021 – Built in Christmas/ January lockdown

SWH – 2022 – invest or die after Covid

SW – Jan 2022

Moved to our current premises – April 2023 (got keys on 1^st February)

If you have not seen the video of us building the new offices please do, I will leave a link in the show notes – https://gpstraining.co.uk/blogs/news/the-build-shepherds-walks-ltd

We took over an empty unit (2,250 sq ft, 209 sq m) on 1^st February 2023 and in 10 weeks spent weekends and evenings building our new office, training room and warehouse.

This was literally a new start – as we were in charge of our own destiny and I think it really reflects what Shepherds Walks Ltd is all about.

So that brings you up to date with where we currently are.

The x 4 businesses really keep us busy.

Next week I look in depth at GPS Training – how it was started and what has happened in the business over the past x 10 years.

In this I will talk you through the biggest challenge I have ever set out on – But this subject is, i.e. the first 10 years of GPS Training