How did you get started? Back in the 1970s my parents bought a wood because it held an abandoned house in which they wanted to live. Once they moved in they realised the wood was growing the perfect raw materials for walking sticks. Initially they were offered to local shops but then it spread and now we sell about 600 types all over the world. I used to work as a journalist and in PR, but then came back to the family business and was made a partner in 2005.

What does your typical day involve? I arrive at about 7.30am with two dogs in tow, walk around the woods with my mother and talk about the day ahead. Generally, we then have a sales meeting that often leads me on to the workshop to discuss things that might have sprung up. Then I get on the phone and talk to customers. We always have new products in development and I often spend time preparing for shows.

What takes up most of your time? Problem solving, I think. A lot of it is preparing staff because we are a very specialist business. I spend a lot of time talking to customers. Most of them are not walking stick specialists so I spend a lot of time advising about the sort of sticks they should sell for the time of year and that type of thing.

What is the best part of your job? I love going to trade fairs, which sounds crazy but we are tucked away in a lovely part of Somerset so we don't meet that many customers.

And the worst? Unloading trucks in the rain. When you have a family business you have to be able to turn your hand to all sorts of things, but you just have to get on with it.

How do you wind down after a hard day? I have a lovely horse and I go off for a ride when I can to breathe a bit of fresh air.

What does the future hold? Probably lots more of the same. We are developing our export market a lot and we are finding more demand for up-market products.