EVEN as a teenager Craig McAuley knew he was destined to work for himself.

“I was always asking people what the best sort of business to set up would be and when I was at college I used to spend all my lunchtimes selling stuff online - I almost became a professional Ebay seller,” he laughs.

In the end, the 29-year-old settled on plumbing and considering he has grown two successful businesses and scooped a string of awards, it appears he made the right call. The Boiler Change Company has gone from strength to strength since McAuley rebranded his all-round plumbing business in 2011, and the young entrepreneur has now branched out, opening his own property rental company, Craig’s Lettings, and buying a string of properties.

The Glaswegian admits that timing as well as business acumen played its part in his success over the years.

“I worked hard during my apprenticeship but just as I qualified in 2008 the recession kicked in and everyone was getting paid off,” he explains. “I’d always wanted to run my own business and while others were worrying about the fact that there weren’t many jobs around, the economic situation forced me to become self-employed straight away. Looking back, it was the best thing that could have happened - I just got straight into trying to make it work.”

And work it did. In 2012, after getting his name to the top of Google rankings, McAuley scooped both the Glasgow East new business and the Young Entrepreneur of the Year gongs – and the publicity that followed resulted in a huge spike in business.

“People thought I was crazy when I decided to focus solely on boilers, but I knew it was the right strategy and it really paid off,” he says. “Now everybody seems to be doing it.”

It was at this point McAuley admits he was at something of a crossroads with the business – should he stay still, scale up or branch out?

“I thought really hard about where to go next and crunched the numbers,” he says. “Eventually I concluded my business wasn’t really scaleable and there was a limit to the growth I could achieve with domestic customers. I didn’t want to take on huge contracts as I didn’t feel the risk to reward ratio was good.

“So I moved into property. I now have six properties, with two more going through, and the lettings agency. That’s probably where my business will go in the long run as there’s so much potential in that sphere. It’s a really exciting time.”

McAuley also does some lecturing for his old alma mater, Glasgow Clyde College, where he studied during his apprenticeship. And though he focuses on the plumbing, he also hopes to inspire the next generation of young entrepreneurs. He insists young people shouldn’t be afraid of working for themselves, especially since the nature of the work economy has changed.

“There’s less risk now in becoming self-employed now,” he says. “If things don’t work out, you can always find a job. For many people being self-employed is a necessity rather than a choice, but people should embrace that as an opportunity to work on their own terms.

“That’s definitely one silver lining that came out of the last recession – lots of talented people that previously would have worked for others became self-employed. Their services are available at a fraction of the costs charged by the big companies and because of that they are thriving.”

As for words of wisdom, the businessman says it’s important to think carefully - and realistically - about the potential for your company to grow, and get creative.

“Don’t be ashamed to stay small, but don’t be afraid to grow if the numbers make sense for your business,” McAuley explains. “Moving into other related sectors is also always worth considering, even if that means retraining.

“Some of the best electricians I know were previously plumbers or joiners. The more skills you have, the further you can go.”