From deep sea mine clearance to property management software

Following a medical discharge after 16 years with the Royal Navy, 37-year old Alexander Scott from Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire knew exactly what he was going to do next!

Having experienced first-hand the frustrations of letting property while on tours away or abroad, he applied his analytical skills to developing property-management software designed to help absent landlords, especially military personnel who are always balancing a full time career, deployments, family alongside property letting.

Alex joined the Royal Navy in 2002 for what was then a short-term challenge. He joined as a Warfare Officer with the aim of becoming a Mine Clearance Diving Officer. His courses completed in 2009, the following years saw him conducting mine clearance operations and exercises in the UK and internationally on Baltop Tours and in deployments to Bahrain and Iraq.

His wife Kate also serves in the Royal Navy. This meant that as a growing family with two children and a dog, there was a constant struggle to manage properties from afar, especially when as a landlord, they did not have all the information they needed at their fingertips.

Frustration soon gave way to innovation! As Alex said,

“Having suffered the frustrations of poor letting agents and hefty costs for little or no service, I decided that instead of moaning about it, I could take control myself. So I created Arula’s cloud-based management software to make property management easier – and by solving my problem, I created a user friendly property centric database which helps others to successfully manage all their landlord responsibilities.”

Arula means “hearth” in Latin – a focal point, central in every property. And with Arula Limited, you are certainly managing the “hearth” of your property. Arula provides software designed to help all landlords but is specifically focussed on military personnel. The cloud-based service brings all the property information together and is free-to-use for military personnel.  Apart from agreements, insurances, certifications, etc., it also provides access to financial tools and overviews, task creators, and over 70,000 trusted local tradesmen. Users can opt to self-manage or hand over the management of the property directly to Arula Limited while away from the property, and then take back the responsibility when they are ready.

Arula Limited is a great business concept, but as with any start-up, Alex knew he needed help. XFE’s assistance for the provision of a loan and mentoring advice enabled him to launch an effective marketing strategy. As Alex continues,

“I have a great product, but that’s irrelevant if you cannot reach the customer. Effective marketing is the biggest challenge, as there are many wasteful avenues for cash.”

And his advice to any other people thinking about becoming entrepreneurs? He quotes Johann Wolfgang Von,

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back; always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative and creation. There is one elemental truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that is the moment one commits oneself, providence moves all.”

More importantly….”Go Go Go, time is wasting!”

Find out more about Arula Ltd using the links below
Twitter: @Arulaproperty
Facebook: @arula.co.uk
Instagram: @arulaltd
Linkedin: Arula Ltd

If you have an idea and are considering staring a business like Alex, find out more about how X-Forces Enterprise supports small businesses here.

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