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When Alex King started an online business in Carnoustie, his main ambition was to achieve a better work-life balance that would give him more time to visit his daughter in the US.

He could never have imagined the success his online training business has achieved.

In the past 10 years, Echo3  has sold more than 80,000 courses and now has an annual turnover of around £300,000.

Alex said: “My daughter moved to the US when she was young with her mum.

“This made me focused on creating my own digital business so I could work remotely and visit her more often.  Now my daughter is 11 and I visit four times a year.

“I didn’t ever imagine the business growing to the size it has.”

Alex, who graduated from Dundee University with a degree in mathematics and accountancy in 2001, had various sales jobs before starting his business.

His first job was selling cigarettes for Gallaher (now JTI).  He then worked for JSK selling patches to help people stop smoking.

Deciding to start an online business, he spent time researching and designing courses across dozens of disciplines.

Today, his company is one of the most trusted online health and safety training providers, delivering almost 100 accredited, affordable courses.

Alex said: “I had a lot of self-doubt when I first started the business.  It seemed like an impossible dream.

“It’s been a lot of hard work and a very slow and long process of growth.

“Each day I just focused on finding either little improvements or learning something new.  The happiest days are when I learn new things.

“That’s one great thing about starting a business – the vast opportunity to learn.

“I didn’t ever imagine the business growing to the size it has been but even today in modern workplaces there are still many accidents.  Around 124 deaths and 700,000 injuries occur each year.”

Popular courses include manual handling, food hygiene, asbestos awareness, and data protection.

Alex added: “I also plan to create a global version of the site with a North American focus.  It takes time because the legislation is slightly different.”

This article appeared in The Courier on 13 March 2026