Make it British Podcast

Latest Episodes:

222 – Why it’s Important to Keep UK Manufacturing Alive, Julie Deane CBE Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

Julie Deane CBE is the founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company, which manufactures all its bags in the UK. In this episode, recorded as an Instagram Live on Made in UK Day, I chat to Julie about why the Cambridge Satchels are made in the UK, and how important it is to retain craftsmanship here in Britain.

Discover:

03:17 Why Julie feels there should be a kitemark to recognise products made in the UK
06:04 How Julie thinks we can encourage more people to find out where products are made
08:29 Why sustainability is so important to the Cambridge Satchel brand
11:43 The reason why Julie decided to set up Cambridge Satchel's own factory
15:28 Julie's advice for small businesses looking to get their name out there

Watch the live version from Made in UK Day

Further Listening

Episode 142 - Julie Deane OBE - Building a Great British Brand

More Cambridge Satchel

Cambridge Satchel Company Instagram

Cambridge Satchel Company Website

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

221 – 8 Tips for Selling to Retail Buyers Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

Do you want to wholesale your UK-made brand, but don't know where to start?

Is this episode we look at some of the potential pitfalls, and I give you my top 8 tips for success when selling to retail buyers.

Discover:

02:22 Is wholesale right for your business?
04:04 The 8 tips for selling to retail buyers
08:22 Why doing your research before reaching out to buyers can save you time and money
20:58 How other UK brands have made a success out of wholesailing

Further listening:

124 - To Wholesale, or Not to Wholesale

062 - Live! – Tori Murphy – How to get noticed by high-end retailers

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

220 – What Do Consumers Really Think About Buying UK-Made Goods? Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

The results of our Made in UK survey are in!

Find out what consumers really think about buying UK-made goods.

Read the full survey results here: https://makeitbritish.co.uk/buying-british/madeinuk-survey-2022/

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

219 – 8 Things to do When Sales Aren’t Going to Plan Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

There are generally 3 main reasons why sales might not be going as expected. But don't panic!

As well as discussing what those 3 reasons for a sales slump might be, in this episode I also give tips on what you can do if sales aren't going to plan

Discover:

03:32 The reasons why your sales might not be going as you expect
07:10 The things you could be doing for your business in order to attract more sales
17:57 Why reviewing your business can be the key to working out any issues you may have
19:03 How giving yourself time to refresh may help your business to bounce back

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

218 – Recycling Old Clothing into Brand New Luxury Products, Graham Holbrook Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, I'm chatting with Graham Holbrook from Turtle Doves, a company that recycles cashmere jumpers into brand new products, including their signature fingerless gloves, which sell over 200,000 pairs a year.

Graham talks about how Turtle Doves manage teams of outworkers in the UK to make their products. And we also discuss an exciting new project that Turtle Doves are working on, which is reviving the lost manufacturing process of shoddying. If you don't know what shoddy is you will have to listen to find out!

Discover:

03:28 How Turtle Doves started and how they got into making accessories from secondhand cashmere
06:05 How the manufacturing process has changed since the business has grown
08:40 How the business manages hundreds of outworkers to produce their high-quality accessories
17:32 What Graham believes has attributed to the success of Turtle Doves
22:47 How Graham ensures a constant supply of cashmere and why the fibre is so important to the business
25:04 The charity scheme that Turtle Doves has set up to give back to their customers
26:35 How Turtle Doves has been working with a factory to bring back the lost manufacturing process of shoddy

More Turtle Doves

Turtle Doves on Instagram

Turtle Doves Website

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

217 – You’re Invited to Made in UK Day Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, I invite you to join us for our second Made in UK Day on 9th March 2022.

Following the success of the inaugural Made in UK Day in 2021, the campaign is back this year to raise awareness of the need to buy more locally made products and to showcase all the amazing businesses that make in the UK.

Follow #madeinukday on social media to keep up to date with the campaign.

Go to madeinukday.co.uk to download a championing pack and start getting involved!

Discover:

02:01 The impact of our first-ever Made in UK Day back in 2021
05:11 What is Made in UK Day?
08:54 How you can get involved if you're a business that makes in the UK
11:15 How you can get involved if you're a consumer looking to buy UK-made products

Made in UK Day

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

216 – Should You Raise Your Prices? Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

The price of everything is going up at the moment - from fuel prices and taxes, to raw materials and shipping. But what does this mean for you if you have a business that makes in the UK? In this episode, you'll hear thoughts from our Make it British members, both brands selling UK-made products and UK manufacturers, on what price increases they're seeing. And how that is affecting their businesses.

And I give my advice on how you can deal with the cost rises.

Discover:

03:05 How other existing UK businesses are feeling about putting up their prices
05:13 Whether UK manufacturers will be looking to increase their prices
09:05 The difficult decisions businesses are needing to make and how they're being communicated to their customers
11:05 How small businesses are seeing the positives out of rising cost prices
14:50 The six tips for how you can deal with price increases

Raising Prices Poll on LinkedIn

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

215 – Showcasing Scotland’s Textile Industry, Kitty Bruce-Gardyne Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Kitty Bruce-Gardyne is the founder of Scottish Textiles Showcase. Originally set up to give people special guided tours around the textile mills in Scotland, Scottish Textile Showcase is now a retail destination in Edinburgh.

The shop represents some of Scotland's best textile businesses and Kitty tells the story of why she so passionately supports the Scottish textile industry.

There's also a video version of this interview. So if you want to see inside Kitty's store, head on over to the Make it British YouTube channel.

Discover:

02:55 How Kitty came to run textile tours around Scotland
08:09 Why she decided to set up her shop the Scottish Textiles Showcase
13:33 How Kitty decides which makers are represented in her shop
17:22 Why Kitty believes the Made in Scotland brand is so important
21:57 The collection of traditional Scottish textiles that are available both instore and online
28:48 How you can book your own tour to visit Scotland’s textile mills

More Scottish Textiles Showcase

Scottish Textiles Showcase on Instagram

Scottish Textiles Showcase Website

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

214 – 5 Steps to Getting Your Product Made in the UK Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

One of the biggest mistakes that I see people making when they want to get a product made in the UK is that they think the first step that they need to take is to contact a manufacturer.

But this is actually one of the last things that you want to do.

In this episode I run through the 5 steps you need to take to get a product made in the UK.

Discover:

01:45 The biggest mistake people make when trying to get a product made in the UK
03:22 What steps you need to take before contacting a manufacturer
10:49 Why you need prepared and knowledgeable about your product production

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

213 – How to Launch an Athleisure Brand Made in the UK Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, I chat with Chris Kyriacou, founder of activewear brand Soma Sportswear. Chris contacted me in 2019, looking for help to find manufacturers to make his very unique athleisurewear. In this episode, Chris talks through the process of going from idea to fully-fledged product and how we worked together to find the right factories. Discover:

02:35 Chris' background and why he decided to launch his own athleisure brand
05:34 How Chris worked with Kate to overcome the challenges of looking for a manufacturer to make his garments
08:50 What makes the fabric that Chris' uses in his collection so innovative
10:03 How Chris assures that his supply chain is as sustainable as possible
15:42 Chris' top tips for anyone looking to launch their own athleisure brand
18:47 The benefits of using silver in the fabric specifically for athleisurewear

More Soma Sportswear

Soma Sportswear on Instagram

Soma Sportswear Website

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator