Make it British Podcast

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183 – It was a stupid idea, now it’s a million pound business – Brant Richards Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Brant Richards is one of the founders of HebTroCo.

5 years ago, he and his business partner Ed had an idea in the pub - to start making trousers in Hebden Bridge, a town in Yorkshire that was once renowned for its trouser making.They launched the business on Kickstarter, knowing nothing about making trousers, and within five hours of switching on their crowd-funding campaign they had sold their first 176 pairs. So Brant and Ed quit their jobs and went on a journey that has seen them turnover more than a million pounds.

Since their initial launch they’ve added jeans, shirts, socks and the now pretty much infamous action blanket.

Discover:

Why making trousers isn't rocket science 06:20
How HebTroCo invest in advertising to grow their mailing list and increase sales 20:38
How much it really costs to make jeans in the UK 24:37
How Brant and Ed met 27:06
The success of their Kickstarter campaign when they sold 176 pairs in 5 hours 30:50
The marketing tip that Brant has for other brands 31:40
How HebTroCo work with their factories 40:04
The products that HebTroCo are launching next 41:52

More HebTroCo

HebTroCo Website

HebTroCo Instagram

Episode 068 - HebTroCo How to make a million in Brexit Britain - HebTroCo - Make it British Live! 2019

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Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

182 – Why Google is the last place to look for UK manufacturers Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Do you want a manufacturer in the UK? On today's episode I discuss the reasons why searching in Google for a manufacturer to make your products could be a very costly mistake to make.

Discover:

What can happen if you select a manufacturer using a Google search 1:29
Examples of what you really find on page one of Google when you type in 'UK clothing manufacturer' 5:22
The misleading phrases that companies use that can make you think their factory is in the UK 7:28
Some tips for how to find out if they really are genuine UK manufacturer 8:30

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

181 – Looking after Scotland’s oldest cashmere brand – Simon Cotton Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Johnstons of Elgin is the largest textile manufacturer in the UK. The 223-year-old company employs over 1,000 people and was the first to bring cashmere weaving to Scotland.

Simon Cotton, the chief executive of Johnstons, describes himself as working for the most exciting company in the UK. Listen to find out how he plans to make the company last long into their next 200 years. Discover:

How Johnstons aim to bring new generations into the business [11:12]
How the business has had to adapt to the Covid situation [14:38]
Johnstons need to focus on high-value products whilst also staying current [18:37]
Celebrating 120+ years of supplying Burberry [25:31]
How the business is making its products more sustainable [26:58]
Where Simon sees the business heading into the next 200 years [29:53]

More Johnstons of Elgin

Johnstons of Elgin website

Johnstons of Elgin Instagram

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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

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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

180 – LIVE: How to make more money making in the UK Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

This episode is a lesson to anyone that wants to make in the UK but is struggling to make their pricing work.YES, it is possible to have a thriving and sustainable brand that is made in the UK and be profitable.

You just need to change the way you look at things.

Discover:

Why trying to find a cheaper manufacturer is not the solution 02:05
Why pricing for small product-based businesses is different to the big retailers 04:53
The benefits of making in the UK vs overseas 06:33

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

179 – Growing a UK-made lifestyle brand – Rebecca J Mills Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Rebecca Mills has a background in buying and retail for some big-name brands, yet when it came to running her own business she found it very different.

In this episode, she talks about how different it is running her own brand and some of the common mistakes that it is easy to make when you love designing products! Discover:

The challenges of developing a product for your own brand versus doing it for a big, corporate company 08:16
How to value engineer a product to make your prices work 08:54
Why Rebecca decided to make in the UK 11:29
Why Rebecca is using the words 'responsible' and 'transparent' rather than sustainable 13:20
The benefits of having a bricks and mortar store to gain valuable customer feedback 16:39
How working with Kate in her coaching programme has helped Rebecca to get clarity on her product range 20:30
How Rebecca has gained confidence in her brand message and being able to focus more on how she spends her time 23:26
Rebecca's advice for selling on marketplaces and how she's made it work for her business 31:04

More Rebecca J Mills

Rebecca J Mills website

Rebecca J Mills Instagram

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

178 – The real reason you aren’t making any money with your UK-made business Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

I get contacted all the time by people looking for ‘more affordable’ UK manufacturers. They’re not making any money in their business and they believe it’s all the manufacturer’s fault because their prices are too high.

But when I dig a little deeper, often I find that there are other parts of the business that need to be addressed first in order for them to make any money. So before you decide to jump ship from your current manufacturer, let’s ask a few questions and see what else might need to be changed first... Apply for my live private training “The 3-part framework for developing profitable UK-made products with ease” - katehills.co.uk/framework

Discover:

Why you should look at 6 other aspects of your business before you decide to look for a cheaper manufacturer 02:15
One of the main things that product-based businesses spend too much money on 04:20
Why you should be tracking the numbers in your business 05:38
The big mindset issue that can hold a lot of small businesses back 06:38

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

177 – A guide to digital textile printing – Debbie McKeegan, Texintel Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

Debbie McKeegan has over 30 years experience in textile printing - specifically digital printing. She is the founder of TexIntel, a platform that provides fantastic knowledge and advice to the digital print industry and also the host of the Texintel podcast.

In this episode Debbie answers all your burning questions about digital printing.

So if you find fabric printing, particularly digital fabric printing, confusing and frustrating, this episode will help to address many of your questions.

Discover:

Debbie's background in printed textiles and how she developed her love for production 02:11
The reasons why Debbie set up Texintel 08:02
Where designers should begin in terms of understanding the jargon and technicality of digital textile printing 10:36
The challenges that a designer may face when looking to print their designs via digital textile printing and the tips Debbie offers to combat them 13:14
The reasons why Debbie thinks digital printing will replace traditional types of printing over the next 5 to 10 years 21:06
The innovative technology behind digital textile printing and what the future holds for the industry 27:21
Why Debbie is passionate about the possibilities print offers to new designers and small brands 32:47
Why Debbie thinks that clients are asking the wrong question in terms of digital printing costs 38:07
Why digital printers can't get their hands on sustainable fabrics and why Debbie thinks there should be regulations in the industry 41:52
The advantages of setting up your own 'micro factory' to print your products 47:14
Why print will always have a place in Debbie's life 51:08
The many heroes in the textile industry who Debbie looks up to 53:05

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

176 – When should you choose making overseas versus making in the UK? Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

There are really four different scenarios in which it's probably better to manufacture overseas than in the UK.In this episode, I run through what those four different cases are. Discover:

How the amount of time that it takes to make something can play a big part in deciding whether it should be made here 01:41
Which skills we have very little of in the UK when it comes to making fashion and accessories 04:16
Why it's difficult to find blank white T-Shirts made in the UK 07:28
Why factories that make childrenswear in the UK are few and far between 08:34

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

175 – The benefits of lean manufacturing – James Stewart, Lean Practitioner Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

James Stewart is an experienced lean practitioner who has worked with Burberry and Fashion Enter to help streamline their manufacturing process.

‘Lean’ is a method for producing products in smaller batches, closer to the customer, rather than making zillions of products overseas that no one wants to buy.

Anyone that manufactures sustainably and locally in the UK, is in fact using some lean principles in their business, even if they aren’t aware that they are.

In this episode James discusses the benefits of lean manufacturing, and how it can give UK manufacturers an advantage.

Book mentioned in this episode: The Lean Turnaround

James Stewart Linkedin

Discover:

How James worked with Burberry to introduce Lean principles 05:11
What Lean is and how companies can use it to make their business better for people and planet 06:54
How Burberry cut its lead-times down by 90% in it's UK factory 11:05
Why Inditex (owners of Zara) manufacture so much locally 16:22
Advice James would give to any company for how they can use lean principles in their business to make a rapid change 27:21

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

174 – Why are your products not selling? May 28, 2021

Show notes

If your products aren’t selling - don’t get disheartened! There can be many reasons why products don’t sell, but there are also lots of things you can do to make sure they have the best chance of success.

So before you think about slashing your prices, take a listen to this episode.

Discover:

The things you can do before you start to develop a product to make sure it has the best chance of selling 01:20
How to know if your products are actually being seen by enough people that might want to buy them 07:16
Why images of your products are important 08:27
Why you should be speaking to the people that aren't buying your stuff 10:12
Should you lower your prices? 10:47

Book mentioned in this episode: The Lean Start Up

Related Episodes

Ep152 - Are you charging enough for your UK-made products?

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