Make it British Podcast

Latest Episodes:

097 – 13 Factories in 3 Days! Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

It's so important to get out there and meet manufacturers if you are developing a product.

In this episode I explain the reasons why you should be visiting factories, especially if you are making in the UK because they are on your doorstep.

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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.

096 – A visit to an umbrella factory – Richard Ince, James Ince & Sons Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

Take a tour round a traditional East End umbrella factory with me as we visit James Ince & Sons. Richard Ince is the sixth generation of a family business which was founded 215 years ago.

East London was once the centre for umbrella making in the UK due to its proximity to the City of London where many of them were sold. Find out about the history of umbrella making in the UK and how they are made as we take a walk around a (rather noisy) umbrella factory.

More about James Ince & Sons.

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.

095 – How to validate your UK-made product idea Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

Lots of people try to launch a business or collection with a huge range of products. They then find they don't have enough funds to manufacture everything they set out to.

They make expensive mistakes and their initial vision may never come to fruition.

Or they try to find cheaper manufacturers in order to squeeze everything into their budget to buy a huge amount of stock

You don't need a perfect collection to launch a product, or a cheaper manufacturer, what you need is to start small and test your idea first.

In this episode I discuss the ways in which you can validate your product idea, without spending a huge amount of money OR buying a whole load of stock.

In this episode you'll learn:

Why it's important to test a product idea before you order bulk production from your manufacturer
What you need to prepare in order to validate a product idea
Why something is better than perfect
The different platforms you can use to test your product idea
What do you do when sales go well and your idea is validated
And what to think about if your initial test doesn't go as planned

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.

094 – How to crowdfund your brand – Sophie Slater, Birdsong Oct 15, 2019

Show notes

How can you grow a clothing brand sustainably and ethically?

In this interview I speak to the inspiring Sophie Slater from Birdsong who work with women's organisations and charities to make thoughtful clothes in inclusive sizes.

50% of Birdsong profits go back to the organisations that they work with, including a women's charity in East London that make their clothes.

Find out how Birdsong have used crowdfunding to great success to help grow their business, and are now using it to pre-launch their latest collection.

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.

093 – Made in UK Clothing Hit by Huge US Tariffs Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

From 18th October 2019 many UK-made clothing items exported to the US will face tariffs of 25%

In this episode I discuss what items are affected and what this means for British brands that manufacture in the UK.

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.

092 – Elaine Stewart, Longthorne Guns – The Ultimate English Shotgun Oct 08, 2019

Show notes

England used to be one of the biggest manufacturers of shotguns in the world, but sadly, like many manufacturing industries in the UK, it has seen numbers decline.

Longthorne are the only shotgun maker in the UK that manufacturer everything in house - creating bespoke guns for customers all over the world.

In this episode I visit the Longthorne Gun factory to meet husband and wife team Elaine and James Stewart and find out how their beautiful bespoke guns are made.

More about Longthorne Guns

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.

091 – Britwashing. What is it? and how to avoid it Oct 04, 2019

Show notes

You've probably heard of greenwashing? But how about Britwashing?

This episode tells you everything you need to know about what Britwashing is, and how to spot it.

Sadly becoming all too common amongst brands and retailers trying to sell products for their own commercial gain under false pretences, I also call this 'fake it British'.

There are several ways to spot it, and in this episode I uncover what they are.

If you enjoy this episode you might also like these:

036 - What can be labelled as made in the UK?

043 - Should I use made in Britain or made in the UK?

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.

089 – Why aren’t manufacturers getting back to your emails? Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

Reaching out to manufacturers and struggling to get a response?

Don't be like Mr Vague, Mr Long, Mr Price and Mr Clueless - make sure that your email goes to the top of the inbox by avoiding these 4 common errors.

Find out exactly what they are in this episode.

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.

088 – A Visit to a Footwear Factory – Crown Northampton Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Join me on a tour round Crown Northampton's footwear factory

In this episode I chat to Chris Woodford, owner of Chancery Footwear, the factory which makes the Crown Northampton collection, and Mark Higgs, brand manager for Crown Northampton.

Launched only a couple of years ago, Crown Northampton is quite different to the other shoemakers in the famous footwear town. Instead of making the traditional Goodyear-welted shoes which the region is known for, Crown's signature product is a leather sneaker.

Hear how Chris has completely reinvented the family business, which was founded by his great-grandfather in the early 1900s, to create a growing made in England footwear brand for the 21st century.

Already very successful in Japan, Chris and Mark have big plans for the future of the Crown Northampton brand.

More about Crown Northampton

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.

087 – Help, I’m Launching a Product and I Don’t Know Where to Start! Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

If you've got an idea for a product but you're tearing your hair out because you don't know what the next steps are, this episode is for you.

You may have tried approaching manufacturers to help you and had no response, and wondered what it was that you said!

Launching a new product is a bit like building your dream home; you wouldn't approach a builder before you had a design for your house and the land to put it on. Developing a new product is very much the same.

In this episode you'll learn the key things you need to to prepare in order to be able to approach a manufacturer and get your product idea off the ground.

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.

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