Joseph Joseph: From 'Gremlinesque' mistakes to global success

Twenty years ago Richard and his twin brother Anthony Joseph set up their company, Joseph Joseph, with an idea to revolutionise tasks in the home. Simple things like making better chopping boards for the kitchen, ironing boards that fold, and all sorts of ways to tidy up those kitchen drawers. Of course, not everything worked out. Yet, even with a few missteps here and there, Richard’s now CEO of a company that made a pre-tax profit of 20 million pounds last year, with 75% of their sales coming from outside of the UK. Not bad for a couple of brothers whose first steps into the international market involved loading a small car with chopping boards and driving around Europe for three weeks. In this episode we talk about:

·      How Joseph Joseph was formed

·      The kitchenware buyer that saved the company with one order

·      Why Richard’s been buying up their old designs on ebay, and what they’re worth today

·      Why product prices are “quite far down the track” during development

·      How their homes are all full of prototypes of failed experiments

·      The “gremlinesque” story of the spring-activated potato masher that didn’t go to plan

·      How online reviews have transformed how they listen to customers

·      How they got to a point where 75% of their sales are international

For more interviews, news and analysis, go to standard.co.uk/business.

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