Interview with Fairfax & Favor’s Felix Favor Parker
Appropriately enough for a brand that began with leather footwear, Fairfax & Favor was thoroughly bootstrapped. Founders Marcus Fairfax Fountaine and Felix Favor Parker funded the Norfolk-based business through its early days by working summer jobs in the local pub and delivering fireplaces. They kept their stock in Parker’s mum’s attic.
Interview with Beauty Pie’s Marcia Kilgore
Beauty Pie is a buyer’s club for luxury make up, without the markup. To illustrate the concept, founder Marcia Kilgore holds up a lipstick sample she received from a supplier.
How Huel aims to be the world’s leading plant-based brand
The idea behind Huel is simple. The company sells a powder product designed to replace meals, and since launching in 2015 has attracted legions of fans worldwide who refer to themselves as Hueligans and swear by its benefits.
Bambino Mio: Environmental concerns over single-use disposable nappies means reusable alternatives are becoming mainstream
Bambino Mio aims to make reusable nappies mainstream and cut the thousands of single-use plastic nappies sent to landfill
Activate Group: A hobby that very quickly grew and grew
Mark Wilcox lasted just two weeks in retirement before he got the idea for Activate, a technology-led vehicle insurance and accident management company that now employs 750 and has annual sales of almost £200m.
Cycle Pharma: Developing treatments to suit everyday life
Unlike many other pharma companies that focus their efforts on launching new treatments, Cycle’s aim is to improve drugs that already exist.
Bboxx: Ending energy poverty and creating a fairer and cleaner future for everyone
Recent years have seen a rise in purpose-led businesses, with missions going beyond making a profit. One of these businesses is Bboxx, a solar energy firm dedicated to ending energy poverty.
Storal Learning: Striving for improvement in early years education
Founded in 2016, Storal Learning is a community of day nurseries born from a belief in the power of early years education. The company is growing steadily through acquisition: with five new sites in the last 12 months, it has increased in capacity for children and staff by almost a third.
Paysend: Boosting financial inclusion is a key mission
“I’m always making mistakes. But it’s about what you learn from those mistakes and how you take a business forward that matters,” says Ronnie Miller, a serial tech entrepreneur who is currently on his sixth business, Paysend.
Sosandar: We can be one of the UK’s biggest women’s fashion brands
Ali Hall and Julie Lavington ran a magazine before launching online fashion brand Sosandar. Thanks to their flair for marketing and focus on careful planning in the face of rapid change, the AIM-listed business is now among the UK’s fastest growing. In this article, they explain why they believe it has only scratched the surface.
