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With the dedication to go travelling however little cash to fund it, Lucy Greenwood and her accomplice Chris Renwick determined to give up their jobs and make cash whereas they had been on the street.
Utilizing previous clothes that different travellers had left behind in hostels, they created little pouches to promote and created a group of people that all knew about and owed their pouches. That is what snowballed the creation of their sustainable clothes model, Lucy & Yak.
Making a clothes model is troublesome sufficient, however Lucy needed to create a model that was each ethically produced and had sustainability at its coronary heart through the use of upcycling and buy-back schemes.
That is the story of how Lucy discovered a reliable tailor, overcame her imposter syndrome and constructed a model that has whole transparency with their clients.
Right here’s her unfiltered recommendation:
How travelling with no money led to an accidental business
How to ensure quality and transparency with your tailor as your business scales
Make sure you have someone on the ground and overseeing things in your factories
Tackling overproduction and waste with a buyback scheme
Is having physical stores important for a clothing brand?
Building a customer community based on transparency
Passionate customers will hold you accountable
Don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back or impact your business
Seeking help to overcome your imposter syndrome
Listen to others but don’t take their word as gospel
Moving suppliers closer to home isn’t always more sustainable
A four-day working week means high production and happier staff
New products and adventures for Lucy & Yak
How travelling with no cash led to an unintended enterprise
Kate Bassett:
I do know that you simply’ve described Lucy & Yak as an unintended enterprise, so simply discuss us by means of the sunshine bulb second for you.
Lucy Greenwood:
Yeah, so everybody all the time says to me, it couldn’t have been unintended, there will need to have been one thing there. However I believe once I say unintended, it’s like we didn’t type of go, right here’s a marketing strategy, that is what we’re going to do, let’s go and try to get some funding and begin this enterprise.
It form of all simply occurred actually organically over the house of some years. So like I stated, we began the enterprise after we first went travelling, however we didn’t really begin Lucy & Yak till 2017.
It was humorous as a result of we went to New Zealand first, and we give up our jobs. We hadn’t saved some huge cash as a result of we had been pondering we had to save cash to go travelling, and that was simply by no means going to occur as a result of Chris and I had such occasion existence, we simply couldn’t save any cash on the time.
So we determined, you already know what? Let’s simply give up our jobs. We’ll work out a means of getting cash on the street.
So we went to New Zealand, and we ended up making these little pouches to promote to different travellers, and we had been making them from type of previous clothes that travellers go away behind in hostels.
There’s normally only a field stuffed with shirts, they’re not the very best shirts, however the prints on them are fairly cool. And turning them into a bit pouch was actually nice, and we sat promoting them to different travellers.
We had been hand stitching them on the seaside, and it was paradise. We weren’t incomes some huge cash, however I believe that was one other actually large factor for us that we form of realized the way to reside off little or no. So cash began turning into much less and fewer essential for us.
And it’s humorous as a result of previous to that, Chris and I had been each in gross sales the place every thing was fee, getting that sale, and it felt like a very cash pushed world. And so after we obtained used to residing off little or no, we had been like, that is superb.
Additionally, that feeling of somebody wanting to purchase one thing that you simply’ve created. As a result of we love gross sales, and we love the thrill of promoting one thing, however if you’ve really created it, there was no higher feeling than that.
And what was sensible about again then after we had been promoting the pouches, we lived in New Zealand for about six months after which after we left New Zealand, we had been nonetheless getting messages of people that had ran into one another and knew that they knew us as a result of that they had considered one of these pouches.
So there was this group forming in New Zealand round these pouches after we weren’t even there. And that’s form of the identical in Lucy & Yak.
That’s type of transferred over into this actually robust group of folks that once they see another person on the street carrying Lucy & Yak, they usually’re additionally carrying them, or they’re not carrying them, however they know the model, they usually personal some, they provide one another a bit smile or nod or say hello.
So I really feel just like the story began there, however then we had been travelling for a number of years. We needed to come again to the UK, Chris’s stepdad was unwell on the time, so we needed to come again to assist his mum, however we had no cash after we got here again.
And we had been like, we don’t need to get jobs, that’s the very last thing we need to do. We don’t need to work for another person.
So we ended up shopping for and promoting classic clothes, and we purchased an previous van, which was Yak, lived in that, and we had been principally travelling across the UK stepping into charity outlets, discovering some gems, promoting them on Depop.
And each time we obtained a pair of dungarees, we’d have paid a £5 for it, and we bought it for like £60 or £70, and we simply couldn’t get sufficient dungarees.
And it’s nonetheless the case now as a result of we’ve obtained collaboration with Past Retro, the classic store, they usually take a few of our previous Yaks again in alternate for vouchers as a result of they will’t get sufficient dungarees nonetheless six years on.
So it reveals that we form of hit one thing on the proper time. So it’s humorous as a result of it was unintended in that we weren’t attempting to start out a enterprise as such, however all these occasions simply led to, we simply knew we didn’t need to work for anyone else after we did that in New Zealand.
Kate Bassett:
Do you are feeling that you simply’ve develop into nearly unemployable when you began your individual enterprise?
You’ll be able to’t return to the 9 to 5.
Lucy Greenwood:
No, undoubtedly not. You simply couldn’t think about, I suppose, somebody telling you when and the place to be. I believe that’s the large factor.
Discovering a tailor in India
Kate Bassett:
When you’d realised you’d hit on one thing with the dungarees, they had been promoting so quick and so profitably, what had been the following steps you then took to construct a enterprise out of that?
Lucy Greenwood:
Effectively, after we began the dungarees, we went to India and that’s after we met this tailor, and we made the primary 30 pairs of dungarees, put them on Depop whereas we had been nonetheless in India, and the 30 pairs bought out in a minute.
So we phoned him, and we had been like, we have to make some extra. And we’ve simply form of grown the enterprise off the again of reinvesting the cash that we took.
So we by no means borrowed a penny, we by no means obtained any funding. The few £100 we had been travelling with was all we ever had.
And I believe what occurred was me and Chris have realized through the years that we’re a very good group, in that I’m fairly good at simply getting stuff accomplished, and I really like determining the way to promote one thing.
And he’s very, excellent on the type of enterprise aspect of issues as a result of he had been a supervisor earlier than, however I’d by no means been a supervisor earlier than.
So leaping up from a gross sales govt as the best place I’ve ever needed to being the proprietor of an organization was an enormous in a single day leap. After which the imposter syndrome was unreal.
However yeah, we simply saved principally taking that cash and placing it on extra inventory, and we simply saved rising it like that.
After which we moved right into a warehouse, which was terrifying as a result of that was our first dedication to an enormous outgoing every month.
From my expertise, once I’ve met individuals who run a trend model or begin a trend model, they usually are trend designers by commerce. That’s their earlier, that’s what they’ve accomplished of their profession.
I don’t know if there’s simply one thing completely different about the best way we’ve approached it. We’re very buyer pushed as a result of that’s the background of the place we’re from.
I’ve labored in bars and gross sales, and it’s all the time about, what does the client need? Not what do I like or what do I need to put on? What does the client need? What’s the client telling us they need?
And so we’ve all the time been actually buyer obsessed in that means, which actually serves us effectively.
How to make sure high quality and transparency together with your tailor as your small business scales
Kate Bassett:
I need to come again to this tailor that you simply labored with in India. You stated the enterprise actually began to develop. As you had been scaling up how did you guarantee high quality and transparency in that course of?
Lucy Greenwood:
I keep in mind us pulling our hair out many occasions within the first few years. As a result of we went travelling to India, we went travelling for six months, and initially it was like, “Oh, I’m going travelling, but when we discover somebody who may make some dungarees, we’d give it a go.”
So we’d been in India like every week, and I ran into anyone who I’d met in New Zealand years earlier than strolling down the road, they usually simply had some stuff made on this village in India, they usually had been exhibiting me, and I used to be like, that is so bizarre.
We’re right here for six months and the primary week I stumble upon anyone I’ve not seen for 3 years, they usually’ve simply had some clothes made.
Kate Bassett:
Destiny.
Lucy Greenwood:
It’s.
So we went to this city, and every thing’s form of occurred like that. I by no means know if it’s simply how we have a look at stuff when it occurs as a result of typically, I really feel like alternatives are there, and we simply miss them as a result of we’re fixated on one thing else.
And anyway, that occurred, after which we went to this city referred to as Pushkar in Rajasthan, which is the place that they had this clothes made. And it’s principally only a avenue full of people that have gotten outlets and there’s a tailor within the store making stuff and altering stuff.
The thought is that it’s a very moral place since you’re assembly the person who’s making it. However we really had a number of samples made in numerous outlets.
However then after we really got here to purchase in bulk and say like, “Oh, we need to order 30 or 40.”
They defined to us that it could exit to this larger manufacturing unit on the outskirts of the city, however they didn’t need to take us to this manufacturing unit as a result of I believe they had been apprehensive we’d reduce them out, which is truthful sufficient.
However there was simply one thing in us that was like, we need to meet the folks which can be making this. We need to know who they’re and in the event that they’re handled effectively and in the event that they’re paid pretty. So we form of simply gave up as a result of nobody would take us to this manufacturing unit.
After which the resort, we’d been staying within the visitor home, the prepare dinner within the resort was asking us, “What have you ever been doing right here?”
And we defined, and he stated, “Oh, my brother’s a tailor, and he can’t afford a store on this excessive avenue. Why don’t you come and meet him? We’re 10 kilometres outdoors of his city. We’ll drive you out.”
So we went out to satisfy him and that’s after we met Ishmael who had two tailors working with him, and he was making bits and items of clothes for the market that we’d been making samples for.
He wasn’t getting paid very a lot in any respect as a result of these markets are largely clothes for travellers who’re on a finances, and also you would possibly pay £1 for a pair of leggings off this market.
So you may think about how a lot the tailor and the way a lot Ishmael had been incomes. It was nothing. So we obtained him to make a pattern, and every thing was nice.
He made the pattern. It wanted some tweaks, however then it was unimaginable as a result of he was so good in that the belief was simply there immediately.
The expertise we’d had previous to that, can be if we stated, “Oh, this isn’t proper.” They’d say, “Sure it’s, it’s tremendous, it’s tremendous.”
Whereas he was like, “No, no, I’ll take it away. I’ll repair it.” After which the identical vice versa, as a result of as a substitute of negotiating him down, we negotiated him up, and he was like, “Are you guys loopy? Have you learnt the way to negotiate?”
However have you learnt what, he informed us how his pay construction labored and that he principally gave 50% of the cash to the tailor and the opposite 50% he used for his overheads, after which no matter was left was his revenue, I suppose.
So as a result of he informed us that, when he gave us the value, we had been like, effectively, you already know what? We really suppose a good worth is that this as a result of we consider we are able to promote them for this. And so we negotiated upwards, which he thought was loopy. So immediately that belief was there, which was superb.
In order that was nice as a result of I believe that was a very great way of organising a relationship as a result of it meant that we had belief, and we had some type of say over the ethics and the practices of the enterprise. As a result of it’s a tiny enterprise, and it grew with us.
The issue with that although is the standard was lower than scratch as we began rising. It was tremendous whereas we had been small and our clients knew us very well, however then as we began rising, if we ordered 100 of one thing, typically the standard was simply actually dangerous, and gadgets had been tearing.
We will need to have spent six months of the primary and second 12 months in India attempting to assist him arrange this manufacturing unit and get it as much as scratch. And he was rising with us.
So it was form of like these two startups rising aspect by aspect, which was simply chaos. It was absolute chaos, and it took us a very very long time to get him as much as scratch.
Be sure to have somebody on the bottom and overseeing issues in your factories
Kate Bassett:
At what level did you are feeling that you simply had obtained him as much as scratch, and you possibly can take a step again, not spend all of your time in India overseeing that course of?
Lucy Greenwood:
I’d say that point by no means really got here after which Covid hit. However what we had been fortunate with was simply earlier than Covid hit the final journey we had on the market, we had met this lady referred to as Sonya who was unimaginable.
She labored for an additional provider that we labored with as a result of Ishmael was a woven manufacturing unit, and so we wanted a jersey manufacturing unit after we went into promoting fleeces and stuff.
So we discovered this different sustainable manufacturing unit that we may make recycled fleeces with. And Sonya labored for them, however then she ended up getting made redundant.
And she or he was so good at managing our account we had been like, ought to we give Sonya a job? After which we’ve obtained somebody on the bottom in India.
And this occurred about three months earlier than Covid, which was like, oh my god, how fortunate had been we as a result of she was on the bottom.
She was going forwards and backwards to Ishmael’s manufacturing unit, spending time with him, serving to him stand up to scratch. And she or he’d really obtained extra expertise working within the manufacturing unit aspect of issues than we had.
So she was capable of actually assist him. She then began to construct a group. So we’ve now obtained a group in New Delhi that principally assist us assist the factories, but in addition somebody on the bottom ensuring the ethics are being maintained as effectively.
As a result of earlier than Covid, we relied so closely on being there and supporting them, and we may bodily see an issue within the manufacturing unit. However when Covid hit, it was like, we are able to’t be there. We simply must belief now. And so it was actually nice that we had Sonya on the bottom.
Tackling overproduction and waste with a buyback scheme
Kate Bassett:
And I imply, you discuss quite a bit about sustainability and moral practices. Clearly the style trade is chargeable for about 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. So what are you doing to try to deal with overproduction and waste?
Lucy Greenwood:
So it is a large factor for us. And I believe because the first 12 months we had an thought of shopping for clothes again, however we simply couldn’t work out the way to really do it, as a result of it’s fairly sophisticated to do it on-line, and we simply didn’t have the infrastructure or the group or something like that.
I’ve all the time believed that if you’re producing something new, whether or not it’s natural or whether or not it’s essentially the most sustainable cloth you may consider, it’s nonetheless not as sustainable as one thing that already exists.
And there’s undoubtedly sufficient clothes on the earth that we may in all probability all handle with out making any extra clothes for years and years.
However I believe one of many issues that makes me really feel a bit bit higher is that we all the time approached Lucy & Yak with the concept that persons are not going to only cease shopping for. And there are such a lot of manufacturers on the market which can be actually, actually horrible, so we simply need to provide one thing that’s simply that bit higher.
However then on the flip of that, we’ve type of launched a buyback scheme lastly, and we’ve launched it in our shops to start with as a result of we simply need to principally really feel it out and discover out what the teething issues are earlier than we launch it on-line, as a result of we actually would like to launch it on-line.
The factor is I believe with circularity is companies must make it worthwhile, in any other case they’ll not cease producing new.
So we’re attempting to determine a means of truly making second-hand worthwhile to us as a enterprise in order that we are able to really produce much less. So principally on the minute we give as much as a £20 voucher for you returning your previous Yaks again in any situation.
They are often utterly unwearable, and we’ll recycle them, or in the event that they’re in a superb situation, we’ll put them again up on the market the store.
And what we’re hoping is the share that we get again that’s adequate to promote on, pays for those that we have now to recycle and pay for the method.
And if that finally ends up being even greater, we’d enhance the value that we’ll pay for them and encourage much more folks to carry them again and actually get severe in regards to the truth we actually need to purchase these again as a result of we are able to really make cash out of them.
In order that’s actually what we’re hoping as a result of I believe if companies could make it worthwhile, think about in case you may make it in order that your small business was 50% second-hand, 50% new and even much less and nonetheless have the identical enterprise, I believe that will be a a lot better strategy to go.
Kate Bassett:
Undoubtedly. So that you’re trialling it for the time being, simply attempting to work out the appropriate enterprise mannequin for that.
Is having bodily shops essential for a clothes model?
Kate Bassett:
And it’s fascinating that you’re doing the buyback scheme in your shops, which I needed to speak to you about.
I do know you opened your first retailer in 2019, you now have shops in Brighton, Bristol and Norwich.
So how essential are bricks and mortar to the model?
Lucy Greenwood:
So we’ve by no means actually considered them as essentially a gross sales channel, although they’re. They do very well.
We all the time approached it as, we simply need these group hubs, so we’re not going to overexpose ourselves and hire these large shops that we aren’t going to have the ability to afford for no matter motive.
We’re form of attempting to open a lot of them, however small in dimension that’s manageable financially if we had been to enter one other lockdown or one thing like that.
And I believe for us, it’s all about group.
Having these areas that we are able to carry clients in, we’re going to be doing a whole lot of workshops and occasions which can be throughout sustainability and upcycling and issues like that.
Additionally, the large factor was we knew it was going to permit us to launch this buyback scheme as a result of it’s very easy in retailer for them to get it, re-tag it, stick it straight on a rail and promote it.
Whereas, from my classic days, photographing one piece after which promoting it, you simply don’t actually make any cash from that due to the price concerned in really photographing it, and there’s solely considered one of it. It’s actually exhausting.
So what we really feel like is that if we alter this to on-line as effectively, if we begin accepting folks’s clothes again on-line, we received’t promote them on-line.
We’ll in all probability find yourself with, we need to name them Lucy & Yak classic shops. So they may simply have second-hand Yaks in them if we open it as much as on-line as a result of we’ll find yourself with various them.
In order that’s the form of aim that we actually need all people within the UK to reside inside one hour of a store. So we don’t need too many, in all probability 10 to fifteen over the following few years.
However we really feel if everybody’s inside an hour of 1, then we ought to be good. Or all people who I suppose in essentially the most populated areas anyway.
After which we’d like to do an enormous Yak van that travels across the smaller areas sometimes up biking issues for folks and issues like that.
However yeah, that’s the place we’re at with retail.
Constructing a buyer group primarily based on transparency
Kate Bassett:
I’d love to speak to you about rising that group of Yakkers. What are a number of the ways that you simply’ve used to actually create a loyal buyer base?
Lucy Greenwood:
Have you learnt what? I believe it’s humorous as a result of after we speak about advertising, we’ve by no means actually tried to promote it.
From the early days I’ve accomplished a whole lot of movies on social media and issues like that. And I believe that’s been a large factor.
I believe when folks can see actual folks behind the model as a result of folks purchase from folks. I believe that that was a large factor for us. I believe clients actually feeling like they’re a part of that as a result of we’re sharing the journey with them, and we’re being actually clear.
When issues go incorrect, I’ll leap on, I’ll do a video and apologise or clarify what’s occurred. I’m not apologising as a result of we didn’t actually do something incorrect, however we simply need to say, look, that is what’s occurred.
And more often than not I believe what’s superb about it’s clients largely once they get pissed off at companies, it’s simply because they don’t perceive.
So they may assume it’s one factor, however then as quickly as you get on and clarify, they’re like, “Oh, proper, yeah, that is smart. You’re human, and also you simply made a mistake.”
So I believe that’s an enormous a part of it.
Additionally, there’s simply one thing within the model, and truthfully nonetheless, I typically don’t know the way to bottle the magic. It’s this group on Fb that really began by itself organically, after which we ended up taking it in-house, and it’s simply unimaginable.
Everybody’s so variety to one another and I believe there’s one thing about like we had been saying, our clients, they’re simply actually, very nice folks, simply so variety, so uplifting to one another. And the model has actually attracted them.
I truthfully don’t know if that’s as a result of we’re actually clear, and we’re actually open, and they also really feel like they are often, or I actually don’t know, typically it’s exhausting to bottle what that magic is.
However this group is unimaginable as a result of somebody will publish a photograph, they usually say, I don’t suppose I look excellent on this. And everybody simply jumps on, they usually’re like, you look superb, you look unimaginable.
All the shoppers they are saying that they’ve by no means discovered a model that they felt was them and type of expressed who they had been till they discovered us. And it spans so many age demographics as effectively.
It’s such as you’ve obtained 16-year-old ladies sharing dungarees with their mum. And I’d’ve by no means accomplished that, no means would I’ve shared any of my mum’s garments.
They will need to have cool mums, I believe that’s what it’s.
Kate Bassett:
Tremendous cool mums carrying dungarees.
Passionate clients will maintain you accountable
Kate Bassett:
And it’s fascinating that you simply, coming from a gross sales background, it sounds such as you really get the most important kick out of that group slightly than making a sale.
Lucy Greenwood:
Yeah, it simply makes you are feeling so good. I believe that was one of many issues that when the enterprise was beginning, we had been actually centered on clearly the ethics and the sustainability aspect of issues. We didn’t actually take into consideration what it could imply to clients.
We had been buyer centered in, give them a superb service, and ensure we hearken to them, however we didn’t actually take into consideration what it could imply to them.
We by no means actually thought we’d create a model meaning a lot to folks. And it’s humorous as a result of it has its professionals and cons.
Once we mess up, boy will we get the stick for it. I believe that’s as a result of persons are so obsessed with it, they usually shout about us a lot, they usually inform all people they learn about it. Once we do one thing incorrect, they really feel like that displays on them or that that’s allow them to down.
So that they’re very vocal about it. However in a means that’s form of good as a result of it retains us rising and altering and listening and attempting to be what our clients need us to be. With out diluting the model, clearly.
That may be a problem as a result of typically folks need you to be a little bit of every thing, and you may’t, as a result of there are contradictions there.
Kate Bassett:
Yeah, they’re holding you to account.
Lucy Greenwood:
Yeah. And typically there’s a bunch of folks that say you should do that factor, and there’s a bunch of individuals saying that you should do that factor, they usually’re completely completely different. They’re whole opposites, and also you’re like, what do I do right here?
However it’s very nice after we get opinions. The customer support group, they share the entire opinions, any good suggestions they get from clients they share it on this Google Chat group that we’ve all obtained. And it’s so good. They’re superb.
Our clients stick up for us in the event that they know the reply to one thing as a result of they’ve watched considered one of my movies, or they’ve learn one thing after which somebody new comes on social media having a go us for one thing. I see them approaching and being like, “Truly no, it’s this.”
And I’m like, it’s okay to teach your clients, they’ll really combat your battle for you. And it’s superb as a result of they perceive it. And I believe that’s an enormous factor.
I believe educating clients on how companies are run internally and why you make the choices you make and never treating them idiots, not simply treating them like you may market to them in sneaky methods.
Simply be trustworthy with them. And it appears that evidently’s the very best advertising tactic we’ve ever had is simply being trustworthy and upfront.
Don’t let imposter syndrome maintain you again or influence your small business
Kate Bassett:
By way of being so trustworthy and clear together with your clients doing the movies and actually placing your face to the model. Has that been fairly tough for you as somebody who has suffered with imposter syndrome?
Lucy Greenwood:
Completely.
Kate Bassett:
Have you ever needed to discover a new form of supply of confidence for this?
Lucy Greenwood:
Yeah, completely, I’ve.
It’s humorous, you’ve caught me a time in my life and in some extent with Lucy & Yak the place I’ve simply realized a lot the previous few years that I’ve realised that I used to be holding myself again in so some ways by not believing in myself.
I believe it is a large factor if you’re from a working-class background. I by no means actually realised it consciously, however you by no means obtained informed in school to dream large or that you possibly can do one thing like this. So that you by no means anticipated it to occur to you.
So if you’re in that place you’re like, “I’m not adequate for this.”
And it’s actually exhausting as a result of what I’d say, and that is each me and Chris, we’ve each been fairly comparable in that the place, within the early days, we listened an excessive amount of typically to completely different folks in trade or consultants or some members of the group.
It actually despatched us off on a tangent that we had been like, whoa, is that this enterprise even ours anymore?
And that occurred for a few years. And there was all of the Covid stuff, and we had been in lockdown. It simply didn’t really feel like our enterprise and companies had been getting stick left proper and centre on social media.
It’s exhausting when your face is on it, to not take it personally.
However what I’ll say is thru all of the low occasions I’ve had, they’ve truthfully simply made me come out of the opposite aspect extremely stronger and simply surer of who I’m and what my values are and understanding that really, don’t ever bend in your values for something.
Irrespective of how scared you might be, regardless of how a lot you suppose it’ll make you look a sure means as a result of it truthfully simply makes you fall out of affection with your small business.
Then we obtained to some extent the place we had been like, we are able to’t run this enterprise anymore. It doesn’t really feel like our enterprise. And so it was both do one thing about it and arise for what you consider in and cease operating it in the best way that you’re or promote it.
And we didn’t need to promote it. So we knew we wanted to show it round in order that we liked it once more. And we have now.
Chris has been a lot better at that than I’m, and he’s undoubtedly carried me by means of it. However yeah, it’s, it’s robust.
Looking for assist to beat your imposter syndrome
Kate Bassett:
Did you flip to anybody for recommendation aside from Chris throughout these robust moments? How did you pull your self up and actually suppose I’m adequate?
Lucy Greenwood:
Have you learnt what I owe quite a bit to a lady referred to as Africa Brooke. Have you learnt Africa Brooke?
She’s obtained fairly an enormous following on social media, however she’s a guide who works with entrepreneurs and type of folks within the public eye, who’re struggling to face by their values and feeling afraid of being themselves in a public house due to every thing that’s been happening on the earth the previous few years.
So I reached out to her as a result of I’d been following her for some time, and he or she talked about all these things quite a bit. And I ended up having 10 one-hour periods along with her over a interval, and he or she was completely superb.
As a result of she simply helped me realise that really the stuff that I valued and what I did care about, they had been all okay. As a result of in my head I used to be doing loopy sums like this equals this, and I don’t need anybody to suppose that. And she or he was like, “No, you’re all of it incorrect.”
And she or he’s been actually superb by means of it.
But additionally really associates, I’ve obtained some nice associates which have carried me by means of it as effectively. And a whole lot of the group even have been superb as effectively. So yeah, a lot of folks.
Hearken to others however don’t take their phrase as gospel
Kate Bassett:
And I do know that Lucy & Yak is now one of many fastest-growing corporations within the UK. What would you say are a number of the large challenges or errors you’ve made as you’ve scaled the model?
Lucy Greenwood:
Effectively that was definitely considered one of them type of trusting your individual intestine. I’ve not identified a time when your individual intestine isn’t proper, it all the time is.
It’s like even when it’s only a niggle, however you need to be so in tune with what’s happening that you simply really can learn it. And that’s the place I used to be struggling.
In order that’s a large one for me. It doesn’t matter how skilled somebody is and the way far more expertise they may have than you. They’re not essentially proper.
Hearken to folks and work out your individual means with it, however don’t simply take somebody’s phrase as gospel as a result of they’re talking confidently as a result of they’ve been large errors that I’ve made. And that’s at each degree. That could possibly be somebody’s junior or somebody actually saying it actually doesn’t matter.
I imply trend’s a tricky one on the whole with provide chains, they’ve been a few of my most difficult moments of determining the way to repair the entire issues in terms of provide chains with Covid and issues like that. They’ve been an absolute nightmare.
However I believe it’s accepting that they all the time exist. They don’t ever finish in trend. They get simpler as you’ve been going for longer, however they by no means finish.
Transferring suppliers nearer to dwelling isn’t all the time extra sustainable
Kate Bassett:
Have you ever checked out shifting your suppliers nearer to dwelling?
Lucy Greenwood:
We’ve. We did experiment with it a number of years again, however to be trustworthy, the UK is difficult as a result of the UK was once a large manufacturing place, however as a result of it’s not anymore, you may need a manufacturing unit, however they don’t have the infrastructure round them.
There’s so many shifting components to creating a garment. And after we initially experimented with it, we had been like, “Okay, so we make it nearer to dwelling.”
However that’s not really any extra sustainable.
I imply clearly it’s good for the economic system, and it feeds into giving folks jobs, nevertheless it’s not any extra sustainable as a result of we are able to’t develop cotton right here. So we nonetheless must import the cotton. And in case you import in the entire roll of cotton, you’re really importing the waste as effectively, which is definitely extra than simply importing a garment.
So by way of the sustainability and the miles it has to do, it nonetheless has to come back from a rustic that grows cotton regardless. In case you are utilizing materials like pure supplies, I believe we make a bit little bit of linen in Eire, nevertheless it’s actually small scale.
And to be trustworthy, after we did, we obtained so many questions from our clients that had been like, “What about your staff in India? Are you taking work away from them?”
And I didn’t realise there was as a lot want for it as we’d initially thought. After which it’s very costly.
We pay a residing wage, so we pay a residing wage as per the livingwage.org, not the federal government’s new labelling of the minimal wage. And we additionally do a four-day working week and after we decreased right down to a four-day working week, we nonetheless saved everybody on salaries as if they had been working 5 days.
So meaning the hourly price of our warehouse workers is, I can’t keep in mind off the highest of my head, nevertheless it’s about £13 an hour or one thing.
So that will’ve been the identical within the factories. After which we realised we simply couldn’t make it work. Folks weren’t prepared to actually pay that further.
A four-day working week means excessive manufacturing and happier workers
Kate Bassett:
What was behind the choice to maneuver your entire workforce to a four-day working week? And what influence has that had on productiveness?
Lucy Greenwood:
So it occurred throughout Covid, really. Everybody stayed at dwelling, so we shut the warehouse although they didn’t ask us to close the warehouse, however we had been like, “I don’t know what’s happening right here? The federal government’s actually complicated us. Is it important? Is it not important? Effectively, it’s not important, nevertheless it’s a warehouse, they usually’re not mentioning warehouses.”
However anyway, we shut our warehouse for a time frame.
After which after we introduced folks again in, we introduced them in on fewer hours in order that we may unfold and never have as many individuals within the warehouse directly. So we cut up the times. And we observed that productiveness didn’t actually drop. And so we had been like, effectively that is fascinating.
So we put it to the workers, we had been like, “Look, we’re going to check out this for 12 months. Productiveness has to stay actually good. However we anticipate it to drop a bit bit as a result of it’s a full day you’re shedding.”
But it surely actually hasn’t. I really feel like that final hour of the day, that final hour earlier than you’re on account of end, I believe all people simply stops working anyway. Everybody takes a bit bit longer on their breaks.
As a result of we’re not an organization that’s like clock-in, clock-out, examine your breaks and stuff. Everybody would take a bit longer, coming back from their break and go on their break a few minutes early, have extra bathroom breaks and simply saunter round.
I really feel like, as a result of we stated to them, “Look, we’re solely capable of make this work if we nonetheless have the output that we want as a result of we’re already paying a residing wage, and that is going to extend it much more.”
And truthfully, it’s been unimaginable. After which clearly within the workplaces as effectively, it’s superb.
Clearly, there are weeks once they must perform a little bit extra, however that’s form of like when you consider trend workplaces and stuff, they usually do 5 days and must perform a little bit extra.
So it’s form of like typically sure occasions of the 12 months they may must perform a little bit extra, nevertheless it’s uncommon. And most of the people get their three-day weekends and other people adore it.
I believe, definitely one of many groups stated, “I simply don’t really feel like I would like a vacation. Once I’m attempting to e book my holidays, I’m like, effectively, I’ve obtained lengthy weekends each weekend. So I don’t actually really feel like I would like to make use of that many holidays.”
Kate Bassett:
Do you suppose your workers are happier?
Lucy Greenwood:
Undoubtedly. And have you learnt what? I believe it got here from when Chris and I labored in gross sales. We labored six days one week, like 12-hour shifts and 5 days the next week, and we by no means obtained two days off collectively.
And also you simply can’t get well. It’s simply not sufficient time to get well. I really feel like that Friday’s an excellent day for everybody to do the chores, do all of the garbage stuff that you simply don’t actually like doing, and also you don’t need to waste your time on.
Kate Bassett:
Life admin.
Lucy Greenwood:
Yeah. You have to do it, however you don’t need to use your Saturday on Sunday. And you then’ve obtained your Saturday on Sunday and you are feeling like coming again to work on Monday, you’ve sorted all of your life admin out, as a result of there’s nothing worse than stuff like that hanging over your head.
Whenever you’ve obtained to go to the dentist or the physician’s, however you haven’t obtained time. And when that stuff’s hanging over your head, it in all probability impacts your work as effectively.
New merchandise and adventures for Lucy & Yak
Kate Bassett:
So what’s subsequent for Lucy & Yak? Inform us about new merchandise you might be launching into or markets.
Lucy Greenwood:
So this map behind me, I’m really in Chris’s workplace and Chris is in control of our retail aspect of the enterprise.
So we’re rising within the USA. The USA is slowly turning into fairly an enormous share of our clients, particularly California, New York. So we’re how we are able to develop extra within the US.
So Chris and I are literally doing a little bit of a visit to California in a few days, however I don’t know when this podcast’s popping out. So we’d have already been.
And we need to type of scope out perhaps opening a few outlets, perhaps testing some pop-ups first, simply type of seeing how that goes.
As a result of I simply really feel like internet marketing is simply getting harder and harder, and it looks like extra strong to have some bodily presence in a rustic that you simply’ve really obtained an enormous buyer base in.
And I believe it builds belief as effectively. For those who come throughout the model within the USA, you don’t know if it’s legit or if it’s considered one of these manufacturers that, there are a whole lot of these manufacturers which have popped up and simply form of copy all people, they usually’re actually low-cost, and it’s not nice high quality when it comes.
So I believe having a base at the least in a rustic that places belief in them. So I believe that’s an enormous factor for us. And that’s actually thrilling as a result of it permits me and Chris to nearly return to the beginning of the enterprise the place after we first began, we’re attempting to determine the way to promote stuff and what folks need, it feels form of model new.
Though we’ve obtained clients within the US it feels prefer it’s complete new factor for us to type of work out. And that’s the bit that we love. And I suppose most entrepreneurs will let you know that. That’s the enjoyable bit.
Kate Bassett:
Yeah, you miss that form of gritty, robust startup stage.
Lucy Greenwood:
Yeah, actually hands-on, and now as time goes on, you are feeling like I’m simply in conferences, and also you’re not as arms on. And don’t get me incorrect there are components of that which I really like, however I do miss the type of scrapping round and attempting to determine stuff out.
After which by way of new merchandise, we’re increasing our rather a lot. We clearly began as dungarees.
We all know that dungarees usually are not for everyone, and we need to personal dungarees, and we’ll all the time need dungarees. However we’ve already expanded into different areas, however we need to hold simply increasing that.
So knitwear is definitely an enormous class that we’re going to develop into on the again finish of this 12 months, and we’ve obtained some superb new knitwear coming.
Additionally, I really feel like prints are as a lot our factor as dungarees. So we actually need to increase on that and hold simply including superb prints to every thing that we do.
And in addition clearly our buyback scheme is one thing that we actually need to focus in on, that circularity. We’ve obtained an in-house upcycler now as effectively who works for us full time.
So there are hundreds we’re doing round that. I imply, we need to convert a camper van right into a type of cell react station that may drive round completely different cities and repair folks’s dungarees and stuff. So we’ve obtained a whole lot of thrilling concepts.
Kate Bassett:
That’s an excellent thought.
And in case you needed to sum up your imaginative and prescient for the corporate in a single sentence, what wouldn’t it be?
Lucy Greenwood:
I believe to only proceed bringing pleasure to folks’s lives. Whether or not that’s folks internally, whether or not that’s folks within the factories, whether or not that’s our clients. I believe simply attempting to do enterprise in a great way and persevering with that.
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