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Keynote Speaker – Simon Carter, Founder, Simon Carter
Simon started off his career with a part-time job one day a week at a vintage clothing store, where he discovered a motorcycle brooch. He started getting queries about it, and seized the opportunity to get some made.
Having ordered 100 men’s brooches from a manufacturer in Cornwall, Simon knocked along doors on King’s Road before selling 50 pieces to a jeweller’s. Once he’d secured his first sale, others followed suit.
Upon starting his own business, Simon learnt how to create a niche market for himself. When told by stores that they ‘didn’t really sell cufflinks’, he would reply, “Because you don’t have any to sell.”
He expanded the Simon Carter brand in 5 key areas:
- Licensing
15 years ago, Simon was approached by a tie company that shared his values, who wanted to license the Simon Carter brand. This led to licensing deals for shirts and suits. Licensing is an excellent way to grow a business, as it enables you to get a global reach that you wouldn’t otherwise have gotten. - Exports
Simon’s international growth is a reflection of his UK growth. The brand is now available in 35 countries. Nobody can do every market in the world at once so you have to think carefully about which ones you want to do first. - Trade shows
Simon received support and funding from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), which helped him to break into markets that were crucial in the 1980s and 1990s, like Japan. - Brand name
Simon stresses the importance of registering your brand in as many territories in as many countries as soon as possible, especially in China and emerging markets. This is a good investment even if you are not thinking about selling in those countries yet. - Long-term relationships
When trading abroad, you have to be patient and pick trusted partners. Simon Carter is about heritage; it’s not in it for the money, but for the long-term relationship. People like and respect that.
Find out more about Simon Carter at simoncarter.net
To read overviews of Carl Hasty’s and Howard Jackson’s presentations, please click on the links.
