Episode Details
Back to Episodes
100. Building a brand people love and when to walk away | Cath Kidston
Description
The moment a business starts making real money is exactly when it's most at risk of losing what made it work in the first place.
In this special 100th episode of All About Business, James sits down with entrepreneur Cath Kidston MBE, who built a single shop into a globally recognised brand, watched its values slip once investors and private equity got involved, and has spent her second business, C.Athaly, making sure it never happens again.
Cath breaks down why she believes founders need to define their brand values early and write them down, long before growth, investment, or pressure to cut costs ever arrives. She explains how her first business began compromising on quality once money and new voices entered the business, and why a gut-instinct decision she couldn't justify on a spreadsheet turned out to be the right call all along.
The conversation also unpacks why building slowly and deliberately is better than scaling too early. Cath explains why she spent four to five years getting the foundations right in both of her businesses before pushing for growth, and why she believes it's nearly impossible to fix a business's culture or values once they've already slipped.
Timestamps (Audio)
01:46 C.Atherly Origins
08:55 Four Signature Scents
14:59 Building Smarter This Time
26:06 Naming Your Business
32:17 Brand Values No Compromise
38:52 Hiring Ops To Scale
43:09 Modern Marketing And Property
Links
Find out more about C. Atherley and their products here
Find out more about Joy of print and their products here
Submit your application to Reed’s Entrepreneurs Fund for a chance to a £20,000 grant HERE
All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE
This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk