Simon Duffy, founder, Bulldog Natural Grooming
Simon Duffy, founder of Bulldog Natural Grooming, tells us why ingredients are all-important, why a do-gooding member of the public helped his business and why 'being mainstream' is his cutting edge.
Explain your business so my mum would understand it.
We make natural skincare, shaving and shower products for men using high quality natural ingredients and essential 
oils, with no
controversial synthetic ingredients such as parabens or sodium laureth sulfate.
Our products are affordable with prices ranging from £2.99 and £5.99.
They can be found in most major retailers including Sainsbury’s,
Boots, Tesco, Waitrose, Suprdrug, Ocado, Debenhams, Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market.
Why did you start a business in the first place?
It was the challenge of setting something up for ourselves versus the
idea of working for other people for the rest our careers.
What surprised you most about starting up?
I guess the surprising thing is the large amount of stuff you can get
through in one day if you really put your mind to it. When you start
something like Bulldog the demands that are placed on your keep
ratcheting up and this remains a constant challenge as you grow.
Was there anything you would do differently now?
Things have gone well for us and when I think about how far we have come in a relatively short period of time, even if I could alter
certain things I’m not sure I would. Had we made different choices who knows where we would be at the moment.
I’m really happy with our
progress.
What was your strategy at launch, and have you stuck to it?
A key strategic choice we made early was to break with convention and launch our new brand in the mainstream.
This may not sound that insightful, but when you are starting a natural skincare business that manufactures everything in the UK using much more expensive raw materials than the competition, everything you do pushes you towards a
higher price point and premium distribution channels.
While
conventional brand strategy suggests that would be better to start in a premium channel and “trickle down” to the mainstream, this was not something we wanted to do. We launched with Sainsbury’s in June ’07 and haven’t looked back.
What’s been your biggest hurdle or stumbling block so far?
The biggest hurdle for our business was creating the amazing natural formulas for our products. It took a great many people a great number of attempts to get to where we are now.
Controversial ingredients such as parabens and sodium laureth sulfate
are still used widely in conventional toiletries and skincare. However there is growing awareness about both the known and the potential side
effects of these ingredients.
Combined with the recent scientific
progress on active natural ingredients, these developments mean that Bulldog is now able to bring a real alternative to men in mainstream markets.
Today our products are the best possible natural skincare products
that men can buy, and more than a match for the large synthetic
skincare brands that currently dominate this market.
…And your luckiest moment?
I believe in the old saying “the harder I work the luckier I get”.
However we have certainly had some lucky escapes in our time. One
example that springs to mind is when my business partner lost our only
product samples on the London Underground two days before a vital
early meeting with a buyer from a major retailer.
Luckily for us his
bag was handed into the lost property office at Baker Street Station.
Where are you now with the business?
In the last couple of years we have grown in a manner consistent with our business plan aims. We have the largest natural skincare brand for
men and our growth is outstripping our nearest competitors. We have
also just launched nationwide with Boots which is really exciting.
However there is still an enormous amount we want to achieve over the
coming years, and in many ways the Bulldog story has only just began.
What does the future have in store?
We think that all skincare products will be made like Bulldog within five to seven years.
What’s your best piece of advice for someone who’s about to launch?
Focus your time on the key challenges and try not to get side-tracked by the many smaller things that come your way. Easier said than done!
www.meetthebulldog.com
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