FIGHTING TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

Entrepreneur Paul Rowlett pivots out of the Coronavirus pandemic

Charismatic entrepreneurPaul Rowlettthought he was going to lose his multi-million pound business when Covid 19 forced Britain into lockdown in March this year.

The CEO and founder of corporate gifts companyEverthingBranded, who last year appeared onChannel 4's Secret Teacherwasn't going to let his £20m business, started from a laptop and phone from his front room in Leicester, go without a fight. But as Covid-19 struck, almost overnight, EverthingBranded was 97% down in sales and Paul was left wondering how to scale back his business without destroying the livelihoods of hundreds of people.

He made a video of the journey and called the first episode ‘Armageddon':https://youtu.be/mgWgqSBaBhg

A preferred supplier to the UK hospitality industry which slumped by 87% in the second quarter this year, EverythingBranded's corporate customers evaporated and trading had all but stopped, pushing the company to the edge of breaking point.

This time last year things were very different forEverything Branded. Successful training and outreach programmes were underway, charity donations huge and Paul had partnered with thePeter Jones EnterpriseAcademy to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. New office space for the burgeoning US operation was agreed in Las Vegas, and Paul appeared on Channel 4's TV series 'The Secret Teacher' going undercover in a Hertfordshire school to identify and support underperforming students.

Paul picks up the story: "Covid-19 has taught me that things can change in unimaginable ways. The pandemic has forced business owners to adapt to new conditions or face existential questions over what the business is really there to do; making tough choices. Above all, I have learned that thinking outside of the box is crucial to survival.

"A wholesaler like us has to look at what the market demands, whether it be a pen, a mug or a bag. Beyond this, diversifying doesn't just mean what you offer customers but how you do it and to whom you offer the product.

"Reaching out to new markets can be crucial to survival - as we found out - and in the new climate we provided much needed products to SME's and individuals working from home developing new product lines and new income streams. SME's needed PPE and sanitising products which weurgently sourced from overseas suppliers, while the British workforce, now working from home, needed writing pads, pens and mugs.

"Instead of selling 5,000 or 10,000 units of an item, we reduced the minimum quantity to 50 or 100 units. We also made the bold move from an exclusively B2B business to B2C as online purchases soared during lockdown. As a result of reaching these new markets we have now formally launchedEverything Printed- a personalised gifting site catering to the B2C market.

"Our Covid journey has been tough, so tough that there were days when it seemed like the lights would go out on my business, so tough that I started to vlog if only to vent my frustration. History was in the making and I wanted to leave an 'uncut' record of the raw experience, highlight the tough choices we had to make, the sadness and the despair, and then the hope as we found our way and began to pivot out of this chaos to, I hope, live to fight another day."

For more information call Melanie Faldo on 01234 721198 or email redcarpetcomms@gmail.com

Notes to Editors:

AboutEverythingBranded- Founded in 2010, Charles Alexander Distribution (CAD) is a leading supplier and distributor of promotional products for business gifts, rewards, incentives, premiums and speciality advertising products.

With over 40,000 promotional products in the UK and 100,000 products in the US on site, the company, which trades as Everything Branded, offers the most competitive prices and range of complementary services including in house graphic design and printing. 

Everything Branded has enjoyed substantial year on year growth since its inception in 2010, and in 2019, achieved combined sales in excess of £20m. In the last two years, the company has expanded into the USA, Canada and Ireland with further territory expansion planned for Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Spain and Denmark over the next two years.

Headquartered in Leicester in the UK and in Las Vegas in the US, Everything Branded boasts sophisticated training programmes and apprenticeship schemes, and a positive company ethos with every member of the team motivated by a commitment to a set of beliefs and values which shape the business. This is best demonstrated by a forward-thinking corporate social responsibility programme inspired by company founder Paul Rowlett whose philanthropy and support for the next generation of young entrepreneurs is shown by the partnership with the Peter Jones Foundation and his appearance in Channel 4's factual entertainment series 'The Secret Teacher.'

EverythingBranded is a member of the BPMA, ASI (US) and PPAI trade associations. The award-winning company won 'Distributor of the Year' in 2015 and has been in the top 5companies put up for this award for a number of years while Paul Rowlett is a finalist in the Niche Business Awards 2020.