Tomasz Danielec and Arkadiusz Glanowski set up the Baker Street Boys furniture business last year with the help of a loan of £5k each from Startup Direct. Laura Campbell of Startup Direct caught up with them and asked them some questions about their business and their recent celebrity endorsement from Meg Matthews, designer and animal rights activist for PETA.
- Hi there guys, why did you chose to set up Baker Street Boys?
T: It was always my dream to design furniture and we both always wanted to have our own business.
- How long have you been going?
T: We received our funding from Startup Direct in January 2015 and officially started in February 2015.
- What was your biggest challenge? How did you overcome this challenge?
A: Time management is a big issue. Running your own business means multitasking and it is very difficult to get distracted. We plan everything ahead of time (every single day is planed in advance).
- How much funding did you receive from Startup Direct? How did this funding help you set up your business?
T: We received £10000 (£5000 each) and used the money to find manufacturers, build the prototypes, build our website and social media. Also for marketing and promotional materials, photo-shoots and branding.
- How important has mentoring been to your business?
A: Very important. Mentoring was the main reason we signed up with Start-up Direct. It is great to share difficulties, issues as well as successes with experienced professionals.
- Is there anything you wish you’d known when you first started your business? Do you have any words of wisdom to other start-up businesses?
T: We have learned that everything works better when money is not the sole objective behind our business. When we put passion into what we are doing and enjoy designing our furniture we find people want to purchase the result. People buy into our passion and love for what we are doing and our unique products are what have attracted the celebrity endorsement. Meg liked our strong design and the potential behind the brand. It was the love for our design work that led to Meg becoming our brand ambassador.
- Where do you see your business in 3 years?
We would like Baker Street Boys to be a lifestyle brand. We would like to offer furniture, gadgets, accessories as well as fashion items. We would like to sell internationally and have our own boutique chain.
Thank- you for talking to us Baker Street Boys.
See below for some examples of the great design behind Baker Street Boys.
