in Profiles by Kate Bassett. Permalink.
Simon Duffy, founder of men's skincare brand Bulldog, on Sainsbury's, Spurs and sparkly rings.
Name: Simon Duffy
Age: 34
Company: Bulldog Natural Skincare. Our Original Moisturiser is currently outselling Gillette's equivalent!
Turnover: £2.4m
First job: A paper round when I was ten.
Dream job: Centre Forward for Tottenham Hotspur, playing just off of Jermain Defoe.
Car: I don't actually own a car. I live five minutes from the Bulldog office and really enjoy walking into work with my dog Bruno every day.
Economy, business or first class: Always economy. We're still a small business and I don't see the need in splashing out on these types of luxuries.
Most extravagant purchase: My wife's engagement ring.
Most-played song on your iPod: "Patches" by Clarence Carter. It's my karaoke tune as well.
Best business book: Eating The Big Fish by Adam Morgan.
Worst business moment: Losing our only bag of mock-ups before our final meeting with Sainsbury's. I was in a complete mad panic. But in the end, we couldn’t believe our luck when the bag turned up at the Baker Street lost property office.
Proudest business moment: The first time I saw our products on the shelves of Sainsbury's was an amazing moment.
Your business mentor: I haven't had one particular mentor. I've been fortunate enough to meet a lot of inspiring entrepreneurs since starting up Bulldog and they've given me some great advice.
Next big thing: Export is going to be a big focus for Bulldog in the next 12-18 months. We are now widely available across Scandinavia and have just secured a deal to go nationwide in 300 Whole Foods Market stores across America. The potential for Bulldog in the US is enourmous and initial feedback has been very encouraging.