Open Day #2016
Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to Open Day Number 3.
I am glad you made the effort to come down. Thank you. For all those who couldn’t make it all the way down here to the far edges of West Wales, we are live streaming this on Periscope right now. We did it last year, and it worked really well.
Ok. Where do I begin….? Lets start at a quick look back on last year.
We grew. We grew by around 25%. We made a profit for the third year in a row. And we employed 3 extra people to the cause. Last March was one of our weakest months for sales. This March was one of our strongest months for sales in our history. So something is happening.
So welcome to Huw, he was here last year as an attendee. But this year he is a vital part of the content factory. He is both fun and inspiring to work with. And welcome to James who is assisting the GrandMasters. A good man. It’s good to be working with you again, sir.
And, luckily for us, Andrew agreed to join us for two days a week to act as our Chief Operating Officer. We need run this business well. He knows how to do that. Again, good to be working with you again.
This time, lets complete the mission.
TEAMS WIN
My job is to build a team. To build a culture where ideas are allowed to happen, to create a space where experiments can take place, where ideas are allowed to be tried. Where people are given the confidence to show the world how talented they are.
We don’t attach a stigma to failure. It is just information to make us better. This culture is not for everyone. Some people do not do well when surrounded by chaos. But, is is my view, creativity requires it.
People who join us come to us to do their best work. To make the best films they have ever done, to write the best words, to take the best photographs. We give them wings. If you have the talent, you can fly here.
It is also my job to get the team to understand that the impossible is indeed possible. People think getting 400 people their jobs back is some kind of pipe dream. But a team, when it truly comes together as one, can achieve anything.
Within Hiut, there are two factories. One is the Jeans factory. It has its own rules. Its own tools. They self-govern. They chose their hours. Their holidays. The other factory is the Content Factory. It has a different set of tools. It works different hours. It has to achieve different things. But, as a team, we share the same goal: To get the town making jeans again.
In the jeans factory, Elin and Claudio run the factory like a machine. There are four GrandMasters: GrandMaster Elin, GrandMaster Jean, GrandMaster Tracy, GrandMaster Amanda. And Rob and James who work to assist them. And Cerys, who is a GrandMaster in the making. Not forgetting, Stephen and Norman who make the fits, fit. And, our Paul, who has become a GrandMaster at repairing the jeans. And when he is not repairing, he is also Head of Wholesale. And finally, the denim master himself, Gid, who continues to push our design forward.
My thanks to the other factory: The Content Factory. The GrandMasters make the jeans, but the content factory has to make sure we get heard in a busy world. Our marketing budget got spent on the coffee machine, so we can’t outspend anyone. But, David beating Goliath doesn’t require money. It requires hustle, ideas and a mission bigger than yourself. So my thanks to Naomi and Huw. It’s hard work I know, but I hear a lot of laughter. And I see young people growing in confidence each day. That my friends, is success.
When a team decides the team is more important than any one person, the team becomes one. At that point the team can achieve its goals, no matter how difficult that goal may seem.
“For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” Rudyard Kipling.
A Look Back
Each Monday morning, the Content Factory meets for breakfast and over good strong coffee, share what inspires us. In order that we can share the gold we find with our customers, too. Our ethos is to give, give, give, as well as sell.
Increasingly, I am asking the team to go beyond being ‘sharers’ of great things to becoming ‘creators’ of them too. It’s the next step for the team, and one we are having fun taking. That is how we will grow.
What I love about this film is we talked about doing a film one evening, and the next morning we were making it happen. When you watch it, I am driving. And Huw is both the stunt guy and film-maker. Not easy to pull off.
Huw and Naomi made this happen on the eve of ‘Open Day’. They were both tired and stressed out. But ‘April Fools’ was a chance to have some fun. It became the most shared film we have done. Nice.
It’s not very often that you get the chance to have your own window in Selfridges on Oxford Street. It gave us a huge amount of press, and there’s no doubt that having it has made some people think differently about our dreams.
Always Be Launching
Looking back at my ‘Open Day’ presentation for 2015, it dawned on me that much of what I talked about back then is coming to fruition now. Apple looks at years in terms of them being a ‘Tick’ year or a ‘Tock’ year. Last year, was neither a ‘Tick’ year, or a ‘Tock’ year, but winding the clock up to begin with year.
YearBook 3
The plan was to launch YearBook 3 last year. It took longer than planned. But it is better than hoped for. We start shipping them next week to our customers who have been waiting far too long for it. But 100 advance copies were express shipped to us late last night. You are the first people on the planet to have a copy. Kudos to Nick Hand. He pushed and pushed to make this so amazing.
‘Open Day’ T-shirt
Starting from this year, we will do an ‘Open Day’ T -shirt only for those who were here. You can’t buy one. You have to be here. Tell us your sizes at the end of the Keynote, and will send you one.
New Website
We want to make our website easier to use and simpler to use. So you can create an account, know what fits you have bought, but at the same time, retain its beauty and soul. We are lucky to be working with WeAreKnit on this.
History Tag App
Coup Media have built a super simple app for the HistoryTag so you can bookmark where you go and what you do in your Hiut’s. The app is available from the App store. Search for Hiut Denim and you will find it.
Co-Lab Store
The biggest shops in the world don’t know that they are even shops yet. The Instagrammers will one day wake up and realise how influential they are. And when they do, they will go and start some of the most inspiring brands and businesses on the planet.
The Co-Lab Store is our way to work with some of the most creative Instagrammers out there, to collaborate with a limited edition pair of jeans with them. And pay them a percentage for each pair sold.
We know if we want to get 400 people their jobs back, we will not do that on our own. But if we can Co-Lab with the most creative people on Instagram, our chances are greatly ‘multiplied’.
Well Done
We Are Knit got voted ‘Digital Agency of the Year’ and we are proud that the Hiut ‘Internet of Radio’ played a part in helping make that happen. As did the ‘Conductive Ink’ window which we did with them too. Kudos to them.
Keep Pushing
Hack® Proof pocket is a great idea, but we haven’t been able to get it to work. Yet. The material needs to be thin enough for us to sew. But it has to be as thick as possible to make it work. Tension.
I can’t tell you how many tests Avery Dennison have carried out. Each time we are getting closer. And closer. If anyone is going to solve this, it will be uber geeks at Avery.
Product Launches -2016
The Anti-Skinny Cut
We look to Paul to keep us ‘Staying True’ so when he starts wearing his jeans two sizes too big, we know something is going on. So we started to develop an oversize cut that fits his reaction against the skinny cut.
Launches — End of June.
The Girlfriend Jean
We spent a year developing it. We don’t launch often, so we spend time making sure we launch right. We finally got something that everyone was proud of. It will retail for £135. You will be able to pre-order from this week.
Launches — June 1st.
One Dip Denim
Most jeans are dyed multiple times to give them a dark denim look. Then they are washed multiple times to give them a faded look. One dip denim gives a washed out look just by dyeing less. Simples.
Launching — June
Hiut On Tour
We need to go and tell the world that we make jeans. And music festivals are one of the best ways for us to go and meet people. Listen to good music, meet good people, sell good jeans. Yup, no shortages of volunteers for this one.
Hiut Shops
We are lucky to supply some of the best denim shops in the world. And we are happy with that. So right now, we have no plans to open up our own conventional shops. We have to remember we are a speedboat.
And signing a long lease with a landlord means we will drop anchor. And then we stop being a speedboat. The competition are ocean liners, slow to respond, slow to stop, slow to change direction. Lets never forget, we are a speedboat.
Move Factory
Things are getting pretty tight. The car park is getting pretty full. And there is building just across the road that is pretty vacant. So one day, we will make the big move. All 100 yards of it.
VR Fittings
We are keen to learn how we can use 360 degree filming to help our customers try jeans on without ever leaving their home. Virtual Reality is here. Oculus started shipping their headsets this week.
Fit Packs
One of the hardest things for people to work out is what size they are in our jeans. We plan to introduce a fit pack so we can send out multiple fits and styles. So you can try them on. And then you know what fits works best.
Then you can send the ‘Fit Pack’ back. And place an order knowing exactly what size you are, and what style works best for you. We will put this into Beta soon and see if it works in the real world.
Podcast Series
We are not a tech startup, but we are a startup all the same. And we are interested in doing a podcast series that shares the journey. Honest. Warts. And all. So we are doing some work toward making this happen.
Short Run Films
Our Short Runs have been a big success for us. We scour the world for gold. And then we turn them into a short run. Limited Editions of 100. So, it’s our aim to go and film that search. It will no doubt take us to Italy, Japan and beyond.
Do One Thing Well Films
3–4 times a year we release a list of products and services that represent the ‘Do One Thing Well’ ethos. The lists have become one of our most viewed medium pieces. Now, we are going to turn our attention to making films of them.
Hero Wall
At the factory, we have a wall of our heroes. To take that one step further, we will start using a printer that allows us to print out what inspires us on Instagram. So it can change more often.
Create Talk
It is our job to tell the world we exist. We are lucky that some great magazines, newspapers and bloggers have helped us a great deal. We have to stay interesting, then we will always be written about.
Observer
Dazed and Confused
Wired
Another Mag
Brand Building Tools
Our Newsletter
Newsletters are one of our most important ways of talking to our customers. We put a ton of effort into them. To share what inspires us, and not to just have that relationship where it is only about selling.
Lists
Do One Thing Well List
They take a lot of time to find, edit and build up on Medium. We bring one out in the Spring, Summer and Winter. But they help us stand out in a busy world. And they are good fun to do as well.
Music Maketh Britain
We love our music. So count ourselves lucky to make jeans for some of Britain’s most creative musicians. As they stand up on stage and play their music in front wearing our jeans, it is huge honour for The GrandMasters.
Film Comp
We talked about this last year, but we didn’t make it happen. But this year, we will. The competition will be to celebrate creativity. The first one will look at the theme of curiosity. 90 seconds. Or shorter. Prize is £250. And a pair of Hiuts.
Launching — May 1st.
Build The Culture
Don’t Follow
A company has to decide its path early on. Does it follow others? Or does it create a path that didn’t exist before. Most decide to follow. It doesn’t have to invent anything. Just copy. It doesn’t have to take risks. Just wait and see.
But there is another way. To create a company where ideas rule. Where people can come in and do their best work.
M+M’s
The culture we are trying to build in the company is to understand the importance of our time. The one ‘M’ stands for maintenance. The things you have to do to maintain your current position. And that takes most of our day.
The other ‘M’ is momentum. The things that push us forward. The hardest thing about momentum is finding the time in order to do it. We have to divide our day up so it makes time for ‘Momentum’.
1% Better Today
A lot of times, business culture expects you to hit the ball out of the park. That doesn’t happen everyday. But what can happen everyday is for you to look for ways that will give you a small improvement.
1% improvement each day doesn’t seem too daunting. In fact, it seems very possible. So people try it. Stick to it. And make it work. Looked at over 100 days of small improvement adds to make you a very different company.
HiutX
A company culture becomes interesting when it sets out each day to try and find new ways. Experiments are carried out continually. Experiments inform, surprise and flummox. But our best ideas will come from them.
Thank you for attending today, as you can see, we have our work cut out to go and make all this happen. But if we use our time well……
Twice a month we do a newsletter. We call it Scrapbooks Chronicle. We share the things, ideas and products that inspire us. You can sign up here.
