The Ones to Watch: Stuart Jolley, Wingman

Name: Stuart Jolley
Company: Wingman
Established: 2011
Website: www.iamwingman.com

Twitter: @iamwingman

 
1. Describe your business in one sentence

Wingman offers a cooling deodorising wipe for men on the go.

 

While on a camping holiday with some friends in France, I was forced to used 'girly' baby wipes to wash myself as there were no working showers at the campsite. Not long after, on a night out clubbing, I noticed men in the toilets wiping their armpits with paper towels trying to mask their body odour and I realised I had spotted a gap in the market. I extensively researched the wipes industry and contacted suppliers who produced a prototype of 10,000 wipes. As part of my market research I gave away 1,000 wipes at last year's Reading festival, and sent wipes to some British Army friends serving in Afghanistan, and got some great feedback.

 

I saw it advertised on the internet and I thought it was a great opportunity to get some incredible advice from Theo Paphitis, one of the most successful businessmen in the UK, and gain invaluable experience in pitching to buyers of big retailers. This experience has enabled me to meet buyers at Boots, gain extensive feedback on my product, and the television programme itself has raised awareness of my brand.

 

Self employment brings many challenges which can be exciting and scary. When you are a small business owner nobody listens to you, and doors shut in front of you, but my involvement with Britain's Next Big Thing has been a great way to overcome that challenge. Aside from that, to clear hurdles I've had to pick up the phone and make awkward calls, such as asking for money from friends and family or go back to the drawing board in the early stages when the product wasn't quite how I wanted it. You must never give up in an idea you believe in. At times I felt under a lot of pressure – I'm a small fish in a big pond taking some massive brands - but I kept the faith in my idea and believed in myself.

 

People think you need lots of money to start a business but they're wrong. It is about passion, drive and persistence. I used £1,000 of my student loan from my final year at Cardiff University and money from friends and family.

 

I have been in contact with some music festivals where I intend to create the first ever 'hygiene hot spot'. Guys will be able to come and freshen up quickly rather than queuing for hours in the shower line. Your time at a festival should be spent watching the bands and not in a queue, so I hope this will help to raise further awareness of Wingman. I am also using the timing of the TV programme to help increase awareness of my brand.

 

We're currently developing a range of toiletries to compliment the launch of our wipes. Over the next 18 months we will be launching a series of deodorants and shower gels which will take on the likes of Lynx; it will be the David vs. Goliath battle of the grooming world.

 

That is quite a difficult question. Without the upsets and things going wrong along the way you would never learn. But I probably wouldn't have gambled so much of my student loan during the very first few months. I spent the money on 1,000 tester samples of the wipes which was a calculated risk because I was keen to get the product out there as quickly as possible and get some feedback, but it left me short for my last term at university. However, saying that, things have turned out well so far, so perhaps it was fate.

 

9. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs based on your business experience so far?
Stick with an idea and just go for it! A lot of people will try and shut you down or criticise you for what you are doing. Ignore them and hit them back with oodles of energy and enthusiasm. When talking to investors your energy has to be contagious. If you don't believe in your idea then no one else will.

 

Read all of BusinessZone.co.uk's The Ones to Watch

Stuart Jolley will be one of the speakers at Cardiff heat of BusinessZone.co.uk's small business competition The Pitch 2011 on 12 July. To find out how to enter the competition or claim your free audience ticket, click on the banner below.