Hello!

What do Megan Markle, René Redzeppi and the Arctic Monkeys have in common?

The jeans they wear.

In this week’s newsletter: how doing one thing well will help you grow faster. A lesson from a cult brand.

If you’re someone who gets easily distracted by new ideas (I’m the same) this is a very important lesson to learn.

Focus can change the fate of your business.

Here’s how 👇

Here’s what to expect today:

📰 Story: How Hiut Denim became a cult global brand

🧠 Insight: Do one thing well

💪🏼 DIY: How to stay focused

🔗 Good links: A club, a podcast and a long but insightful read.

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📰 Story

How Hiut Denim became a cult global brand

Hiut Denim makes jeans, that’s it.

And despite being a young brand, their customers include Megan Markle, René Redzeppi and the Arctic Monkeys.

For 40 years, the town of Cardigan in West Wales made 35,000 pairs of jeans a week. But in 2002, the factory closed when manufacturing was moved abroad.

400 people lost their jobs.

In 2012, David and Clare Hieatt decided to get those people their jobs back and revive the town’s industry by launching Huit Denim Co.

But how does a small company in Wales convince people to switch from their favourite denim brand to a brand they’ve never heard of?

They just make jeans.

They make them so well, people can’t resist.

And by focusing on doing one thing well, they make what they do simple to understand and easy to buy into.

When no one knows who you are, convincing people to buy from you is hard.

It’s even harder when you sell anything and everything to anyone and everyone.

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🧠 Insight

Do one thing well

Staying focused makes it easier to grow faster because it…

• Makes your story simpler to tell
• Gives you time to perfect your offering
• Helps you hire the best people

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💪 DIY

How to do one thing well

• Identify your single product by considering your strengths and weaknesses against what you believe your audience needs most. Your best product idea will lie at the intersection of your strengths and the market need.
• Write down what it is you’re going to focus on and why it’s important that you do. Make sure everyone who is involved in the business knows and understands this.
• When other product ideas pop up, put them on a virtual shelf — write them down so they’re out of your head and you can focus on what’s important right now (you can come back to them later)

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🔗 Good Links

The No Wash Club

Do one thing well podcast

Stand out for all the right reasons

and, of course, Hiut Denim.

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