When Brian Harrison looks back at his early career, the common theme is that he was working in industries that were being particularly disrupted. Driven by the frustrations of working for a big corporate, he and co-founder Debbie Williamson came across another industry that needed transformation; furniture.
So along came Swoon. Despite having zero experience with furniture, Brian was interested in this category as it was one of the last big consumer categories to move online. Debbie had a passion for furniture and interiors, and together they transformed the industry taking it online.
The business started in 2012 and has gone through significant changes since then. Over the years they went from attempting to do everything themselves, to working with specialist partners who have specialist skills such as customer care. This meant the structure of the business is much lighter but they get to work with best in class partners. And when the pandemic hit because business was already decentralised and predominantly remote it allowed for them to quickly adapt and deal with the challenges.
Listen to the podcast for more behind the scenes insights from Brian and how they dealt with the disrupted supply chains and global shipping markets due to COVID19, as well as Brexit and European border closures. Subscribe to our Talk Straight | Think Smart with Howard Kennedy series to hear future episodes from a wide range of inspirational entrepreneurs.
