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Imagine having just 24p left in your bank account, an unfinished kitchen showroom and no sales coming in. That’s exactly where Guy Carter found himself. Today, his business, Kitchens by Guy, generates £2.5 million in annual revenue, operates with a remarkably lean team, and Guy runs it remotely while living in Dubai with his family. So how did he do it? In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, I sit down with Guy Carter to unpack his journey from kitchen fitter to the owner of a multimillion-pound kitchen business. We discuss the mistakes, risks and decisions that transformed Kitchens by Guy, including how a pink kitchen display helped rescue his business when he was almost out of money. But perhaps the most interesting part of Guy’s story is how he built a business that no longer needs him physically present every day. And he did it without spending money on paid advertising. In this episode, we cover: 🔹 How Guy went from working at Magnet to launching his own kitchen business in 2019. 🔹 The moment he had just 24p left in his bank account and how he turned things around. 🔹 Why opening a showroom completely changed his conversion rates. 🔹 How organic social media helped him build trust, attract customers and grow his business. 🔹 How Kitchens by Guy reached £2.5m in revenue with a lean team. 🔹 Why he uses freelance kitchen designers instead of employing everyone in-house. 🔹 How he manages his UK kitchen business remotely from Dubai. 🔹 The systems, people and processes that allow him to step away from day-to-day operations. 🔹 Why he’s now targeting £5m and ultimately £10m in revenue. 🔹 How selling additional rooms, including bedrooms, offices and living spaces, has increased the value of existing customer relationships. If you own a kitchen showroom, run an independent KBB business or want to build a business that gives you more freedom, this episode is packed with lessons you can apply. ABOUT THE KBB COLLECTIVE The KBB Collective helps independent kitchen, bedroom and bathroom businesses grow their revenue, improve profitability and build companies that don’t rely entirely on their owners. We’ve worked with over 60 independent KBB businesses, helping owners build better systems, stronger teams and more profitable operations. 🎯 Want to grow your kitchen business? Watch our FREE 30-minute training covering the five essential pillars of building a successful KBB business: https://kbbcollective.co.uk/free-training Subscribe for more conversations with successful KBB business owners, manufacturers and industry leaders. #KBBCollective #KitchenBusiness #KitchensByGuy

He’s built a £3 MILLION business, employs 22 people and works with some of London’s most prestigious interior designers. But there’s a problem. The entire business depends on him. In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, I sit down with Greg, founder of Fabriq London, for a completely unscripted, live business diagnosis. Fabriq specialises in ultra-high-end bespoke joinery and kitchens, working on projects worth anywhere from £100,000 to over £1 million. Despite building an incredibly successful business, Greg has reached a point that many kitchen and joinery business owners will recognise. He’s doing the quoting. Managing client relationships. Solving production problems. Overseeing projects. And he’s running out of hours in the day. During our conversation, we break down exactly what’s holding his business back and what needs to change if he wants to reach £5 million and beyond. We cover: ✅ Why growing from £1M to £3M creates an entirely different set of problems ✅ The two hires that could transform Greg’s business ✅ How a 10% improvement in sales conversion could generate £250,000 in additional revenue ✅ Why organisational structure matters more than simply hiring more people ✅ How to implement weekly scorecards and management meetings ✅ The cash flow problems that come with £100K+ projects ✅ Why the owner needs to stop being the person solving every problem This isn’t theory. It’s a real business, real numbers and real problems. If you own a kitchen showroom, bespoke joinery company or manufacturing business and feel like everything depends on you, this episode is for you. ABOUT FABRIQ LONDON Fabriq London specialises in luxury bespoke joinery, kitchens and interiors for some of London’s most prestigious residential projects. Website: https://fabriq-london.co.uk/ ABOUT THE KBB COLLECTIVE The KBB Collective helps independent kitchen, bedroom and bathroom businesses build more profitable, scalable companies that don’t depend entirely on their owners. We now work with over 60 independent KBB businesses across the UK. Want to discover what’s holding your business back? Watch our free 30-minute training covering the five essential pillars of building a successful KBB business. https://kbbcollective.co.uk/free-training Subscribe for more conversations with successful kitchen industry entrepreneurs, practical business strategies and live business breakdowns. #KitchenBusiness #KBBIndustry #BusinessGrowth

The UK kitchen industry is in trouble. But I don’t think the economy is the biggest problem. Every week, I speak to independent kitchen business owners who tell me the same thing: “Nobody’s buying kitchens.” “The market is dead.” “Everyone’s struggling.” And while there’s no denying the challenges facing the UK kitchen industry, there’s a much bigger problem that nobody seems willing to talk about. Too many independent kitchen showrooms are still operating exactly as they did 20 years ago. The same sales processes. The same marketing strategies. The same approach to managing customers. The same reliance on referrals and walk-ins. Meanwhile, the larger retailers and more commercially sophisticated independents are investing in sales systems, marketing, technology and operational processes. And the gap is getting wider. In this video, I explain why I believe the traditional independent kitchen showroom business model is under threat, why some kitchen retailers are growing while others struggle, and what business owners need to do differently to survive. WHAT WE COVER: 00:00 – The Kitchen Industry Is Finished 01:00 – Why Traditional Kitchen Showrooms Are Struggling 02:30 – How the Big Retailers Are Winning 04:00 – The Most Dangerous Excuse in Business 05:30 – Why the Owner Is Often the Biggest Bottleneck 07:00 – Why More Leads Won’t Fix Your Business 08:30 – The Kitchen Businesses That Will Survive 10:00 – The Questions Every Showroom Owner Must Ask 11:15 – What Needs to Change ABOUT ME I’m the founder of The KBB Collective, a business coaching and consulting community working with over 60 independent kitchen, bedroom and bathroom businesses across the UK. Before launching The KBB Collective, I helped grow my family’s kitchen business from approximately £1.5 million to nearly £8 million in annual turnover. Today, we help independent KBB business owners build more profitable, scalable businesses through better sales processes, marketing, financial management, recruitment and operational systems. FREE TRAINING FOR KITCHEN BUSINESS OWNERS If you’re running an independent kitchen showroom and feel like you’re working harder than ever without seeing the results you want, I’ve put together a free training covering the five essential pillars of building a successful KBB business. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Do you think the UK kitchen industry is genuinely in decline? Or are we simply watching an outdated way of doing business disappear? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Subscribe for more videos about growing, managing and scaling an independent kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business. #KitchenIndustry #KitchenBusiness #KBBCollective

What does it actually take to build one of the biggest independent kitchen brands in the UK? This week on The KBB Collective Podcast, I sit down with Alex Everett, MD of Naked Kitchens, to get inside the business behind one of the most recognisable brands in the KBB industry. Naked Kitchens operates very differently from the average independent kitchen retailer. They manufacture from two enormous former World War II aircraft hangars in Norfolk, operate six CNCs, have showrooms including Chelsea and Cambridge, and are expanding beyond kitchens into whole-house joinery through Naked Designs and furniture/products through Naked Studio. And Alex has a big goal: To become the biggest bespoke kitchen and joinery retailer in the UK. We get into the actual business thinking behind that ambition. We discuss: • How Naked Kitchens has evolved from the original Norfolk Oak business • Why Alex started on the factory floor before moving into leadership • How Naked combines automation with traditional craftsmanship • Why their cabinets are manufactured differently from much of the industry • How they structure and manage their design teams • Why their showrooms sit inside the MARKETING budget • How they market differently to homeowners, architects and interior designers • Why AI is already changing how customers discover kitchen companies • How Naked is adapting its SEO strategy for AI search • Why Naked Kitchens refuses to discount • The “discounting death spiral” that destroys margin and brand positioning • Why “the price only ever goes up” • How Alex uses gross-to-net margin to measure operational efficiency • The KPIs they monitor inside manufacturing • Why having a rigid vision but an adaptable route to get there matters • And Alex’s long-term plan to take on some of the biggest names in the UK KBB industry There are a LOT of lessons in this one for independent kitchen retailers. Particularly if you’re trying to work out how you go from being a good kitchen company to building an actual brand and scalable business. If you own or run a KBB business, this is worth 42 minutes of your time. Subscribe to The KBB Collective for more conversations with the people building some of the most interesting businesses in the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom industry. — CHAPTERS 00:00 – Alex Everett & Naked Kitchens 00:27 – What is Naked Kitchens today? 03:32 – Expanding beyond kitchens 06:35 – The story of 80/20 Kitchens 09:00 – Inside Naked’s huge manufacturing operation 11:32 – The history of the family business 14:07 – Joining and succeeding in a family business 15:26 – How Naked Kitchens manufactures 18:10 – How the showroom & design teams work 20:09 – Targets, sales and designer incentives 22:04 – Naked Kitchens’ marketing strategy 24:18 – SEO, AI and the future of kitchen search 26:11 – Why showrooms are a marketing expense 26:53 – B2B vs B2C marketing 28:47 – Competing in a saturated kitchen market 31:20 – The discounting “death spiral” 33:30 – Why Naked Kitchens keeps increasing prices 34:58 – Building a brand with conviction 36:30 – The KPIs Alex watches 39:14 – The ambition to become the UK’s biggest 40:35 – Restoration Hardware & the long-term vision

Jamie Coppock went from posting on social media around four times a year to generating MILLIONS of views and building an audience of hundreds of thousands for Black Rok Design. But just a few years ago, he didn’t believe social media could sell a £40,000 kitchen. In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, Jamie joins me to explain what changed. We talk about how Black Rok went from spending its early years simply trying to survive, to discovering the power of consistent educational content — and how one simple hook, “I’ve designed over 1,000 kitchens…”, helped completely change the trajectory of their social media. Jamie shares why his biggest videos generated millions of views, what he’s learned about hooks and controversial content, why volume and consistency matter, and why trying to be genuinely helpful beats trying to look impressive. But we also get into the business reality behind a huge social following. More enquiries aren’t always better. Jamie explains how the influx of inbound leads created a new problem for Black Rok, why they’ve introduced a financial commitment before beginning design work, and how they’re trying to build a smaller, highly profitable business rather than chasing growth for growth’s sake. We cover: • Going from posting four times a year to five+ pieces of content a week • The video that reached close to 1 million views • How another video generated 4–5 million views • Why “I’ve designed over 1,000 kitchens” became such a powerful hook • Getting comfortable in front of the camera • Why negative hooks generate attention • How social media transformed Black Rok’s inbound enquiries • The hidden cost of servicing unqualified kitchen leads • Why Black Rok introduced a financial commitment before designing • Their expansion into the London market • Why Jamie doesn’t want to build a huge multi-showroom business • His #1 social media lesson for KBB businesses in 2026 If you own an independent kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business and you’re wondering whether social media can genuinely impact your business, this is worth watching. Subscribe for more conversations with some of the most interesting operators in the KBB industry.

In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, I sit down with Theo Constanti, Co-Founder and MD of The Marble Group — the largest stone fabricator in London and the South East. The Marble Group works with around 250 kitchen retailers, giving Theo a unique view of what’s actually happening across the KBB industry. Over nearly 20 years, he’s watched kitchen businesses grow, struggle and disappear — and he’s identified some very clear patterns separating the businesses that consistently win from those that don’t. And one of his biggest messages is simple: You probably don’t need more leads. You need a better sales process. We get into: Why speed-to-lead matters more than most retailers realiseWhy you should keep following up until the customer tells you to stopHow to turn sales into a documented, repeatable processWhy retailers waste money generating leads they don’t properly convertTheo’s “Callback Friday” strategyHow to position your showroom to sell £60k–£100k kitchensWhy trying to be everything to everyone kills scalabilityHow The Marble Group went from a garage to a 50,000 sq ft operationWhat Theo is seeing in the KBB market right nowWhy some retailers continue growing while yesterday’s market leaders disappearHow to work backwards from your revenue target to the number of enquiries you actually needThe massively underused power of asking existing customers for referrals Theo also shares the story of building The Marble Group from scratch — starting with a second-hand van and cutting worktops in his parents’ garage before eventually reaching 20–25 kitchens per day, with ambitions to double that capacity. If you own or run a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business, there are a lot of practical lessons in this one. Subscribe to The KBB Collective for more conversations and strategies designed specifically for independent KBB business owners.

Can a personal brand really transform a business? In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, Josh sits down with Alex Cope, Director of SWD Bespoke, to discuss how building a personal brand has helped position SWD as one of the world’s leading luxury door brands - and why it ultimately led to opening a showroom in Palm Beach, Florida. Alex shares why he invested in his personal brand long before it generated a return, how Pinterest unexpectedly created opportunities in the US, and the networking strategy that directly resulted in a multi-six figure project. We also dive into: Why personal brands outperform faceless companiesHow Instagram and Pinterest generate high-value leadsThe power of consistency in content creationWhy YouTube is a long-term business assetThe reality of expanding into the US marketWhy Palm Beach beat New York as SWD’s first showroomThe importance of attribution, CRM systems and measuring marketing ROIHow networking creates opportunities that advertising alone never will If you own a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business, or any premium home improvement company, this episode is packed with practical lessons on marketing, branding and business growth. 👇 Let us know in the comments: Are you investing in your personal brand—or are you relying solely on your company brand? Subscribe for more conversations with the industry’s leading business owners, marketers and entrepreneurs.

How do you build a £4 million independent kitchen business in just six years? In this episode I sit down with Jamie Harding, founder of Et Lorem, to unpack exactly how they’ve done it. We cover: • Building a premium kitchen business from scratch • Why turnover isn’t the metric that matters anymore • Achieving referral conversion rates of up to 80% • The future of kitchen showrooms • EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) • Hiring A-Players • Scaling without becoming the bottleneck • Why coaching transformed the business If you own a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business and want practical ideas you can apply immediately, this episode is packed with them.

Every week I speak to kitchen business owners who tell me exactly what’s wrong with their business. “We need more leads.” More often than not… they’re diagnosing the wrong problem. In this first episode of The KBB Bottleneck Framework™, I explain why every kitchen business has one bottleneck that’s holding back growth—and why fixing the wrong thing can waste thousands of pounds and months of hard work. In Episode 2, I’ll show you the simple framework I use to identify a business’s bottleneck in under five minutes. If you’re an independent kitchen retailer, manufacturer or showroom owner looking to scale profitably, this series is for you. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode.

Most independent kitchen businesses believe growth comes from selling more kitchens. They’re wrong. In this episode I’m joined by Michael Cowell, former COO of Tom Howley, who helped scale one of Britain’s best-known luxury kitchen brands from a single showroom into a £20M+ business. We break down the operational systems that made that growth possible, including: • Why defining your product is more important than offering endless choice • The marketing metrics every kitchen business should track • How Tom Howley standardised training across multiple showrooms • The psychology behind helping customers make buying decisions • Why reducing product choice actually increases sales • The Order Book Value metric almost nobody in the KBB industry tracks • Managing manufacturing delays, cashflow and production capacity • Building systems that scale without sacrificing quality If you own a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business and want to build something that grows beyond you, this episode is packed with practical lessons from someone who’s actually done it. Subscribe for more interviews, business strategy and real-world advice for ambitious KBB business owners.