The Water Boy UK Launch

The Water Boy UK has been a project that has been on the cards for sometime, and at last the official launch happened.

It was really important that the products I intended to manufacture, ticked certain boxes. I really wanted a UK manufacturer, with an environmental conscious policy. This was a huge hurdle because I was not looking in the right place. The second hurdle was to convince a manufacturer that there was enough space within the market for this product, and get them to back the project.

The first manufacture agreed in principle and we went all out to start the project. Two months in, and they created obstacle after obstacle, and I was so close to calling it a day. By a stroke of luck, during a conversation with the current manufacturer, about the cabinet design, they dropped a name European Water Care (EWC), and spoke about getting them to produce a cabinet for me. Incidentally I had been PM by Andy Slark of EWC a few months prior introducing themselves, but I had skipped the message. At this point we were in the middle of the COVID lock down, so I was not sure if they were still actively manufacturing. Nevertheless I sent him a message on LinkedIn.

Andy was great! We started talking and I spoke about what I needed and straight away it was no problem. They were on restricted manufacturing, with staff on furlough, but Andy arranged me to meet up with Nick Paputselos at the factory to look at potential products.

Everything started at a great speed and I had access to every department. They made me feel welcome.

Each time I went to the factory, I discovered new avenues, and it became more and more apparent that this project would become big. Their recycling facility blew my mind, and I knew I could promote this within the brand. As a environmentalist, I was so happy! This would be a market game changer!

I began marketing the range in the East Midlands, and straight away, the sales were fantastic. So much so, we had to increase the production, because we was not expecting the interest that we were having. Shortly after this, we decided that the way forward was to create a partnership and recruit a distribution network across the UK.

The UK have water treatment dealers already, and it would be correct to say that in the last 5 years, the manufacturers have not been kind to them. They have been recruiting more and more dealers in their existing territories, and re-branding the same products, and creating further dealers. Dealers are now competing against re-branded products. If you are offering the same product, with the same service, it could bring the price down to get the sale, reducing the margin and the profitability. The dealers could be potentially be struggling long term, and some already are. Luckily the manufacturers are at hand to purchase these businesses!

Andy, Nick and myself created a distributor plan, based on recycled drinking systems and high performing water softeners at affordable prices, with great margins for the reseller. The amount of enquires we have had has been over whelming, and already we have recruited the first wave of distributors. On the first of many planned distributor days, the excitement within the room was electric. Water softener experts were keen to get on board, and we had to get the production to make more softeners, because we ran out. Unlike the imported water softeners, we can produce the equipment almost immediately.

Whilst the UK is struggling to get stock delivered here, we are firing them out of the door.

Big thanks to Andy & Nick for the opportunity, thanks to Steve Slark for your help on distributor day. Thanks to Jack Walton and his production team - great job. Huge thank you to Anna for her design work and quick turn around and everyone who has worked so hard to get this project moving.

Products will be featured on You Tube @thewaterboyuk Please subscribe (FREE)https://youtube.com/thewaterboyuk