#32 - Richard Davies - Abandon Ship Glasgow

About this episode

<p>Richard Davies is an entrepreneur and artist. He is known for Abandon Ship Apparel company and Abandon Ship bars.</p> <p>It was fantastic to be back recording in real life in a studio which allowed for the intimacy this podcast deserved.</p> <p>Abandon Ship Apparel was founded in 2011 in a bedroom in Glasgow with £300, a web domain and a passion for making art. Within 3 years, Abandon Ship Apparel saw itself in high street windows grossing over £1.2 million in annual sales revenue through channels such as ASOS, Topman and Foot Asylum.</p> <p>In 2015, Abandon Ship Apparel entered liquidation and Richard used his own money to buy back the rights to the brand he had spent almost 5 years growing from the ground up to rebuild.</p> <p>Fast forward 6 years, Richard, and a team he is proud of, have expanded the apparel brand beyond t-shirts. He has opened the Abandon Ship bars in Dundee and Glasgow which have become WILDLY popular especially for it's unmissable facade and insane artwork (I have visited weekly!).&nbsp;</p> <p>Abandon Ship in Covent Garden, London is opening in a month’s time as part of the plan to expand the bar across 10 locations in the UK.</p> <p>Richard speaks candidly about:</p> <p>- His upbringing and his rebellion against traditional education</p> <p>- A life changing moment that changed his mental model and direction</p> <p>- The highlights and lowlights of owning a rapidly growing apparel brand</p> <p>- Stories from travelling to tradeshows across the world (including closing a £10,000+ of apparel deal after partying all night)</p> <p>- The long-lasting effects of liquidation on the psyche of an entrepreneur</p> <p>- The inspiration and methodology behind the renowned Abandon Ship Bar ceiling artwork</p> <p>- His definition of healthy and toxic masculinity</p> <p>- His reflection on his first 35 years on earth that he defines as “his training years”</p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p>Thanks, Rich, for stopping by and looking forward to round 2!</p>