INTERV I EW
“I do honestly believe that the satchel is the best work bag on the planet. It’s dependable”
aspects. I think that’s been an incredible help through the whole journey.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Hollywood plot without a baddie. For Julie and her business, this came in the shape of an underhanded manufacturer and rival satchel company that, together, were copying her designs and unlawfully using her leather. She eventually won an out- of-court settlement, resulting in the rival company paying an undisclosed sum to Cambridge Satchel Company, and on the subject now, she’s philosophical. “Of course I wish I’d known what a manufacturing agreement was, so I wouldn’t have been ripped off by my manufacturer,” she sighs. “But if I hadn’t gone through that incredibly stressful time, I never would have started my own factory. It was never my intention, but now it’s one of the parts of the business I am most proud of.” She adds: “It means we have complete control of our products and our quality, and we are never going to be pushed because someone bigger or better comes along and we’re no longer a priority. These incredibly difficult times do come along, but it is so true when people say that you learn more from a challenge than when something goes brilliantly and you just sail through.” With bricks-and-mortar shops in Cambridge, Oxford, London and Edinburgh, an OBE, and even a Guinness World Record – alongside Virgin Media Business for watching 160 business pitches for 29 hours – it might seem like Julie’s reached the pinnacle of success, but there’s plenty more she hopes to achieve. She’s especially passionate about helping other business owners, through advising on trade committees and acting as Entrepreneur in Residence at the British Library, where she’s been helping develop business and IP centres to make libraries as useful and relevant as possible. “We’re taking all the things we’ve learnt and feeding those forward, so other people will benefit,” she explains. “That’s an incredible thing – making a difference. After 12 years of learning so much, to pay that back and do something positive – that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”
followed the guide I found to the letter. But unfortunately, I hadn’t looked at when it was written. It turned out to be from some historical journal or something. It said ‘you must have three hashtags to signify the end of the press release’, and I thought, ‘OK, I’ll do that’, and sent it off. Somebody got back to me and they were actually laughing! They said it really stood out, because, you know, it had been a good 20 years since they’d seen a press release ending with three hashtags...” While modern marketing tactics weren’t her forte, one thing Julie did have, in spades, was passion for her product – something she firmly believes has underpinned all of her success. “I honestly believe that the satchel is the best work bag on the planet,” she says simply. “It’s dependable, it’s not fussy – it just lasts, and it does the job. It’s brilliant. When you have total faith in the thing you’re doing, it’s a lot easier – because it’s genuine. I couldn’t have the same enthusiasm for many other things I can think of – maybe with the exception of dogs!” She also had a willingness to roll up her sleeves and get stuck into whatever job was required, be it coding the first website or teaching herself to emboss the bags. “When you start a business with £600, you have to learn to do an awful lot of things yourself. But, the good thing when you have that many constraints is, you learn your business inside out,” she reflects. “Now, I’m completely aware of all these different parts of the business and how they all work. I’m really interested in all of those
IMAGES The Cambridge Satchel Company’s bags are inspired by traditional British leather school bags, and come in a range of sizes and colours
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