This year, 2023, TeamTogs turns 20! We've loved every minute of the last 20 years and we thank you all for your continued support. Of course, it goes without saying, if you have any branded Apparel and Merchandise requirements please get in touch, just email us!
TeamTogs in Karen's words... After 20 years, I've decided to share the story of our business.
An idea is born...
I trained as an Events Project Manager which I loved. During this time, I identified the importance of well-dressed teams and supporting merchandise to impact audiences and brands. However, I noticed that no one was offering a truly consultative approach to branded Apparel and Merchandise, and after a conversation with my entrepreneurial Mum, the idea for TeamTogs was born!
Small beginnings...
In 2003 initially, TeamTogs HQ was the spare room of my flat in North London and I continued to freelance in the events world to pay the bills. After 2 years, as the business grew, and my spare room was overflowing, I needed space and order! So, I hired a desk in a West London studio and decided to throw myself into TeamTogs full-time. It made sense that my then fiancé Martin (who I'd met in the events industry) joined me in my mission. Soon, it was time to invest in more space and some equipment, so TeamTogs took over the garage of our first home in Hertfordshire. As the TeamTogs premises were expanding, so was the TeamTogs family; we hired our first employee and Martin (now my husband) and I were fortunate enough to welcome our 2 sons.
The juggle is real...
Looking back, juggling motherhood, a growing business, employees and working with my husband was at times crazy! Hard work, humour and humility kept us going, and of, course the loyalty of our growing and varied customer base. Within a few years, TeamTogs had taken over 1 and then 2 units of a local business park, employing 4 people and investing in some serious printing and embroidery machinery.
The Watling Street era...
In 2011, we moved into our current home on Watling Street, initially occupying the basement, then taking over the ground floor in 2014. After surviving the pandemic, where the world we operated in and worked with went virtual, we expanded to the 1st floor in 2022 so we now occupy 3 floors of our Watling Street hub! Here we have an impressive range of machinery which enables us to manage production in-house, a bespoke showroom to showcase our capabilities and a wonderful specialist team.
Reflection...
Looking back we would never have dared to dream TeamTogs would occupy its current premises and have the opportunity to work with such interesting and diverse clients. We are immensely proud of the TeamTogs team and are eternally grateful to all those that have supported us along the way.
Despite our organic growth, we've never lost sight of our values, and we continue to offer a personal touch and a consultative approach to all our clients. I'm excited to see what the future holds for TeamTogs!
Our 3 biggest learnings...
Obviously, the last 20 years have been a massive learning curve but if we had to summarise what we've learnt it comes down to these 3 nuggets which we share with anyone starting a business:
1. Innovate, be on-trend, energetic and positive in your approach.
2. Automate, automate, automate! Operational efficiency enables growth
3. Really care about your clients, your team and the quality of your work.
Thank you for allowing me to reflect back on our journey with you. If you have any branded Apparel and Merchandise requirements, all 01923 853 104 or send us an email.
Karen
#TeamTogsAt20
