Building an 80-Year Product Business: Lessons from a Fourth-Generation Family Brand

This week I’m joined by Holly Stafford-Smith from GH Stafford & Son Ltd, a fourth-generation family business that has been supplying leather goods and accessories across the UK for almost 80 years.In this episode, Holly shares the story of how the business evolved from manufacturing leather goods in post-war Walsall to becoming a long-established wholesale supplier working with retailers and wholesalers across the UK and Ireland.We talk about what it’s really like working in a family business, balancing tradition with modernisation, navigating generational differences, evolving a product range over time, and why focusing on product quality has helped the business continue to grow after all these years.There’s also a really honest conversation about the realities of family business life, the challenges, the opportunities, and the deep care that comes with building something across generations.Whether you run a product-based business yourself or are interested in how long-standing businesses continue to adapt and evolve, there’s so much insight in this episode.Episode Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Holly Stafford-Smith and GH Stafford & Son Ltd01:31 The story behind the family business founded in 194703:17 How the business has stayed relevant for nearly 80 years05:49 Modernising a long-established wholesale business07:24 Selling through retailers and wholesalers across the UK09:09 Why the business has stayed B2B only11:05 How the product range has evolved over the years13:44 Using customer feedback to shape products16:44 Growing up in a family business19:40 Working across different roles in the business20:43 Navigating family dynamics and generational differences24:58 The realities of working in a family business29:30 Holly’s advice for product business ownersConnect with Holly here:https://ghstafford.com/https://www.facebook.com/GHStaffordandSonhttps://www.instagram.com/ghstaffordandson/https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-stafford-smith/https://www.linkedin.com/company/g.h.stafford-&-son-limited/LET’S CONNECTFollow me on YouTubeFind me on InstagramWork with me Buy My Book: Bring Your Product Idea To LifeIf you enjoy this podcast, and you’d like to leave a tip, you can do so here: https://bring-your-product-idea.captivate.fm/supportMentioned in this episode:Amazon Made Easy is now openMy membership, Amazon Made Easy is now open. It’s a membership for people who are selling on Amazon (or planning to) and want regular access to support, somewhere to ask questions and talk things through, and a bit of structure and accountability as they grow. Inside, there are live Q&A calls, optional co-working sessions and a small, supportive community. Find out more: https://vickiweinberg.com/membership membership