PPB October 2018

Pau l Rowl e t t P aul Rowlett is enjoying a respite from the gloomy skies that he’s accustomed to in his hometown of Leicester, UK. Sitting by the pool in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada, Rowlett is bursting with enthusiasm about his company’s latest milestone: launching a physical presence in the U.S. Everythingbranded.com, which Rowlett founded in 2010 as part of the Charles Alexander Distribution Group, is reportedly the largest distributor employer in the UK with 130 staff and projected sales this year of $30 million. The UK-based online-only business has over 80 account managers serving UK and U.S. customers, but the excessive time difference proved challenging when trying to support the U.S. West Coast. As a result, Everythingbranded.com is investing $1.1 million to open its first U.S. office, which will employ approximately 100 new hires in Las Vegas who will focus on West Coast clients. Given its humble origins, the rapid success and expansion of the company is nothing short of remarkable. An entrepreneur to the core, Rowlett had several forays into business ownership as a child. “When I was nine years old, I ran a candy shop in my garden and the kids used to come around and buy sweets,” he laughs. “I also sold clothes in high school. It’s actually quite funny—I would hide them in the gym locker or under the gymmats.” From 1999 through 2004, Rowlett served in the British Royal Navy and fought in the Gulf War. As a returning veteran, he found himself in a tough spot. “I couldn’t even pay the electric bill,” he says. “There was about a 12-month time period when I was in a really bad position and the house got foreclosed on.” Rowlett held a series of jobs, including a B2B sales job where he learned the ins and outs of Google marketing, and a position with a distributor where he was introduced to the promotional market. Nothing stuck, he says, because “I didn’t really like being told what to do.” Paul Rowlett went from rock bottom to CEO of UK-based Everythingbranded. com, and now he’s tackling the U.S. market. by Terry Ramsay Expanding Across The Pond “It’s important to be open- minded and explore different markets. There’s a whole world out there—with the internet, nothing is stopping you.” —Paul Rowlett 24 | OCTOBER 2018 | INNOVATE