Season 4, Episode 121 : Matt Letley

Matt Letley 00:02
Thank you for letting me come on your podcast today. I'm just delighted to have been invited.

Will Richardson 00:07
I know it's brilliant. I haven't even done a bit of an intro yet you would that keen is just about to introduce you. Yes. It's Matt Letley, Managing Director of Redbox a stationery company. And I'm saying that in a kind of weird kind of stationery company because you've, you're doing so much more now, aren't you? You are really. You've changed in the last six months. And it'd be great to hear more about your organisation.

Matt Letley 00:40
Thanks, Will, thank you. Yeah. Very excited to be joining you today. Thanks. I can't (cut off). Oh, yeah, the business. It was interesting when you say office supplies and stationery, you're right, well, 30 years ago, David James and his father Stanley, they started the business as an office supplies company. And over the years that's progressed, the more we've spoken to our customers, the great service we provide has opened up other opportunities. So in terms of what we do now, we provide ethical and sustainable office interiors, office supplies, and print solutions to our customers' offices to help them run more productively. And in terms of who we are, we got 35 amazing staff based on the outskirts of London, and we operate on a national basis. We work with our customers to create those sustainable, productive, and safe working environments. And what that allows that staff to do is make them feel valued, whilst also helping them to attract some of the best talent in their industry.

Will Richardson 01:39
Brilliant, brilliant. And I mean, can you tell us what, what your purpose is and who you work with?

Matt Letley 01:47
Yeah, absolutely. So in terms of our purpose, it's about making a lasting impact in society and on the environment through the products and services we provide. We've taken that step further, having certified during lockdown, as a B Corporation, delighted to be joining yourselves and other like-minded businesses. And as part of that process, we've managed, it's allowed us to make an even bigger impact in society and on the environment. And we've now formally committed through that process to me donate 20% of any net profits generated to charitable causes.

Will Richardson 02:24
Even at this time where it's hard, it's been really hard for you, you're still making those. And I would say sacrifices, aren't they? And it's, I mean, that's really commendable. That really is commendable.

Matt Letley 02:40
Yeah, I think it's one of those things that has always been inherent in our business where it goes back to you know, David and Stanley are those family values that are inherent in the business that the company has always done fantastic charitable activities to really make a difference. But as always struggled to articulate how to present that to the marketplace into customers, I guess for fear of sounding a bit preachy, but also for being seen in a potentially negative way of taking advantage of people in a less fortunate position. So through the B Corp processes really allowed us to better articulate that message. And as you say, Will, you know, Coronavirus, we're not alone. There are businesses up and down this country that have really been affected by Coronavirus and some worse than others. The way we looked at it, we could either bury our heads in the sand or you know, face up to it. And the team has done a great job, they've really embraced the challenge that's been put on our door and they've come up with some fantastic initiatives to really, to make the business continue to succeed, Will.

Will Richardson 03:48
What sort of initiatives have you come up with?

Matt Letley 03:51
And so the biggest initiative we've been speaking with our customers is one thing we always do we listen to our customers intently, we really understand the challenges they're facing for us to then be able to come up with some proposals to help with their problems. And we ran a survey to three and a half thousand key decision-makers. And it was those customers that were telling us that people have been working on edge of beds, on coffee tables and dining room tables and, and also in isolation. And as a result, people have been experiencing not just physical but also mental health issues. So as a result of that, we spoke to our customers, we made the customers management teams aware that their employees are struggling. They came back to us and said they were also struggling to keep connected with their greatest asset and a business the best biggest strength, which is their staff. They want to make them feel valued, they want to be better connected with them. And therefore we've come up with a proposal to help them with subsidised home office equipment and services that allow them to work productively and safely and healthily from home. And we've done that in collaboration with a fellow be called the Big Clean Switch. And john Fletcher and his team have been incredible by coming up with fueling the office, home office that we're providing with clean energy, clean, renewable energy. And then the other side of that angle as well is also partnering with mental health charity Oak Cliff, where they can provide outreach services that are independent expert advice to just help staff who are struggling at the moment.

Will Richardson 05:30
That's funny. I know, Oak Cliff. I think we've had this conversation actually, the CEO or managing director of Oak Cliff is the father in law of a friend of mine.

Matt Letley 05:41
Oh, really?

Will Richardson 05:42
Yes.

Matt Letley 05:44
It's a small world.

Will Richardson 05:46
Yeah, it is a small world. That's funny. Rob, he's actually he was facilities of a company become friends of mine, he moved on now works for Jamie Oliver. Yeah.

Matt Letley 05:58
Okay. And the other thing as well, plus, we're also going to continue with our charitable giving 2% of all orders on the new website is going to be launched next week, are going to be going to Helen and Douglas House Children's Hospice. So make sure that we're continuing to give back his charities have been really affected during this pandemic.

Will Richardson 06:18
Yeah, I can imagine. And you really are on the cutting edge of this change we're seeing in society, aren't you?

Matt Letley 06:29
Yeah. I mean, it's Chairman, who is like the genie laid out of the bottle. Its, customers are telling us that, you know, the sustainability agenda is very much at the forefront of their thinking. And it's also a combination of making staff feel more valued and empowered and productive, because they can realise they can now work remotely from home staff no longer need to have the added stress and pressure about going on a daily commute. And all of that is having a positive impact on the environment. And it feels like we've entered an evolution of the workplace.

Will Richardson 07:05
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It'll be interesting to see where we go in the next few years. I think it's, I think, what you were talking about with the survey and what people are finding out about, I mean, what some of the things you were saying about people working on the edge of beds, and perched, you know, I've got one friend who's working in their children's bedroom, when they're at school, because that's the only place that they can actually work. So they're crouched on a small desk. And there's must be so many people that are like that, working in really quite inappropriate places really inappropriate for their back.

Matt Letley 07:46
Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And that's where, you know, our team of experts, they are certified to provide workplace assessments, and they can provide them with the right guidance and advice about how they should see it. But also, we've got a huge range that can be put into a studio flat, which will be a fold away desk. But it will provide them with the right equipment to make sure that they're sat properly to make sure that they're feeling looked after by the employee, the employer as well, at the same time as fixing their challenges that they're facing.

Will Richardson 08:20
I wonder if there's gonna be insurance ramifications on the back of this?

Matt Letley 08:24
I think it's interesting, you say that we were speaking with an insurance company just recently, and but they certainly feel like from an employee perspective. You know, obviously, I'm exactly the same way as an employer of staff that we need to make sure that we have a duty of care for our staff. And we need to provide them with the right products and with the right equipment to make sure that they're cared for and looked after. And if we don't, then there could be ramifications further down the line. Absolutely.

Will Richardson 08:51
So it's just a brave new world.

Matt Letley 08:56
Yeah. It certainly is. Will, it certainly is.

Will Richardson 09:01
And so moving on to you as an organisation. And what would be quite cool, it would be to understand how you engage your staff, suppliers, and customers with that mission and purpose. And has that changed over the last year?

Matt Letley 09:16
It really has. And I'm going to sound like a bit of a B Corp Ambassador now. And for someone that only heard a B Corp about two and a half years ago. I appreciate (cut off) business but for us personally, what it did is best reflected our purpose. And it provided a structure of how to articulate our mission and purpose to our staff, our suppliers, and also our customers. And we went through a two-year certification process. And we engage with our people right at the outset and explained why we were doing it. And then from that, we outreach from our staff into our customers, suppliers, and also the community and by sharing that journey for all stakeholders close to together and that in turn benefited the business.

Will Richardson 10:04
Okay, brilliant. I mean, you do have such good stories around people who become big corps. And it's, but it's not. And I don't want to sound like a broken record with regards to I think there are so many organisations out there. And it's got to be worth mentioning that there are loads of organisations out there that are really, really good, really purpose-driven that aren't B Corps. I was actually talking to a couple yesterday that work in fashion. And they some of the stuff that they are doing. I'd never heard of them coming for Bowman and, but what they have a factory that they make the clothes in Portugal, they deliberately didn't go. They've basically every step of the way. They've thought about everything, making their clothes, and the way that they do it. And I had this conversation with this guy. And I was like, wow. It really makes me happy that there are so many small organisations that are really thinking about this innately, themselves. These guys have been around since 2008. And they are just yeah. And I think that's where we've got to remember is it's not necessarily is there are loads of purpose-driven. I think as long as organisations are purpose-driven, that's a really good thing.

Matt Letley 11:22
Absolutely, absolutely doesn't say just for us, it just gave that structure that we didn't previously have. And it also not only is delivered in our current ambitions, but it also sets up our future aspirations as well.

Will Richardson 11:36
Yeah, yeah, I think Yeah, brilliant. So when it comes to running an ethical and sustainable business, what would you say has been your biggest struggle so far? And can you tell us a bit about how you've overcome it?

Matt Letley 11:48
Yeah, biggest struggle. I would say it starkly. I mentioned it briefly earlier. But it was how to articulate our story that reflected our values and purpose as a business. We were doing a lot of great stuff. And we wanted to back up our positive words and good intentions with more evidence of what we were dealing with a positive impact. So we were doing some great things in the community, we were creating some really innovative environmental initiatives. But we were just fearful of coming across a little bit preachy or worried about how we were going to be perceived. So the best thing we did we engage with two thought-provoking and leading, ethical and also environmental partners in Junction and Ethical goods. And they helped in our mission. So they really came in, they honored everything, they challenged our business, they were brutally honest, which at times, it kind of made us sit back in our seat, dusted ourselves off a bit. It was refreshing. And it empowered us to more effectively share that core message from helping us understand the value of being clear about our purpose. And they supported us and they really did handhold us through that B Corp certification process. So yeah, that was the biggest thing that we did in terms of overcoming it by engaging with two really credible organisations. Yeah, Adam from junction is brilliant at what he does. And what I think's interesting about his background is he comes from Friends of the Earth and the, you know, that kind of more for, you know, on the front line kind of facing, and now he works very much in the corporate world. And so he brings that freshness into the corporate world, I think, and it doesn't really well. Absolutely, that the one thing that is it's opened up for us is an incredible network of like-minded people and like-minded businesses. And the one thing we found when you speak to people that have very similar values, they really want to share and they want to help you. And that's been great for us as a business. And we try and give back as much as we can.

Will Richardson 13:59
Brilliant. And if you could offer one piece of advice to our listeners, which could help them with that purpose, what do you think that would be?

Matt Letley 14:08
For us, it was getting the team involved, get your people involved, include them in your purpose right at the outset. And the other thing that I would say, and I'd like to say it was advice that I would give, but it was advice that's been given by to me by Ed Perrier cook, was to manage your own personal expectations. Because at the beginning, not everyone's going to have the same enthusiasm as the belief is what you do behind this vision. But because we engage with our staff right at the outset, and the suppliers and the customers, they've joined us on this incredible journey.

Will Richardson 14:41
Okay, brilliant. That's really, really good advice. And if we could talk about that, about the environmental management and carbon footprinting of the organisation of Redbox, and what it is that you do, I mean, how do you manage your environmental impacts?

Matt Letley 15:00
In terms of managing the environmental impact it being honest, scope one and scope two, measurement management was, the easy part was someone say easy, it was easier. The struggle was measurement and buy-in on scope through three, because we've got such a diverse supply chain, it was really trying to understand and work with and engage with those suppliers and partners that we've got really on Earth, what it looks like today, and trying to get that initial benchmark. That's why we needed the external support and advice from the likes of junction as well, and for ethical goods. And they really did handhold us through that process. We've always had ISO accreditation as well. So we're accredited to ISO 14001, and 9001, as well, from a quality management perspective. So we've got those certifications and structure in place, that we continue improving. But the B lab assessment for us and also the STG action manager have helped us realise those future ambitions around improving our carbon footprint.

Will Richardson 16:08
The StG action manager is really really good, isn't it?

Matt Letley 16:12
Yeah, it really identified key areas for us to work on. And that was the big thing that we were setting some lofty goals. But then the plan to get to those lofty goals, because I said earlier, you've got expectations and vision. Yes, we will. But it's not until you break it down into those bite-sized chunks. And when you do you get some quick wins. And that's where we found we got the buy-in from the rest of the team and from suppliers. And when we tick those off, we could then set reset new goals reset new targets. So we're gradually edging towards that lofty goal that we've got, I'm sure. But there are a lot of other businesses that are signed up to up and down the country to be net-zero by 2030.

Will Richardson 16:54
Hmm. Now, to our listeners, the SDG action manager, if you go to the B Corp website, you'll be able to find it through that. It's a free resource that you can use to set SDG goals. Well worth the effort to look into that.

Matt Letley 17:12
Absolutely.

Will Richardson 17:15
Is there any advice or learning that you could give an organisation in probably current climates about trying to be more green and trying to be more environmental?

Matt Letley 17:29
I'd say to just speak to you to the customers and speak to your suppliers openly because that they have what we found is when we speaking openly with them, they've got the same goals and ambitions. But doing it alone is difficult. So as a, for instance, we've worked with our customers to understand exactly what the environmental impact is of shipping the goods and services we provide to them that they require. And our industry, it's provided over the years an expectation of convenience. So if you order today, well, we'll get your stuff to your delivered to your desk tomorrow by five o'clock, right. And that's resulted in multiple packages, multiple deliveries, multiple invoices, and that will negatively impact the planet. But until we can report and record and share that information with our customers, there's not much we can do about it. But when we sit down with them to understand what they're looking to achieve, we work very much in partnership and where we report the environmental impact of switching from this service that's in place to going to a reduced-order frequency and delivery model. Not only does that reduce the impact of the planet, but it's also reducing the costs involved in our business to service that requirement. And we're openly sharing that financial benefit with our customers. And because we have partnerships, we believe we should be sharing that. So we do share that financial benefit back to our customers. And that's just one of the initiatives that the team create. But to go back to the initial question, just speak with customers speak to the supply chain really open up because 99% of the time they are looking to achieve the same thing. And it just is much easier working in partnership trying to achieve that same goal.

Will Richardson 19:11
Yeah, brilliant, really good advice. There. And you, you can hear that passion, that knowledge, that expertise coming through. While you've been talking about what you've been doing read books. I mean, what's your background? Like? Could you tell us a bit of the history about who Matt literally is, please?

Matt Letley 19:30
Yeah, sure. So I was saying I grew up. My father introduced me to this industry some 22 years ago now. And I know I don't look old enough to I will. And, so yeah, my father introduced me to the industry. And it was working for an SME at the time. They were really creative, really innovative and through various acquisitions ended up working for a global corporate and at the time, my life changed. I had a wonderful and she's eight years old now going on to be a teenager at times, but my daughter was born had to had that, I guess, life-changing decision to make about what I personally wanted. And I was missing out on a lot. So working for a local business that really cared for the planet and really cared for society and wanting to make a positive impact on the environment. I was really careful when I switched my career from working for that global corporate, to who I wanted to work with. And when I came across Redbox met with David and the team, it was one of those moments you think, yes, this is the right fit for me. And we've gone on an incredible journey over the last five years, we've made a lot of great changes, but it's the team that sits behind us, and the people that we all care passionately about. They care passionately about our customers, and also making that difference in society to other people that just desperately need that help.

Will Richardson 21:05
Brilliant. So you've really kind of worked your way through Redbox up to managing director then as well.

Matt Letley 21:12
Yeah, they bought me on through a merger back in 2015. And came in as Sales Director, and you're absolutely, as you say, will work the way through the business. But that's what's great about the company is, it supports your career ambitions. And it's supported me personally, to get to the position that I'm in today. And to go back to it, you know, that wouldn't be possible without staff that sit behind us.

Will Richardson 21:38
Hmm, that's brilliant. That's really, it's really, really nice to hear it. It's nice to hear that you're kind of your journey as well, because I think that's what a lot of these organisations and I think I was reading an article recently that's a lot of, they're looking at the face of a lot of smaller organisations, because actually, they're driving so much more change now, because we're looking at buying off smaller organisations, we're thinking about who we buy off and what we're, what, you know, our actions, much more than ever before. Yeah, absolutely.

Matt Letley 22:18
I think. I totally agree. It's hard to relate, isn't it to a business, it's hard to make that connection. But when you get to understand the person that sits behind the business a lot better than you've got that personality that sits behind it, you can relate to it more, can you? I totally agree with you.

Will Richardson 22:36
that, I wonder, because I was having read that I was then thinking about, were quite scathing of personality politics. And so we're, we're quite keen to have personality business, but then scathing of personality politics? I don't. I don't know. I just started thinking about it go. Well, that's a bit of a dichotomy, isn't it? Indeed. Anyway,

Matt Letley 23:03
Yeah, it is. Indeed it is, indeed.

Will Richardson 23:05
And, brilliant. Thank you so much for being on today. I mean, is there anything else that you wanted to add?

Matt Letley 23:14
No, not for me, Will. It was just to say thank you very much. For the time today, thank you to your listeners if they've listened in today. You know, that there's a lot of work for us to do as a business. You know, there are times we don't always get it right. We have got it wrong. But what's important for us, we've got that inclusive, open, and honest relationship with our staff. And because of that, they are honest with us, they will tell us as it is, and they will be direct with us. And because we're open to listening, we will always adapt, we will always change will recognise it we got things wrong, and will correct things for the future. And it's by working with our customers, great people. That's what will make this business succeed in the long term. We'd love to hear from any of your listeners that want to get in touch hear a bit more about our business.

Will Richardson 24:04
Yeah, brilliant. Brilliant. Well, we'll post any links on your business on the websites and be promoting those as well. So thank you so much for being coming on. And yeah, good luck with everything.

Matt Letley 24:18
Thank you. Well, great to catch up. No doubt. We'll speak again soon. Thanks again.