Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for The KBB Collective
BusinessEntrepreneurship

The KBB Collective

Josh Delane

The KBB Collective Podcast is for ambitious owners of kitchen, bedroom and bathroom businesses who want to build better companies - not just sell more kitchens.

Hosted by Josh Delane, founder of The KBB Collective and former Managing Director of a £7 million family kitchen business, each episode goes behind the scenes with some of the industry’s most successful founders, CEOs, manufacturers and experts.

You’ll hear honest conversations about scaling a KBB business, improving profitability, building sales teams, marketing effectively, managing operations, hiring great people and creating businesses that don’t rely on the owner for everything.

No fluff, no generic business advice.


Just practical lessons from people who’ve actually built exceptional businesses in the KBB industry.

Whether you’re turning over £500k or £10m+, every episode is designed to help you grow a more profitable, more valuable business.

New episodes every week.

Play
Open in
  • 7 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 35 min
  • English

Episodes 7

NewestOldestLongest
All7Unplayed7In progress0Played0
  • Friday · 42 min

    Naked Kitchens’ Plan to Become the UK’s Biggest Bespoke Kitchen Brand | Alex Everett

    What does it actually take to build one of the biggest independent kitchen brands in the UK? This week on The KBB Collective Podcast, I sit down with Alex Everett, MD of Naked Kitchens, to get inside the business behind one of the most recognisable brands in the KBB industry. Naked Kitchens operates very differently from the average independent kitchen retailer. They manufacture from two enormous former World War II aircraft hangars in Norfolk, operate six CNCs, have showrooms including Chelsea and Cambridge, and are expanding beyond kitchens into whole-house joinery through Naked Designs and furniture/products through Naked Studio. And Alex has a big goal: To become the biggest bespoke kitchen and joinery retailer in the UK. We get into the actual business thinking behind that ambition. We discuss: • How Naked Kitchens has evolved from the original Norfolk Oak business • Why Alex started on the factory floor before moving into leadership • How Naked combines automation with traditional craftsmanship • Why their cabinets are manufactured differently from much of the industry • How they structure and manage their design teams • Why their showrooms sit inside the MARKETING budget • How they market differently to homeowners, architects and interior designers • Why AI is already changing how customers discover kitchen companies • How Naked is adapting its SEO strategy for AI search • Why Naked Kitchens refuses to discount • The “discounting death spiral” that destroys margin and brand positioning • Why “the price only ever goes up” • How Alex uses gross-to-net margin to measure operational efficiency • The KPIs they monitor inside manufacturing • Why having a rigid vision but an adaptable route to get there matters • And Alex’s long-term plan to take on some of the biggest names in the UK KBB industry There are a LOT of lessons in this one for independent kitchen retailers. Particularly if you’re trying to work out how you go from being a good kitchen company to building an actual brand and scalable business. If you own or run a KBB business, this is worth 42 minutes of your time. Subscribe to The KBB Collective for more conversations with the people building some of the most interesting businesses in the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom industry. — CHAPTERS 00:00 – Alex Everett & Naked Kitchens 00:27 – What is Naked Kitchens today? 03:32 – Expanding beyond kitchens 06:35 – The story of 80/20 Kitchens 09:00 – Inside Naked’s huge manufacturing operation 11:32 – The history of the family business 14:07 – Joining and succeeding in a family business 15:26 – How Naked Kitchens manufactures 18:10 – How the showroom & design teams work 20:09 – Targets, sales and designer incentives 22:04 – Naked Kitchens’ marketing strategy 24:18 – SEO, AI and the future of kitchen search 26:11 – Why showrooms are a marketing expense 26:53 – B2B vs B2C marketing 28:47 – Competing in a saturated kitchen market 31:20 – The discounting “death spiral” 33:30 – Why Naked Kitchens keeps increasing prices 34:58 – Building a brand with conviction 36:30 – The KPIs Alex watches 39:14 – The ambition to become the UK’s biggest 40:35 – Restoration Hardware & the long-term vision

    • Transcript
  • September 18 · 31 min

    From 4 Posts a Year to MILLIONS of Views | Jamie Coppock, Black Rok Design

    Jamie Coppock went from posting on social media around four times a year to generating MILLIONS of views and building an audience of hundreds of thousands for Black Rok Design. But just a few years ago, he didn’t believe social media could sell a £40,000 kitchen. In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, Jamie joins me to explain what changed. We talk about how Black Rok went from spending its early years simply trying to survive, to discovering the power of consistent educational content — and how one simple hook, “I’ve designed over 1,000 kitchens…”, helped completely change the trajectory of their social media. Jamie shares why his biggest videos generated millions of views, what he’s learned about hooks and controversial content, why volume and consistency matter, and why trying to be genuinely helpful beats trying to look impressive. But we also get into the business reality behind a huge social following. More enquiries aren’t always better. Jamie explains how the influx of inbound leads created a new problem for Black Rok, why they’ve introduced a financial commitment before beginning design work, and how they’re trying to build a smaller, highly profitable business rather than chasing growth for growth’s sake. We cover: • Going from posting four times a year to five+ pieces of content a week • The video that reached close to 1 million views • How another video generated 4–5 million views • Why “I’ve designed over 1,000 kitchens” became such a powerful hook • Getting comfortable in front of the camera • Why negative hooks generate attention • How social media transformed Black Rok’s inbound enquiries • The hidden cost of servicing unqualified kitchen leads • Why Black Rok introduced a financial commitment before designing • Their expansion into the London market • Why Jamie doesn’t want to build a huge multi-showroom business • His #1 social media lesson for KBB businesses in 2026 If you own an independent kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business and you’re wondering whether social media can genuinely impact your business, this is worth watching. Subscribe for more conversations with some of the most interesting operators in the KBB industry.

    • Transcript
  • September 4 · 40 min

    He Works With 250 Kitchen Showrooms. Here’s Why Most Lose Sales

    In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, I sit down with Theo Constanti, Co-Founder and MD of The Marble Group — the largest stone fabricator in London and the South East. The Marble Group works with around 250 kitchen retailers, giving Theo a unique view of what’s actually happening across the KBB industry. Over nearly 20 years, he’s watched kitchen businesses grow, struggle and disappear — and he’s identified some very clear patterns separating the businesses that consistently win from those that don’t. And one of his biggest messages is simple: You probably don’t need more leads. You need a better sales process. We get into: Why speed-to-lead matters more than most retailers realise Why you should keep following up until the customer tells you to stop How to turn sales into a documented, repeatable process Why retailers waste money generating leads they don’t properly convert Theo’s “Callback Friday” strategy How to position your showroom to sell £60k–£100k kitchens Why trying to be everything to everyone kills scalability How The Marble Group went from a garage to a 50,000 sq ft operation What Theo is seeing in the KBB market right now Why some retailers continue growing while yesterday’s market leaders disappear How to work backwards from your revenue target to the number of enquiries you actually need The massively underused power of asking existing customers for referrals Theo also shares the story of building The Marble Group from scratch — starting with a second-hand van and cutting worktops in his parents’ garage before eventually reaching 20–25 kitchens per day, with ambitions to double that capacity. If you own or run a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business, there are a lot of practical lessons in this one. Subscribe to The KBB Collective for more conversations and strategies designed specifically for independent KBB business owners.

    • Transcript
  • August 21 · 41 min

    How One KBB Business Used Personal Branding to Break Into the US

    Can a personal brand really transform a business? In this episode of The KBB Collective Podcast, Josh sits down with Alex Cope, Director of SWD Bespoke, to discuss how building a personal brand has helped position SWD as one of the world’s leading luxury door brands - and why it ultimately led to opening a showroom in Palm Beach, Florida. Alex shares why he invested in his personal brand long before it generated a return, how Pinterest unexpectedly created opportunities in the US, and the networking strategy that directly resulted in a multi-six figure project. We also dive into: Why personal brands outperform faceless companies How Instagram and Pinterest generate high-value leads The power of consistency in content creation Why YouTube is a long-term business asset The reality of expanding into the US market Why Palm Beach beat New York as SWD’s first showroom The importance of attribution, CRM systems and measuring marketing ROI How networking creates opportunities that advertising alone never will If you own a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business, or any premium home improvement company, this episode is packed with practical lessons on marketing, branding and business growth. 👇 Let us know in the comments: Are you investing in your personal brand—or are you relying solely on your company brand? Subscribe for more conversations with the industry’s leading business owners, marketers and entrepreneurs.

    • Transcript
  • August 12 · 40 min

    The £4M Kitchen Business That Breaks Every Industry Rule

    How do you build a £4 million independent kitchen business in just six years? In this episode I sit down with Jamie Harding, founder of Et Lorem, to unpack exactly how they’ve done it. We cover: • Building a premium kitchen business from scratch • Why turnover isn’t the metric that matters anymore • Achieving referral conversion rates of up to 80% • The future of kitchen showrooms • EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) • Hiring A-Players • Scaling without becoming the bottleneck • Why coaching transformed the business If you own a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business and want practical ideas you can apply immediately, this episode is packed with them.

    • Transcript
  • August 3 · 5 min

    Every Kitchen Business Has ONE Bottleneck (Most Owners Never Find It)

    Every week I speak to kitchen business owners who tell me exactly what’s wrong with their business. “We need more leads.” More often than not… they’re diagnosing the wrong problem. In this first episode of The KBB Bottleneck Framework™, I explain why every kitchen business has one bottleneck that’s holding back growth—and why fixing the wrong thing can waste thousands of pounds and months of hard work. In Episode 2, I’ll show you the simple framework I use to identify a business’s bottleneck in under five minutes. If you’re an independent kitchen retailer, manufacturer or showroom owner looking to scale profitably, this series is for you. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode.

    • Transcript
  • #1
    July 30 · 49 min

    How Tom Howley Built a £30M Kitchen Business | Ex-COO Reveals Everything

    Most independent kitchen businesses believe growth comes from selling more kitchens. They’re wrong. In this episode I’m joined by Michael Cowell, former COO of Tom Howley, who helped scale one of Britain’s best-known luxury kitchen brands from a single showroom into a £20M+ business. We break down the operational systems that made that growth possible, including: • Why defining your product is more important than offering endless choice • The marketing metrics every kitchen business should track • How Tom Howley standardised training across multiple showrooms • The psychology behind helping customers make buying decisions • Why reducing product choice actually increases sales • The Order Book Value metric almost nobody in the KBB industry tracks • Managing manufacturing delays, cashflow and production capacity • Building systems that scale without sacrificing quality If you own a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom business and want to build something that grows beyond you, this episode is packed with practical lessons from someone who’s actually done it. Subscribe for more interviews, business strategy and real-world advice for ambitious KBB business owners.

    • Transcript
Showing 1–7 of 7 episodes