How An Entrepreneurial Spirit Led To The Success Of This Progressive Alcohol Brand, A Founder’s Story with Brad Crompton

Brad Crompton is the Managing Director of Spirit of Bermondsey Ltd, a progressive lower alcohol drinks brand based in London. Combining a creative flair and passion for helping people improve their wellbeing, Brad focuses on elevating experiences in the food and beverage industry. Out of the office, Brad spends his time trying to keep himself fit and exercising his creative brain through film photography.

I grew up moving around the North West of England, in areas near Manchester and Liverpool, predominantly in working-class towns. I was lucky enough to experience a fairly comfortable upbringing, in a safe neighborhood where we could play freely without worry. Looking back, I had always had an entrepreneurial streak within me, which I first exercised when I was about 6 years old. I would hand out posters to all the kids in my area advertising £1 football training sessions during the summer holidays. I’d watch football videos and highlights the day before, teaching myself the skills, and combining them with what I learned at my football club training. I’d then make the local kids do the same drills as if I was a qualified coach! A few years later, after my dreams of being a world-class football coach died when I realized 6 years olds don’t like regimented training in the summer heat, I turned to another enterprise. I started high school at the same time the government decided to introduce a healthy eating regime, which meant the chips, fizzy drinks, and sweets that had lured me in on the open days were no longer available. So, in seeing the demand for snacks and chocolates, I began to offer the supply. I would stock up on inventory (cans of Coca-Cola, chocolate bars, sweets) and sell them at school. I even expanded the enterprise to my younger brother, who sold to kids in his year. Of course, this operation was shut down a few times by a relentless, but somewhat impressed, headmaster.

My first real bout of entrepreneurship came when I started college when I was 16 years old. I had just discovered my love for music and the music industry. I remember being inspired by a college teacher in my media studies class who came from the industry and wanted to dive feet first myself. So, like every teenager with a dream, I started a record label with an old friend of mine. We called it Rewind Records, and within a year we had artists signed to our label from London, Manchester, and Chicago, and a partnership with a firm based in New York. We enjoyed success in a number of campaigns and wound up the business when we went off to university after the projects came to a natural end. That venture moved me to London to see what else was out there for me to get my teeth into. I found work in a couple of start-up companies, that were disrupting their industries with exciting tech products. I then met Nick, the creator of Spirit of Bermondsey Ltd and its flagship product Trinity25. It captured me straight away as it combined my love for creative solutions and disrupter products with a wider opportunity to improve people’s well-being! I began working on their branding before taking on the role of Managing Director and majority shareholder of the business. I’m now working on breaking Trinity25 into the market after a big rebranding push!

A key lesson that I’ve learned throughout my experiences is to always be willing to learn on the job and be able to adapt, but never forget the purpose of why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place. Always maintain your ‘why’ reasoning for starting your business and keep that at the heart of your business decisions. You’re going to try things that don’t work, your target market may shift over time, and you will experience failures along the way – all of which will push you to change tactics and try new things. If you don’t maintain your ‘why’, you may find yourself further away from your purpose after each adaptation.