Turnbull’s FC Clothing
Meet Mark Turnbull, who turned years of experience in embroidery and workwear into his own business, Turnbull’s FC Clothing. After being made redundant during COVID, Mark decided to take a chance on starting his own business, backed by the encouragement of his family and a
clear understanding of the industry.
With support from Hayley at Durham Startups, he developed a business plan and forecasts, helping him grow faster than expected. What began as a home-based idea quickly became a busy premises within the first year. “It was a big gamble, but I don’t regret it.”
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View transcript
**[Founder]** Pick the garment up, go into the machine, make sure there’s nothing caught underneath, and then we just press start. Ready to go.
When I left school, I started in the sports shop and just doing sports gear in Durham, but then I started doing embroidery. So then I got trained to do that when I was about 18, 19. I was there for about four or five years, and then I went to the big, big company called Workwear Express. I was there for like 15, 16 years.
Unfortunately during COVID they got rid of people, so I was working for somebody else part-time, and then I thought, I want to have a go for myself. I knew how much money was in it, what people are charging. So I just went for it. It was a big gamble going self-employed, but the wife said go for it. So she says, if we go for it, go for it.
**[Adviser]** was really good from the start. We’ve got a business plan now, so if they need anything in the future, she gave me that business plan. I’ve kept that and the forecast, so I’ve kept the thing for when I need to see them — I can show them what I’ve already got. So she helped me do all that.
**[Adviser]** The beauty of the startup programme is that we’ll just explore the idea that you have. Let’s see if it’s got any kind of legs, and let’s just take it step by step. Even just having a little look and explore — you just never know what might happen.
**[Founder, on the shop floor]** There we go, Pat. Obviously I couldn’t put your [forms?] on the category small, so I put it on there. Do you need some [unclear]? No, no, no.
Just stressful some days when there’s a lot on. There’s a lot of people come in sometimes, but yeah, don’t mind — just me. Emails are always going. Your phone’s on loud ’cause I don’t wanna miss any important calls or messages pinging, for people wanting to place orders, ’cause it’s a lot on phones nowadays. Social media especially.
This year was tough — [I haven’t had a holiday?]. I was ill for a week so I had nothing coming in. So ideally this time next year, I would like to have somebody working two or three days a week, and probably another couple of machines. Always gotta think ahead. I think when you’re self-employed you can’t stand still, so I always do a lot of advertising on social media. People are gonna get sick of it, but you just need to make sure your name’s out there all the time.
**[Adviser]** I’m absolutely flabbergasted by how much he’s managed to do in such a short space of time.
**[Founder]** It’s good coming in here saying this is — this is yours. Coming in the morning thinking, right, these are my jobs, I’ve done these, I’m doing these.
**[Adviser]** When I first started working with him, he intended to run the business from home, so I kind of thought, well, this is gonna be a home setup. And then very quickly after he set up, it just got too busy, and then he had to take on a premises — which I’m over the moon with, ’cause this is the dream. But we thought this would be a dream three to five years down the line, not within the first year. So we’re really, really happy.
**[Founder]** Wife said, you know, it’s gonna be tough the first few weeks. But I don’t regret coming here now.