Nick Beresford, Enertor, on Signing Usain Bolt and Unlearning P&G

Nick Beresford spent eighteen years at Procter & Gamble, finishing in Geneva on global strategy for the business behind Pantene and Head & Shoulders. In 2016 he handed back the badge and the stock options to run Enertor, a family orthotics business in Ipswich selling insoles. Within a year Usain Bolt was on the box and on the shareholders' register.

The first half is a P&G masterclass. Fairy grew from a 50% share to 70% because Nick argued internally for retailer margin, which he says was controversial at the time. The Wilkinson's account was won in 48 hours by meeting every demand before Unilever and L'Oréal had pitched, worth fifteen share points. A £300m business was taken to £500m a year ahead of schedule, with million-pound golden blocks going up on a wall.

The second half is what happens when that playbook meets a startup budget. Nick shot a Bolt ad, went big on TV and retail, and got the pricing, positioning and channel wrong. Canada was entered and then abandoned. An eight-figure contract vanished on a CEO change. What worked instead: five years of iteration on Recovery Slides, a messaging pivot from run faster to run injury free, and a sixty-day guarantee held up by returns under two percent.

This episode is for operators inside a big brand, or about to leave one and set off on their own adventure.

About Enertor
Enertor is an Ipswich-based sports brand selling insoles and recovery footwear built on impact-protection technology that came out of a family orthotics business. Usain Bolt is both a brand ambassador and a shareholder. The range is sold direct and through retail, and the brand first reached the high street through Superdrug.