“Rick, you’re 15 years into your recovery journey —before we get into RAW, who were you 15 years ago and who are you now?”

Fifteen years, five months, 19 days and 2 hours ago, I was emerging from a life-changing rehab…blinking. For the best part of ten years before then, I had no true idea of who I really was. I’ll spare you the details but, trust me, it wasn’t pretty and not a place I ever want to go back to. Today? I’m less of a mess, truly grateful, and doing something that’s positive, disruptive and one hell of a ride.

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“What’s one thing about your story that most people don’t see, but you wish they understood?”.

I think it’s that I met people during addiction and in recovery who, despite the most awful – and I mean truly awful- life challenges, showed a super-human, against the odds power to turn their lives around. If more people understood some of the factors that often drag people into addiction and what it takes to overcome it, we’d be richer for it.

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“Was there a single moment when you realised your life had to change?”

I’d been hospitalised after another alcohol withdrawal seizure and, in that hospital bed, I knew something had to change or it was game over. I was broken. Physically, psychologically and emotionally – everything was *ucked. I had a choice to make.

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“When did the idea for RAW first come into your mind? Was it clarity, accident, desperation, or inspiration?”

50% clarity, 50% inspiration. The idea for RAW probably crystalised late in rehab. In my previous life, I’d been working in the brand development and advertising industry….USPs were hard to authentically come by but, if you could nail one, you could move fast and outcompete established players. That, combined by being inspired by the sheer ‘non-traditional’ talent of people I’d met in addiction and recovery became the starting points. If we could harness a unique brand proposition and create great products powered by a truly exceptional workforce, we were on to something special.

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“When you founded RAW, what did you need it to represent for you personally?”

I needed to prove people wrong. I needed to prove I’d changed and I needed a vehicle for others like me able to do that too.

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“Was anyone pivotal to the founding of this, other than you?”

Yes, my wife, Rachel. Without her unrelenting, life-affirming belief, it simply wouldn’t have happened. She was the difference that made RAW happen.

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“You say ‘business as it should be’ — what does that really mean to you?”

It means you can run a successful business and change lives. It doesn’t need to be a compromise. The IP we’ve developed at RAW proves that it can be done. Why wouldn’t you do that if you could? There’s a different way of building success that goes way beyond just a strong P&L.

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“What emotion do you want people to feel the moment they walk into RAW?”

Excitement.

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"In the 1,000’s of hours of social impact you’ve created, is there a story or person that stays with you?”

Yes. The sixty seconds it took for one of our Crew to relapse and overdose at home. He’d been with us for three years, clean and had become an utterly outstanding colleague. His life was transformed, he was successful. It was a reminder of how fragile life can be and that, in a moment, addiction and bad decisions will get you if you don’t stay ahead of them. When I remember that, the beautiful stories everyday of people being happier, being trusted again by their loved ones, finding new friendships and all that wonderful stuff seems all the sweeter

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"What achievement means the most to you personally?"

Being able to prove that not everybody should be judged by their past. And doing it through the quality of what we do, not by preaching about it.

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“What was the toughest season of building RAW?”

Interesting question. I think that depends on what your version of ‘toughest’ is. Many people have come through things that, in comparison, makes building a business seem like a breeze. That said, our early days and getting the chances to prove our mettle took a fair amount of grit and teak-tough belief in what we’d set out to do.

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“How do you personally manage your recovery while leading a growing social enterprise?”

I just stay well, fit and keep good company close. I get my highs from my family, friends and RAW. Supporting others is a great way of staying clean. Give love.

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“When someone hears the word RAW in 20 years, what do you hope it stands for?”

I hope they look at more mainstream businesses around them by then – those with a purpose hard wired into them -and think ‘RAW’ played a tiny part in changing how businesses do more than just make money.

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“What part of your story do you hope people remember most when they think about you as a founder?”

Crikey, if someone as crazy as him can do a half-reasonable job of it, I’m going to give it a go and start my own social business!

“What does RAW look like in 5 years? What’s grown, changed, or evolved?”

We’ll have diversified from only commercial furniture manufacture and circular economy services. Our best-selling product is our story – that opens the door to a broad range of different product types and sectors we can move in to. There are plenty of markets where no firms have a credible social value USP. More spend will be going through businesses that add real social value. We’ll be employing more remarkable people who just needed a place to realise and show how unique they are. That’s our purpose but, if you look at the declining workforce availability in the coming decade, ‘normal’ firms will have to be more positive in who they recruit too. RAW Potential, our youth charity, will be working with double the number of young people it works with.

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“What scares you about the next chapter, and what excites you?”

The excitement probably masks any fear…..the opportunities to expand what we do to new sectors and products and, in turn, bring more unique people into our tribe makes me tingle. Structurally the biggest change in all markets will be that,100% guaranteed, the businesses that create real social value will commercially out perform those that don’t. That’s properly exciting for brands like ours and our client partners.

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“What type of space have you often felt most comfortable and safe in?”

I used to feel safest in the corner of a downbeat pub, on my own, anaesthetised with ethanol. Now, it’s at home with my boy and my wife.

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“What does ‘success’ look like to you now, compared to 15 years ago?”

Man, every day is a success when I don’t have to use a chemical to change how I feel.

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“What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?”

Stared a demon in the eyes and betted everything on a last roll-of-the dice.

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“If someone listening is in the darkest moment of their own story, what would you want to tell them?”

Talk to someone. If you haven’t got anyone to talk to, ask Guy for my number. It can get better, it really *ucking can, and better beyond anything you could ever imagine.

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To find out more about RAW, Europe’s largest manufacturer of furniture with social impact built, in visit: www.raw-workshop.co.uk

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