Naomi Frankel

“I’m the oldest in this business in the UK, that’s how I stand apart,” says Stephen Roston with a dry laugh. At 59, Stephen, owner and managing director of BS clothing group, has amassed a hugely successful design and supply company, specialising in the production of own brand children’s wear, sold nationally and globally in retail chain stores. “I left school at 15 and went straight into retail. That led to joining the family business, and then I started my own company 20 years ago.” Stephen says he wouldn’t be where he is today without the wealth of experience he gained under his uncle’s tutelage. “I believe getting as much experience in your field early on is vital to success, as well as having a mentor to support and guide you, which I had for the first 20 years of my business life.” Stephen’s involvement in all stages of design and selling allowed him to form close relationships with clients, a vital part of his business. “I learned how to manage a business in all areas. This included developing sample ranges, sales, negotiation with factories, through to actually shipping the item to a customer.” Stephen believes strongly in businesses taking full responsibility for their products, saying “Rigorous safety testing was an important part of what I did. I have designed children’s wear for over 35 years, and in my experience, it is the hardest sector to produce. Nothing can go wrong.” However, Stephen regards human error as a normal and expected occurrence in a driven business environment. “At the end of the day, it’s how you handle a problem. When it all goes well, everyone can deal with it, but it is not just about how well you do in sales.” “If someone supplies you something faulty, you don’t want them to go out of business because of it. Deal with it and move on. No one causes a problem on purpose.” Stephen also deals closely with factories in China and says the keys to doing business with foreign clients and suppliers are understanding their culture and building trust. “Over time, I learnt how best to approach and do business with them. The way I see it, if there’s no trust, there’s no relationship and no business.” Knowing when to change direction within your career is important for continued success. Stephen branched out eight months ago to do entrepreneur and consultancy work and says it was one of the best decisions he made. “Don’t get me wrong, designing and supplying products is a fantastic business to be in, but it can be a testing one. I was ready for a new path where I could still remain in my chosen career but take things a little easier.” He now advises on retail selling, working with managers and CEOs “I’m the oldest in this business in the UK, that’s how I stand apart,” says Stephen Roston with a dry laugh. At 59, Stephen, owner and managing director of BS clothing group, has amassed a hugely successful design and supply company, specialising in the production of own brand children’s wear, sold nationally and globally in retail chain stores.
“I left school at 15 and went straight into retail. That led to joining the family business, and then I started my own company 20 years ago.”
Stephen says he wouldn’t be where he is today without the wealth of experience he gained under his uncle’s tutelage. “I believe getting as much experience in your field early on is vital to success, as well as having a mentor to support and guide you, which I had for the first 20 years of my business life.” Stephen’s involvement in all stages of design and selling allowed him to form close relationships with clients, a vital part of his business. “I learned how to manage a business in all areas. This included developing sample ranges, sales, negotiation with factories, through to actually shipping the item to a customer.” Stephen believes strongly in businesses taking full responsibility for their products, saying “Rigorous safety testing was an important part of what I did. I have designed children’s wear for over 35 years, and in my experience, it is the hardest sector to produce. Nothing can go wrong.”
However, Stephen regards human error as a normal and expected occurrence in a driven business environment. “At the end of the day, it’s how you handle a problem. When it all goes well, everyone can deal with it, but it is not just about how well you do in sales.”
“If someone supplies you something faulty, you don’t want them to go out of business because of it. Deal with it and move on. No one causes a problem on purpose.”
Stephen also deals closely with factories in China and says the keys to doing business with foreign clients and suppliers are understanding their culture and building trust. “Over time, I learnt how best to approach and do business with them. The way I see it, if there’s no trust, there’s no relationship and no business.”
Knowing when to change direction within your career is important for continued success. Stephen branched out eight months ago to do entrepreneur and consultancy work and says it was one of the best decisions he made. “Don’t get me wrong, designing and supplying products is a fantastic business to be in, but it can be a testing one. I was ready for a new path where I could still remain in my chosen career but take things a little easier.”
He now advises on retail selling, working with managers and CEOs of chain stores, as well as large international factory groups who need guidance on how to negotiate and buy/supply directly to retail stores.
“I believe this service is crucial as the industry has massively changed in the
last 40 years. I do think there are great designers and buyers in retail, but not all staff in stores are properly trained, especially when it comes to customer service. This is a huge problem, as we owe our business to happy buyers who actually buy the product.”
Another complex issue, according to Stephen, is juggling the delicate balance between ethics and business, leading to tough decisions often being made. “In my line of work, I get buyers who say ‘I’m not dealing with that factory because they employ children under 14.’ I agree that this is wrong, but what they are sometimes not aware of is the more complicated backstory.”
He goes on to explain that “in poor countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan where education is not an option, many of these children would be on the street if it were not for that job. It keeps themselves and their family going. I say to them that by refusing to work with those suppliers, you are depriving these families of their livelihood and not helping the children, but punishing them.”
Stephen believes that in business, it is always important to look for a realistic solution that will benefit everybody involved.
“The cold hard facts are that customers want cheap prices and retailers want to make big profits. I say look, the reality is that they’re doing it but let’s try find a way in which they don’t need to. This may not be a quick process but even a five-year plan of development will be beneficial long term.”
Stephen lives in Bushey with his wife Bettina and three grown children Jodie, Jason and Elliot, of whom they are very proud. Despite his hectic schedule over the years, he is fiercely devoted to his community and acted as chairman of Bushey Synagogue for five years.
“It was difficult, but I learnt over the years how to balance things. I was often out of the country for five months to a year at a time.”
Now that he has a somewhat more relaxed schedule, Stephen hopes to “do a lot more travelling with my wife.” He admits that “it was time to loosen the reigns. I’m one of the only people in this industry who has worked solidly for 40 years in the same field without a break. I’m getting old and I want to enjoy life.”
Stephen’s business advice to others is to “always strive to be better than your competitors and enjoy what you do, because there’s no point in doing it otherwise.”
“I absolutely love what I do, because I love clothing and doing business with people. I have my own retail outlet and I still get a huge buzz showing people my products.”
Above all, Stephen considers reputation the most important factor of running a successful business.
“I have been doing this nonstop for all these years based on my name and honesty. This carries through to all areas of my life – business, personal and community. I don’t care about dying a wealthy man, I care about going with my reputation intact.”