Slick Willies

Rudy Porter, founder of skate retailer Slick Willies, is a typically dynamic entrepreneur. From an unpromising start in life, he has overcome numerous obstacles to establish his company, Slick Willies, as one of the UK's leading skate retailers.

The business, which now operates from its shop in West London's Gloucester Road, sells and hires roller skates, scooters, skateboards, clothing and accessories. The original company was re-launched by Mr Porter 12 years ago, but its history – and his personal journey – goes back much further.

Slick Willies, named after a well-known US pool hall, first began trading in the 1970s. Mr Porter, then an unemployed 16-year-old, started helping out for free. "I had a friend working there and I started to fill in for him when he was off sick or on holiday, and they started to pay me," he says.

It was the half-chance he needed. After a few years, however, he was bold enough to set up his own skate store in a Hammersmith basement. Then, 12 years ago, he got his second big break. The original Slick Willies had changed its name and fallen into decline. Mr Porter was able to register the name himself and, crucially, rent its premises.

The business still needed £50,000 for stock, which Mr Porter raised from a contact in the City who is still an investor in Slick Willies. "The banks were useless," he says scathingly. "I had to move fast and they needed a month or two to approve a loan, not to mention my flat as security." He remains a harsh critic of banks, accusing them of setting unrealistic lending criteria, punitive fees and interest rates.

"... The Forum has taken a massive pressure off the business – it's like having a big brother looking out for you.."

- FPB member Rudy Porter,

Slick Willies

Slick Willies took off, making the £50,000 investment back in its first year. It continued to prosper until five years ago, when a major redevelopment project forced it out of its original premises in High Street Kensington. It was a traumatic relocation, but eventually premises were found in Gloucester Road and customers gradually got to know about the new store.

Mr Porter, now 46, has recently refocused Slick Willies on its original speciality of skating and skateboarding, after a period in which it had diversified into baseball and American football. Like most retailers, the recession is taking its toll and the business's strategy for the next 18 months is simply to "keep our costs down and stay in business. But eventually, he is keen to expand the Slick Willies brand and open new stores in the UK's major cities.

"But the stores will always be run by skaters, from the managers to the staff," says Mr Porter. "We won't be a typical chain retailer," he says. "We're laid back and we listen to our customers."

Rudy Porter is fulsome in his praise of the Forum of Private Business. "For a while our membership was a reassurance, but I didn't use it," he says. "Then someone sent me some till rolls and tried to charge me a fortune for them – it was a complete scam. I called the Forum and they said ‘we'll deal with it'. I just thought ‘wow!' – they were so supportive."

Since then, Mr Porter has used the Forum's helpline several times, particularly for advice on property and employment issues. "If I'd had to pay for lawyers it would have cost me thousands. The Forum has taken a massive pressure off the business – it's like having a big brother looking out for you."

He is equally impressed with the Forum's campaigning stance on behalf of small businesses, most recently in pressing for fair treatment from banks and the Government. "The country wouldn't be in such a mess if ministers and bankers had to give personal guarantees," says Mr Porter. "If they had to put their houses on the line like we do, they might start getting things right."

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