This week Holly speaks with Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of one of the nation’s most beloved brands, Specsavers.

Having always been one to challenge stereotypes, Dame Mary built her business not from the kitchen table, but on a table tennis table in her spare room and has continued to excel throughout her career ever since. 

Seizing an opportunity to revolutionise the industry in the 1980’s, Dame Mary focused on offering an exceptional customer experience by encouraging her workforce to treat every customer like their ‘best friend’ - a value that still drives the business today, nearly 40 years later.

Dame Mary stands apart as one of the most successful women of our time and her passion for championing others makes it easy to see why Specsavers has become such a remarkable and enduring brand that has weathered recessions, the rise of the digital world and now a global pandemic. 

Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.