We talk about the pressures of running a family business with Amy Giddings, Managing Director of Forte Cloth International Ltd, a world-renowned carpet and rug design company, originally founded in 1996 by Amy’s father Ian Wallace.
Becoming the brand-new head of a well-established and widely-respected company is always going to be a challenge. And if the business you are taking charge of is your own family’s? That’s a whole new level of responsibility.
Forte Cloth International is an international carpet and rug design company based in Kidderminster, a town recognised the world over for its carpet-making heritage. Forte was founded in 1996 by Ian Wallace, under whose guiding hand a reputation was forged for crafting uniquely elegant classic and contemporary designs.
Ian Wallace’s daughter Amy Giddings is now Forte’s Managing Director. We asked Amy about her journey and how she approaches the responsibilities of leading one of the key suppliers in its industry.
From art school to boardroom
During her childhood and teenage years, Amy freely admits she was vaguely aware of her father’s business without really paying much attention to it.
“In high school I was only really interested in the arts” she recalls. “After GCSEs I did an Art Design course, went to University to study Contemporary Art and then moved to Bristol to undertake a Master’s.”
“Of course I knew Dad’s company was in the creative sphere, but he never pushed me in a particular artistic direction or towards the family business in any way. He was happy to let me run and do my own thing, though occasionally he’d say something like ‘why are you paying for all these courses? You could just come and work for me.’”
“My response was usually ‘Dad, we’re just too similar. It isn’t going to happen, absolutely not!’”
A significant shift in direction came soon after Amy had met her husband and started a family. The COVID lockdowns in 2020 forced businesses across the entire country to retrench and Amy’s husband was made redundant.
“Suddenly we had absolutely no income, we were living off our savings and I had no idea how we were going to get through it or if it would ever end. Then one day by chance I was out walking and bumped into a family friend who is in the lift industry. He said he really needed someone to manage invoicing and admin from home, so I took that on.”
“By the time lockdowns were finally lifted I knew the lift business well enough to take on a management role there, and though it wasn’t really my passion, I did it well and was effectively running the show.”
Running in the family
Amy’s father Ian was watching these developments with interest.
“Dad had always known I was a creative person but I don’t think he previously saw my business management potential” says Amy. “We sat down and had a chat. He said ‘I want to retire eventually and I don’t want Forte Cloth to just fizzle out when that happens – how you would you feel about joining so that doesn’t happen?’”
“I must admit I was initially a bit scared, thinking the workforce would be saying ‘oh here we go, the boss’s daughter’ but when I first joined I came in with a ‘how can I help you?’ focus and everyone seemed to embrace that.”
When asked what she sees as the principal challenges of working with one’s parent in a corporate setting, Amy describes what she discovered early on.
“When I started going on trips for the company and meeting our customers, I began to understand the magnitude of what my father went through and the difficult tasks he accomplished in order to establish a presence where people throughout the industry all know who we are. He essentially paved the path I now walk on.”
“So if I propose a course of action, sometimes he’ll go “OK let’s try that” and sometimes he’ll say ‘no, that’s not going to work.’ I know that 20-year-old me would have pushed back hard on that, but 30-plus me respects that he’s seen so much more of this industry than I have and his experience is something I can learn from.”
“If there’s something serious that needs to be resolved, we generally sit around the table with a cup of tea and decide on the best way forward. We don’t find it difficult switching between work mode and family mode, we have professional respect for each other and make decisions accordingly. Though the meeting might occasionally end with me asking ‘so can you still babysit Friday night?’”
Heavy is the head….
We ask Amy how great the pressure is of being custodian for the Forte Cloth brand.
“It’s a big thing. In this industry my father is incredibly well-known. I took one of our designers to a trade show in the US last year, and this girl came out of nowhere and said “You’re Ian Wallace’s daughter aren’t you? Oh my God, I always wanted to meet him!”
“At times, it’s like travelling with a celebrity. He’s genuinely famous and has a reputation for being the best designer in the business. In America, anyone in the rug and carpet industry will know the name Ian Wallace. When I go to market and I’m showing a portfolio of designs, the first thing prospects want to confirm is that it’s him that selected them.”
“That’s a hard act to follow. But one day it’ll be me picking the designs, and I’ve got to prove to all of our customers and everyone else in the industry that I’m just as good.”
Does Amy anticipate that the Forte Cloth line of succession will continue down to the next generation?
“Who can tell? I’ve got a daughter who’s nine and a son who’s seven, and who knows what they’ll want to do with their lives? If they wanted to come into the business that would be amazing. My daughter’s very creative, she loves art so maybe she’ll want to go down that route.”
“The thing is, my parents never forcibly pushed me or my sister in any direction, they gently helped us along. I think that’s probably how I’ll be, just quietly supporting the children in the background and wait to see what happens.”
Accentuate the positives
We’ve talked about the challenges, but what are the best things about working with the family in a business setting?
“Well for me, the best thing has been really getting to know my Dad. Before I came into the company we were always close, but travelling together for business I’ve got to know him on a completely new and different level.”
“It’s been a really lovely experience because we’ve created so many amazing new memories, built things together, experienced all the highs, lows and everything in between.”
What advice would Amy give to anyone else running a company alongside their family?
“For me, developing an ability to read the room is a great asset. If you’re in a meeting and someone’s obviously quite passionate about something but you don’t quite agree, I’ve found the best course of action is taking a moment and stepping away.”
“There’s always a time and a place to give your opinion rather than being instantly confrontational. Sending an email or having a quiet word later to say ‘I understand what you’re saying, but might we consider this other course of action’ will always get a better outcome than a family shouting match.”
“It’s mainly about giving your opinions respectfully, trying to understand each other and not rushing to judgement. Everyone might not share the same idea but ultimately everyone wants to achieve the same goal.”
Final thoughts
“Right at the start when I joined the company Dad said to me ‘you coming into the business will either be the best thing we’ve ever done, or it will create the biggest family rows we’ve ever had.’”
“And you know, we’ve been working together for a while now and haven’t killed each other yet. So that’s a positive anyway!”
