Businesses with purpose, not just profit – Jo Tutchener-Sharp’s incredible Scamp & Dude story

This morning’s FSB Big Networking event gave us something truly special. Alongside my co-host David Bell, I had the privilege of sitting down with Jo Tutchener-Sharp, founder of Scamp & Dude, a brand that proves a great business can also do extraordinary good in the world.

Where it all began

Scamp & Dude wasn’t born in a boardroom. It was born from one of the hardest moments a parent can face. Jo found herself in hospital, separated from her two young sons, and it was that experience. that desperate longing to feel close to her children, that planted the seed for everything that followed. The brand’s very name carries that love: Scamp was her nickname for her eldest, Sonny, and Dude is a quiet nod to her youngest.

From that deeply personal beginning, Jo built a brand that combines beautiful, wearable fashion with genuine social purpose.

Fashion with a mission

Every purchase from Scamp & Dude gives back. Buy a scarf, and one goes to a woman beginning chemotherapy. Buy a sleep buddy, and one goes to a child in hospital. It’s a buy-one-give-one model rooted in empathy, and the response has been extraordinary. Jo described the letters she receives from women who had no idea what Scamp & Dude was who received a scarf and were moved to write back. From patients to parents, from spouses who have lost partners to children finding comfort in a cuddly toy during a frightening time, those letters, Jo said, are what keep her grounded when running a business of this scale feels overwhelming.

The brand has also attracted some remarkable supporters along the way, with collaborators including Jodie Kidd and Rachel Stevens lending their time not for commercial gain, but simply because they believe in the mission.

Staying grounded

I asked Jo how she keeps perspective as the brand grows, and her answer was both practical and deeply human. It comes back to purpose, always. And, she laughed, it comes back to her two teenage boys who are reliably on hand to tell her she’s cringe and point out her wrinkles. The best kind of grounding there is.

Her sons have grown up inside the business. Sonny has designed prints for the kidswear collection. Jude still models and loves the attention it brings him at school. They’ve watched their mum work hard and build something meaningful. Jo hopes she’s instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in them; apparently, she once came downstairs to find them, aged around seven and nine, quietly putting together business plans of their own.

What to try first

If you’ve never experienced Scamp & Dude, Jo’s recommendation is simple: start with the scarves. You’ll be getting something beautiful for yourself and giving something meaningful to someone going through one of the hardest chapters of their life. And if you’re curious about the clothing? Go straight to the jeans, there’s a video on their Instagram of Alison Hammond trying them on for the first time that Jo says you absolutely have to watch.

I can personally vouch for the brand. I wear Scamp & Dude regularly and I have never had so many compliments, so many people stopping me, so many fellow ‘Duders’ spotting me across a room. There is something about this brand that people just connect with and having spent this morning with Jo, I now know exactly why.

Final thoughts

What struck me most about Jo is that she has built a business that is genuinely rooted in who she is. The purpose isn’t marketing, it’s the whole point. And she’s done it while raising a family, bringing her husband into the business, collaborating with brilliant people, and never losing sight of the women and children her brand exists to support.

It was an absolute pleasure hosting her this morning, and I know everyone who joined us online felt the same. If you’re not already following Scamp & Dude — go and do it now.

Thank you, Jo. You’re an inspiration — and you’re most definitely not done yet.

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The FSB Big Networking event is a regular online gathering for small business owners across the UK. Hollie Whittles hosts on behalf of FSB in her role as Policy Champion for Skills.

Tags: Blog, Networking