The Idea: Purdy Rubin (an NHS nurse) and Charlotte Figg (a horticulturist) weren't looking for fame and fortune. They were just two friends in a garden shed in London who were sick of "natural" cleaners that didn't work and chemical cleaners that stripped the lining of their nostrils, they spent years hand-blending essential oils and plant-based ingredients to create safe, effective alternatives for their own homes. The hobby turned into a hustle when Purdy’s son, Jack, and his friend Charlie realized that Purdy and Charlotte had inadvertently solved a massive problem in a boring industry. They saw that the cleaning aisle was ugly, toxic, and ripe for disruption. The "Mums" provided the formulations, and the "Sons" provided the digital strategy. This was the beginning of Purdy & Figg.

The Execution:

• 2018-2019: Purdy and Charlotte hand-make small batches of their products for friends and family. The feedback is great, but the scale is non-existent.
• February 2020: The business officially incorporates. The initial plan is slow organic growth.
• March 2020: COVID-19 hits. The world runs out of hand sanitizer. The team executes a massive pivot, pausing the cleaning sprays to churn out a moisturizing, high-alcohol sanitizer. They sell out instantly, generating vital early cash flow and acquiring their first massive cohort of customers.
• 2021: They launch their true "hero" product: Counter Clean. Instead of shipping water (like 90% of the industry), they sell small glass concentrate bottles that users dilute at home. It’s eco-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and highly shippable.
• 2022: Growth Hack: They bet the house on "Cleanfluencers" and TikTok. By making cleaning look "satisfying" and the bottles look like home decor, they turn a chore into content. They hit $8m in revenue.
• 2023: The team focuses heavily on the subscription model (retention). They expand the range to include "Oh!" (odor eliminator) and laundry products, increasing the Lifetime Value (LTV) of their customers.
• 2024: With a loyal D2C following of over 500,000 customers, they begin looking at retail partnerships to break out of the online bubble.
• 2025: They scale the business to >$50M in annual revenue and Purdy & Figg cements itself as a household name in the UK eco-market, proving that premium, direct-to-consumer cleaning is a viable competitor to the supermarket giants.

All of which goes to prove that boring categories are the best places to build exciting businesses. By taking a mundane task (cleaning surfaces) and injecting it with a premium "experience" and genuine eco-credentials, you can turn a commodity into a lifestyle brand.