Will King was born in August 1965, the son of two teachers and eldest of three brothers. He studied at Portsmouth Polytechnic in the mid-80’s, graduating with a 2:2 Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1987.
His first job was selling advertising space for 'Marketing' magazine, and then Business Development Manager for a Conference & Event Production company, from which he was made redundant in 1991 as a result of the recession. He noted products were still being bought, even though marketing budgets had dried up, and started thinking about launching a product.
Will had always loathed shaving, and it was one morning he had his ‘epiphany’. Complaining of razor burn to his girlfriend, Ann, she gave him some bath oil to use as a shaving lubricant. Will shaved with it, and got no painful razor burn. “If it works for me, it will work for others” he surmised, and set off to create a challenger to Gillette. After playing cards with his father, the name ‘King of Shaves’ was chosen after the King of Spades card was dealt – “After all, it’s your name, isn’t it!” commented his Dad.
With several thousand pounds secured from friends and family, Will founded KMI (The King of Shaves Company). First year sales were a somewhat distressing £300 (with £30,000 lost) but things improved as more retailers were secured, and by 1997, the company’s turnover had increased to over £1m, doubling every year.
In 1998, Will and Hiten Dayal, his business partner secured a world-wide fragrance licensing deal with Ted Baker plc, and in 2000, sold the first King of Shaves products in America, as well as signing another licensing deal with cult Soho barber, Paul Burfoot’s ‘Fish’.
In 2003, it was the first to create a mainstream line of ‘male cosmetics’, called XCD (exceed); in 2006 this was joined by the new K2 Skinvestment® Series using patented MLE+PCT ‘skincare-in-shaving’ technologies. King of Shaves has been in the vanguard of male grooming over the past fourteen years, with its products winning dozens of consumer awards, including being voted ‘Best Wet Shaving Product’ by FHM 2005. The King of Shaves ‘shaving software’ brand is now the number two to Gillette in market size in the UK, and is also sold in over 20,000 stores in the USA, where Will spends an increasing amount of time.
Will and his team are currently structuring the business to take advantage of the myriad opportunities available, and to further leverage the ‘King of’ product/brand proposition, with ‘hardware’ (eg razors) being a possible next step.
Will’s personal motto is ‘Enthuse, Exceed, Enjoy!’ He is a keen dinghy sailor, windsurfer and yachtsman, and has sailed extensively in the UK and Caribbean. He is separated with one son, Cameron Halcyon King, aged six and a half.
His first job was selling advertising space for 'Marketing' magazine, and then Business Development Manager for a Conference & Event Production company, from which he was made redundant in 1991 as a result of the recession. He noted products were still being bought, even though marketing budgets had dried up, and started thinking about launching a product.
Will had always loathed shaving, and it was one morning he had his ‘epiphany’. Complaining of razor burn to his girlfriend, Ann, she gave him some bath oil to use as a shaving lubricant. Will shaved with it, and got no painful razor burn. “If it works for me, it will work for others” he surmised, and set off to create a challenger to Gillette. After playing cards with his father, the name ‘King of Shaves’ was chosen after the King of Spades card was dealt – “After all, it’s your name, isn’t it!” commented his Dad.
With several thousand pounds secured from friends and family, Will founded KMI (The King of Shaves Company). First year sales were a somewhat distressing £300 (with £30,000 lost) but things improved as more retailers were secured, and by 1997, the company’s turnover had increased to over £1m, doubling every year.
In 1998, Will and Hiten Dayal, his business partner secured a world-wide fragrance licensing deal with Ted Baker plc, and in 2000, sold the first King of Shaves products in America, as well as signing another licensing deal with cult Soho barber, Paul Burfoot’s ‘Fish’.
In 2003, it was the first to create a mainstream line of ‘male cosmetics’, called XCD (exceed); in 2006 this was joined by the new K2 Skinvestment® Series using patented MLE+PCT ‘skincare-in-shaving’ technologies. King of Shaves has been in the vanguard of male grooming over the past fourteen years, with its products winning dozens of consumer awards, including being voted ‘Best Wet Shaving Product’ by FHM 2005. The King of Shaves ‘shaving software’ brand is now the number two to Gillette in market size in the UK, and is also sold in over 20,000 stores in the USA, where Will spends an increasing amount of time.
Will and his team are currently structuring the business to take advantage of the myriad opportunities available, and to further leverage the ‘King of’ product/brand proposition, with ‘hardware’ (eg razors) being a possible next step.
Will’s personal motto is ‘Enthuse, Exceed, Enjoy!’ He is a keen dinghy sailor, windsurfer and yachtsman, and has sailed extensively in the UK and Caribbean. He is separated with one son, Cameron Halcyon King, aged six and a half.
Founder of King of Shaves, leading entrepreneur Will King's personal motto is ‘Enthuse, Exceed, Enjoy!’
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