‘I started my business with a door I found in a skip, now it’s making £2million a year’ (Image: Green Doors)
A man is turning over millions of pounds a year from his upcycling business, which he started with a door he found in a skip.
Joseph Holman, 34, is the CEO and founder of Green Doors, an upcycling company based in Luton that has grown from humble beginnings into a thriving business with annual revenues close to £2million.
A decade ago, Mr Holman’s entrepreneurial journey began with an unlikely discovery—a set of French doors he found in a skip while working as an apprentice plumber. Last month, his business, which officially launched on August 22, 2014, celebrated its tenth anniversary.
What began with one door has transformed into a business with more than 30 employees, a 50,000-square-foot warehouse, and thousands of doors and windows available for sale.
Green Doors is committed to giving new life to items destined for landfill, and last year alone, the company saved more than 3,000 items from being discarded.
One door has transformed into a business with over 30 employees and a 50,000-square-foot warehouse. (Image: Green Doors)
Mr Holman told Express.co.uk: “Having sold my first door which I salvaged from a skip, then seeing the vast numbers of functional doors at the back of a local door company -all destined for landfill – I realised what a change I could make.
“More than 10 billion doors are produced every year. Some don’t even make it out of the factory as they’ve been made to slightly the wrong specification. Although a small amount of these are recycled, nothing is better than reusing.
“A lot of these doors are replacements but their lives are cut short due to aesthetics. That’s where we come in.”
Mr Holman’s background played a significant role in shaping his approach to business.
Diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at age seven, Mr Holman said he struggled in school but found an early passion for buying and selling items online. At just 12 years old, he invested his birthday and pocket money into a bulk order of magnetic ‘stick and ball’ games, which he then sold individually on eBay.
This year, Green Doors won both the ‘Best Small Business’ and ‘Net Hero’ awards at the Small Awards. (Image: Green Doors)
He recalled: “I ended up netting a profit of around £2,000 in just six weeks. From then on, I was hooked on buying and selling anything I could.”
By the time he founded Green Doors in 2014, Mr Holman had over a decade of experience on eBay. He said: “I was on a £700 apprenticeship wage but making £3,000 to £4,000 a month selling second-hand boiler parts from jobs on eBay.”
By 2018, he was joined by Levi, now a managing director, who began building the company’s website and management systems. Mr Holman said: “Our website is now our main source of sales.”
For Mr Holman, success goes beyond financial gain. He said: “When I started to make money, my initial response was to buy expensive cars, go on exotic holidays, and buy the largest house I could afford, just really to show others that I was doing well.
“I soon realised that these things were not the main driver in my life and that seeing the company do well, regardless of any personal financial benefits, was more important to me.”
The business’s success is evident not only in its financial performance but also in its recognition within the industry.
This year, Green Doors won both the ‘Best Small Business’ and ‘Net Hero’ awards at the Small Awards.
As for the future of Green Doors, Mr Holman has big plans. He said: “If we truly want to change the door and window industry and push them into a circular economy where there is no waste, we need to expand and get government, manufacturers, and investors more involved in circularity.”
Mr Holman continued: “Our plan is to have five main hubs across the country to allow us to access and rescue more stock. Our vision may well feed into the Government’s initiatives to reduce waste, and Green Doors would be at the centre of any national reuse and recycle schemes.”
In just 10 years, Mr Holman has turned a chance discovery into a mission-driven company that is not only profitable but also making a significant environmental impact.
As Green Doors continues to grow, Mr Holman said he remains focused on his goal of ensuring that every door gets a second life.
Mr Holman said: “We believe it makes sense both economically and environmentally.”
