Five to Watch: Paul and Rob Forkan, Gandys

Paul and Rob Forkan, 29 and 26
Company: Gandys Flip Flops
Web: www.gandysflipflops.com

In 2004, brothers Paul and Rob Forkan underwent the tragic experience of losing both their parents in the devastating Boxing Day tsunami which hit south-east Asia, narrowly surviving the experience themselves. Amazingly, the young duo have managed to create immense social good out of this negative experience by launching Gandys Flip Flops – a social enterprise that helps fellow orphans by donating 10% of profits from the sale of its uniquely-designed flip flops to its charity Gandys Foundation.

The pair’s flip flops are now stocked with more than 400 retailers, including high-street mainstays Topman, Selfridges and House of Fraser, and have received high-profile endorsements from the likes of Sir Richard Branson, who wears and stocks them on his exclusive Necker Island holiday resort. An estimated turnover of £1.2m in 2013 is impressive enough, but even more so in the context of a business that has social good at its very core and was formed as the result of an intensely personal tragedy. Backed by £250,000 angel investment, the company is on track to open its first children’s home in India to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the tsunami, with several other homes across the world to follow. With clear business acumen and a great social mission these young brothers are certainly ones to watch for next year.