Recoil Kneepads

Vicky Hamilton’s joiner father threw her a challenge to solve his arthritis problem at work – and she responded by forming an award-winning company specialising in impact absorbing kneepads that help tradespeople carry out their job in comfort.

Recoil Kneepads began life in 2012 when Vicky was a product design student with a cardboard prototype and two business start-up competition victories under her belt. After being accepted onto the 2013 Converge programme and reaching the finals of the KickStart Challenge, Vicky’s idea for a product turned into a fully fledged business plan.

The sheer amount of positive feedback she received gave Vicky faith in the viability of her idea – so much so that she has spent the last six years building a team of three, embracing the challenges of running a business and securing sufficient private investor backing to expand.

It’s been hard, says Vicky, to sell into the retail market and negotiate with big players on contracts or logistics.

But that learning curve has paid off with Recoil moving into the US market, and plans are also afoot for the introduction of three new products.

The biggest source of pride, however, has been the knowledge that customers have been able to continue making a living in the trades they love, thanks to Vicky’s product.

To find out more, check out the video below: