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James Hyde and James Strachan: From Friends to Founders – The Journey of Building a Fulfilment Business

Published: 19 March 2025

J&J Global Fulfilment

Once upon a time, J&J Global Fulfilment was known as James and James—a name inspired by its founders, James Hyde and James Strachan. In this episode of The Scale Up Podcast, Simon Wheeler sits down with them to delve into the full journey of J&J.

From their days at Cambridge University to pivoting from software to fulfilment, they share how they built the business from the ground up—starting in makeshift offices in the men’s toilets! – to securing investment and scaling into a global company. They also open up about the tough decisions that led them to step back from the business.

Beyond the highs and lows of scaling a company, James and James reflect on what it was like to go into business as close friends and the challenges of managing both friendship and fast growth.

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About the Author

J&J Global Fulfilment

It all began in 2010, when James Hyde and James Strachan couldn’t find a modern shipping service for the eCommerce business they ran. Faced with messy warehouses based on out-dated systems, they decided to build their own. We’ve not stood still since, helping hundreds of online brands scale up – and scaling with them.

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