Some of the most exciting businesses aren’t born from years of university study or time spent in boardrooms. They’re born from spotting a daily inconvenience and coming up with a solution.
That’s exactly how AKT founders Ed Currie and Andy Coxon built their brand.
The pair first met in 2014 while performing together in London’s West End. Like many performers, they were living the reality behind the glamour: onstage for eight shows a week, while juggling multiple jobs offstage to make ends meet (everything from flyering to delivery driving).
It was during those years that Ed and Andy began noticing the same issue. Long days and physically demanding performances highlighted the need for grooming products that could genuinely keep up with their lifestyles. What started as conversations between friends gradually evolved into an idea: what if there was a self-care brand designed with performance at its heart? That idea became AKT.
It marked a moment: when the path you’ve spent years pursuing begins to change. For Ed and Andy, building AKT wasn’t about leaving theatre behind; it was about taking everything the industry had taught them and applying it somewhere new.
What began with the award-winning Deodorant Balm (discover more on making the initial formula in their kitchen and testing products under the stage lights below) has grown into a comprehensive bodycare line. How did they get there?
We visited Ed and Andy at AKT’s central London headquarters to find out. In our latest edition of our video series, The Way I Work, they share the steps they took to go from West End castmates to co-founders, along with the realities of starting a business from scratch (including a few setbacks!) and how it really feels to embrace a new path.
Watch the full video for Ed and Andy’s story – a guidebook on how changing lanes might just lead to something bigger than you ever imagined.
