Before founding The Ootsider, John Keogh had a long and varied career working in engineering, research and development (R&D) and procurement.
After finishing high school in 1977, John went straight into employment and embarked on a 5-year toolmaker apprenticeship at IT company Hewlett-Packard (HP). In 1979 he received the Top Apprentice in Scotland award in recognition of his work.
John’s apprenticeship led to other opportunities within the company, and he ultimately spent 23 years working at HP, with each role allowing John to move up the career ladder. To supplement his work experience, John also expanded his knowledge through further study. He completed two HNC’s in mechanical & mining engineering and another in electronics. In 1999 John graduated with an MBA from Edinburgh Napier University.
“I’d always wanted to start a business or charity that would help people, but I felt lost at the idea of creating a business plan. So, when I was in my 30s, I enrolled on the MBA course at Edinburgh Napier."
After over two decades working at HP, John joined HP spin-out company Agilent Technologies as Business Process Engineering Manager. He remained at the organisation for 8 years before his office closed down and then he took up a management position within the IT department at a financial services company.
“Just because I’m an engineer doesn’t mean that I can’t do anything else. I look at everything as a process. Design is a process, so is management, procurement, IT.... people talk about a transfer of skills, but for me, I just transfer from one process to another.”
John’s plan was always to retire at 52, however, aged 57 he was still working. That was until he was made redundant from Jabil Electronics. This was the perfect moment to shut down his work computer for good... or so he thought.
“I shared the plan with my wife, and she told me it was the wrong decision. I was stunned. I was meant to retire years ago, so how could this be a mistake? But she was adamant that because the company forced me to make the decision, retirement wasn’t actually my choice and I’d regret it.
“Three months later I was going round the bend. This isn’t what I wanted to do at all!”
To occupy his time John started his own grass cutting business – a position he held for a couple of years before a company in Livingston asked him if he’d be interested in becoming their Engineering Manager. John took up the offer and he spent one year there. However, during Covid the company needed to lay people off and John took the decision – and it was his decision this time – to retire.
John has always wanted to help people less fortunate than himself and planned to use his newfound free time to do this. A proud grandfather to five grandsons, John thought that volunteering with young people was the path for him.
“I couldn’t do it. It broke my heart to see kids struggling. Instead, I began working with adults. However, this was also challenging as I was only volunteering one day a week but there was a lot of work to do. It made me realise that whatever I ended up doing, I needed to dedicate a lot of time it to. I needed to make it a priority.”
On 23rd December 2021, John and his wife were in Glasgow doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. It was pouring with rain and freezing cold, and John saw a man sitting in the street. He went to speak to him.
“My first thought was, why not take shelter somewhere? But then I discovered that he needed to make money to be able to afford to live.
“I do wild swimming and own a waterproof changing robe. I wondered to myself whether I could get a few made to give to those most in need.”
And that’s how The Ootsider was born!
Incorporated in June 2022, The Ootsider sells waterproof robes designed to keep people warm and dry. This covers everyone from those who do outdoor sports and want privacy when getting changed to those who want to remain dry when walking the dog. The Multifunction Robe can double up as a waterproof sleeping bag and John reinvests the profits made from selling Ootsider products and donates these robes to people sleeping rough on the street. So far, 100 Ootsider robes have been given to individuals most in need, including a batch being sent to Ukraine.
“The name Ootsider was carefully chosen. Firstly, the products are handmade in Scotland, so I needed a Scottish name.
“Where I’m from, we call the heel of the bread, the ootsider. Most people discard these pieces, which is what society has done to homeless people. But by giving people robes, at least they can feel warm and toasty on a freezing cold night.
“The Ootsider is also deeply personal to me as the name also includes a letter from each of my three kids’ and five grandchildren’s names.”
As a founder of a young business, John has utilised the support available from Bright Red Triangle (BRT), the University’s hub for enterprise. Before setting up his own office space, he used BRT’s hotdesking facilities in Fountainbridge and connects with like-minded individuals through the BRT network.
Last winter John and some friends undertook the Ootsiders’ 12 Nights of Christmas Sleep-Oot which involved the group sleeping on the street for twelve days to raise money. The experience provided John with real insights into the lives of those who sleep rough, and he was able to raise just under £10,000 which he used to get more robes manufactured. The Ootsider is still in its infancy however John has plans to build on the success of the company and do more to raise awareness about the plight of homeless people.
“If you’re studying and you don’t know what you want to do next, I’m here to tell you it’s ok. I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I was in my 50s.
At the start of my career, I could have described myself as toolmaker, then I became an engineer, now I’m a founder of a company. But my work doesn't define me, it never has. So rather than trying to decide what you want to do, consider instead the type of person you want to be.”