The Kitchen Table

How Rick Lowe Built a Licensing Empire With Disney, Star Wars & AC/DC

Episode Summary

Ken Baden welcomes Rick Lowe, a London-based entrepreneur and founder of an international licensing and merchandising business, to The Kitchen Table Podcast. Rick recounts his path from a corporate engineering career to selling t-shirts on a UK market stall after being laid off — a leap that eventually grew into a global business licensing IP from Disney, Warner Brothers, Netflix, and top music acts like AC/DC and Linkin Park. The conversation covers how licensing deals actually get made, what separates a lasting brand from a passing trend, and the mindset — tenacity, resilience, and personal responsibility — that Rick believes defines successful entrepreneurs. He also previews his upcoming book, The Maverick Entrepreneur, and shares the hard-won wisdom he'd want to be remembered by.

Episode Notes

🗒️ Episode Notes

• Rick's unconventional path: engineering degree → corporate tech job → sales → laid off in the dot-com bust
• The origin story: selling Space Invaders T-shirts at Portobello Market in Notting Hill
• Building an international business licensing Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, Star Wars, and Marvel IP
• The difference between corporate licensing (Disney/Netflix) and relationship-driven music licensing
• What "merchandising" actually covers: apparel, accessories, headwear, nightwear, and more
• Evergreen licenses (Disney) vs. fleeting pop-culture moments (Stranger Things) vs. touring bands
• Why merchandising is a high-volume, lower-margin business — "license to print money"
• Rick's biggest music license ever: AC/DC, and why the Rolling Stones' logo is untouchable
• Writing The Maverick Entrepreneur: turning life lessons and failures into a book
• The role of tenacity, resilience, and refusing to quit in entrepreneurship
• Rick's motivation for public speaking and pursuing personal development
• Working smarter, not harder
• Rick's closing piece of wisdom: "grab life by the throat" and take full personal responsibility
• Trusting your instincts and learning from (not repeating) your mistakes
• Where to find Rick Lowe and his upcoming book