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Dundee entrepreneur devastated by £5m legal battle says he is spurred by failure

Aydya Group founder Yusuf Okhai. Image: Aydya Group
Aydya Group founder Yusuf Okhai. Image: Aydya Group

A Dundee businessman who saw a previous business wiped out in a legal battle says he is driven by failure.

More than a decade ago, Yusuf Okhai’s company Medea International, sold cut-price ink cartridges from the former Levi’s factory in Dundee.

Then printer giant Epson launched High Court proceedings, claiming patent infringement.

After almost five years the case was settled in 2010, but there was a financial cost.

“We should never have fought because they had a lot more money than us,” Yusuf said.

“It was fight or be killed, but at the end of that process there was nothing left.”

But he has bounced back from that and last year received one of the UK’s highest business honours.

Change in fortunes for Dundee businessman

But his fortunes were later turned around by a knife sharpener and something his mum said.

“I went to an Ideal Home Show in London and a guy was doing a car boot sales type pitch,” he remembers.

“I bought the knife sharpener for my mum, but she said she had eight already.

“I couldn’t understand why she had so many. She was astonished that this one, unlike the others, actually worked.

Yusuf Okhai. Image: Aydya Group

“That was all the encouragement I needed.”

Yusuf tracked down the patent holder in Taiwan, who was also the manufacturer. He placed an order for 100 units.

Yusuf said: “I sold three on my first day on Amazon, which I thought was amazing.

“We made a few changes, improved it further and I launched the AnySharp brand.

“It became the best-selling knife sharpener on Amazon.”

A million sales a year to 50 countries

It now sells around a million units a year to more than 50 countries.

But AnySharp is not Yusuf’s only million-selling product.

Several years ago, he became determined to improve the quality of water bottles.

His Ion8 bottles are based on a concept of being able to be used with one hand.

The two brands operate within Yusuf’s company, Aydya, which last year received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The honour was particularly significant to Yusuf.

Aydya Group founder Yusuf Okhai with some of his ion8 water bottes. Image: Aydya Group

His father, Ibrahim, also won a Queen’s Award when he owned the famous James Keiller marmalade factory in Dundee.

Yusuf says he always wanted to be an entrepreneur, as he hated being told what to do.

His first business came about while he was at university. He explained: “Very early in the development of laser printers, I had access to one.

“I started my first business printing menus for restaurants, as I had no cost for printing plates. At low volume, my costs were much lower.”

Secrets to success for entrepreneur?

Yusuf said the best bit about being his own boss was the flexibility, and not having to take instruction from others.

And the worst? The businessman replied: “All credit is to my team. All flaws, faults and under-delivery are mine.

“Even if the team did it, I hired the team – so it’s always me. I am now a virtual entrepreneurial janitor – I clean up other people’s mess most of the time.”

Any Sharp is the top selling knife sharpener on Amazon. Image: Aydya Group

Yusuf says he will never retire.

He also said he will never tire of success: “It’s not a thing you do, it’s a thing you are.”

To any young person wanting to be an entrepreneur, he advised: “Always make informed choices and, on driving forward, never aim to be the best – just aim for better. Better never stops.”

And he said he is driven to success by failure.

“I want to be better. If I don’t achieve, I want to get there.

“If I get there, I didn’t aim high enough.”

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