How I Came Up with The Shark Bag
My plastering journey began about 12 years ago when we bought our first house. It was a fixer-upper, and we were on a tight budget! That meant I had to learn some new skills fast—plastering being one of them. I was already quite handy, and I picked it up quickly. Before long, I was achieving a finish as good as any professional plasterer I knew.
Once the house was finished, I continued working as a HGV driver for a while, but I soon grew tired of it. I wanted to put my skills to use and work for myself as a handyman. So, with just one job in my diary, I took a leap of faith and started my own business. The work came flooding in, and before I knew it, my schedule was booked solid for months. I was so busy that I had to bring in a few guys to help keep up with demand. We tackled big jobs—full bathroom renovations, kitchen makeovers, entire property refurbishments, and maintenance for HMOs all over Liverpool.
Looking back, I think my business grew too big too fast. The stress became overwhelming, and I had to step away for a few months. It was a dark time, and I never thought I’d find myself in that situation—but I did. To regroup, I took a job with a local social housing contractor. Those few months gave me the break I needed to reset. Once I was back to myself, I returned to my business—just me this time! Well… at least for a short while.
After being on the tools for a few years, one thing that constantly bothered me was the amount of water waste at the end of mixes—whether it was plastering, dry lining, tiling, floor leveling, or anything that involved a wet mix. My mind started ticking, and I came up with an idea to solve the issue. Initially, I envisioned something called “The Builder’s Bin”—a tall bin with multiple filter stages to separate waste from water on-site. I spent time designing it, researching manufacturers, and looking into production costs. Eventually, I realized it was too expensive and overly complicated. No one would use it.
Back to the drawing board. I thought, instead of dealing with different filters and cleaning, why not make the entire product a bag? You pour your waste water in, the unwanted materials get trapped inside, and the filtered water comes out clean for easy disposal. Once done, you just throw the bag away. Simple!
That was my eureka moment. I knew this was it. I dove into research, looking into the size of plaster molecules and other building material particles to determine the right filtration level for the bag. I found suppliers, ordered samples, ran countless tests, and confirmed that the concept worked. This was a viable product!
To protect my idea, I filed a patent application. But I needed a name. “The Builder’s Bag” didn’t sit right with me. Then, I remembered a piece of advice from a customer over a cup of tea one evening. He once told me that using an animal in a product name makes it more memorable. That stuck with me. It didn’t take long to think of the basking shark—swimming with its huge mouth wide open, filtering water, just like my bag does. That was it! It had to be either “The Basking Bag” or “The Shark Bag.” The latter just felt right—memorable, strong, and catchy. So, I trademarked the name and worked with a local graphic designer to create the logo. Somehow, she nailed exactly what I had envisioned!
At this point, I was at a familiar crossroads. I needed funding to take the next step. After a lot of thought, I decided to take out a loan. I wasn’t going to let this idea slip away like I had with others in the past. This time felt different—I believed in it 110%! With the loan secured, I placed my first order. It was do-or-die time.
While waiting for my shipment, I started posting on social media to generate interest. By the time my stock arrived, I hoped to have an audience ready to buy. The response to my first video blew me away! People loved the idea, calling it a game-changer and saying it solved a long-standing problem in the industry. It was surreal—something I had created was being hyped up all over the UK.
People even started buying the bags before they had arrived! I didn’t want customers waiting weeks for their orders, so I airmailed some over to fulfil those early purchases. I wanted to make sure Shark Bags had a great start!
Now, here I am with my first full shipment in hand and my first trade show just around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds for Shark Bags. I have ideas for more products, and I hope to develop them. My goal is to build a trusted brand that tradespeople rely on to make their jobs easier every day!
Lath and Plaster 