Red Button Design

The flagship product is the ROSS (The Reverse Osmosis Sanitation System), a water purification device that could conceivably be used to provide safe drinking water to millions of the world’s poorest people.

Amanda’s inspiration came in the form of Arup’s Drawing Water challenge, launched in September 2006. The opening paragraph in particular lodged itself in Amanda’s head: “One billion people do not have access to safe water. Two fifths of the world’s population live without effective sanitation. This situation is not improving.” Suddenly what she had been doing didn’t seem so worthwhile anymore, Amanda says.

One of the biggest challenges Red Button Design faced was defending their decision to remain a Limited Company rather than a charity. Amanda says, “Many felt that we should work in principle as a charity, and our first offer of funding was several thousand pounds contingent on changing from a Ltd Co to a Charitable Organisation. We had to take the tough decision to turn this money down and continue to progress as an ethical business, working from the premise that a good idea can and should be bought to be valued.”

There have been so many people on her journey that have had a significant impact that it’s difficult to pick out one person who has singlehandedly been Amanda’s inspiration. “I very much hope there are more inspirational figures to come as Red Button Design progresses and I would love to think that one day I could fulfil that inspiring role for someone else,” she says.

Amanda has held a number of jobs, including barmaid, dance teacher, and bouncer, as well as working in high-end jewellery retail and serving in an all night take away, before embarking on her own business venture. “All the jobs I have had, I took because I liked the people I worked with,” Amanda says. “I need to have an element of enjoyment in my work and if I don’t find the job itself rewarding I need to identify with the company or the people I am working for. Rarely was I ever given the opportunity to be more than superficially creative in my work.”

“I think everyone who embarks on starting an enterprise should have a healthy understanding of the risks they are taking,” says Amanda, “As diving in regardless is not to be recommended. It is a very personal commitment and everyone has different risks to weigh up. For me my greatest fear is that which ‘might have been’, best put by Mark Twain in one of my favourite quotes:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Four things you don’t know about Amanda Jones…

1: I love to travel. For my 21st Birthday I was bought the ‘The Lonely Planet Travel Book’. It has a page for every country in the world. I stuck a post-it note to every page as a bookmark, and only remove the bookmarks once I have visited the country. My ultimate aim is to get rid of all the bookmarks!

2: When I was growing up I wanted to be a Forensic Pathologist (!)

3: Some people dream of retiring to a vineyard in Europe, I have aspirations of growing and roasting my own coffee in Asia. If I weren’t so busy with Red Button Design I’d love to run a gourmet coffee shop!

4: I am a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce).