
Celebrate National Boss’s Day with Director of LOOS FOR DOs Nicky Warner as she tells us how it came to be!
It’s fair to say that running a portable toilet hire company wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I was daydreaming in school. I wanted to be a doctor—white coat, stethoscope, saving lives. Instead, I studied Business and Marketing at university, spent my twenties in the corporate world, and cut my teeth in graduate programmes at Unilever, Virgin Atlantic, and Cadbury. And somehow… I ended up finding my true calling in portable loos.
Yes, toilets. 🚻
The toilet hire industry is a wild jungle – think farmers, franchises, family businesses, and the occasional cowboy galloping through. It shares a lot with plant hire: fast-paced, fast-mouthed, and full of machismo. So, transitioning from the soft-focus world of marketing to the gritty reality of porcelain seats and two-ply toilet roll was, let’s say, a bit of a culture shock.

Breaking Barriers in a Male-Dominated Industry
Back in the early 2000s, women running toilet hire companies were about as rare as luxury loos at a muddy festival. For those of us who did, we had to work twice as hard to prove ourselves—challenging sexism, old boys’ networks, and the idea that time served automatically meant promotion. I was often half the age of my team, but I decided early on to do things my way, trust my instincts, work bl**dy hard, and when needed, fake it till I made it.
With a healthy dose of feminism (✊) and a slightly unhealthy obsession with multitasking, I believed I could do it all—run a business, raise a family, and still remember to feed the dogs. Summers were chaotic: I drove vehicles the size of small houses, pushed a buggy stacked with toilet rolls through festival fields, and once attended the Brighton Marathon on my due date with a baby car seat and maternity bag in tow. Breastfeeding during a client meeting was a personal low point—but I’ve never seen a cheque written so fast in my life.

Building a Business with Heart ❤️
I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I’ve always promised myself to learn from them. That’s something I’ve embedded into our company culture at LOOS FOR DOs, because blame cultures breed toxicity, and we’re here to build something better.
I genuinely love the freedom that comes with running a small, dynamic business. It means we can stay agile – an absolute must for staying competitive in today’s fast-moving world—and keep customer focus at the heart of everything we do.

We’re only as good as our last job, and I never lose sight of that.
Yes, it can be tiring and occasionally a bit lonely as the boss, but there isn’t a single day I don’t feel excited to get to work. I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by THE MOST AMAZING, high-performing team who bring energy, humour, and heart to the madness. So, while I may not be saving lives as I once imagined, I do believe I’m making a meaningful difference—enriching the lives of those around me and providing essential toilet facilities with pride (and a touch of sparkle ✨🚽).
Celebrate National Boss’s Day with the loo legends who lead with all the sparkle!
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Don’t stop here—there’s plenty more loo wisdom where that came from…
🚽International Women’s Day at LOOS FOR DOs
How LOOS FOR DOs are prioritising employee well-being at work