Few people understand Suffolk’s hard water like Anthony. After 20 years in plumbing and10 specialising in water treatment, he knew exactly why homeowners were frustrated, and exactly why the industry wasn’t serving them. In January 2025, he launched SoftPure Water Ltd, a family-run business with a clear goal: make high-quality water treatment accessible, fairly priced, and genuinely helpful for everyday homeowners.
Ready to get your business off the ground? Get ahead with our free Business Plan Template!
Sudbury, Suffolk is known for having some of the hardest water in the UK, resulting in limescale issues destroying pipes, boilers, bathrooms... everything from the kitchen sink to the kettle.
What bothered Anthony most wasn’t just the limescale. It was the way everyday families were being forced into two bad options: overpriced, over-engineered systems sold like luxury goods, or cheap online units that failed within months. There was no middle ground and no one educating homeowners on what they actually needed.
SoftPure Water was created to close that gap. By offering high-quality systems at a fair price Anthony set out to make softeners and filtration genuinely accessible rather than a luxury. As word spread and demand grew, he realised there was an entire community looking for a better, more trustworthy option.
A big part of what sets Anthony’s business apart is the way he approaches customer education. Instead of simply quoting a system and hoping for the best, he takes the time to show people exactly what hard water is doing to their home and what cleaner, softer water actually feels like.
People benefit more because it's saving their energy bills, stopping limescale issues and stops eczema and hair loss. Hard water ruins your plumbing system, it ruins you and it costs you a fortune. We love our system at home. We think everyone should have this.
Anthony doesn’t stop at softening, either. With more people becoming concerned about chemicals, contaminants and overall water quality, he’s built a strong focus around filtration and pure water. Customers can see their water tested on the spot and learn what improvement is possible.
Before Tradify, Anthony tried running the business through Xero, but it quickly became clear that an accounting platform couldn’t support the real work happening day to day. He needed scheduling, reminders, job notes, photos, service plans and a clear way to manage repeat visits. Instead, he found himself buried in busywork.
As SoftPure Water grew, the cracks in that system grew with it. Anthony tried to keep everything in his head. Any missed step meant lost time, lost revenue or late-night worry.
“As soon as things started getting chaotic it really stressed me out… it can keep you up at night sometimes.”
Switching to Tradify removed that chaos. Scheduling, reminders, templates, customer messages and job histories now live in one place. Repeat servicing is organised with automatic reminders. Buy prices and sell prices feed into reports, giving him a proper view of profit. Instead of manually reviewing every month, Tradify handles the heavy lifting as long as the data is entered.
“I rely on the system. I rely on Tradify… it does so much of the tasks I would normally have to remember.”
One of the biggest rewards for Anthony has been getting back to the part of the job he truly enjoys: being in customers’ homes, solving problems and growing the business on his own terms. With Tradify handling the admin in the background, he no longer feels weighed down by paperwork or phone calls. As he puts it:
“It really just allows you to focus on the job.”
Easy setup, real human support and simple features meant the whole family could hit the ground running, stay organised as demand increased and build the structure they needed to grow without losing control. His team can answer questions, book appointments and keep the schedule full, while Anthony stays focused on installations and demos.
“Once they’ve shown you it, you’ve got it… and there’s always someone at Tradify who will pick up the phone and talk you through it.”
As SoftPure Water settled into its first year, Anthony only entered sell prices, but as the business grew and suppliers stabilised, he started entering buy prices too. That’s when Tradify’s reporting really clicked — giving him proper visibility over profit, costs and job performance.
“Now that we’ve got a bit more of a steady supply… we’ve started to utilise the reports.”
What used to be a manual end-of-month task is now supported directly by data in Tradify. Combined with tools like profit margin, charge-out rate and materials markup calculators, Anthony can check whether his pricing is accurate and sustainable as the business scales.
Marketing has followed a similar shift. Early experiments with Facebook ads and newspaper promotions helped build awareness, but they didn’t bring in the right customers consistently. Instead, SoftPure Water now focuses on where real demand is: Google search. A stronger website and strong online reviews have become their most reliable source of new work — all supported by Tradify’s enquiries feature to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
With steady growth, strong systems and Tradify supporting the operational side, Anthony is now free to focus on what matters most, building a business that makes a real difference both locally and globally.
"We know as we grow we can we can add accountants and we can add subcontractors. So I know it's it's going to be there and suitable in the future as we keep growing."
For other tradespeople thinking about starting out, Anthony’s message is simple: don’t let fear hold you back. The work you already know is the hardest part. The right job management tools can handle the rest.
“The fear for me was running a business… but tools like Tradify really do take care of a lot of that part. It’s not as daunting as you think... I’m happier now than I was when I was working as an employed person.”
From the beginning, Anthony wanted to build a business that challenged the “corporate greed” he saw in his previous roles, a company that treats customers fairly, looks after its people and provides real value. Now, that mission is evolving into something even bigger. A major focus for the future is partnering with WaterAid, a charity working to bring clean drinking water to communities that don’t have access to it.
“We’re going to donate 10% of our profits and in the long run… we want to make 100% of our profits go to WaterAid.”
Learning more about global water scarcity shifted Anthony’s perspective and gave his business a deeper sense of purpose.
“I go around slating sometimes the quality of the water, but actually… there’s people that haven’t even got water in some parts of the world. That’s what WaterAid are doing.”
For Anthony, this isn’t a marketing angle — it’s the heart of why he started SoftPure Water in the first place: to improve people’s lives through better-quality water. Supporting WaterAid extends that mission far beyond Suffolk and gives every job, every install and every new customer a meaningful purpose.
“It’s given a whole new meaning to what we’re trying to do."
To support SoftPure's mission, visit WaterAid UK and donate today! Or visit SoftPureWater.com to book a consultation.
Start your free 14-day trial today, or book a free demo now!