One of the most common complaints we get from people in the kbb industry is that there's not enough training. 'Where are the design courses?' we're often asked. 'Where are the qualifications?' 'How can people be attracted to the industry when they don't know it exists?' (They make the last point despite the fact that there's a kitchen or bathroom store on pretty much every high street).

Clearly, in an industry that's still plagued by cowboy fitters and fly-by-night traders, training is a big issue. But just how much training do you actually need to be a success in this industry? Do you really need a folder full of qualifications to earn respect?

My recent visit to the award winning Bath House showroom in Dublin certainly gave me food for thought. Here's a bathroom showroom that was recently voted the best in the UK and Ireland by the great and good of the kbb industry. A model store. A masterclass for others to aspire to. This place is so impressive, it's claimed, that visitors who take photographs are suspected of trying to copy their ideas so they can set up something similar down the road.

So let's take a look at the people who run it. OK, they're obviously talented individuals with plenty of business nous. You don't win national awards by faking it. But let's not forget this is their first stab at bathroom retailing. Despite having plenty of experience in related areas, neither of the two directors has a background in design, interiors or otherwise, and they're quite happy to admit it. In fact they've only been going for about a year and a half, and already they're seemingly the best.

So what's the secret? Money helps of course. They spent about 25 grand just on the lighting. But their success lies more in their business acumen than their design skills. They tap into what the public wants, and supply it. Simple really. "We're not trained designers, but we know how to sell bathrooms," co director Connor Flaherty told me. "I'm not an interior designer, but the product here is often better than theirs. If we went to college now, would our end product be any different? Probably not. We'd just keep our eyes open to what's happening in the design world and match the brief."

Good designers, on the other hand, don't always make good businessmen. You might be able to draw boxes on a computer, but can you set up and run a nationwide bathroom operation? Which, in a way, is Flaherty's point. "It's not the design step that's important," he insisted. "It's the finished product. You can't learn that. I can send someone to design college and they could be very good with CAD, but you could ask them to design a bathroom and they could be rubbish. In that case they're more of a draughtsman than a designer. Design is something you can or can't do. There are certain rules that you can follow but if you have an innate sense of servicing the customer you're already there."

So although training rightly remains a key issue for the industry, it's worth remembering that with the right experience, the right business strategy and the right products you can go a long way in this industry, regardless of your qualifications.

tim@kbbreview.com