It’s the stuff of entrepreneurial dreams. To come up with a pioneering product idea, develop a prototype, create a hugely appealing brand and start a highly successful business that you grow and sell for a huge amount of money. That’s exactly what Rob Law MBE did. Coming from a product design background, he founded Trunki in 2006. Trunki is the much-loved ride-on suitcase for children, which come in various designs.
Rob built up his Bristol-based business over 17 years, selling millions of Trunki suitcases, exporting to more than 100 countries, while providing jobs for 80 people. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Rob has also fought a lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Rob exited Trunki in 2023, selling the business for a reported £12m. In this fascinating episode, Rob talks about how he started, scaled and sold his phenomenally successful business, proving the Dragons very wrong in the process.
How I started, grew and sold Trunki – show notes
Product design and development
- Essential guide to new product development
- Essential guide to creating a prototype
- New product development FAQs
Selling online
- Essential guide to ecommerce
- How to increase online sign-ups, enquiries and sales – podcast episode
- How Grasmere Gingerbread started selling online – podcast episode
Get your goods stocked by high street retailers
- How innovation and social media fuelled CRIMPiTs success – podcast episode
- How Ecoegg revolutionised the laundry industry – podcast episode
- How I started the Bottled Baking Company – podcast episode
- How we got high street retailers to stock our products
- How I began selling my products through supermarkets
Funding business growth
- Funding business growth – overview
- Essential guide to planning and budgeting for growth
- Essential guide to venture capital
- Essential guide to business angels
- Obtaining venture capital FAQs
Attracting investment
- How to make your business attractive to investors
- Seven mistakes that turn investors off
- Essential guide to creating a valuable business
Scaling your business
- How to start a scalable business – podcast
- Essential guide to planning and budgeting for growth
- Essential guide to creating a sales strategy for growth
Government support for international traders
- Find sources of support for exporters from Exporting is GREAT
- Draw up an export plan using Open to Export
- Finance exporting from UK Export Finance
Protecting your intellectual property
- Essential guide to managing your intellectual property
- Ten ways to protect your intellectual property
- Design right and registration FAQs
- IP disputes – overview
- Essential guide to suing
Selling a business
- Essential guide to selling a business
- Essential guide to creating a valuable business
- Selling a business FAQs
- What is my business worth?
About our sponsor Lightyear
Life as a business owner can be unpredictable. You need a cash flow cushion for any bumps in the road. But, this doesn’t mean you need to leave your cash languishing in low interest accounts.
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There are no fees to open, bank transfer into, withdraw from, or maintain your business account, and your money is always easily accessible.
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About our expert Rob Law MBE
Rob Law MBE built up his Bristol-based business over 17 years, selling millions of Trunki suitcases, exporting to more than 100 countries, while providing jobs for 80 people. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Rob has also fought a lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis.
Rob exited Trunki in 2023, selling the business for a reported £12 millio. Product pioneer, author and speaker, Rob now runs the Aphelion Agency, a boutique Amazon brand management agency, as well as Zeepy, which creates sleep training clocks for toddlers. In this fascinating episode, Rob talks about how he started and scaled his phenomenally successful business, proving the Dragons very wrong in the process.
Rob shares his journey in his book Sixty Five Roses and a Trunki: defying the odds in life and business.
Find Rob on LinkedIn
Explore the Zeepy website
Visit the Aphelion Agency website
What next?
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- Join our thriving Facebook group the Donut Small Business Collective
