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Against All Odds: Overcoming Huge Setbacks to Sell 5 Million Worldwide
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How do you recover from a disastrous TV pitch to build a global children’s brand that sells in over 100 countries? In this episode, we sit down with Rob Law, founder of Trunki, the iconic ride-on suitcase that started life as a student design project and became a multimillion-pound business.
Rob shares the wild ride behind Trunki: from being publicly rejected on Dragons’ Den to selling out overnight, navigating lawsuits, scaling manufacturing, and launching new products through crowdfunding. Whether you're working on your first prototype or your tenth product line, this episode is filled with honest insights, smart strategy, and lessons in resilience.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- Why Trunki’s journey started with a student design competition
- What really happened on Dragons’ Den—and why it was a blessing in disguise
- How to bounce back from public failure and protect your idea long-term
- Why IP is important—but brand matters more
- What went wrong (and right) with their follow-up product launch
- How Rob is using AI and slow innovation to build his next venture
- What every founder should know about patents, prototyping and building a loyal team
Episode Timestamps:
[00:00] Welcome and intro to Rob Law and Trunki
[01:38] Inventing Trunki during university
[03:15] Early setbacks: navigating toy vs. luggage industries
[07:57] The Dragons’ Den disaster—and why it helped
[12:31] Trying to manufacture in the UK and buying a factory
[15:57] Major setbacks and how Trunki turned them into wins
[20:20] Rob’s advice on IP, patents, and brand defence
[23:40] Crowdfunding the Journey suitcase: what went wrong
[28:30] Building a team and learning to step back
[31:50] How AI is changing design, research and prototyping
[40:50] Zedbee’s slow innovation model and sustainability goals
[44:10] How to fund new products without external pressure
[46:40] Final reflections: what Rob wishes every founder knew
About the Guest:
Rob Law MBE is the founder of Trunki, the ride-on children’s suitcase brand that became a global success after a famously brutal rejection on Dragons’ Den. Rob has sold millions of products worldwide, built a UK manufacturing base, and launched several follow-up ventures, including his latest startup, Zeepy, focused on slow, sustainable innovation.
Meet the Hosts:
Phil Staunton is the founder of D2M, a product design consultancy with over 20 years of experience bringing physical products to market. A trained industrial designer and advisor to innovators, Phil brings deep technical knowledge and commercial insight to every conversation:
📺 Check out D2M’s YouTube Channel
Tom Constable is a former British Army officer turned entrepreneur and podcast producer. He’s the voice of curiosity on the show, asking the questions others might hesitate to, and bridging the gap between tech, product and strategy with a fresh perspective.
About the Show:
It’s only a Prototype uncovers the real stories behind product innovation. No polished success tales. Just unfiltered conversations with the people who’ve faced the hard decisions, the expensive mistakes and the lessons that come with launching something real.
Every episode is packed with insights for:
- Product innovators & entrepreneurs
- Founders of physical product businesses
- Heads of product, design and R&D departments
- Commercial leaders navigating NPD and growth
Stay Connected:
🌍 Website: https://www.design2market.co.uk/its-only-a-prototype/
📱 LinkedIn: Follow us here
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Mentioned in this episode:
Sponsor for this episode: Strachan IP
We really appreciate Strachan IP's sponsorship of this episode. Vicki, founder of Strachan IP, offers a free initial consultation to discuss reviewing your existing IP portfolio or discussing the best way to protect a new concept. Use link to get in touch.
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