Episode show notes
Siblings can be incredibly brutal with each other, but the thick skin that comes from brother-sister banter can be the perfect foundation for business partners…
Bundle Beds is the brainchild of Lucy Bartlett, and while she may have begun with a different business partner, she’s making waves with her Co-Director Rob Solari, combining their separate skill sets into a fantastic venture.
Lucy and Rob join us to detail their dynamic, how to make sure you can work with a sibling, and their award-winning excellence in customer service.
This episode covers:
- How Rob became suddenly involved with Lucy’s ambitious vision
- The straightforward sibling dynamic working for them as business partners
- Standout moments from their stellar kickstarter launch to famous customers
Episode highlights
“Lucy needed a little bit of help negotiating and trying to work out how to take the business on once she and her richer business partner decided to part ways. So I came in to help her through that process, and then ended up helping a bit more, then a bit more, and found myself as a business partner.” – 5:50 – Rob Solari
“Being brother and sister, I know it’s not always the case with siblings, but we’re pretty upfront and honest with each other. We can say exactly what we think to each other, and neither of us take too much offence. But what is brilliant about the two of us, we are very different in our skill set when it comes to business.” – 6:50 – Lucy Bartlett
“One of the reasons that Lucy and I work well together in the business is that we really don’t discuss anything that we do in business with any of our other family members. If we do, it tends to get like Chinese Whispers, made into a huge thing.” – 12:10 – Rob Solari
“Lucy calls every single shot apart from where I’m in the background, doing the UK operations side that Lucy doesn’t really need to be involved in, it just gets done. ” – 18:20 – Rob Solari
“Kickstarter was a really good way to start a product-based business because it proved the market, it proved the demand. That really gave us confidence to press go in that first run because actually most of that first run had been sold, and had been funded. That was a real highlight.” – 21:00 – Lucy Bartlett
“Being my business partner and definitely being my little sister, it’s her dream, what she wants to do and her creation. You’re definitely motivated more because of that. ” – 26:00 – Rob Solari
“You have to be 100% sure that you can work together before you even consider it. Also, you need honesty and patience. If you can look at them and be 100% honest, I can tell them whatever I’m feeling right now, then that box is ticked.” – 33:35 – Lucy Bartlett & Rob Solari