Founder Of The Week: Amy Knight

• Amy Knight is the founder and Director of Must Have Ideas, a Kent-based e-commerce business generating around £80 million in annual turnover and employing roughly 200 people.
• She launched the company with her husband Rob and friend Chris Finch, starting from their kitchen table before scaling into a major operation, dispatching over 13,000 orders each day.
• Under Amy Knight’s leadership, Must Have Ideas has grown into a large distribution business, expanding from small beginnings to a 60,000-square-foot facility with plans to reach 250,000 square feet.
• Amy Knight has built the brand around unique, problem-solving household products and strong customer service, helping Must Have Ideas become a recognised name in UK retail.

Tell Me About Yourself and Must Have Ideas

I’m Amy Knight, and I’m the founder and Director of Must Have Ideas. We’re a fast-growing UK e-commerce business based in Kent, turning over around £80 million a year and employing about 200 people.

I started the company with my husband, Rob, and our friend Chris Finch, originally packing orders from our kitchen table. Since then, it’s grown into a 60,000-square-foot (soon to be 250,000) distribution centre, and we now dispatch more than 13,000 orders every day. We specialise in unique, problem-solving household products, and delivering really high standards of customer service has always been at the heart of what we do.

What Inspired You To Start Must Have Ideas, and What Problem Were You Trying To Solve?

We went on a trip to the US, where we found our first product – the Hygiene Hero, it’s a super-hygienic sponge with bristle fingers on it. We were inspired by this idea of unique products you couldn’t find in the supermarket for specific household problems, and we knew we had recognised our key customers and could market really well to them. Selling the hygiene hero went really well, and we sold out super-fast.

What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far, and How Did You Overcome It?

Our biggest challenge has always been space, never having enough of it. Every time we moved into a new building, we outgrew it far faster than expected.

The real struggle wasn’t just expanding quickly, but convincing landlords that we genuinely needed larger premises and that our growth wasn’t a temporary spike. We overcame it with persistence, data, and a track record: every move proved we were scaling faster than traditional retail norms.

Eventually, landlords began to understand our trajectory, and we learned to plan further ahead, securing space that could finally keep pace with our ambition.

Can You Describe a Pivotal Moment That Significantly Shaped the Direction of RedTrack?

There have been lots of “wow” moments from selling out of our first product when we first launched to hitting £10,000 worth of daily orders, to starting our AI-powered TV shopping channel, the first of its kind in the UK, but we recently celebrated our 9 millionth order, and we’re really close to our 10 millionth order. It’s a real pinch-me moment, and we’ve got plans to celebrate that in a lot of exciting ways.

How Do You Define Success?

As a business: From the very beginning, we set ourselves ambitious but realistic goals, and hitting them has been a huge source of pride for the whole team. We’ve never missed a turnover forecast, which continues to motivate us to push further and raise the bar year after year.

Alongside our commercial growth, it’s been incredibly rewarding to see Must Have Ideas recognised as a household name. We’ve featured on The Sunday Times Fastest Growing Companies list and won awards from The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, LDC Top 50, and more, which really validates the hard work behind the scenes. One of our biggest goals is for everyone in the UK to have at least one Must Have Ideas product in their home.
For yourself as a founder?

As a founder: It’s really important for me to be a good role model for my two young daughters. Being a family-run business is a huge part of our story, and we think it’s really important that this is reflected in our working practices. We’re really passionate about supporting working parents, setting up parental leave support by offering the same amount of leave for mothers and fathers.

What Advice Would You Give To Someone Thinking About Launching Their Own Startup?

One thing I always say is if you have an idea, don’t hesitate and just go for it. Too many people, and female founders in particular, hold themselves back by waiting for the perfect moment or feeling they need everything figured out first. You don’t. Focus on taking small, practical steps, testing your ideas and learning as you go. Some things will work, others won’t, and that’s all part of the process. Don’t be afraid to try out new things and stay resilient.

Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.

Founder’s 5 with Amy Knight

When it comes to founder and startup success, financials and valuation aren’t the only metrics for success. We wanted to find out a little more about who Amy is, so here’s TechrRound’s exclusive Founder’s Five with Amy Knight.

Favourite business tool

I don’t have one, we create our own!!

One lesson you learned the hard way?

That no one is ever going to create space for you, you have to create it yourself. No one is going to quieten a room so you can speak, open a door just because you’re knocking, or make things happen on your behalf.

One future trend you’re watching?

We launched the UK’s first AI shopping channel in 2024, and it’s been exciting to keep that innovation going and see how AI is shaping the future of businesses in a lot of different ways.

One quote you live by

“If you are going to miss the bus, miss it running.”

One book/podcast you recommend

“The Let Them Theory”, by Mel Robbins.

Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Know someone who deserves to be recognised as a founder making waves in the startup landscape? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.