From friendship to a £25M business
“We’ve been friends for years, so we’re really close,” shares Dave Wilson, co-founder of Gardener’s Dream. What started as a shared passion for gardening amongst three friends has blossomed into one of the UK’s leading online plant retailers. Their story is just one of many captivating entrepreneurial journeys featured in “Rising Stars by Amazon Ads“, an innovative docu-series that’s capturing the real stories behind Europe’s growing brands.
Think “Chef’s Table” meets “Dragons’ Den,” but with real entrepreneurs who aren’t just pitching dreams – they’re living them. After winning hearts (and multiple awards) across five seasons in China and successful runs in Europe and the USA, Rising Stars is back in the UK for a new season, bringing with it a fresh perspective on what it means to build a business in the digital age.
For Gardener’s Dream, this adventure has been rooted in recognising the potential of online sales. “Physical garden centre stores typically stuck to localised sales,” Craig Wilson, another co-founder, explains. “The three of us saw that opportunity.” Their intuition proved correct, with the company now boasting a £25 million revenue, of which more than 60 per cent comes through Amazon Ads.
Behind the success story
But Rising Stars isn’t just about celebrating success stories – it’s about pulling back the curtain on the real, sometimes messy, always fascinating world of entrepreneurship. “Plants are fragile, just like any business is fragile,” Dave reflects. “All it takes is for one batch to fail, and then you’re right back to the start again.”
The series dives deep into the moments that make or break a business.
We follow Gardener’s Dream through their most challenging season yet: “April to June is ultimately our peak period. We probably do about 40 per cent of our revenue in these three months of the year,” Craig explains. From managing thousands of plant varieties across multiple sites to navigating the complexities of EU expansion, we see leaders making high-stakes decisions that could define their company’s future.
“What makes these stories so compelling is their authenticity,” says Ludovic de Valon, Director of Product and SMB Marketing at Amazon Ads. “These aren’t just business success stories – they’re human stories of perseverance, creativity, and sometimes just plain stubbornness in the face of adversity.”
Crisis to opportunity: the £30K strawberry challenge
The episode captures the real-time pressure of entrepreneurship. When a freezer malfunction leads to a £30,000 loss of strawberry plants, when the team races to fulfill nearly 2,000 pre-orders, when they balance peak season demands with their personal lives – we see the true grit required to grow a business.
This ability to turn challenges into opportunities is a recurring theme in the series. Whether it’s leveraging Amazon Ads to expand into new countries or to help boost sales of surplus stock, these entrepreneurs demonstrate the agility required to thrive in today’s business landscape.
The series also sheds light on the day-to-day realities of running a growing business. “Because it’s our peak period, you feel as though you are forever chasing your tail and there’s never enough hours in the day to get everything done,” Kenny Wilson, the third co-founder shares, giving viewers a glimpse into the intense pressure of seasonal businesses.
For Gardener’s Dream, Amazon Ads has become central to their growth strategy. “Amazon Ads has certainly been a big focus,” Craig shares. “We can see the potential and the growth. The ad campaigns and the volume of sales have grown exponentially. If you focus on it, you can make it very worthwhile.”
For entrepreneurs watching, the message isn’t just about success – it’s about possibility.
As Kenny puts it, “Giving something a go was never a bad thing. If something happens, something goes wrong, you’ve dealt with a lot worse.”
Growing more than just plants
“Rising Stars by Amazon Ads reveals the determination behind British business success,” says Piers Heaton-Armstrong, VP, Amazon Ads EU. “These entrepreneurs are not only developing their own businesses, they’re building communities and inspiring future founders across the UK.”
This emphasis on people and purpose resonates throughout the series, as Craig notes: “We all have strong families behind us. They provide that support network because we probably wouldn’t be able to do what we did, and give the commitment that we do, without that.” As we celebrate these UK Rising Stars, we’re reminded of the vital role SMBs play in our economy and communities. Dave sums it up beautifully: “It’s not just a plant that we are selling.
Somebody’s putting that in their garden for their children to watch grow. That whole family aspect, spending time in your garden with your family. It’s actually a really nice place to be.”
To watch these compelling stories and gain insights and inspiration for your own business journey, tune in to Rising Stars by Amazon Ads. Who knows? Next season might just feature your entrepreneurial adventure, whether you’re cultivating the next gardening revolution or growing a new idea in any field.“
See also: Behind the Scenes of Brand Building: How Small Businesses Can Stand Out to Shoppers
Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by finopulse.
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