I was introduced to TMB by Peter Haynes and Phil Hale of Surrey-based Torque PR. We had collaborated on previous projects and they believed my luxury brand experience and hands-on approach would be a good fit for TMB’s requirements. As soon as I met Christopher Bennett (TMB’s owner) and looked at the products, I knew this was someone I wanted to work with.

TMB’s situation was an interesting one. Chris had built up an incredibly interesting and unique product range, and had an impressive following of loyal customers (he has an amazing eye for detail, quality and customer service, which is reflected not only in the products themselves, but also in their presentation, supporting literature and the way Chris does business).  But, despite sales all over the world and a client list that included celebrities, royalty and some of world’s wealthiest and best-known business people, Chris believed TMB could go further. My role would be to help him make that happen.

Chris and I sat down and reviewed the status quo. TMB is a niche brand and had a lot in its favour but we still needed to gain greater awareness and visibility among the target audience. Moreover, despite that need, we didn’t have a large marketing budget and we needed to conserve as many resources as possible for product development, stock and to satisfy existing orders. To all intents and purposes, marketing TMB directly to consumers would not be feasible. We decided, therefore, that we would attempt to sell TMB’s products by establishing an international retail network.

This is a process we are still tackling today. We reviewed the marketplace and competitors, we consulted TMB’s existing clients for feedback on both existing business and future plans, we’ve adjusted the pricing policy and we’ve identified and visited a number of potential partners, with whom we are now negotiating contracts.