Amy Knight was well on her way to a career as a lawyer, having obtained an undergraduate law degree with plans to join a prominent London law firm. However, a simple summer job before starting university ended up entirely shifting her professional trajectory, turning her into a successful household product entrepreneur.
That temporary gig packing boxes at a company called Ecoegg sparked Knight’s interest in business operations, as reported in The Times. She quickly rose through the ranks to become head of operations while still a student, getting valuable experience running the startup. After graduating, her relationship with Ecoegg co-founder Rob Knight further exposed her to the entrepreneurial world.
When Rob sold Ecoegg in 2018, the couple decided to start their own venture – Must Have Ideas – inspired by a silicone sponge product they discovered on vacation.
Putting her legal career plans completely aside, Amy Knight dove in as a co-founder alongside Rob and another former Ecoegg colleague, Chris Finch.
Finch, 33, a former colleague at Ecoegg, joined the small company as a third co-founder.
Knight said she tends to focus on logistics and running paid social media advertising, while Rob leads the creative side and also helps with logistics. Finch’s strength is content creation for social media, which is the primary sales channel for the business. “The roles aren’t particularly well-defined,” said Knight.
“It’s very collaborative. A lot of decisions are taken together, and because we often all have different opinions and views, we end up getting to a good result.”
The innovative online retailer of household products was an immediate success. Must Have Ideas rapidly grew to reach £26.8 million in sales by 2023, with Amy’s law degree becoming a distant memory. What began as a temporary college summer job packing boxes had ultimately caused Amy Knight’s professional path to veer away from law and toward the thriving e-commerce startup she runs today. Copy
