Meet Daniel Knightley, founder of Epic Oats
Daniel Knightley’s career in both acting and aviation have meant his life has often been on the road travelling; where convenience food became his norm, he realised the choices were lacking. Searching for convenience food that is healthy and nutritious, was where the idea for Epic Oats began to spark.
There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?
Well it was during lockdown. I’m a deep thinker. And I’m always looking at new angles and how to approach things differently. I initially thought about selling a westernised product into the Asian market specifically. I focused on the emerging middle class. After living there for a couple of years, I realised how valuable and powerful European brands were in Asia. That’s when I started thinking about something I could sell at volume that everyone could buy. As we all know that’s where the money is. That Day Epic Oats was born
How do you prepare for all the unknown obstacles when running your business?
You don’t! is the short answer to that. It’s how you process it in the moment. I’ve realised it's heavily associated with life experiences and other careers I’ve been in. Without those experiences, I would not have handled obstacles as effectively. Also with a heavy dose of trial and error.
Tell us about your experience prior to launching your business?
Well I have a rather illustrious past. I’m an airline pilot by profession, which of course comes with its ups and downs…pun intended. Combined with a heavy dose of the performing arts; I have been in lots of commercials, indie films and extra work which has been great for building my confidence, resilience and determination - key things in having a business. This also isn’t my first attempt at running a business. I developed an app about 12 years ago called “screaming Steve” which was a complete and utter fail! But it was one hell of a learning curve for me.
What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?
I wanted to create a convenience food product that was genuinely healthy and also tasted nice. I was also inspired by a lot of people around me; many of my friends are doing incredible things in business and in their careers and to be perfectly honest I wanted my share of the pie and I knew I had it in me. Also, the endless no’s and constant pushback from everything I’ve tried in the past only fuelled my desire to push on and prosper to actually create a product. The end goal is for Epic Oats to be a global brand and to have built a real community of people who love and understand the brand.
What's the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?
The business will always run at your pace. If you stop, the business stops. You are the driving force behind it all. Despite having employees and/or consultants on board. It's all reliant on YOU! Which of course is a lot of pressure but I am happy to be the driving force behind Epic Oats.
How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas - what pushes you through?
EXPERIENCE! If it’s one thing I’ve learned how to harness, it’s conquering moments of doubt, it’s basically the prerequisite to being an entrepreneur! This takes time but you have to make mistakes to get there but without that, good luck chuck!
What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?
People say it all the time but you need to be consistent - find what you want to do and just do it and stick at it. Perseverance comes into that too, there will definitely be times you’ll want to give up but you have got to keep going. Tenacity is important too; you have got to really want it and if you don’t, think through why you are doing it in the first place. And lastly, discipline, which ties it all together. These are what I like to call the core fundamentals that must be ingrained before you start putting pen to paper. Without them I think it’s enough to wear anyone down to the point of giving up.
What plans do you have for your business over the next two years?
The plan is to establish ourselves with good listings that will ensure a foothold here in the UK and Europe. In the second year, we intend on breaking into the US market, as it’s my second home and our product would excel there once introduced.
What are your thoughts on failure?
I love it! If I had a pound for every time I’ve failed, I wouldn’t need to be writing any of this; I’d be on some beach somewhere with a cocktail and getting a deep tissue massage. What most people fail to understand is that it’s part of success. The moment you accept that you can start to function as an effective entrepreneur. It's not a bad thing. As that is where the most valuable lessons are learned, that you will keep with you forever!
What movie do you find inspiring?
The Founder. Starring Michael Keaton. It’s basically the story about how McDonalds started. Amazing story. And the man's sheer will to pursue his vision of what McDonalds would become just gave me goosebumps! Absolutely incredible.
What do you think gives a brand longevity?
Quality Quality Quality. Without that I don’t think anything would have legs on it. People always come back for quality.
