Tom Burden and Axl Barber new business entrepreneurs

CARDBOARD KINGS

Graduates Tom Burden, 27, and Axl Barber, 26, met while studying for BA Business Management with sandwich placement. During their studies they shared their aspirations to become entrepreneurs. Benefiting from the University’s business support programme SPEED, they’ve since started their own company: the UK’s first digital marketplace dedicated to corrugated cardboard packaging, Rightbox.

We caught up with them to see how they’re getting on.

Before we find out about your new business – let’s go back to your student days. What made you choose to study at Wolverhampton?

Axl: The new business school (Lord Swraj Paul building) actually attracted me to the University of Wolverhampton. We were the first cohort of business students to gain access to the building. Being my local university also worked out perfectly for me.

Tom: I had decided to continue working full-time alongside my course, so it was important to stay local. Like Axl, I was very impressed with the facilities at Wolverhampton and was excited to get started in the business school. A standout memory for me was working with Axl and other students to raise funds for Compton Care. We worked together to create an event where we raffled off sporting goods to Wolves fans, including a signed top and matchday ticket. It was for a great cause and was really enjoyable both on the day and in preparing for the event. What made you decide to start your business together? How did you hear about the SPEED programme?

Tom: Axl and I are both very entrepreneurial in nature: we’d regularly discuss business ideas, so it was inevitable we’d work together at some point after our studies. On placement (working at a corrugated cardboard packaging company) I started to learn more about the corrugated packaging industry, and the opportunity in the market just became clear.

It wasn’t difficult to convince Axl because he’s very open-minded and driven, so from the basis of the idea, he knew we could make it work. Axl brought the SPEED programme to my attention. We’d already spoken about developing a business together, so when we found out what SPEED had to offer, this encouraged us even further.

Axl: I completed six months of my placement in the SPEED offices so I was familiar with how everything worked. I also spoke with Gavin Bhandal (SPEED’s project development officer), so when it came to starting a business SPEED was a programme we applied to!

Tell us a little bit about your company.

Tom: We set the business up right in the middle of a pandemic and a cardboard shortage, so it’s been quite an introduction to the world of starting a business! RightBox is the UK’s first digital marketplace for corrugated packaging. Essentially, we’re the ‘Compare the Market’ for companies who buy cardboard boxes. Companies let us know what they’re currently using and we find competitive quotes from reputable suppliers. If needed, we can also offer a full consultation to review their packaging and advise if any improvements are required.

Did you always want to have your own business and be your own boss(es)?

Axl: From a young age I have always been entrepreneurial, from staging football matches in my back garden and charging parents for tickets to working in sales and now starting a business.

Tom: I think we’re all cardboard-box fort builders as children, it’s in our DNA! But I’ve always wanted to build something from scratch and been entrepreneurial in nature and that’s why Axl and I probably get on so well. I’ve kept a notepad by my bed side for years now as I’ve found that’s where I come up with a lot of my ideas.

What’s influenced your career, and what are you particularly proud of?

Axl: From the area I grew up in, to the people I have met along the way, entrepreneurship and business has always been embedded in me. On Patrick Bet-David’s (CEO of PHP Agency in America, a $150 million company) YouTube channel, Valuetainment, he covers business, sales, marketing and finance, which has had a huge impact on my development. Starting any type of business from the ground up is difficult but we’ve made a great start and managed to get some really exciting clients on-board within a short period of time.

Tom: It sounds cliché, but my parents have always encouraged and backed me in everything I do, so I owe them a lot of credit. I also remember reading Richard Branson’s book and being inspired by his attitude towards risk. We’ve recently been nominated to represent University of Wolverhampton at the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards for 2021 which is something we’re both immensely proud of. Axl: To build RightBox and continue to disrupt the corrugated packaging industry. We’re very entrepreneurial and ambitious, so we’re always looking for ways to disrupt other markets!

Tom: Exactly what Axl has said: we’ll continue to work hard to build the company and help companies save money on cardboard boxes! We do have some great plans on building the brand and creating a group of RightBox companies, but you’ll have to wait and see what the journey brings for RightBox.

If you are a business start-up or have registered your business in the last 12 months, get in touch and find out if the SPEED project can support you here: speed@wlv.ac.uk