Introducing Trunked. Trunked was created to provide a positive impact on the local community, environment and to provide a better choice for consumers. Their aim is to break down the barriers between second-hand goods and the consumer, saving customers potential hours otherwise spent looking for products. We recently sat down with Co-Founder Adam Kostarelas to hear more about his entrepreneurial journey.
Where did you get the idea for your business?
Friends and family were asking me to find an item for them fairly cheap, as I was a member of a few websites and it grew from there. When I started researching the market, I wanted to make sure the focus was on second-hand goods to reduce waste. Compared to what’s out there already, the idea was to make sure everything was from verified sources to ensure consumer warranties are still valid.
Whose on the trunked team?
There are the people who work on it all the time, so myself and Alex, who has over eight years experience in back end development, who is my co-founder and CTO. We also have Nathan, he takes care of social media and develops some of the social initiatives and brand engagement. Daniel is our graphic designer, and also the creative behind our brand and logo. One day Daniel and I were just working out of a McDonald’s and sketching on a napkin a few different designs and a few iterations later we thought ‘hey – this looks cool!’
Where did the name come from?
Trunked signifies two things; seeing as we’re for the environment when you first hear it you think of tree trunks as well as trunked as in a car boot sale, so second-hand goods! It’s about connecting people to goods they couldn’t really find elsewhere.
What made you decided to join the Activator community?
I really wanted to be immersed in the startup environment and be surrounded by like-minded people that I thought could be a catalyst for our growth, as well as being able to gain feedback from our peers. Another great thing about Activator is that it’s so central so that if I need to go anywhere for meetings or to visit businesses it’s easy to get there. I also study at RMIT, so Activator is just a quick two-minute walk away! It’s been a great experience getting to meet up with the other people here, who have been able to offer so many insights – it’s been awesome.
I study part-time so I can be more committed to Trunked.
How do you and your team find work-life balance?
Moving into Activator has really helped us out by giving us the space to say, ‘okay – while we’re here this is where we work.’ Previously I was working off my desktop at home and any kind of distraction could bring me away from work. Being able to set aside time to come into an office has really helped out.
What has been the most challenging part of your business journey so far?
Early on I tried to learn a few different programming languages in order to do things myself, and that was becoming quite time-consuming. Meeting Alex gave me the opportunity to refocus everything and put my time towards creating a great business synergy.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
It was from my uncle who is a university lecturer, and it was right when I was starting Trunked. He was asking me very specific questions, like what’s my business model and why. His advice was whatever decision I make, I should think about why, and what is that then going to impact.
What are your top three tips for starting a business?
- Understand your market, basic knowledge, and key contacts are beneficial.
- Get a mentor! I went through RMIT’s mentoring program and just being able to chat with someone and get some heavy ideas off your chest, whilst gaining experience and advice was so beneficial.
- Don’t give up! Sometimes things may be difficult, if you don’t know something, ask people for advice, research, be persistent and at the end of the day you’ll find something.
Who inspires you?
Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar the founders of Atlassian. I’m a big fan of their business values, which are more or less about being open, transparent and keeping it simple. That’s pretty much how we’ve tried to build our company culture at Trunked.
Have you got anything exciting lined up for 2019?
Yes! We’re launching polished beta fairly soon, as part of that we’re planning a scavenger hunt around Melbourne with some discounts on items with some bigger prizes on offer too!
