Building a Global Brand Without Breaking the Bank
He’s done it without big budgets, business plans, or a marketing team.
It started about four years ago, in the middle of the lockdowns.
My teenage son Dylan walked into the kitchen one afternoon and said,
Mum, I want to start crafting chef’s knives.
It came out of nowhere. He was bored. He wanted to do something creative.
I’ll admit, I had to close my eyes the first time I saw him working in the backyard.
It was both exciting and terrifying.
Little did I know that this “boredom project” would become the start of something remarkable — a business that is now starting to become a global brand, with customers waiting months for a Dylan knife.
—
Dylan taught himself everything via YouTube.
He worked three nights a week at a local pizza shop so he could buy the materials and equipment he needed.
We wanted to support him, but not by making it too easy.
From the beginning, I could see the passion in his eyes.
He started selling knives to friends and family.
Then, in 2022, he visited the Sydney Knife Show.
He came home with fire in his belly — more determined than ever to take this further.
He joined the knife-making guild, built his own heat-treating oven, and started thinking about his business name.
He chose Trilobite Customs in honour of his granddad, a geologist, who had given him a beautiful trilobite fossil.
His brother Jordi designed his logo.
—
I remember the fierce debates in our house in those early days.
Dylan: “I want to make what I want.”
Jordi: “You have to make what the customer wants.”
Both were right.
Dylan’s creative vision gave his work a unique edge, and Jordi’s customer focus kept him in touch with the market.
Together, they found the sweet spot — the place where creativity meets customer connection.
—
When Dylan stood at his first trade show, he was confident, passionate, magnetic.
People were drawn to him — not just his knives, but him.
From there, it began to snowball.
He became a respected member of the Australian knife-making community — one of the nicest, most supportive groups I’ve ever seen.
He began telling his story online, showing his work, and being completely himself.
That authenticity built him a loyal global following.
On Reddit, influential chefs raved about their Dylan knives — marketing doesn’t get any better than that!
—
Earlier this year, he launched a more budget-friendly Japanese line — still handmade, but more cost-effective than his custom work.
It was a brilliant way to test a new product with his existing loyal fans.
By tuning in to what knife enthusiasts and chefs were talking about online, he spotted a gap in the market — without even making it an “official” market research exercise.
He simply listened.
He started small — five knives on Reddit.
They sold out in the first hour.
The next batch of 20 sold out within a day.
Orders poured in, and he had to close them again.
All while still in school.
—
He keeps learning, stretching, trying new designs.
His communication, customer service, packaging, and aftercare are all world-class.
He’s booked a stand at the biggest knife show in the world next June, in Atlanta.
After that, he plans to set up full-time in Spain, bringing his customers along for the ride.
—
What I’ve learned from Dylan
1. When you find what’s inside you, you cannot not succeed.
It’s so easy to follow what you think you need to do, but the real power — the real fulfilment — comes from doing what is you.
Your unique blueprint. When you’re aligned with that, everything changes. It asks for courage — but it’s worth it.
2. Be completely authentic — always.
Gone are the days when you could differentiate purely on quality or customer service. I truly believe the people aspect — what makes you uniquely you — is becoming the most powerful differentiator and marketing tool.
Whether you sell a product or a service, the person behind it is the foundation of the brand. People connect with people.
3. Keep evolving — and take your customers with you.
The moment we stop learning is the moment we stop living. Keep growing, keep stepping out, keep stepping up.
Dylan is growing, and his customers are growing with him — and that shared journey is what keeps it exciting.
—
Watching his journey has changed how I see business, creativity, and life.
It’s shown me that success isn’t about just strategy or following an action plan and working really hard…
It’s about knowing who you are, showing up fully, and staying curious enough to keep exploring.
Ask yourself:
👉 Where in your life are you holding back from being fully you?
👉 What would happen if you leaned in — even if it scares you?
Because the truth is:
when you step into who you really are,
you can build something extraordinary… without breaking the bank.
Sonja