Meet Jon and Adam: the friends behind the lighting brand trusted by Cristiano Ronaldo

• Business name: Lighting Legends

• Industry: Outdoor lighting retail

• Founded in: 2020

• Top business product: Business bank account

• Key learning: “The fundamentals remain the same: reliability, quality, and trust.”

Armed with just £300 each, childhood friends Jon Saeed and Adam Wilkins built the foundations for Lighting Legends in a single evening. A few years later, they’re supplying historic landmarks, major retailers and tens of thousands of customers nationwide.

Here’s how they turned a small lockdown experiment into a multi-million-pound business.

You started Lighting Legends during lockdown. What gave you the confidence to take that leap at such an uncertain time?

Lighting Legends was launched during lockdown because, oddly enough, the timing made sense. People were spending more time at home, investing in their gardens, and we could clearly see demand rising for outdoor lighting.

We built the entire business in a single evening with just £300 each. Jon already had experience in website development, so we could move quickly. We had both seen first-hand how disposable most garden lighting had become and wanted to do the opposite: fewer products, better quality, designed to last.

Initially, we planned to drop ship directly from suppliers so we could test a wide range of products without holding stock. That allowed us to validate demand fast, learn what customers actually wanted, and build the foundations of the brand with very little risk.

The business hit £1.6 million turnover in its first year. What drove that growth?

We resisted the temptation to sell everything. Instead, we focused on a small number of core products and obsessed over quality. We knew customer acquisition costs would only rise over time, so retention and reputation mattered more than chasing volume.

Within a month, we built a small office at the bottom of Adam’s garden. Before it was even finished, we had outgrown it. Social media marketing played a huge role early on, allowing us to reach customers across the UK quickly, but what really fuelled growth was repeat business and word of mouth. Customers trusted the products and came back.

How has your approach changed as you’ve scaled?

Drop shipping worked at the beginning, but it became unsustainable quickly. The Amazon Prime effect changed expectations almost overnight. Customers wanted fast delivery, clear communication, and reliability.

We shifted to buying larger quantities from overseas suppliers, which led to a period where we had around five shipping containers sitting in a storage yard while we searched for a permanent base. It was chaotic, but necessary.

Throughout that growth, we stayed focused on knowledgeable, personal customer service. That’s never changed. What has changed is our marketing mix. Privacy changes had a major impact on targeted advertising, forcing us to diversify and rely less on paid acquisition alone. In hindsight, that made the business more resilient.

How did you build credibility with large organisations and landmark sites?

Since 2020 we’ve served over 83,000 direct customers and partnered with major UK retailers including The Range, Rackhams, and more recently B&Q. We deliberately avoid over-reliance on Amazon and focus on driving customers to our own site where we control the experience.

A major turning point came in 2023 when we were invited to Madrid to supply and install lighting at Cristiano Ronaldo’s family home. The project was shared by Georgina Rodriguez to her Instagram audience of over 50 million followers. That exposure opened doors we never could have planned for.

Since then, we’ve worked with multiple high-profile clients and supplied lighting to prestigious locations including Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. The expectations are higher, the margins for error smaller, but the fundamentals remain the same: reliability, quality, and trust.

What have been the biggest operational challenges?

Stock control and cash flow have been the biggest challenges by far. As we moved into designing our own exclusive products, lead times became critical. Production typically takes around 20 days, with a further 45 days for sea freight.

That forced us to build proper forecasting and stock management systems much earlier than we’d anticipated. Moving into permanent premises in 2022 gave us the space and structure to scale properly. It also allowed us to expand our exclusive range, which now drives a significant portion of repeat purchases.

How do you divide responsibilities as co-founders?

We’ve been friends since school, which helped from day one. We understood each other’s strengths and weaknesses long before starting the business.

Jon naturally took responsibility for web development and marketing, while Adam focused on customer service, fulfilment, and operations. As the team has grown, responsibilities have evolved, but we both remain heavily involved in day-to-day decision making. 

What financial products or services have supported you along the way?

In the early days, the most important support came from simple, reliable business banking. During the pandemic it was almost impossible to open a business account with a high street bank, and we needed something that allowed us to move quickly, keep costs low, and clearly separate personal and business finances. Starling was one of the only providers willing to onboard new businesses at the time, which allowed us to start trading immediately.

As the business scaled, short-term working capital became far more important than traditional long-term loans. Stock has always been our biggest investment, and with long production and shipping lead times, cash flow management is critical. We have occasionally used short-term finance facilities to bridge the gap between paying overseas suppliers and receiving customer payments, particularly during peak seasonal periods.

In the early stages we also relied heavily on PayPal for taking payments. That changed abruptly when our rapid growth was flagged as “suspicious”, resulting in over £10,000 of our funds being held for six months. It was a difficult lesson, but it pushed us to diversify payment providers and reduce reliance on any single platform.

We’ve generally avoided over-leveraging the business. Rather than relying heavily on debt, we’ve focused on reinvesting profits, maintaining healthy cash reserves, and using finance as a tool rather than a crutch. That has given us flexibility during periods of rapid growth and resilience when external conditions changed unexpectedly.

One example was at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when we had stock held in Belarus. We were forced to arrange emergency air freight at significant cost, which heavily impacted margins, but ensured continuity of supply and protected the brand and customer experience. In moments like that, access to cash and sensible financial planning mattered far more than short-term profitability.

What’s been your proudest moment so far?

There have been plenty of memorable moments, but the proudest was being chosen to supply the lighting for the Guinness World Record largest Christmas tree at Cragside, a National Trust property in Northumberland.

Standing beneath the tree and knowing our lights were trusted for a project of that scale and visibility was a real milestone. It was not just about the size of the installation, but what it represented. A heritage organisation like the National Trust placing confidence in a business that started during lockdown was hugely validating.

More than anything, it stood out because it marked the point where Lighting Legends moved from being a fast-growing online retailer to a trusted supplier for nationally significant projects.

This case study is for informational purposes only and is not intended as financial or professional advice. The results described are specific to the individual’s personal experience, so please consult with a qualified professional if you need financial advice.