1. When you're developing a new product, where do you start — the customer, the trend, the price point or the product itself?

2. How do you spot trends early, and how do you distinguish a genuine commercial opportunity from social-media hype?

3. How important is speed to market, and how do you balance speed with getting the product right?

4. What do major retail buyers actually look for in a product or brand, and how do you get their attention?

5. How do you work backwards from a retail price to decide whether a product is commercially viable?

6. How should brands think about margin — and what costs do people commonly overlook?

7. How do you decide between ordering small quantities to test something and committing to volume for a better cost price?

8. What's the biggest mistake brands make with inventory, and how do you manage the risk of getting your forecast wrong?

9. When does licensing genuinely add value to a product, and what separates great licensed product from simply putting a famous character on something?

10. What data do you pay attention to when deciding what products to repeat, expand or discontinue?

11. If someone gave you £20,000 to launch a new consumer brand today, how would you spend it— and what would you definitely not spend it on?

12. If you had to reduce everything you've learned about successful product development to three rules, what would they be?