Derek “Del Boy” Trotter, the crafty yet lovable entrepreneur from sitcom Only Fools and Horses, demonstrates some surprisingly good business ideas.
As the founder of Trotters Independent Traders, Peckham’s finest son in the long-running BBC series is known for his charm, wit and often risky business ventures. “He who dares, Rodney!”
A market trader who famously buys unusable goods, he has many ups and downs during the show’s 64 episodes and specials, as he and younger brother Rodney attempt to make their fortune. His famous motto, “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires!” finally comes true, after 14 years’ hard work.
Del Boy learns many valuable lessons along the way, including a lot that can be shared with business leaders of today. The series began in 1981, when Del Boy (David Jason) was a young man looking after Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) following their mother’s death. With his elderly grandad (Lennard Pearce) to care for too, he begins to dream of a future away from the hardships of living in a high-rise tower block with little money. Persistence, calculated risk taking and thinking outside the box pay off eventually, helping Del Boy realise his dreams.
Networking skills
Anyone who thinks Derek Trotter isn’t an example of a bona fide entrepreneur should focus on one of his main skills – networking in London. Every business person today recognises this crucial part of their growth strategy.
Ambitious 21st century entrepreneurs can benefit from modern workspaces such as serviced offices in London, where the amenities are designed to actively encourage collaboration and provide networking opportunities.
In the early 1980s, traders such as Del Boy had to rely on their wits and charm to meet the right people, proactively seeking out and introducing themselves to clients and business contacts who could boost trade. Without the advantages of a well-equipped office, the internet, social media and other technology to enhance his marketing, Del had the options of calling contacts via a landline, or pounding the pavements to put his products out there.
He had many ideas for a “nice little earner” that usually depended on contacting the right people. For example, in 1991, he buys a job lot of fax machines, marketing them to potential customers as receiving “faxes from Rome, Toronto and New York”. This persuades Mike, landlord at the Nag’s Head pub, to buy one.
The resulting chain of events leads to Del Boy outwitting his nemesis, the despised former policeman Roy Slater, with his skills at networking and bluffing also helping his future wife, Raquel, to win a fair divorce settlement.
Persistence
He isn’t afraid of failure: Del’s persistence in carrying on and overcoming adversity eventually result in massive success. Only Fools and Horses is a prime example of a determined entrepreneur dusting himself off and starting all over again if things go wrong.
Back in 1982, he thought he had struck lucky when his girlfriend inherited a chain of launderettes and two tons of washing powder. However, his dream of running his own business empire soon went sour after his girlfriend dumped him.
On another occasion, he invests in hundreds of cheap boxes of five-year-old Beaujolais Nouveau wine and thinks he’s going to make a fortune. Unfortunately, not only was the wine white, rather than a true Beaujolais red, but it should also have been consumed within six months. Undeterred, he puts it down to experience and starts looking for the next business opportunity.
Thinking outside the box
Del Boy has the ability to see potential in ideas that other traders might miss. For example, in 1990, he bulk buys a job lot of children’s baby dolls, but discovers they sing lullabies in Chinese, despite being labelled “made in Britain” for the UK market. Undaunted, he still believes he can sell them, as they’re beautiful dolls that any child would love – and after all, babies can’t talk, so they won’t care!
Using his excellent talents as a street trader, he spiels to the curious crowd, “These dolls are the most life-like ever made. They drink, wet themselves, speak, cry – and when they’re 13, they’ll want to go to Bros concerts!” referring to the most popular chart-topping boy band of the day.
Know when to take risks
He’s undoubtedly a wheeler dealer, but in business, it’s important to know when to get in – and most importantly, when to get out. Through his years’ experience, he realises it can be disastrous if you get either of these things wrong, as proven in the infamous episode where he buys a trailer full of dolls at a knockdown price. However, he discovers the “too good to be true” deal was indeed … well, too good to be true!
He realises they’re not kids’ toys, as he thought, but are sub-standard inflatable dolls that have been factory recalled due to being potentially hazardous. After hearing they’ve been accidentally filled with gas that explodes if it reaches a certain temperature, Del realises it’s beyond even his powers to sell them on.
Cue one of the most hilarious scenes in history when he and Rodney remove the dolls from their flat by disguising them as senior citizens to avoid alerting the neighbours. Driving off with them in the back of the van, Del and Rodders throw them onto waste ground, where they explode with just seconds to spare!
Charm
Being like Del Boy in business means exhibiting one vital characteristic. While he has hundreds of bright ideas and has been known to buy questionable goods that don’t do everything the packaging suggests, he is never rude, arrogant, overbearing or insensitive. He does everything with charm – the key to his dealings with customers and business contacts.
Deep down, he’s also honest, which is a vital part of running any business to ensure your reputation doesn’t suffer. His continual optimism and the belief that his dream of becoming a millionaire will happen one day is one of Del’s most likeable traits.
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