From a failed apprenticeship to building a £200 million travel empire — Robin Deller’s story is a lesson in grit, creativity, and leadership. As the founder behind multiple global ventures (including partnerships with Virgin Holidays and The Emirates Group), Robin reveals what it really takes to make it big in business — and why honesty, people, and common sense remain his non-negotiables.
In this conversation with Aleksandra, Robin shares how he turned rejection into redirection, built companies from the ground up, and created an international business with offices in the UK, Australia, South Africa, and soon the US.
💼 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
From Apprenticeship to Empire: How a failed apprenticeship and cold-calling job led to founding a global company.
The £65K Leap of Faith: Why borrowing from family created unstoppable drive.
Selling to Giants: What Robin learned from selling to Virgin Holidays and partnering with The Emirates Group.
The Traffic-Light System: His simple yet powerful framework for knowing what to scale, test, or stop.
Hiring by Instinct: Why he ignores CVs and hires based on honesty and gut.
Leadership & Mentorship: How to build trust and loyalty that last decades.
Money & Mindset: How his relationship with money evolved — from survival to purpose.
Non-Negotiables: Why honesty is the foundation of every successful partnership.
🔎 Search Topics in This Episode:
How Robin Deller built a £200M company
Virgin Holidays business acquisition
Emirates Group partnership story
Business growth strategy and leadership
How to start from nothing and scale globally
Traffic-light system for business decisions
Entrepreneurship mindset and resilience
Honesty in leadership and company culture
Hiring and mentoring great people
How to enjoy the journey of success
💬 What’s your take on Robin’s approach to honesty and success? Drop a comment below!
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👤 About the Guest:
Robin Deller is a British entrepreneur and CEO best known as the founder of Imagine Cruising, a global travel company part-owned by The Emirates Group, and previously Fast Track Travel, which he sold to Virgin Holidays. Over 25 years, he has built a £200 million business empire based on honesty, innovation, and mentoring talent across the world.
Connect with Robin on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/robindeller
📢 The views expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect those of Aleksandra, the podcast, or its producers. This podcast is for entertainment only.