Tell us what your business does
Art of Greetings is an online greeting card boutique specialising in elegant & unusual greeting cards for customers who appreciate style but don’t want the hassle of buying cards.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
I tried to buy a birthday card for my best friend on the 12th Feb and all I could find was shops filled with Valentine Cards: I decided there and then that there had to be a better way.
Have you always wanted to run your own business?
Like many business people and entrepreneurs, I am almost unemployable (I’ve tried). Being my own boss was my only option. Even when I have worked for someone else, I have always thought of them as my biggest and best customer, never as my boss.
What planning did you do before you started up?
Art of Greetings developed over a year and has changed completely. I was immensely fortunate to find a web design company (Netflare.co.uk) who took
an interest in the business and helped me develop it.
While they developed my site, I attended their ‘Jumpsite’ marketing seminars. It was one of the best investments I made: had it not been for their advice, feedback & support I don’t think my business would have survived its first year.
How did you raise the money?
Raising the start up capital through the banks was almost impossible. Banks would compare me to Moonpig.com, but would refuse funding. I wasn’t asking for very much money, so maybe had I asked for much more I would have been luckier. I financed my business myself with the help of a few credit cards and savings.
Last Christmas was a very busy time for us; although we were always in the black and showing a good profit I approached my business bank, Barclays, and asked for a very small buffer/overdraft as stock was coming in almost as quickly as it was going out…they still refused, so I left Barclays and moved my accounts elsewhere.
How did you find suppliers?
I found all my suppliers from going to trade shows. Some flatly refused to supply me at first, others ‘got me’ and offered much more than just product.
How have you promoted your business?
One of the ways that I have promoted my business is through editorials. Fortunately we’ve had some lovely articles written about us. Our products are promoted using Ad Words which is expensive.
How much do you charge?
From the start I decided not to compete on price – this doesn’t help my suppliers or my business. What I do is make sure that Art of Greetings provides the best customer service possible. Just because we’re online, doesn’t mean that we can’t offer good, traditional service.
What has your growth been like?
Year one was tough then all of a sudden orders started to pour in. By the end of year one we were showing ‘a’ profit, and we’ve grown every month since then. We are breaking milestones all the time, and have exceeded our rather cautious business plan, which now gets amended monthly. Of course profit is important, but the fact that many of our customers are return customers means we are doing something right.
What was your first big breakthrough?
Our first naturally found sale. The value was small, but the fact the customer left an order comment saying how nice the site was meant the absolute world to me.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
There will never be the perfect moment to start your business; you’ll never find the perfect business to start so just go out and do it. Be adaptable all the way and start promoting early.
Where do you want to be in five years’ time?
I want to still be involved in Art of Greetings in 5 years time and intend having a high street presence by then.
