Business, According to John
Good Times?
Jetting off FIRST class on Holidays The Fundamentals?
Making a profit Managing your cash Keeping your team
Keeping your customers and suppliers happy
Giving back to the community Management Style?
I run a beneficial dictatorship. I listen to everyone but then we do as I say.
Definition Of A Successful Entrepreneur?
Someone who gets things done and watches the accounts (boring but essential)
Typical Day? Turn up and do things!
Photo - John Sollars Share This Magazine!
Starting his ink business was tough. It was hard work and there was a huge learning curve, just trying to understand the market. John turned over 92,000 pounds in the first year and made an operating loss of 30,000 pounds in 6 months. Nine years on and he has a 3 million turnover, 14 employees. He had stellar growth last year with 60%. He has worked out he has 4% market share of the ink industry and wants to raise that up to 6% to start nudging his strongest competitor- who has 8.5% market share. John proudly says “We are always chipping away at the top players and trying to edge them out…And of course we like to think we do everything better than them.”
John is committed to constant improvement. Software, processes and systems are a crucial part of an online business. You need to able to deliver on what you promise your customers. John offers an uncompromising guarantee to his customers: “When I started I was absolutely committed to delivering products the next day. We have a guarantee that if you order before 4pm, it will be delivered the next day or your money back. Over half of our business is repeat business because of that level of service we give to our customers.”
The business is an internet business. The
StinkyInk.com website is THE outlet John sells from. So, he is focused on driving, maintaining and marketing his website. John managed to grow the business through organic search optimisation and maintaining a website that Google and other search engines will love. Google gives him 95% of his website visitors. John is a keen advocate of the power of the Internet, eager to share his views. “It is absolutely the best place to be. Customers come to you. The internet means cash upfront, cash in the bank. It makes it easier to manage your overheads and make a good profit,” he says.
As far as advice goes, John says new Internet businesses can’t just stick up a website and ignore it. “You have to drive it. If you’re not, then you will just wither.’ He has 4 to 5 writers who feed his business blog regularly. The blog gets about 500 views every day. He also stays abreast of what Google needs to keep his website to top search results. His efforts drive 7000 visitors per day to the website. He also loves Twitter, but somehow seems to lack conviction that Facebook is the right platform to market his business. “We use Twitter extensively, not so much to advertise but to engage with people. I really like it… Facebook, we struggle with, who is going to like ink?” says John.
John has always been committed to building a sustainable business that could grow organically without external help or funding and that’s what he has done.
f t In 19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72