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Business founders/entrepreneurs

How to sell online personalised stationery business

30 replies

rak5a · 03/05/2023 07:43

In 2019 I set up an online personalised stationery business - wedding invitations, birth announcements, Christmas cards, notepads and notecards, etc. I took a huge leap and invested a big chunk of my inheritance in starting it up and it took off really well. I launched in Sept 2019 and I was doing wedding fairs and online marketing and it was starting to show promise. Then of course COVID hit. All weddings and events cancelled and no idea when they would start back up. I had to go back to full-time work and that took off so my little business was sidelined. I finally decided I had to sell it and I just have no idea where to do so. I don’t even want much money for it - just a tiny amount compared to what’s been invested in the site and all the designs, but of course the accounts show no profit so no “business selling” companies are interested.

It’s the perfect little passion project as you simply find a local print partner to do the production and customers design themselves on the website so it’s just a matter of pretty packaging and dispatch. But it needs someone who has time and knowledge to market it. It just kills me to have to shut it down.

Does anyone know of any genuine sites or contacts to offer the business for sale?

OP posts:
rak5a · 25/05/2023 08:50

And please, don't anyone worry about further advice as I have taken the decision to wind it up and the website has now been taken offline. I don't think it's possible to close a thread for comments, so thought I'd put this here!

OP posts:
Flopsythebunny · 25/05/2023 09:07

I'm sorry that you couldn't make it work op.
The website was very expensive, but it sounds like it did what you wanted it to do. It's a shame that you couldn't re start the business

yepgoingforarun · 25/05/2023 09:18

Op you spent £35k on a website for a start up small niche business with very limited profit potential even if it did take off

Trust me - you were fleeced OR you had a shit-load of spare cash and poured it into a unnecessary state of the art website.

I oversaw a website build for a very successful (14 years) local independent online (plus 4 shops) interior business. £18k and it was superb and did the job plus more besides

FinallyHere · 25/05/2023 10:42

you simply find a local print partner to do the production and customers design themselves on the website so it’s just a matter of pretty packaging and dispatch.

I'm not immediately convinced that this is a successful business model. What is the unique selling point that differentiated your business for all the other people doing this?

What are the barriers to entry for a new entrant to the market, which stops someone else coming along?

Do your clients tend to be one-offs or do you get repeat business, so that your client list might be worth having?

Sorry, OP, I've read your update. Investing £35k in a website ouch

Chewbecca · 25/05/2023 11:51

I suspect £35k was the right cost for the work / effort that went into developing the website.

The doubt is whether it was the right investment decision - was it likely to pay back. I mean, it didn't so the answer is No, but these sorts of websites could if you have that extra something or enter the market at just the right time, or the marketing is unique and it becomes cult etc.

I'm sorry you haven't been able to find a way to make it work.

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