What does your employer do? What merchandise offerings does it provide?
SilkFred is a one-stop-keep for impartial style manufacturers to promote their merchandise, and for on-line buyers to find out them.
What merchandise offerings does it provide?
SilkFred is a platform that allows impartial style manufacturers to efficiently promote their merchandise.
Through presenting e-trade shops for our manufacturers, and a presence on their precise market platform, SilkFred powers over one hundred forty precise style designers.
For style lovers, locating precise style at an less expensive charge is difficult. SilkFred connects cool impartial manufacturers with clients who like to find out them.
Where did the concept to your enterprise come from?
When I became running at a luxurious e-tailer, I became stimulated through the ever-developing pool of innovative skills among style designers in London and all around the world. A buddy of mine (now my enterprise partner) requested me for my recommendation on a younger style emblem a chum of his had invested in that wasn’t absolutely running. That’s whilst we commenced to consider younger designers who may want to now promote on-line however didn’t recognize the proper manner to marketplace themselves or gift their merchandise on-line.
We set out on a task to create a vacation spot in which buyers may want to faucet into this developing network of precise impartial style manufacturers, at the same time as presenting the manufacturers with the assist they needed.
When did you begin up, and what assist have been you given?
We released SilkFred in January 2012 with angel funding. Once we constructed our era and were given a few designers to apply it, we realised we had to increase a few cash to spend money on advertising and begin making a few noise. We took out a begin-up mortgage of £10,000 to assist cowl jogging charges at the same time as we released crowd-investment marketing campaign on Crowdcube, wherein we raised £145,000.
What has been your largest success so far?
The Crowdcube marketing campaign became a actual turning factor for SilkFred in that we were given funding we had to develop the enterprise. Currently we’re beating our projections in our marketing strategy and experiencing explosive increase in phrases of income and new designers looking to enroll in us.
We additionally regarded on ITV, Sky News, hosted John Bercow and the Digital Democracy Commission for a excursion of tech city, met with George Osborne and Matthew Hancock at No.eleven and have been invited to the Royal Garden Parties in reputation of our assist for the Business is GREAT Britain marketing campaign.
Aside from that, understanding that we’re a begin-up enterprise this is powering the achievement of over one hundred forty style designers is quite special. It’s occurring increasingly that once I’m out and approximately, I see ladies carrying the garments from our designers and it’s super that there’s an urge for food for precise style over the run of the mill excessive road garments. I as soon as went as much as a woman and requested her in which she were given her get dressed from and he or she said “Oh my god, it’s the good internet site ever – it’s known as SilkFred!” That became a absolutely proud moment.
What has been the largest assignment so far?
Running a begin-up way there are demanding situations each day. One of our largest demanding situations has been preserving up with how quick we’re developing each from a era angle, and customer support angle. But we’re 100% targeted on presenting the first-class revel in for the designers whose corporations we assist and the clients that keep with us.
How could you assert you differentiate your self from the competition?
We absolutely recognize a way to promote impartial style and interact our clients with the goods from the designers that promote with us. We additionally get the demanding situations that impartial style designers face and the whole lot from our service, era and advertising is geared in the direction of that understanding. We have the good, precise manufacturers due to the fact we make investments time in cultivating relationships with them meaning they could develop along us.
What has been the first-class selection you’ve got got made to-date?
It’s so critical to have the proper group in location and I suppose constructing a way of life in which humans consider in what you’re doing, and in which you intend to be, is key. I’m absolutely fortunate I even have the sort of gifted and devoted group withinside the trenches with me.
Where do you notice the enterprise in 12 months’ time?
We’ll be international! Growing fast, presenting greater sources to assist impartial style manufacturers get their merchandise to marketplace.
What recommendation could you deliver to different entrepreneurs?
Learn to be resilient – it’s tough! Surround your self with the proper humans, mentors, advisors and investors. You need so that it will choose up the telecellsmartphone while you want recommendation or assist creating a huge selection.
What do you discover maximum pleasurable approximately jogging a enterprise?
Knowing that you’re constructing some thing of cost and it’s precise. When a clothier or a purchaser shall we us recognize that they love running/ buying with us or whilst a remarkable investor receives in the back of us and our concept, it’s the first-class feeling.
