Brother & Sister On Track To Make £1 Million With Quirky Gift Company
- Brother and sister Katie and Evan started their business with £50 between them
- The pair could only afford £20 a week for budget groceries in the beginning
- During COVID they were selling their belongings to keep the company afloat
- Now the business is on track to make £1 million
With so many online businesses out there, how do you make sure yours stands out? One successful set of siblings reveals the answer - it’s all down to hard work and never giving up, even when the going gets tough.
Katie Williams & Evan Townsend, aged 28 and 34 from Liverpool, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk about how they turned their business into a roaring success.
‘Our business Arrow Gift Co started out purely as a way of paying our bills. From there, it grew organically as we found our niche and discovered a passion for creating a more unique range of greeting cards and gifts.
‘We started out with about £50 between us in the bank. We began selling digital printable files on Etsy as we had no money to invest in printers or machinery.
‘After a lot of hard work and saving every penny we could, we were eventually able to purchase our first printer, which is when things really started.
‘We could only afford to purchase the most basic equipment, which made production extremely slow. We also had no space to work out of - our greeting card printer was sat in the middle of Katie’s living room and we’d work from the dining table in her one-bed flat.
‘As we began to grow, the workload became a lot to handle - at Christmas time we’d be so busy that we’d start making orders at 7am and wouldn’t stop until around 3am the next morning, then we’d wake up and start it all over again!’
Both siblings were working traditional jobs before they launched their business. Katie said: ‘I spent years working various office jobs, but had to leave work due to my struggling mental health. Creating our business gave me the freedom to prioritise my mental wellbeing, which is something I’ll never take for granted!’
Evan added: ‘I worked as an optical lab technician for 15 years and eventually quit to help run this business and become a director of the company.’
They continued: ‘The driving force behind our company as a whole is simply providing jobs for our family.’
Katie chimed in: ‘I hand-draw all of our designs and artwork. We have a lot of silly and fun designs, so my work day is never boring! It’s easy for me to stay motivated and passionate when I truly enjoy my job.’
In the beginning, the duo struggled. ‘The first few years of running the business were extremely difficult - we couldn’t afford to cover our rent and monthly bills. We would work all day and night just to keep the lights on.
‘During this time, we had nothing in our personal bank accounts and would withdraw £20 each from our Etsy store per week just to get some shopping in.
‘After the COVID lockdown we found ourselves struggling financially - we were literally selling our personal belongings and furniture from our home just to keep the business afloat.
‘Over the last year or two we have worked hard to restructure the business and we’re now making six figures and even looking to expand into larger premises and hiring more staff!
‘It was a very long journey to get to the point we’re at now. Although we’d always have seasonal peaks where we’d make a little more money, the day-to-day was often a struggle for years.
‘In the past year we’ve seen our hard work pay off and have managed to grow the business to the point where we have a very steady income all year round. We’ve now sold over 260,000 products on Etsy alone!
‘Sales have gone up as we’ve moved our focus to a much more affordable range of cards/gifts.
Our small business wouldn’t exist without the customers who return to us again and again, so we want to make sure that people can always find something perfect for themselves in our store, regardless of their budget.
‘Our main inspiration is our Mum, her strong work ethics and relentless “never give up” attitude has been what’s kept us going throughout a lot of the struggles and lows of running our business.
‘The three of us run the company together and we could never have been in the position we are now without her.
‘Our business currently runs out of two industrial units but we’re quickly outgrowing them and are now looking to expand.
‘As well as us 3 directors, we also employ Katie’s husband, Evan’s fiancée and our brother. We’re also in the process of hiring more people to join our team!
‘In the first few years we weren’t making any profit, we just about made enough money to keep things going.
‘We’re now making six figures and are on track to break £1 million this year.
‘Our advice for people looking to start their own business would be to put realistic expectations on yourself. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to just start - don’t overthink the tiny details.
‘Make sure you research the market and figure out who your customers are, don’t be afraid to find a niche!’
Evan revealed that Katie is seeing success in her personal life as well as at work. ‘Katie is pregnant with her first child, due September, with her husband Lee who also works with us at our business.’
Katie said: ‘I'm so relieved that after years of focusing purely on growing the business, we’re finally in a position where things are stable enough to start a family.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: 'Katie and Evan's journey is a testament to the power of resilience, passion, and unwavering determination. They started with just £50 and faced numerous obstacles along the way, but they never gave up.
'Their story reminds us that success comes to those who are willing to put in the hard work and believe in their dreams, no matter the circumstances.'
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Well done to Katie and Evan for inventing something so simple and turning it into a successful business. I might invent something similar to this.