Could business collaborations be the way forward for start-ups
With start-ups taking the UK by storm, entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to expand their businesses. Modish Living, a Brighton based company, launched their e-commerce website back in the summer of 2013, selling handcrafted furniture made from reclaimed and sustainable wood.
After seeking out wholesale businesses to buy the furniture from, this traditional route to market proved to be highly competitive and fraught with difficulties.
“Many wholesale businesses refused to supply us furniture, due to us being solely Internet based” says Chris Barlow, Co-founder of Modish Living. “There are many drop-shippers out there who are set up to support small online businesses, however the pricing is driven down by some of the big players, making it very hard to work on these tight margins” say Barlow.
The boom of independent businesses across the UK has meant the founders of Modish Living have found alternative opportunities to expand their online store. With the increased popularity of reclaimed wood furniture, Modish Living have found more workshops have recently started up, including Jam Furniture who are now one of their partners.
“The benefit of these collaborations is that the customer gets a better deal, and we all become stronger when working together” Says Barlow. “The craftsmen get to focus on making furniture, and we get to focus on marketing and selling this to the customer without all the additional costs that are normally associated with selling furniture”.
The products are made to order and go straight from the workshop to the customer’s home. Without any middlemen, warehousing costs or high street stores to pay for, this new model delivers good craftsmanship at an affordable price for the customer.
Press contact: Hellen Barlow, Co-founder
Company: Modish Living
T: 07808 921029
E: hellen@modishliving.co.uk
www.modishliving.co.uk