Ireland has a Little Secret
Apologies I haven’t updated my blog until now. In truth once the Dragons’ Den series finished on air I needed to take a break, not a vacation, a break from all the Dragons’ Den work to give sometime to my other businesses. Having said that I am still quite busy giving talks to companies, Chambers of Commerce, Business Associations and so on.
One such event was the Kilcock Business Association. There was a huge turnout in the GAA Club. Picture the scene, a massive hall, a type of indoor basketball arena and trestle tables of ten sitting down. Inside the hall they had cleverly erected the gauze line you see in a marquee so with the very large crowd and the cavernous feel of a basketball arena modified by the marquee lining I started my talk.
When I was finished, as always, I was happy to meet the long queue of people who wanted just a couple of minutes to say hello and ask a bit of advice about their own business. I always love meeting people and many flatter me, wanting a photograph or ask me to sign something for them.
I met Grace O’Sullivan in the queue. She looked like any other young, enthusiastic, business woman. She told me about her business. This was a very different business. I had noticed her business cards on all the tables in the hall earlier. She has an online company offering adult toys. I was amazed. Here we were in a GAA hall in Kilcock and Grace was advertising adult toys. Kilcock though it is on Dublin city’s doorstep, is still one of those old villages and despite its rapid growth in recent years, is still quaintly rural.
I thought to myself, wow how Ireland has changed. As I drove home I smiled to myself thinking about turning the clock back 25 years and what might have been the reaction to Grace’s business cards and flyers in 1985 or even go back to 1975. She would have been castigated from the pulpit. For me it is just another sign of how our society has evolved. I was so intrigued by Grace’s story that I asked her to write a few words for the blog telling the story of how she got into this business and here it is.
I started my research and phone calls to sell Equestrian Goods online. However, it seemed that the wholesalers are not too interested in making money as I could not get them to agree to a minimum order lower than £500 (€580, not including shipping!). I was totally disheartened, but still determined.
In early January I was searching for wholesalers online and somehow (I doubt it was divine intervention), I happened across a very good and flexible wholesaler of adult goods. After a little pang of conscience I started to research the industry and in less than a week I was selling adult toys online.
SecretsIreland.com has become a fun and enjoyable business to run. Adult toys are as individual as the people that I sell them too. The range has to be vast and there are some toys out there that I didn’t even know existed. There is nothing more fun that selling the toys that I sell, I also get the pleasure of telling people what I do and their reactions are hilarious… men blush very easily.
Even though I set up everything very quickly, I did and still am taking baby steps to build the company. For some people getting a business started, particularly online, it can be very frightening but if you work with good developers, SEO advisors and suppliers then you will find it easier. Do your research before setting up and see if you can avoid high rental costs with a retail or storage premises first. Also, don’t forge your plan may have to be change to suit the business environment be flexible and willing to change, take advice and listen to the mad ideas that friends may have. You may also go from Wellies to Whips like I did.
Thanks to Bang Ecommerce for setting up a Free Ecommerce site for me, Ring John for their SEO support and Mark Loud for his general website advice. Grace.