Start Up Rank: 40
Revenue: $700,000
Founder(s): Andrew Gideon
Industry: Retail trade
Head Office: New South Wales
Employees: 4
Website: www.tiesandcuffs.com.au
Inspiration for a start-up can come from anywhere. Andrew Gideon's light-bulb moment came when he was groomsmen for his best mate's wedding and was given the task of finding five sets of identical cufflinks.
"I realised from this experience that there was a gap in this market and decided to start a business online from home."
Initially, the business was a hobby. Each evening, Gideo and his wife would rush home from work and see if there were any sales. They quickly found they had struck on a profitably niche, and the couple soon were faced with the challenge of responding to a flood of customer inquires.
"We pride ourselves on excellent customer service, so it was very hard to keep up with the influx of enquiries and to respond and follow up." The pair eventually quit their day jobs and has now taken the business in new areas, including custom products and wholesale.
Just three years later, Gideon's business has annual sales of around $700,000 and Gideon is finally set to move out of his garage and into a new warehouse, where clients will be able to come in and physically see products if they wish.
THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF STARTING YOUR BUSINESS:
"The best part of this business has been watching it grow from something that I first thought would be a hobby and now is something that I am passionate about."
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