Small Business Saturday Blog
From babygrows to beer kits
Friday, November 05, 2021 at 05:00
Bev and Andy Toogood tell us how the Brexit referendum result caused them to pivot their business and how selling on Amazon has allowed them to find new customers and keep going throughout the turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bev and Andy have been selling on Amazon for 14 years. Their original business, Little Sunflowers, was an award-winning independent children's clothing and gift shop, which rated the UK's top childrenswear and gift shop according to Trustpilot and won the prestigious Online Retail Awards – twice!
Bev told us: “We started selling on Amazon about a year after we opened our childrenswear shop, so around 2005. We started selling on Amazon initially to simply reach a wider audience as we were only small: at this stage, online shopping hadn't really taken off. When Amazon started their fulfilment service (Amazon FBA) in 2008, they offered us some amazing deals to get started, so we had a lot of stock in their warehouses from quite early on. This meant that not only were we reaching a wider audience, we were now able to use Amazon to pick, pack and send our orders, which meant we effectively had another shop without needing to recruit more staff or take on other premises.”
Little Sunflowers had a large European customer base, and in 2016, after the Brexit referendum result, Bev and Andy took the difficult decision to close down the business, as they foresaw that there would be too many issues for them to continue to sell in Europe.
They decided to start selling homebrew kits and ingredients locally: they have an interest in home brewing themselves, and are based in Horam in East Sussex, the original home of the Merrydown Cider Factory, where a lot of local residents used to work at the factory and brew at home. As the home brew business took off, they closed down their children’s clothing business, although there was a brief cross over period: Bev told us “For a while we were selling beer kits and babygrows, which was interesting!”
Bev and Andy now run Almost Off Grid, an independent business that sells home brewing supplies plus gifts, kitchenware and equipment and ingredients for cheese making, sourdough, kombucha, kefir and more. They told us: “We set up our homebrew business on Amazon, both FBA and marketplace, from day 1 and continue to sell both ways, which enables us to sell more with just the two of us. Nowadays the Amazon FBA set-up is much bigger, and we hold a great deal of stock there. We also sell on Amazon as a marketplace seller which has always worked well for us. It works equally well for our current business as it did for our old one.”
Bev explained how they run their business with Amazon. “As an Amazon seller, you can sell on Amazon in two ways and we do both: we fulfil our stock to Amazon, plus we sell ourselves on Amazon as a marketplace seller.”
She explains: “When you fulfil through Amazon (known as Amazon FBA), you send your stock to the Amazon Warehouse and they pick, pack and ship to the customer on your behalf. For example, this is one of our Amazon FBA listings: you’ll see that the wording says dispatches by Amazon, sold by Almost Off Grid, which means the seller is sending their stock to Amazon, who are sending it on their behalf. As a small business with only two of us, fulfilling to Amazon allows us almost to clone ourselves. We can send hundreds of packets of, say, yeast to Amazon to sell on our behalf in one box, rather than posting out to multiple customers.”
Bev continues: “We also send direct to customers as a marketplace seller. This means that you sell your product on Amazon, but you ship it from your own premises rather than Amazon fulfilling it for you. For example, this is one of our marketplace listings: here, the wording says dispatches by Almost Off Grid, sold by Almost Off Grid, which means it is a marketplace seller.”
Would they recommend selling on Amazon to other small businesses? Bev told us: “Absolutely! We have worked with other small shops helping them to get started on Amazon, because we're passionate about the benefits. Amazon gets a very bad press in the media on the basis that they are killing small businesses. But were it not for Amazon, many small businesses we know would not still be here – particularly over the past 18 months when shops couldn't open. We have learned an awful lot about ecommerce from Amazon without having to make the investment ourselves, and we are able to use their infrastructure to our advantage. Our latest venture is self publishing homebrewing books and journals through Amazon too on a print-on-demand basis, which fits perfectly with what we do.”
Bev adds: “My advice to small businesses is: open an Amazon selling account and get going. No matter how good you are with Google Adwords, no matter how much you spend on advertising, no matter how many local customers you have, you can grow your sales far more easily through Amazon. The FBA business is, in effect, another revenue stream which means you don't need as many sales in your main business to keep cash flowing. The benefits far, far outweigh the problems we've had over the 14 years we have worked with them. I would go so far as to say that our little shop owes Amazon a great deal. Embrace the opportunity!”
Categories:
- Inspire Series (1)
- Monday Seller Success With Ebay (8)
- Small Biz 100 (1)
- Small Business Saturday Uk Champion (2)
- Smallbiz100 (8)
Latest Posts:
- Spice up your life5 Weeks Ago
- The cycle continues11 Weeks Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2024?6 Months Ago
- Saying cheese in Prestatyn13 Months Ago
- Hitting the sweet spot in Bucks and Oxon13 Months Ago
- Telford’s Lean Green Eco Machine13 Months Ago
- We all scream for ice cream13 Months Ago
- #SmallBiz100 Joco returns to its roots13 Months Ago
- Coming in from the cold in central London13 Months Ago
- Bitten by the bug in East Sussex13 Months Ago
- Still rocking in Southend on Sea14 Months Ago
- Nobody's fool14 Months Ago
- 16 years of love in Ipswich14 Months Ago
- Small businesses celebrated at the Blue Tie Ball14 Months Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2023?19 Months Ago
- Zero to hero in Nottingham2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: That Vintage Football Shirt2 Years Ago
- Rock on in Southend on Sea2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Purrfect Cat Gifts2 Years Ago
- One love, one heart on Ipswich’s high street2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Hampers by Lauren2 Years Ago
- Good graces in Bristol and Bath2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Top Dog2 Years Ago
- Weigh to go in Northwich2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Handpicked Penrith2 Years Ago
- Holy cow in Westmorland2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: The game is afoot2 Years Ago
- All fired up and ready to go in Gerrards Cross2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Meteorite Man2 Years Ago
- Dorset's Ice Cream Appreciation Society2 Years Ago
- Monday Seller Success Story with eBay: Giddy Goats Toys2 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 celebrated at the Blue Tie Event2 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2022?2 Years Ago
- From field to fork – making the most of Cheshire’s local produce3 Years Ago
- Sustainable living with BLANC3 Years Ago
- Pizza power3 Years Ago
- In the good books3 Years Ago
- From babygrows to beer kits3 Years Ago
- Smile and say cheese3 Years Ago
- The perfect planner for when you didn’t plan for this3 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2021?3 Years Ago
- Feeling lighter than air at The Float Spa4 Years Ago
- At the cutting edge of local community4 Years Ago
- Sewing the seeds of success in Scotland4 Years Ago
- Joco's leap of faith pays off4 Years Ago
- No messing around! How Tom Foolery Coffee Company pivoted during the pandemic4 Years Ago
- How Mandira’s Kitchen has its eye on spicing up your freezer4 Years Ago
- Wild about keeping it local and healthy in Bristol4 Years Ago
- Award winning small business announced at Blue Tie celebration4 Years Ago
- Free leadership training for SME leaders delivered by leading Business Schools4 Years Ago
- Six things you can do in your business right now4 Years Ago
- How can my employees return to work safely and legally after Covid-19?4 Years Ago
- What is it really like being a #SmallBiz100? – Stamptastic spill the beans4 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2020?4 Years Ago
- Why embracing technology should be your New Year resolution4 Years Ago
- Starting a new business: financial tips for start ups5 Years Ago
- A helpful guide to data protection for small businesses5 Years Ago
- From architect to artisan at the Dumfries Larder5 Years Ago
- Putting down new Roots in Abergele5 Years Ago
- How Amazon is helping one woman tackle taboos and period poverty5 Years Ago
- Creating a community: What it means to be a small business5 Years Ago
- Building an enabling bridge, brick by brick5 Years Ago
- Get ready to rock with Rockit5 Years Ago
- How to create an event for Small Business Saturday UK5 Years Ago
- Jampacked with passion: the local cinema that’s giving back5 Years Ago
- Celebrating the North East’s cycle stars5 Years Ago
- Don’t know what to write about? 9 ideas for your next business newsletter, blog or social media post5 Years Ago
- Take a butcher’s at the first of the #SmallBiz100 20195 Years Ago
- 7 essential growth tips that small businesses need to know5 Years Ago
- Making a great first impression: photography & small business5 Years Ago
- Strength in numbers5 Years Ago
- How to choose the right pricing strategy for your business5 Years Ago
- How taking matters into her own hands led to huge success for Revival Retro5 Years Ago
- 5 content ideas every small business needs5 Years Ago
- The Flour Pot Bakery's secret to success5 Years Ago
- How to harness the power of Instagram and drive your business forward - the GB Labels way5 Years Ago
- Making Tax Digital is here! What does it mean for your business?5 Years Ago
- How we should champion success for International Women's Day5 Years Ago
- Step aside Mystery Shopper scheme - hello new Public Procurement Review Service!5 Years Ago
- The top three causes of entrepreneur burnout and how to avoid it5 Years Ago
- Get a great digital ad for your business for just £50, and help tomorrow’s entrepreneurs learn with iDEA!5 Years Ago
- Badge Your Brilliance with iDEA5 Years Ago
- How to make your Christmas the most successful yet!6 Years Ago
- Life in the fast Laine6 Years Ago
- Small businesses shine at launch of Silver iDEA Award St James's Palace6 Years Ago
- Local and sustainable is winning formula for SmallBiz100 Hays Hampers6 Years Ago
- Red Herring Games – Case Study6 Years Ago
- Keeping Up With The Tylers: How To Move With The Times6 Years Ago
- Making our own kind of music at the Blue Tie Ball6 Years Ago
- How to guest blog (and look like you know what you’re doing)6 Years Ago
- How to market your small business on a budget6 Years Ago
- Top summer marketing tips!6 Years Ago
- Purposely: embedding purpose into the heart of your small business6 Years Ago
- A ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ for Britain’s small businesses6 Years Ago
- Five ways to make your business successful in five years!6 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Mooch revive the local high street6 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a SmallBiz100 2018?6 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Julu on design, manufacturing, and building an online business with friends6 Years Ago
- Small Business Champion Series From Rich Brady ... Setting Business Goals6 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Techsixtyfour on how to successfully build an online business6 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Frequently Asked Questions6 Years Ago
- Small Business Champion Series from Rich Brady...Putting the Family into Family Business6 Years Ago
- Exporting - not just for the big!6 Years Ago
- Can Giving Really Be Good for a Small Business? Spoiler: Yes!6 Years Ago
- Let's get organised....6 Years Ago
- Is your business leaking money?6 Years Ago
- Podcasting - The Ultimate How-To Guide - Part 26 Years Ago
- Setting BIG goals – why do it and how to go about it6 Years Ago
- International Women's Day 20186 Years Ago
- 9 tips for Business Success - it's all about love.6 Years Ago
- Demystifying LinkedIn for Small Businesses6 Years Ago
- 10 Top Money Tips for Small Businesses6 Years Ago
- Organising a Small Business Event - Tips from the Experts6 Years Ago
- 12 Top Tips for Micro-businesses6 Years Ago
- ACCA on board the Small Business Saturday Bus Tour7 Years Ago
- Is Britain Becoming a Cashless Society?7 Years Ago
- Small Business Spotlight - How Technology Can Help Small Businesses7 Years Ago
- Taking Your Business Beyond the High Street7 Years Ago
- 5 Ideas to Improve your Time Management7 Years Ago
- The Small Business Saturday Bus Tour launches across the UK for its fifth year!7 Years Ago
- Making the most of Small Business Saturday8 Years Ago
- Why I applied to Small Biz 100: Crafty Revolution tells all9 Years Ago