Cosmic Ron's

My store sells very specialist glitter based paint products, for spraying cars, bikes, motorcycles, and the like. I target the automotive and bicycle refinishing industry as the products are specially designed for spraying and also somewhat known in those industries.

They are all Imported from America and they are the very best products in their market.

The brands are very well known in America and are gathering pace in UK and EU. I have a relaxed agreement with both of my suppliers that I am the sole UK supplier, and with one I am the sole EU supplier as well.

This is a very small and manageable online store. The products are small and easy to store so there is no need for expensive storage, you can run this business from home. Some of the products are quite high value so you don't need huge sales to make good turnover.

The products are incredible, and repeatedly stated as being the best technical products available. They are all big sellers in the states, but new to the UK and EU so need more coverage.

The marketplace is niche, so it would be a good business for someone who knows and loves the industry of custom car and bike painting and finishing, or is at least interested in getting involved. The businesses and people in the industry are well connected and do communicate, they also love sharing their work via Instagram, which is great free marketing. Instagram is the only way I have advertised and it is incredible and free. The Products are well known in America and are starting to be well known in UK and EU. ANd you can lock into international users of the products very easily

Our customers, love the products and always make return purchases having made the first purchase. The list of customers is always growing. Its just getting the product out to more customers and getting more of those initial sales.

I started the business with a friend who is in the industry, under the intention that I would run the organisational side, and he would do the PR and marketing elements, because it was specialist products for his industry.

Unfortunately he pulled out very early on because he has another successful business spraying bikes and couldn't find the time to do both. (Don't ask!) This left me with the business but no contacts. I decided to persevere and have made many clients and connections in the business. I still supply him with all the products I sell.

But I have always had a separate, main career as a spatial designer, and now I my wife is having a baby. We have now decided that I need to also help my wife run her own, much more established business. With all these new requirements there is not the time to run Cosmic Rons, and definitely not the extra time it needs to push it to the next level.

I have only ever done run this business as a side project and i have never quite had the time to do it all. As a result I ONLY used Instagram for marketing + advertising. The main improvement would be to expand visibility and engagement through more channels. Gaining more customers, collaborating with the correct influencers on Instagram to increase visibility.

I would also heavily encourage taking the brand to the numerous industry shows, expos and trade fairs that exist, and getting the products in front of a wider audience.

I would suggest empowering techniques and channels through Adwords or facebook ads etc,.

Also I would expand the product list, to give the UK paint spray fraternity a "one-stop shop, with character for all of their spray needs"

I have designed the brand and the identity from scratch. I have a fully functioning Shopify store in the top 20% considering sales and traffic. I have also developed a presence on Instagram linked to the brand identity. It currently has 419 followers but they are all organic and direct, no farmed followers. I have a connected mail chimp account with 49 organic subscribers. There is also a Facebook page that links into the website.