Krystena Petrakas: How did you get into the business?
Jerry Ranger: I left school at 16 and joined the Royal Marines, and after eight years I then left and set up various fledging businesses. I found my niche was in power-related products.
At the time the internet wasn’t around so we concentrated on manufacturing. It wasn’t until five years ago that we decided to bring out a range of power products to sell on the internet, directly to the consumer.
It was the right time, the right place and we had years of experience in the field.
KP: How did you start your business?
JR: Working out of a garage! I cut my garage in half, used half for the office and the other half for the lawnmower and motorbike. I worked in there for nine months because I believed in the business so much.
I cut my garage in half, used half for the office and the other half for the lawnmower and motorbike
If you have a great idea and you believe in it, you have to work hard to make it work well.
KP: So what ultimately made you decide to focus on the web as a way of reaching the customer?
JR: The ability to reach customers directly, because we design, develop and manufacture our own products, so we were a very long way away from the customer.
By having a website we get direct feedback, and can then improve our products to the customer’s requirements. This feedback has been invaluable over the last five years.
We spent a lot of time promoting ourselves to get into the public eye, using resources such as eBay. Even though the website is now well established we continue to promote through editorial off and online.
KP: How did you finance your business start-up?
JR: The DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] lent us £1,500.
KP: What are your working hours like?
JR: When you’re running a business it’s a 24 hours a day job. You eat, sleep, talk and dream about it!
Being an internet-based business means you can work from anywhere. At the moment I’m sitting in the office, but when I get home at 8pm I can log in to the admin area of the site and see how things are going.
KP: How many people do you have working for you?
JR: We now have 12 people in the UK and I have 80 people working on the production line.
KP: Explain the work you do on the website...
JR: Changing the website and making sure it’s a well thought-out structure has been fundamental to ensure I don’t go barking mad! You’ve got to have the systems in place and invest in the systems.
When I sell to a wholesaler or retailer my margin is cut dramatically, but when I sell on the website my margin is increased and my profits can grow quickly. I discuss this with my team here, explaining our website is our most important customer, and that if we look after it then it will look after us.
