Michael Parker
I decided to make it happen rather than just leaving the idea in the pub!
Michael Parker's Blackburn-based business,
A Quarter Of, is a dream for anyone with a sweet tooth - an online store that recreates the old-fashioned sweetshop, including old-time favourites from Sherbet Pips to Gobstoppers, Rhubarb and Custard to Shrimps, and Fizzy Cola Bottles, to Liquorice Comfits.
Why did you want to start your own business?
Before starting A Quarter Of, I had my own marketing company offering web-based marketing. I decided to start this after working for a number of years in the marketing department at a large company. My greatest inspiration was to be controller of my own destiny, and to have financial freedom.
What was the deciding factor for you?
I thought the online sweetshop was a great idea, and nobody else seemed to be doing anything similar, so I took the plunge.
How did you get the business off the ground?
I started by going to the local wholesaler just to see whether sweets that I hadn't seen for years still existed, and found to my amazement they were all still there! I bought one jar of each of the sweets I remembered and then went about creating the website. I did all this while working on my other company. After about four months, I launched the website, and started getting my first orders. It all snowballed when Yahoo featured us as their website of the week, and then we started getting serious press attention.
Best bits about working for yourself?
I love being accountable to nobody but myself, but most of all, I love having an idea and implementing it within a few hours - without all those boring meetings!
What have been the biggest challenges so far?
Making the website as nostalgia-driven as possible - I didn't want to create a flogging shop. Once I managed this, everything evolved naturally. As soon as we started receiving press coverage by papers like The Sun, the Daily Mail and the Telegraph, and appearing on programmes like Sky News and This Morning, we went from sending one or two orders a day out to wondering how we would cope with demand.
What would you have done differently if you could go back?
I would have followed my gut feeling on some major decisions. For example, I took a new member of staff on, but my gut feeling told me something wasn't right - in almost 100% of the cases where I heard this little voice, things didn't work out, and I could have nipped things in the bud by acting more swiftly than I did. A strong and able workforce is at the heart of a strong company.
How does it feel to be your own boss?
It has been incredibly enriching, and tough. I have had to teach myself and learn new things as I go along, but it feels great.
Finally, a piece of advice for those thinking about starting up?
Do as much preparation and research as you possibly can before and during! Stay focused and believe in yourself - don't let other people knock you off course. A strong and able workforce is at the heart of a strong company.
