How a Small Family Business Climbed the Ladder of Success

Wilsons Blinds was established in 1989. Today, it is a well-reputed name in the window treatments industry with over a quarter of million satisfied customers. It offers an impressive range of high-quality window blinds. With over a 10+ years of experience, it is one of the largest eCommerce running business. This has allowed it to work with the finest of suppliers to ensure only the best quality of blinds are produced, received and delivered in unbeatable prices.

But like any other idea that pops in one’s head, as they are standing under a hot showerhead with no resources or means to make it a reality, Wilson blinds also had its ups and downs.

It Wasn’t All Splendour at the Beginning

The owner Daren L Wilson left school to go for an YTS scheme to make a career in joinery work. After attending the scheme for 1 year, he landed a job at the carpet fitter in the next street. Thinking that he wouldn’t have to pay extra money on bus fares, he decided to take it and was paid £10 per week. After learning all the essential skills on the job, he tried his luck in a few more carpet fitting companies for a couple of years before starting one of his own in 1989.

At just the ripe age of 19 with only a cheap van, which was no more than £200, he explored several ventures on his own. That was when he first learned how difficult running a business was.

He supplied and fitted vinyl and carpets for the next few years until in 1998, he finally decided to expand his niche and sell window blinds too. But even then he felt the like something was missing. Perhaps, it was the absence of awareness. His brand had set up a reputation with the locals but there was still a whole world unchartered.

He wanted to go big and decided to place an ad in the last section of the News of the World newspaper on a Sunday. To make his offer catchy, he offered 3 vertical blinds only for £99. He listed his number so that the customers could call him up for samples and request an order form that will later be delivered to their doorsteps via mail. It worked well for some time but he still wasn’t satisfied with the results.

The Day We Went Live

He thought having an online website will surely elevate his chances of attracting new customers. He had carefully researched websites of his competitors. He also wanted one where potential customers can view all his projects and fill out an online form instead of receiving one via mail and then resending it. But his lack of internet knowledge wasn’t sufficient enough to DIY a website. So he turned to the Yellow Pages for help and searched for local web developers.

Fortunately he found a great guy. Meanwhile, his research also revealed that some online businesses were offering their customers the leverage to get a price quote after entering their measurements. That was what he needed! After talking to the web developer about how he wanted the website and all that he wanted to incorporate, he had a mini-heart attack when the web developer told him that it would cost him about £20,000. The web developer he had found locally, agreed to set up his website in £3,000 to start him off.

All the products were then loaded up and www.wilsonsblinds.co.uk went live. But there was still the issue of lack of traffic. He decided to try Google Pay Per Click and put a 10 budget per day. It took a few days for the first few orders to roll in. The first customer placed an order for the wooden venetian blinds while others requested samples.

Even then so, the family-owned small business took its dear time into maturing into an established enterprise. Today the company is doing better than the predicted plans it had for the future and there is only one way it will go –up!