‘Persistence is the recipe of a successful business:’ Notonthehighstreet founder

Persistence is the recipe of a successful business,” is the advice Notonthehighstreet founder gives to small business sellers.

Speaking at Retail Week Live today, Holly Tucker, founder of Notonthehighstreet recalls the time when she started selling from her kitchen table. At the time, the future seemed uncertain, but her persistence and willingness to never give up was the key to Notonthehighstreet’s triumph today.

Now, we have 5,000 small businesses, says Holly, and the difference is that this isn’t their hobby but the primary source of income. She says that the marketplace’s sellers were used to getting £200 a month and now they’re turning over millions of pounds. The key to that success is the support of merchants so they can focus on their creativity.

What kind of sellers qualify for Notonthehighstreet?

We’re the largest online gift site in the UK, says Holly, and joining us is like winning a golden ticket for Charlis’s Chocolate Factory. She refers to Notonthehighstreet’s sellers as ‘partners’ because selling on the marketplace is equivalent to starting a partnership.

Holly says that in order to qualify to sell on Notonthehighstreet, sellers should ask themselves a number questions: Is your product offering unique and strong enough? Will the marketplace’s customers respond to it? Can we work with you and develop your business? Can you deal with a large volume of products? How are you going to deal with customer enquiries and pressure to deliver good customers experience? If the answer is mostly positive, then a merchant should consider applying to become a Notonthehighstreet partner.

Why Notonthehighstreet, and not Amazon?

Our USP is that customers care about sustainability unlike the majority of Amazon shoppers. Our gifts are unique and thoughtful. We find that shoppers want to find exclusive products, and that might not reflect every item on our marketplace but we’re trying to stick to that model. One of our partners created chocolate Brussels sprouts and years later we saw M&S selling them. This shows the level of creativity of our partners.

Advice for merchants

When we started, sellers couldn’t afford to sell on the high street, says Holly, now if you want to start a small business you have platforms such as Notonthehighstreet. The environment has changed to the world of sites that have been build in a day. She says that the future is small, it’s welcoming of small businesses because what they do to our economy. Holly argues that even a single family can run a whole business. She says that it only takes passion about what you do, and taking the lows and highs along the journey.

You may also like

Please take a look through a selection of our latest reports

Register for Newsletter

Receive 5 newsletters per week

Gain access to all research

Be notified of upcoming events and webinars