SteveMoore34

Collapse of 20+ Year Old Business But Taking Many Positives Forward

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stevemoore34
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The latest of my weekly video updates is now online and also below.  Click to take a look.  Below it is a brief summary of the main points I talk about this week

Hi everyone, welcome once again to my veranda here in The Gambia, West Africa. It’s Monday morning, a beautiful day with a bit of a breeze keeping it cool, which is very welcome.

As always, I suggest watching this recording at 1.5 times the speed; it makes me sound better and speeds up the listening time without losing meaning. (A time saving tip there for watching training videos and ebooks etc)

If you’ve been following these updates, you’re aware I made the decision just over a week ago to close my offline bricks and water business, the window blind manufacture. After 20 plus years, starting from my garden shed and growing to a reasonable size factory with 10 people on the payroll, it was a big, emotional decision. Last weekend was tough, telling staff who have been with me for over 20 years that they no longer have a job. My business won’t be the last to face such challenges. The company is going into voluntary liquidation, with big debts and redundancy payments to be covered by the UK’s government-backed social fund.

Despite these challenges, I’m proud that we’ve managed to fulfill all but four orders. We ensured that anyone who paid a deposit received their blinds. This achievement took a lot of effort and calling in favours, but we made it happen, and we don’t owe any customer for deposits or prepayments.

Now, I can fully concentrate on my online businesses, applying the same dedication and values of great service, transparency, and honesty. I’ve been working on affiliate system training, which I plan to offer to my customers eventually.

I’m also cleaning my email list, ensuring those who engage are moved to a new list for more focused communication. This task is one of my priorities, alongside becoming an expert in email copywriting, crucial for online marketing success.

Additionally, I’ve written a guidebook to The Gambia, covering top restaurants, things to do, and more. It’s a short, 5,000-word book completed in eight days, now available on social media for $2.99, with proceeds going to Gambian charities.

That’s all for this week. Everything’s ticking along nicely as we build the business the correct way. I’m confident it will pay back in time.

Thanks for watching, and catch you again next week.

Bye.

Comments

11 responses to “Collapse of 20+ Year Old Business But Taking Many Positives Forward”

  1. tony Avatar
    tony

    Ouch… tough all round, for you, the staff, and the suppliers! Glad to hear that the staff will be covered.
    One benefit of running a one-man online business is that you only have to feel responsible for one man, not ten and their familes.

    I hope it all works out well for you.

    Reply
    1. stevemoore34 Avatar
      stevemoore34

      I’m moving forward with a positive mind. I still plan to be involved in the blind industry in the UK as I have an ebook on starting a window blind retail business that’s first in Google organic search so I’ll keep my training site and mentoring going and get them to buy their trade blinds through a recommendation to a manufacturer where I get a small commission. I can do that from anywhere . Just see how it goes.

      Reply
      1. Alan Lim Avatar
        Alan Lim

        That’s a great idea. How much traffic are you getting to your training site right now? I believe the windows blind industry is not as competitive as say “affiliate marketing” in the search engines. So I think adding some keyword optimized articles can probably help you get a lot more traffic.

        Reply
        1. stevemoore34 Avatar
          stevemoore34

          The ebook I wrote a while ago about how to start a window blind retail business appears 1st in the organic listings when enyone in the UK searches for information on staring a window blind business.I get at least 1 enquiry a week just from the. If I run an advert in Facebook regularly at a couple of pounds a day spend I think I’d get 20 to 30 leads a week. The training is site is free, The way I’m setting up at the moment I put new people in touch with manufacturers who will supply them blinds and pay me a commission. I’ll out an hour a week aside to be available online for a Q&A where people get benefit of my 25 years experience in the trade. There’s also the opportunity for new people to have a very good offer on Facebook lead generation management which will pay me on a per lead basis.

          Reply
  2. Alison Blaire Avatar
    Alison Blaire

    Steve, I am so sorry about your company, but know that with your dedication and hard work, you will make your affiliate marketing business thrive! 20+ years in business is not a failure; you learned so much and have developed so many skills; those are huge wins in my book. I really commend you for taking the time to make sure everyone received their orders. Look forward to watching you on this new chapter of your life! Wish you much success in 2024!

    Reply
  3. Eleanor Hope Avatar
    Eleanor Hope

    Sorry to hear that, but yes, not a lot of businesses last 20 years. So well done. Appreciate also your commitment to your staff and customers. With this commitment to transparency and honesty, I feel you will do well in any business. Congratulations on your course.

    Reply
    1. stevemoore34 Avatar
      stevemoore34

      Thanks for visiting and for the kind comments. Yes I’m trying to bring the same values that my window blind business was built on to to an online business,
      Please feel free to drip back in from time to time
      Steve

      Reply
  4. Katrin Avatar
    Katrin

    Sorry to hear about you having to close your business, I can imagine it feeling quite sad having to end it like that.
    Wish you every possible success with your affiliate marketing business! Having already built a business from the ground up I’m sure you’ll do great.

    Katrin

    Reply
    1. stevemoore34 Avatar
      stevemoore34

      Thanks for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment. In some ways it’s a relief. I feel a lot less pressure only having to think about myself and my family rather than them and 8 staff whose salary the business used to pay.

      Reply
  5. Kate Loving Shenk Avatar
    Kate Loving Shenk

    Tough decision but acceptance is key. You are doing the right thing by everyone involved.

    Onward to the land of affiliate marketing!!

    Reply
  6. Atif Perwiz Avatar
    Atif Perwiz

    Steve, that must’ve been ready difficult physically and emotionally to shut down your business. Making a decision like that is not easy but you know inside it’s the right time. At times that these it can feel like a negative experience, but if you look at it underneath, there are many positives. Yes, your staff had to be laid off, yes, the business you built up had to be closed. However, all of the experience you have gained of running a business will be gold for you now to run your next one in affiliate marketing. You know how to fix problems, you know how to organise, you know how to plan, you know how to deal with customers so all of that is absolute gold going forward in this business. Congratulations on making the right decision, and I wish you all the success going forward with your new endeavour . Onwards and upwards thanks, Atif

    Reply

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