When did you sell your first item on eBay?

I sold a fair few boxes in the weeks that followed, and it was clear, even in that short space of time, that there was definitely a demand there. Before long I thought it may be worth trying to expand what I was selling and so I set up an eBay shop aimed at people moving home.

At first, we started out with just six listings, which were a couple of sizes of boxes available in different quantities, and with prices ranging from £15.99 to £23.99.

The orders quickly started coming in and the level of demand was really consistent. I was so busy I ended up quitting working for my Dad, so I could concentrate on the packaging business full time.

How did you grow the business?

I enlisted the help of a former business partner, Josh, to help me run and develop the business as it rapidly grew.

We started with orders from house movers and the odd bulk order from small businesses, but from there things started to snowball with customers placing larger and larger orders. We invested in expanding our product range to include different kinds of packaging, and the result was that we got even busier.

Before we knew it, it had snowballed, and we needed to recruit more people to help manage all the orders and ensure we had enough stock.

Initially, we had taken over a corner in the warehouse but within six months we needed more space. Eventually we took over the whole place and now have our own lease on it – but still need more room!

Flash forward to today and we are selling hundreds of thousands of boxes each year, to both companies and house-movers. It’s been a rollercoaster and has far exceeded all our expectations!

In our first year we made around £200,000, in our second year we made around £600,000, and this year we’re on course to make more than £1.1million – that’s a fivefold increase on 2016, which is just incredible. We now have a team of five and work from a 10,500sqft office warehouse.

What’s the best thing about running your own business?

When I was working as a web developer, there was no gratification in what I was doing. It was just churn, day in day out - moving on from one project to another. Now every project I work on gives me great satisfaction.

For example, when we introduce a new product line, I will do the research, find suppliers, work on the marketing, get them listed and watch them start selling. I see the full process through from start to finish and can see how I’ve made a difference at every stage.

"I’m happier than I’ve ever been and it’s because I really enjoy what I’m doing."

In the beginning, when there was only myself and Josh working within the business, we were working 7 days a week and incredibly long hours. We were doing everything from answering the phones, to dealing with customer service, seeking out new business, picking and packing the orders and liaising with suppliers and couriers. But we never once considered throwing in the towel.

When you feel like you’re onto something great, you must seize the opportunity with both hands and just go for it!

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