Describe the business
Vitamin is a website and e-commerce solution for startups and small businesses. In fact, there are two strands to our business – Jump Marketing is the original business and Vitamin is the newer business which has grown out of it. Jump is run by my wife and I and is a creative communications agency that has been going for 11 years.
Vitamin began as an attempt to find a solution for businesses approaching us who had smaller budgets but still wanted their websites to have that expensive-looking sheen. Many things can make websites cost lots of money but good design doesn’t need to be expensive. Vitamin is for businesses who might have limited budgets, but don’t want to compromise on design or functionality.
E-commerce is a crowded market. What’s different about Vitamin?
It is very much price-led. We are plugging a gap at the lower end of the scale – £1,000 to £3,000 is our sweet spot.
How big is your team?
We are quite a small business ourselves – there’s just five of us in total, with design, development, project management and business development all in-house.
We hear a lot about a shortage in developers – is finding staff a challenge?
It has been a challenge since day one. One of the reasons that we have been able to create Vitamin was that we had good development already in-house. If setting up the business involved going out to find good developers, we might not have bothered because it is very difficult.
The good ones are in massive demand. It is a constant challenge for us. If we come across any we are always very keen to try to get them on board in some way and at least build a relationship with them.
How important is a good website for a small business?
You don’t really have a business without a website. You can go onto the likes of Amazon and eBay but you are not really building a brand. If you are serious about building your e-commerce business then you do really need to have your own site. You build so much more brand loyalty and you own the data, which is critical.
A massive number of businesses say: “A website isn’t for us, We don’t really need it”. Even if you are a window cleaner you need an online presence, if only a basic one. It is common sense.
Does entrepreneurship run in the family?
I think I got my entrepreneurial streak from my dad. Possibly a little bit like myself he got bored quite easily and liked to pursue new opportunities.
What’s been the biggest challenge so far?
Recruiting staff, specifically on the development side. That’s by far the biggest challenge, and in terms of building a team it’s vital. Every business is built on the people it employs.
What’s your advice for other entrepreneurs?
The biggest single piece of advice I would give is to talk to people – as many people as you can – about your ideas before you make that leap and start to spend your own money.
Mathew Norbury is the director of Vitamin and managing director of Jump Marketing
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