Experiencing the natural wonders of the world can conjure up ideas for making a good living, which is both financially viable and environmentally sound. Since media attention threw light on the plight of our natural landscape, recycling has grown in popularity and with it, interesting business opportunities have arisen. One such business is Cartridge World, who provides refillable ink cartridges at a fraction of the cost of High Street brands but without compromising on quality or environmental impact.
A foreign adventure inspired Richard to become part of the Cartridge World network. Bitten by the travel bug Richard and his wife quit their jobs in 2002 and set off in search of distant shores. When they returned they decided to become self employed and bought the Evesham franchise. By January 2004 they were up and running.
As with anything new there was a learning curve and in Richard’s words they started ‘slowly and quietly’ whilst they adjusted to their new venture. Their marketing was somewhat haphazard initially and although they tried advertising in the local paper, word of mouth was the most successful source of new customers.
In late summer 2004, having seen their self-delivered leaflet, they were visited by Dave Molyneaux, owner of the newly established DOR2DOR Worcester, which covered Evesham. In October 2004, they commissioned David to organise deliveries, leaving them time to focus on the operational side of the business.
The flyers had a winning design and 10,000 leaflets were dropped in and around Evesham, with a money-off voucher attached. This ‘call to action’ generated instant results which covered their marketing costs, as well as building much needed awareness in the locality.
The leaflet campaign now runs every 4 months, to coincide with seasonal changes such as return to school and the New Year. Turnover has increased month by month and leaflet distribution plays a crucial part in this steady growth.
Richard Jones said:
“This is by far the best form of advertising for us. DOR-2-DOR’S customer service is great, Dave Molyneux keeps us informed of progress and regularly comes in to see us, we don’t need to chase him. We know the leaflets will be delivered.”
