When Ilmars Kankis and his business partner Uldis Pelnens invested £700 in toilet
roll holders in 2014, little did they know 11 years later their business would be turning
over £4m.
The duo has built up global business operation Selling Dream which Ilmars runs from
an office in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire and Uldis manages from Poland, which also
gives them direct access to European markets post Brexit.
Their e-commerce business – Novecrafto – is a modern-day success story of how to
build a global business based on hard work, intelligence, business acumen, online
research, market data and a willingness to pivot fast and go where the audience
goes.
Over the whole 11 years, however they put the foundation of their business success
down to the oldest lesson in the book. “Customer service of the highest level is our
number one priority,” said Ilmars. “That way you build trust.”
The pair use online packages and tools to do “deep research” into what is selling
well, buy the right products with reliable supply lines, and ensure the best possible
customer service experience for the Novecrafto consumer every step of the way.
“If something is ordered by 4pm we guarantee next day delivery. Customers don’t
want to wait. We ensure they don’t have to,” said Ilmars, a former police investigator
in his native Latvia and a single-dad to 11-year-old daughter Tina.
They also look after their 30-strong trusted team in their 3,000 square-metre Poulton
industrial estate dispatch centre who are mostly from Ukraine and Latvia. In return
they have a loyal, dedicated and conscientious workforce.
The company also has a design studio in the Philippines and a photography studio in
Poland of such a high standard it works with the Polish Winter Olympic team.
Ilmars and Uldis soon moved on from toilet roll holders and started to buy handmade
and handblown glass figurines from the Ukraine, selling them through Amazon and
Etsy.
The UK was their main market, but they also sold to the USA, Italy, Germany, Spain,
France, and expanded their operation to also source products from Poland.
Fast forward to today and Ilmars and Uldis’ business is 90 per cent DIY products,
everything from shed felt to ladders, which they supply directly to UK giants such as
B&Q, The Range, Debenhams, OnBuy, and earlier this month they went live with
Tesco.com. They also supply Walmart in America.
All this achieved while having to negotiate countless sleepless nights along the way
due to Brexit, Covid and the war in Ukraine, all of which had a devastating effect on
their supply lines.
Within five days of Covid lockdown they switched all their business to online
platforms, and found that customers had time and furlough money to spend.
Business boomed.
This duo are definitely resilient. They are also self-funded and self-taught, hours
spent watching YouTube videos have given them the knowledge they needed to turn
their ideas, hard work, and business nous into financial success.
That, plus excellent advice from their accountant.
Ilmars was in a previous role cleaning carpets when he bumped into accountant
Chris Brown for the first time.
While they were chatting over a brew which Chris had made him, Ilmars noticed a
glassblown figurine sausage dog on the windowsill and told Chris it was one of his.
The two got talking about their respective careers and from that moment on when
Ilmars needed some business advice he knew exactly who to call.
Today, Ilmars is full of praise for the way Chris and his colleagues at Brown & Co,
have been an integral part of Selling Dream’s business success.
“The first person I call if I need any help or advice is Chris,” he said.
“Chris, Jake and the team at Brown & Co are like an advice bureau – they help with
anything – always on the phone always helping and going the extra mile.
“They are amazing. The relationship is more like a business partnership. They have
a lot of contacts in many fields, and whatever I need they are able to help me.
“They have helped with digital solutions, VAT advice, funding, lease questions when
we changed premises – they are great advisors for any business.”
As for Selling Dream and the Novecrafto brand, there’s no sign of slowing down for
Ilmars and Uldis. “We keep going. We have lots of exciting plans ahead.”
For more information visit novecrafto.co.uk
Ilmars Kankis at Selling Dream’s company premises at Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire
which is the hub of its e-commerce business – Novecrafto.
Editor’s notes:
Fully digital and known for its dynamic approach to finance, Brown & Co provides
invaluable, trusted business support for companies looking to grow.
Supporting entrepreneurs and business of all sizes across a range of industry
sectors, Brown & Co helps businesses fully embrace digital solutions, saving them
time, money, and helping them make better business decisions through real-time
data.
Through its knowledge and expertise of the funding landscape, Brown & Co has
helped companies raise £2.5m for equipment and expansion, also guiding ambitious
businesses from start to finish through their acquisition journey.
Brown & Co itself has grown from five to 25 employees in the last five years and
operates across Lancashire and Cumbria from bases in Thornton-Cleveleys, near
Blackpool, and in Kendal. For more information visit: https://www.brownandco.uk