The Natural

It would seem Ann Kelsey was born to be an entrepreneur. The youngest of five children, her four brothers all run their own businesses, so when Ann hit on a bright idea for a website, she knew it would involve lots of hard work, imagination and risk to make it work.

The concept of Econatural.ie is simple and flexible: a one-stop-shop online for a range of natural, organic, eco-friendly and fair trade products. The growth in ‘green’ products - from fair trade tea bags to chemical free cleaning products - has boomed in recent years. The 21st century has seen people increasingly buy into the idea of being both good to themselves and to the environment.

However, Ann had found she was spending a lot of time, petrol and shoe leather going from shop to shop gathering the products which suit this kind of lifestyle - cosmetics here, foods there and clothing in the next town made for a frustrating shopping experience. The obvious solution was to bring them together on a website where customers could chose what they wanted, learn about new products and have their shopping delivered to their door. Timing can be crucial in business, so it was with no little trepidation that Ann put her ideas in motion just as she and her husband Mick were expecting their first child. Her daughter Kate has been a (not always silent) partner in Ann’s business, demanding efficient time management from her busy mum. Ann knew she had valuable skills to bring to the business, having worked for Microsoft for five years and spending time in banking and working for a mail order business.

One of the most valuable lessons Ann learnt as Econatural evolved was the importance of recognising when you need help, and not being afraid to ask for it. “At first I really wanted to understand the business from A to Z, but you can't be an expert in everything,” she explains. “If your best skill is selling the product you believe in, there’s no point in tying yourself up with tasks that slow the business down.” Ann found a number of enterprise bodies to be of great help. Terenure Enterprise Centre provided answers to many of her questions about the nuts and bolts of beginning a business, and she was also able to secure a business loan at a favourable rate from First Step.

She made contact with Dublin City Enterprise Board (DCEB) who made a €7,500 employment grant available to her in September 2005 and Econatural took off. Since then she has received great support through the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women and its Link! network. “Sometimes you don’t realise what your strengths and weaknesses are, and it’s great to talk to people,” she says. This year, with the business expanding, she will avail of DCEB’s mentoring programme, keeping her in close contact with proven entrepreneurs whose experience and advice will help Econatural grow in a sustainable and profitable manner. Ann had a clear idea for the Econatural website from the start. “I wanted something clear and clean,” she says.

“The more information you can give customers the better.” She would base herself at home, managing the site’s content, customer orders and feedback, while carefully tracking her stock. “I’m lucky because most of my suppliers are Irish, which allows me keep a small stock of everything I sell.” Her online strategy has paid off handsomely. Sales for 2007 will be more than double those of 2006, and with 200,000 hits on the site a month, customers have been offering feedback on purchases and making suggestions for new products that might sit well in the extensive Econatural range.

A good example is Ann’s new range of Eczema clothing for adults and children - a clever mix of 100% organic cotton fibres with traces of silver ions, along with a flat-seam design, provide great comfort to irritable skin. The products have been recommended to eczema sufferers in the UK for some time, and Ann is currently spreading the good word through health professionals here and the Econatural website. Ann has employed some clever marketing strategies. She offers free delivery for orders over €100. She has enjoyed great success by taking stands at a number of trade shows. And, following on from an idea on the Oprah Winfrey show, she offers a range of starter packs for everything from domestic cleaning products to cosmetics to gardening, allowing customers to make a clean and effective break from the hoards of harmful products we all keep tucked away in our cupboards.

www.econatural.com/

© Dublin City Enterprise Board 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission from the D.C.E.B.

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