Well here we are - the first day in our 4th year. Not a bad day all things considered- five orders, five enquiries, including two from France.
To think it all started with an idea, nine months of research and then a wild leap into the unknown into an industry I had never worked in, had no contacts and knew no one - how exciting.
There is a saying in business - "you have to kiss a lot of frogs" - and boy oh boy have I kissed a lot of frogs:) But I wouldn't have missed it for the world. In the last three years I have met an extraordinary number of people. I have made a whole lot of new friends and had the pleasure of working with some wonderfully positive, kind and supportive human beings.
The first year was a nightmare - including a drive to Split in Croatia and back on a weekend. But what a huge learning curve and what a great foundation of knew knowledge and contacts to work from.
The second year saw our first corporate customers and this last year has seen us consolidate and expand our corporate customer base, while developing our retail customers through our online store - www.m2mfenders.eu
From that very basic idea, we have sold products throughout the UK, to Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and the USA. This week we are sending our first shipment to Singapore.
We have exhibited at boat shows in the UK, the Netherlands and Dubai.
So what does year 4 hold for M2M Fenders? We are expanding our corporate client base and hope to announce a couple of deals with "household names" in the marine industry within the next few weeks.
We are working hard to develop customers in the UAE and have plans to increase the range of products available through our online store. We have managed to make some inroads into the highly competitive Superyacht Market and are confident that this will continue to develop over the forthcoming year.
Is our 4th year going to be difficult given the current economic climate - yes it is.
Is it going to be hard work - yep - but only a lot.
Am I feeling positive and excited by it all - you bet I am. I can't wait.
