1.    Trying to fit in
Good companies disrupt the current market. Made.com and Dollar Shave Club are both magnificent recent examples of this.

Don’t try to fit in with what else is out there – create a new experience and you’ll carve yourself a niche in the market and stand out from the crowd.

2.    Doing it all yourself
Utilise the power of others. Partnerships help to build traffic and brand equity. If credible brands are working with you, chances are others will too.

3.    Stock Management
Our prints are made to order, which means we don’t get caught with a lot of excess stock that we need to store and pay for its upkeep. If you have to pay to keep stock that you’re not using, it’s a waste of money.

4.    Over selling
Connect with your audience regularly but do not over sell.

Use social media to reach out to our audience, rather than pushing a hard sell. Create a balance with your (hopefully) discerning audience – you need just enough exposure but not to the point of overkill. We trust that when our audience does want a beautiful print, theywill remember us and know exactly where to come.

5.    Being separate from your products
Brands should be reflective of the product. If you’re selling something with a premium price point, your customer experience must reflect that.  The service is just as important as the product. Do your research and know what experience you want to create – then live and breathe it in everything that you do.

6.    Not answering consumer enquiries
Ignore a consumer enquiry at your peril. Some of the best leads come through social media, so make sure you check who is getting in touch and what they’re saying. Responsive customer service will mean repeat business.

7.    Thinking small
Offer your product in a variety of key currencies. Only when you’ve built up the sales base in a different country should you consider translating into a different language. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Not at the start, at least.

8.    Poor delivery
Find a trusted and reliable delivery partner. Poor service will come back and reflect badly on you. Remember the video of the USP deliveryman throwing the monitor over the wall? There’s no point in your company being let down at the end of the line.

9.    Poor IT skills
Update your website every day. You will have to understand basic simple rules. For example, lots of traffic will crash your site.  This is something that you’ll need in all aspects for your role. You cannot simply depend on smart interns to keep your tech side running.

If you do really struggle on this side, work with a reliable technology company to help you to manage this side, or an SEO company to help you drive people to the site.

10.     Banks
Don’t over rely on the bank. Make sure you know where your finances are coming from!

About Russell Blackmore and his company, Sonic Editions
Russell Blackmore founded Sonic Editions in 2009 with the aim of simplifying the process of buying limited edition art with a consistent and transparent size and price structure.

Each print is a top quality Lambda print on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, hand framed and individually numbered.

The photographer’s name and the story behind the image are also inscribed on the back of each print, to allow owners to understand the story behind the photo.

For further information on Sonic Editions, please contact:  Ravi Pau on 07855 328 546 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .