Inspirational web entrepreneur Pepita Diamand shares the secrets of her business success with marmaLADYa readers...
How did you come up with the idea for your business wrapit.co.uk?
The initial idea for Wrapit came to me in 1999, when I had one of those summers where I was at a wedding practically every weekend. As someone who’d eloped (!) I had an unnatural fascination with weddings and would spend hours talking with my girlfriends about the details of theirs. When it came to wedding lists, there was a universal complaint about department stores being too dull and unhelpful, and wedding list services being too stuffy. It seemed so ridiculous that nobody was meeting the needs of today’s bride (as opposed to our mothers’ generation), that I thought I’d do something about it.
As a former fashion journalist myself, who was working as an internet development manager at the time, this was the opportunity I’d been looking for to ‘marry’ (pardon the pun!) my style credentials with my internet expertise. So I got some friends involved and set about putting together the most incredible range of gifts - including designer homewares, unusual gifts and trusted favourites - while developing a groundbreaking website that lets couples create and manage their wedding list at the click of a mouse. We combined it all with a genuinely friendly and helpful, North American (I’m Canadian) style of personal service and the result was Wrapit.
Did you face a lot of sceptics? Was it difficult to get backing for the idea?
When I first approached my mentor and friend Peter (Peter Gelardi, the MD of the telecoms company I was working for) with the idea, he saw the word ‘wedding’ and almost laughed it off. But when he looked into it in more detail and realised how big the wedding market actually is, he decided to back me; not just with funding but with his incredible business nouse.
Then the technology crash happened and we found ourselves struggling to raise the funding we needed to get Wrapit off the ground: In those days, having the words Online + Retail in the first sentence of a business plan was like a death wish. But through blood, sweat and a fair few tears, we persevered, and we were able to raise enough capital from friends and family to launch.
Did you plan for growth right from the start?
My original concept was to keep Wrapit exclusive, but we soon realised that going big was the best way forward; our technology and virtual department store (the UK’s biggest) had too much potential to keep them under wraps (pardon the pun, again!). Within a year of launching we had our first franchise in Harrogate, and we’re now up to 14 showrooms across the country.
What do you think are the secrets of your business’s success?
I don’t think it’s a secret – I simply love what I do! And if you love it and have a passion, that passion will fuel your success, whatever obstacles might present themselves. I live and breathe the product and retail aspect of the business. And I love listening to couples and developing a service around them, be it through the website or through the service we offer in our showrooms.
How has being successful in business affected your personal life?
Wrapit gives me a tremendous sense of pride, but I’m not going to pretend that everything’s been hunky dory. My ambition and late hours and weekends in the office put a lot of strain on my marriage; although it wasn’t the reason for it, it probably contributed to our separation. I need my partner to be as driven as I am if not more so – someone who appreciates where I’m coming from, and someone who I can learn from. And that’s not easy to find.
What’s your advice for other women starting out in business?
Know your strengths and don’t be afraid to find someone to compliment your weaknesses. A lot of businesses fail because the person with the original idea thinks they can do it all. And if you can’t find an appropriate partner, then at least find yourself a mentor - someone who you can sound ideas off and get impartial advice from. If that mentor is a woman, all the better, especially if you have a family or you’re thinking of starting one. Being a career mum is tough, so you’ll want advice from someone who’s been there.
What’s the most important thing for a couple to consider when starting a wedding list?
Flexibility and choice. This is your one chance to choose all the things you always wanted to have and the best thing is - you don’t even have to pay for it! Make a list of things you’d like and use a wedding list company that offers you as wide a choice of gifts as possible; gifts that will let you and your groom create a list that’s a reflection of your personality. There’s nothing worse for a guest than seeing yet another identikit departments store list – they’ll just yawn and buy you something off-list instead.
It’s also worth checking that your service lets you open your list when you want, close your list when you want and swap gifts around after the wedding easily if need be. Given how much you have to think about before your wedding, you’ll appreciate a flexible service that will accommodate the occasional change of mind!
What are the advantages for a couple using wrapit.co.uk rather than a large department store’s gift list?
The biggest advantage (but not the only one) is service. Each Wrapit couple has a dedicated personal consultant who helps them every step of the way and is on hand to give advice and answer any questions. And believe me – when it comes to creating a wedding list, you’ll want all the personal advice and expertise you can get: Being left to your devices with a zapper in a crowded department store just won’t cut it. We’ve actually had couples ring us from department stores to book an emergency appointment because the zapper thing was too daunting.
And what people sometimes don’t realise is that our service is actually free – we don’t charge you or your guests for it, and we don’t inflate our prices. So your guests will pay the same for you gifts from Wrapit as they’d pay in a department store, but you’ll have had the benefit of our excellent service. And, because our product offering is the biggest in the biz, you’ll also be able to create a list that goes beyond the boring old department store norm.
What would you like the future to hold?
The future holds very exciting stuff indeed! This autumn, Wrapit will be opening its virtual doors to everyone - not just couples - as THE place to buy the gifts and housewares. Anyone and everyone will soon be able to buy anything for your home from Wrapit, and we’ll have a special department full of carefully selected gifts that can be ordered and dispatched within 24 hours so that you’ll never find yourself struggling to get that perfect gift. And going back to my magazine roots, we’ll also be launching an online magazine chock full of features about the best in homewares. Think of us as homewares’ answer to net-a-porter, but instead of focusing on fashion, we’ll be about ‘good living and good giving’ which is my personal, credo. Exciting stuff indeed!
Pepita Diamond is the founder of the award winning wedding website Wrapit.co.uk
