You have just acquired the domain name Bushcraft.com, you already own a number of great names, Wellies.com, Blades.co.uk, and bows.co.uk to name a few. How many brands do you actually have? What unites them all?

We have lots of brands! Almost too many to count. What unites them all is my love of the outdoors! I love being involved with what I’m into.

What was the reasoning behind the acquisition of Bushcraft.com? What are your plans for it?

What I find with online retail is that it’s tough! The world of eCommerce is super competitive and any advantage you can get helps. So owning a premium domain like Bushcraft.com is just one way to get that edge over the competition. Don’t get me wrong, simply owning and using a premium domain isn’t a golden ticket, there is an incredible amount of work involved in running a successful eCommerce website.

Our plans for it are what you would probably expect, to launch an eCommerce site selling Bushcraft equipment. With the shop part of the site complemented with lots of juicy Bushcraft related content.

What was the first ever domain name you got? How has your opinion on domains changed since (if at all)?

My first ever domain was www.medieval-weaponry.co.uk. Over the years I’ve leaned more towards premium .coms (where I can), although premium .co.uks are fine too. I just think a nice, simple “name on the tin” type of domain keeps it real simple and allows you to focus on one subject.

Who is your target customer and how are the brands you own helping in reaching them?

Again, by keeping things simple and focused, we have a pretty well-defined customer. It’s all about sourcing the products that they would want and putting engaging content together. As mentioned before, the domain is the tip of the iceberg with regards to the work involved. We’re a small company, but one-third of our workforce is dedicated to the IT/marketing side.

How do you keep your brands consistent across different channels online and offline?

I think it’s just common sense really. From the basics of using the same logos and visuals to following through with the same company values and ethos. Having the right people in the right role and all being on the same page helps.

Has the pandemic affected your company in any way? What has changed since?

Well, the pandemic has been good for my knife and tool company, because prepping has become a lot more sense now! It’s no longer about people prepping for the zombie apocalypse, it actually does make sense to prep for uncertainty, so this may include owning certain tools which may help if the SHTF.

What do you do to make sure your marketing is effective?

We’re investing heavily in content at the moment, blogs, and vlogs. I believe content is king. This coupled with online advertising is our strategy for 2020. As you know the beauty of online advertising is tracking. You can easily see if something is working or not and then tweak as appropriate. It’s time-consuming, but you know what works and what doesn’t.

What would your advice be to entrepreneurs who are just starting out, in general, and when it comes to branding and naming?

Find your niche (you can’t compete with Amazon for mainstream stuff, so find your niche and specialize in it).

It helps if you like what you do, personally I feel like I don’t work a day in my life. Even though I actually work 8 days a week!

And only settle for killer concepts – If you’re not sure, then it’s no good. If you’re saying “it’ll do”, then it’s no good. You should know when the idea you have is a killer.

Where do you see your business in the future? What’s exciting about it?

More of the same. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. My dream is to set up a distribution center in the US. So all the brands that were created can be exported to the States and that for us is super exciting.

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We hope this will be of use to you in the process of getting your perfect domain name. If you have any questions, need any help or just want to chat with someone about the process, book a free consultation using the form below. We are always happy to hear from you.

* Bushcraft.com is not live yet, we will update the interview once it is online.