UK rocketry business to be sold

Hi all,

After giving the matter some very serious consideration, it is with some regret that I have to announce that I will be putting Deepsky Rocket Supplies up for sale as a going concern, probably early in the New Year.

There is only one reason for this sale, and that is the increasing lack of time I have available to look after the business. Many of you who know me through regular dealings will be aware that I?m involved in a number of other things apart from the rocketry business. I?ve just bought a second race mower to complete preparations on over the winter, and this will mean I ?ll be running two racing machines next year at events all over the country. These events are more or less every other weekend, and this will mean a lot more time away from home and the office. In turn this will mean less time to deal with customers and orders, and if I did carry on with the business, it would mean spending even more of my available time in here, and even less time with my family, who don?t see a lot of me as it is!

Since I established this business at the back end of 2000, I have seen a lot of customers make their first steps in rocketry?.a few emails with questions, followed by a starter set, and then they?ve moved on to bigger and bigger rockets, and many of them are now flying all sorts of high power creations. This has been very satisfying for me personally, and I would like to thank all our customers for all the support they have shown over the past few years. I think it?s fair to say that we have built a reputation for customer service that is probably second to none in the UK, but we?ve only got that reputation through a great deal of hard work. Sure, we don?t always do things the ?business? way?.we sometimes give stuff away if we?re short of something else, we often send stuff on trust if the customer is in a hurry etc etc?.not how the modern corporation does things?.but the service has paid off. A good reputation is worth more than just about anything in business, and that?s just what we have. We set out from the beginning to provide the sort of customer service that we ourselves would like to receive, and though it?s not always the most profitable way of doing things, it makes the customers happy, and happy customers will think of you first next time they go shopping.

I would like the business we?ve built to carry on and continue to grow, as I firmly believe there is plenty of room for further expansion in the field. The rocketry market is still very young in the UK, and whoever buys the business will be in an excellent position right at the front of the market here. I believe that rocketry will be as well known a hobby as radio control aircraft in the not too distant future, and there will no doubt be plenty of new dealers coming along, so now is the time to get involved. Sales and profits have grown year on year, and the business was paying for itself within six months of being established?.something that very few new ventures can boast these days. In the early days every penny went straight back into the business, and as those of you who have been with us since the start will know, we have expanded our range almost constantly since we set up. There is still plenty to go at?.the new players in the market, like Jim Flis of Fliskits are doing a terrific job with their new kits, and at the moment we? re selling these faster than we can get them! New stuff is coming along all the time, and this sale represents a fantastic opportunity to get right to the front of the UK market with a business that will be ready to go from day one.

As I said, I would like to see the business carry on and grow. I recently watched Valueland in the States go from an excellent company with a great reputation, to closing its doors for the last time, and all that?s left now is a handful of domain names for sale. I found this very sad?..we had a great relationship with Danny, the original owner, when we set up, and he gave us a lot of very useful help. When he was unable to give enough time to the business due to health problems, he wanted it to go to someone who would carry on the good name. It was eventually bought by a web development company, who managed over the course of a year or so to run it to nothing, and I really don?t want to see a repeat of that. I?d like to see the business being sold to someone involved in rocketry, who will give it the time and effort that I have given to get it where it is today.

So, what will the buyer get for their money?

The website and modelrockets.co.uk domain name?..probably the best domain available for a UK dealer in this field. There are literally thousands of hours work in the website, and I know because I did them! The site also enjoys excellent search engine listings?.we were in the top six results at almost all the major search engines last time I checked.

All stock left at the time of sale. Obviously the value of this stock will vary from day to day, but I do not intend to run the business down prior to sale, so the buyer will be able to trade from day one with plenty of stock on hand.

No business debts?.every item in stock is bought and paid for.

Full details of all our contacts and suppliers. I spent almost six months prior to opening the business contacting potential suppliers and finding and setting up good deals for the UK market. Finding good suppliers is a long job, but I?ll introduce the buyer to all our suppliers personally, so they will know exactly who to go for to get what they want.

Our very wide customer base which has very many repeat and regular customers.

Our name and reputation, which I believe is second to none in the UK. This is probably the most valuable thing we have to offer, and has been achieved only as a result of a hell of a lot of hard work and trying our best to look after our customers.

Free personal advice from myself, for a period to be arranged after the sale. This business has loads of potential, and I will be happy to give whatever help I can to the new owner to get them started.

Display racking if required. We operate mainly mail order, but have the office set up as a ?showroom? for the customers who like to call in and buy their supplies, or just for a chat and a cuppa!

Fax machine if required. Very useful for dealing with some of our American suppliers.

So, in short, a ready made and operational business which will be ready to trade from day one?.all the hardest work has already been done for you. Couple that with a great reputation for excellent customer service, and you have the makings of a great business that can become bigger and more profitable as the UK market grows, and rocketry becomes less of a niche activity, and more of a mainstream hobby.

This has not been an easy decision to make by any means. It was my intention from the very start to make an impression on the market, and I think we?ve certainly achieved that. We have grown the business from nothing, and sales and profits have increased year on year, which even makes the bank manager happy! The only reason for the sale is time?.I?m scraping by now, but once next year comes I?m going to have even less, and I really don?t want the business to go downhill as a result. Deepsky Rocket Supplies is about happy and satisfied customers?.it always has been?.and I don?t want it to go to anyone who thinks differently. It?s about a lot more than the bottom line of the accounts as I?m sure most of you will appreciate, though having said that, the bottom line does get healthier every year! It?s a great business to be in?.and very satisfying to be the guy your customers want to deal with because they know you?ll look after them.

Well, that?s about it I think?.thanks for reading this far!

If anyone is seriously interested in this proposition, I can be contacted as always at snipped-for-privacy@i12.com Serious enquiries only please!! As I said, the sale will most likely go ahead early in the New Year if anyone wants to buy.

Thanks again,

All the best to you all,

Andy

Deepsky Rocket Supplies

formatting link

Reply to
Deepsky Rocket Supplies
Loading thread data ...

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.