CSK Gifts has now established itself as one of the UK's leading phone accessory and gift retailers in the UK. But you may be wondering who’s behind CSK Gifts, and how it came to be. We had an interview with the Managing Director of CSK Gifts, Cameron King to take a look at how the business got started, goals for the future and advice to any new entrepreneurs looking to start a business.
How did you get the idea for CSK Gifts?
When I was younger I was always aware that phones and technology were going to be the future and that everyone was always going to need one. I wanted to create a company that wouldn’t die with the times and could continue sustained growth.
What was your mission from the outset?
The mission from the outset was to provide the best customer service and products that are at an affordable price. There are a lot of companies, in particular high street stores that lack good customer service. I wanted my customers to wait a matter of minutes in order to get the answers they needed not weeks. I noticed that there was an area for improvement in our industry for this type of customer service, whether it be quick email replies or live chat on Facebook with a human rather than a robot.
What products do you offer?
We offer a wide range of products that meet the needs of a mobile phone user. We provide everything from phone cable chargers and wireless chargers to wireless speakers and phone cases.
How do you advertise your business?
We mainly advertise using Google Ads as this type of advertising puts us right in front of the customer when they are looking for our products. We also advertise through Facebook & Instagram and run monthly giveaways to show our appreciation to our customers and followers.
What do you attribute your success to?
My family has always been business-oriented, specifically my brother who helped me start the company. They’ve always given me support when I’ve needed it and provided me with some extra income to start the business, in addition to the money I had saved.
What are your company's goals?
The long term goals for the business is to grow, to offer more products for our customers. We’ll never let the growth of our business impact our customers, however. We want to keep our products at affordable prices and continue to deliver the best customer service in the industry.
What is unique about your business?
I started the business at 18 and have continued to grow it from there which I think is unique. And again our customer service is paramount to us and it makes us stand out in the industry.
What made you choose this type of business?
As I previously mentioned technology and smartphones are the future, everyone is always going to need one. The more and more developments in technology will mean there will always be a constant influx of new products our company can provide. If you had one piece of advice to someone starting a business?
The most important thing when starting a new business is patience. A large number of companies either go under in their first year or make very little profit. Because of this, I’d highly advise starting the business on the side of your full-time job. This is what I did for the first year until the business was making enough money for me to take it full time. I’d also recommend learning as many new skills as possible so you can, such as web design and marketing. This will allow you to do the majority of the work when you’re first starting out instead of hiring people.