Running a small business is one heck of a challenge, to say the least. One of the hardest things about it is attracting more peepers to whatever ace wares or services you’ve got to offer to would-be customers. So, what do you do when you find yourself selling in a saturated market that’s knee-deep in countless other brands – and rising?

It’s all too easy to feel aimless in your small-business pursuits, so we asked Sandy Murray for some handy tips. Sandy is the owner of reusable cup biz LuxeyCup and sustainable loo roll company Peekapoo. Here, she chats about how to stand out in a market inundated with similar products.

MAKE IT PERSONAL Sandy came up with the idea for LuxeyCup after growing frustrated with the hassle of cleaning up multiple drink cups in a growing family – she couldn’t find a good bunch of reusable cups that could handle frequent trips to the dishwasher. “The ones I had used before wouldn’t last long and there would be cracks all over them, and sometimes you could still taste the soap so I couldn’t enjoy anything in them,” Sandy says. “Me and my husband just decided one day to have a go at designing our cups, and that soon turned into a business idea.” From there, Sandy used her creative skills to make a durable reusable cup that looked lovely and didn’t contain any toxic materials. “We didn’t want them to be a one-hit wonder that would peel away. We wanted people to use them multiple times a day and for them to handle anything,” Sandy says. “I knew what I wanted to have in a cup and I knew other people must be wanting the same thing, too.”

FOSTER A COMMUNITY One of the best parts of life is friendship – as unbelievably cheesy as that sounds – and it’s an innate part of human nature to want to connect with others. Establishing a community of people who share your values is great, and being able to build this into your biz is a surefire way to stand out. “We’ve been able to gain a small little community around our businesses, and it’s absolutely the best part of work,” says Sandy. “We wanted to create something that anyone could enjoy, and people have really connected with it and we’ve just really found ourselves a tight-knit group of supporters who have remained loyal to our business.”

STAY IN YOUR LANE When asked about the strategies Sandy uses to stay unique, she says that she tries not to focus too much on what other brands might be doing. “I know a lot of people will tell me that it’s important to keep an eye on the competition, but for me, it’s best if I stay concentrated on what works for me and what I like,” Sandy explains. “Otherwise, I feel like you’re just chasing your own tail and feeling like you’re always behind.” Concentrating on the personal needs of a small biz takes work, and while we know it’s not easy to avoid comparison, Sandy reckons that staying true to you is much more beneficial. “I’m not a sheep or a follower, and I don’t think it’s good to always be looking out for trends because then I’ll lose what makes my businesses special,” says Sandy. “It’s better to be different because now there’s something new to offer to people.”

WEAR MANY HATS Not that you need reminding about just how much work needs to be done to help a biz run smoothly, but being able to work in many different fields is a skill that will put you above the rest. “I work as the creative director of my brands, as well as marketing and partnerships, and I’m a mum to two small kids so I’m always busy,” Sandy says. “It’s pretty much impossible to stay on top of it all, so I’m always doing multiple stuff at the same time because a business and a family requires constant work.” Running a small business is not for the faint of heart, so having a lot of drive is a necessity – especially when you want your small biz to catch people’s attention. “There are a billion things I wish I knew about business, but the best thing I’ve learnt is to be a jack of all trades.”

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