Hola Sugarcups,
Feeling like you’re running around in circles, fixing the same issues over and over again? The thing is, as soon as you become really good at what you do, the bigger organisations like Dyson, Nestlé or any UK lifestyle startup can’t help but show you all the leaks and gaps. You walk into a room and within the first few weeks you’re able to come up with a hard look at what’s going wrong: they’re losing customers at step 3 of their funnel, their targeting is far too broad, they are just splashing way too much of their margin on customer acquisition cost (CAC), or whatever. You put the plans in place, adjust the metrics, rinse and repeat.
That’s been my life for ten years.
I’m quite happy with some of what I’ve accomplished. Exploding Dyson’s acquisition by 45% via smarter segmentation. Improving marketing ROI by 35% for Nestlé and Unilever via KPI models that worked and no more ‘gut feel’ dashboards. And 30% lower CAC for a London lifestyle brand by identifying where the budget was being wasted.
I knew exactly what the problem was and how to fix it.
But here’s the main point: as you move up the ladder, you become very skilled at fixing broken systems. And finally, you move up far enough that you begin asking the more important question:
What if the whole system’s the problem?
The Moment I Couldn’t Unsee It
In 2023, I was Partnerships Manager at the International Business Times, hammering out deals between vendors of all things AI, FMCG and digital publishers. I was right in the middle of the disconnect between what technology could do for us and what business needed it to do.
The real eye-opener? The conversations I had. Like the nail salon owner managing three apps, none of which actually got her. Or the personal trainer who was still depending on WhatsApp and Notes. And the mobile beautician that was losing out on repeat business because she couldn’t reconnect with her clients.
These people were top-notch, busy entrepreneurs – the very models of UK SMEs and small businesses. But the technology they had? Not quite right. Too expensive, too complex, or just downright not a good fit.
Having built commercial plans for billion-pound brands, I couldn’t believe there were companies generating £50k – £200k a year without any infrastructure. I just couldn’t unsee it.
The Next Thing I Did (P.S. – I Didn’t Co-Found a Startup)
Honestly, quitting my job was not a spur of the moment decision. I sat down at my computer, pulled up a spreadsheet and brainstormed the problem from every angle I could think of. Where are the pain points? How disjointed is the market? What tools are available now? Who is working on them? What is stopping them? I had the answers, and they haunted me.
UK service businesses – hair, beauty, fitness, wellness, trades, tutors, and more – are managing between 4 and 5 separate products. No single product to set up your profile, showcase your services, manage bookings, take payments, and reactivate.
All the tools out there are built for enterprise businesses–they are too complex, too expensive; or they are too simple, and only solve one aspect of the problem. There is a huge gap that is not being filled, and solo traders or small teams are without solutions. As a product person, I set to to make a plan, a user, and a solution.
That solution is Clicket.
What is Clicket
Clicket is a cloud SaaS operating system built for UK service based SMEs and Micro Businesses.
All you need, all in one place. Build, verify, and optimize your profile. List services, book gigs, take payments, and attract repeat business. Say goodbye to the outdated clutter of multiple apps. Say goodbye to toggling between screens. Say goodbye to losing clients over a poorly-scribbled sticky note.
My co-founder and I designed the whole customer journey ourselves. This is the only way to compete against tools that do one thing extremely well. This business model is built for real businesses: start with Freemium, go paid as you grow, and add partners to strengthen the platform.
We’re live and scaling into different industries and parts of the UK. We’ve got plans to scale internationally because this isn’t just a UK problem.
Why I’m Sharing This
If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll be aware that I write at the intersection of Fashion, Tech & Strategy. All the opinions are data-driven and there is no fluff.
Clicket is the kind of things I’ve been talking about for 10 years and I now have a product, commercial & marketing background to back it up.
On that note, I’ll be talking more about my life as a founder-behind the slides, of course-including product decisions, market research, and other details of working for UK micro business.
Small business owner? Founder? Marketer? Curious about Product development? Then stay tuned!
And if you want to see what we’re building, you can find us at clicket.co.uk.
We’re just getting started.
Jasmin
