How We Plan to Scale Our B2B E-commerce Business to 7 Figures in 2025
Today, we’re excited to share a quick-fire rundown of the strategies we’re implementing in 2025 to scale our B2B e-commerce business. We've had some fantastic success already, reaching six-figure revenue within 2 years. But as any entrepreneur knows, the goal is to go bigger.
So, in this post, we’ll take you through the key strategies we're using to drive our B2B sales forward and reach that seven-figure mark. The best part is that you can do everything we’re doing too! Let’s dive in.
1. Attending Our First Trade Show
We still can't believe it, but 2024 marked the year we attend our first trade show. For a business that has gone from zero to £300,000 in sales in less than 3 years, it's wild to think we've gotten this far without attending one. But here’s the thing: most of our sales have come through marketplaces, particularly Faire marketplace, which has been a game-changer for us.
That’s part of the reason why we started our Candid Founders YouTube channel; to share what we were learning on the Faire platform. The channel turned out to be incredibly helpful for others.
Our business strategy so far has revolved around online marketplaces and digital sales. However, attending trade shows is the next natural step for us, especially as we look to expand and strengthen our brand presence.
I’m excited to share that we won a free trade show stand at Spring Fair in Birmingham through the Small Business Sunday (SBS) competition run by Theo Paphitis on Twitter. If you're not familiar with SBS, check it out! The competition runs every Sunday, and winning can really boost your exposure. We got the chance to exhibit at the NEC in Birmingham last year — one of the largest trade shows in the UK.
The cost of a trade show stand can be astronomical, so winning this stand was a huge opportunity for us. Of course, we still had to invest in the stock we took, accommodation, travel, food, and more, but the exposure was worth the investment. We met retailers, and buyers and forged valuable long-term relationships with them.
Trade shows are definitely a long-term strategy — showing up year after year helps you build stronger connections. So, we plan to attend multiple trade shows in the future and will be sharing our experience along the way. Keep an eye out for our weekly blogs if you’re interested in learning how trade shows can work for your business!
2. Doubling Down on Relationship Management
Building relationships with wholesale customers is crucial to growing your business. While it's important to get the initial sale, it’s even more important to build long-term relationships that lead to consistent repeat orders.
In 2024, we took our relationship management to the next level by:
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Sending personalised catalogues and samples: We make sure to send these directly from us as business owners, not just through generic email marketing. Personalisation goes a long way.
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Phone calls and feedback: We’ve had incredible success with retailer calls, where we chat with customers to understand their needs, hear their feedback, and discuss what’s working for them. This type of communication helped us tailor our products and marketing to better serve their needs.
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In-store visits: We aimed to visit our retailers in person more frequently in 2024. We did this a couple of times in 2023 too and saw great value in it. Building a personal connection with the retailers and showing genuine interest in their business creates a much stronger bond.
3. Product Development and Consistency
We’ve learned that product development and regular product drops are key to keeping our customers engaged. In previous years, we only had two main product launches — one small drop in May and a larger one near Christmas. While this was fine for a start, we’re now focusing on making regular, predictable product drops.
Why does this matter for wholesale? Well, our customers need to plan ahead for their stock levels. If they know we’re releasing new products once a quarter, they can plan their buying schedules and keep their stock levels fresh. This helps them stay excited about our brand and ensures they’re never caught off guard.
We’ve already put a lot of effort into our product pipeline for 2025. We're working closely with our manufacturers to ensure regular and consistent releases. We’ll also be sending catalogues to all of our customers so they can plan accordingly.
4. Point of Sale (POS) Materials
One thing we’ve learned is that Point of Sale (POS) materials are a game-changer for wholesale businesses. It’s not just about having your product available in someone else’s store; it’s also about making sure your product is front and centre, standing out on a display that reflects your brand.
We’ve been experimenting with different POS stand designs since 2022. We started with cardboard displays, which were lightweight and cost-effective. But now we’ve moved up to wooden stands, which are more durable and offer a more polished, premium look.
We have stands that hold anywhere from 20 pairs of socks to larger ones that hold up to 84 pairs. The goal is to create diverse options to suit different types of retailers, from those who are looking for something more affordable to those seeking a high-end and long-lasting stand.
Having these stands in stores means your brand is promoted for free. It also significantly increases your chances of getting sales in other stores as well. We’ve even explored reversible displays and larger floor-standing units. We’re excited to continue evolving our POS offerings.
5. Sending Catalogues Regularly
As I mentioned earlier, catalogues will be a bigger part of our strategy into the future. In 2023, we sent out a few batches of 50 catalogues and saw direct sales as a result. This led us to increase these numbers moving forward, sending them out regularly to both new and existing customers.
Catalogues are a great way to keep your products top-of-mind. What’s more when you follow them up with a personal email from you to the customers, the response rate is even higher.
6. Email Marketing and Lead Generation
Finally, email marketing remains one of the most effective tools in our arsenal. In 2025, we’re continuing to focus on generating high-quality leads and staying in touch with our customers through regular, engaging newsletters.
We’ve put a lot of effort into building our email list and segmenting it so we can send relevant content to the right customers. This is a massive part of our B2B strategy, and if you're not already focused on email marketing, I highly recommend you start! It’s one of the best ways to maintain relationships and keep your brand in front of your audience. Check out these email marketing tips to help you create a winning strategy.
Wrapping Up
2024 was an exciting year for our B2B e-commerce business. From attending our first trade show to doubling down on relationship management, product development, and POS materials. We’ve made a lot of moves to scale our revenue and hit that seven-figure mark.
What’s key is that we’re staying consistent and constantly improving our processes. This isn’t just about what we’re doing today, it’s also about building a long-term business that grows year after year. I hope these strategies spark some ideas for your own business. You can watch the video we put together that summarises these tips.
If you’re looking for more insights into growing your wholesale or B2B business, be sure to subscribe to the Candid Founders YouTube channel for weekly updates. We share everything we learn on our journey, so you can apply it to your own growth! See you in the next post!