A keen photographer, Tim Charters decided to launch his
own business after taking redundancy from his job. His website
gives photographers exposure and allows them to sell direct
to customers.
0-5 seconds: Sum your business up in a
sentence
We provide a route for small professional and good amateur
photographers to market their work as finished prints.
5-10 seconds: What's the business
model?
Photographers upload images, which we market through our website. We
arrange for printing, both on canvas and paper, and delivery to our
home, office, and commercial customers. We pay photographers a
royalty for each sale, with the remaining revenue covering our
costs and margin.
10-15 seconds: Who are your
competitors?
Direct competition is limited. Photographers can currently sell
to stock companies such as Shutterstock or Alamy, while online art
suppliers include Vivarti and Easyart.
15-20 seconds: What's your USP?
What is unique to Picture Fair is our sourcing of photography
from smaller artists who often would not otherwise market their
work, combined with UK printing and free delivery.
20-25 seconds: How have you funded it so
far?
I used a redundancy package from my previous job to provide the
initial capital.
25-30 seconds: What were you doing before?
I spent ten years working in energy finance for a large oil and
gas company.
30-35 seconds: Where did the idea come
from?
My parents were badgering me to print some of my photographs for
their hallway and it got me wondering whether I could make some
money on the side by selling finished prints. After finding how
difficult this was to do, I took the opportunity to leave my old
job and fill the gap.
35-40 seconds: What's the smartest thing you've
done so far?
Getting to know our customers and how they think - even though
we are an online business, we've had stalls at community events to
talk directly with potential customers.
40-45 seconds: What's the stupidest?
Launching too quickly - everyone says get out there as soon as
you can, but we were probably not quite ready.
45-50 seconds: If your business was a biscuit,
what would it be?
A Bourbon - simple, trusted, multi-layered, and tasty yet
affordable.
50-55 seconds: Which idea are you a bit jealous
of?
Instagram - it's photography, it's simple and it's using new
technology effectively.
55-60 seconds: Where are you going to be in
12 months' time?
We will be firmly established as a first choice destination for
online artwork purchases, and known as a premier way for
photographers to monetise their work.
For more information about Picture Fair, click here.