Jungle Culture Update: How We Grew 20% And Experienced Our Most Viral Month Yet
This is a follow up story for Jungle Culture. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published almost 4 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
Hi! I am Jamie, co-founder of Jungle Culture. We’re an eco-friendly e-commerce brand based in the UK. We did a Starter Story interview a little while ago that you can check out here, and this is the follow-up!
We initially started selling products online via Amazon as we were based in Vietnam when we set up, so we didn’t have any way of shipping, aside from relying on Amazon FBA. Over time we built up a wholesale business, 2x direct websites, and an Etsy store that we also sell through. Our websites and Etsy do pretty well, but our main sales come from Amazon and wholesale.
Being based in Vietnam, we were able to introduce the best quality handmade/ethically sourced products to the UK/EU/US markets early on, because we could meet suppliers and test everything quickly. I wouldn’t say that we have flagship products, but our best sellers tend to be Vietnamese made tableware items.
I definitely would not advise other entrepreneurs to go down the handmade route unless you are making the products yourself though. It can be extremely difficult to manage.
We receive 40ft containers nearly every month, filled with handmade products, and things like weather, how long the products were in transit, and how they were handled can all cause quality control issues and maintain a high standard, it takes a lot of work! The products that we sell that are made of metal are much simpler to manage.
Since we last interviewed, our total turnover has not increased by leaps and bounds. We’ve grown by about 20% or so, but we’ve had some struggles at the same time.
One of our craftspeople, hand making wooden utensil sets.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to. Has the business been growing?
We hit over 700k views on a Tiktok video a few weeks ago which was probably our best viral moment!
Since we last spoke our business has grown, but not by a huge amount. We’ve gone from an average of $110k per month to around $135k per month. We would’ve wanted more growth, but the challenges we’ve faced over the past few years have sometimes meant that it hasn’t been possible to grow at the rate we would’ve liked.
Revenue aside, there have been some not-so-tangible aspects of the business that we’ve been able to improve upon significantly.
Our systems in the organization have been getting gradually better over the past few years. We’ve been able to manage inventory much more efficiently, capture more emails, and attract more traffic to our website/blog.
We’ve also trained a few full and part-time members of staff to take over some of our (founders) responsibilities, so we’re not quite as hand’s as we were + we now have a nearly full-time social media manager who has been helping boost ours following on a few different platforms. We hit over 700k views on a Tiktok video a few weeks ago which was probably our best viral moment!
We’ve used a combination of email marketing with Klaviyo, socials (newly managed), and SEO copywriting to increase traffic to our websites, which now generate roughly 22k visitors per month. We’ve increased our sales by moving into different Amazon markets. This has been the biggest sales driver for us over the last few years.
Etsy has slowed down a lot for us. Over the pandemic, we were receiving $13k in sales a month, which has dropped off around 80%. Etsy always performs well at Christmas time as a gifting platform, so we try to keep it updated, but it has lost a bit of appeal for us.
We’ve been able to retain a lot of our B2B customers, but part of the reason for our low growth is that we lost a few big clients, mainly due to increased shipping container shipping costs, putting a strain on our ability to offer the products at an affordable price.
The graphics below show how we’ve grown over the past few years in terms of web traffic, clicks, keyword growth, etc. We also released a few new products, bamboo salad bowls, natural body soaps, and a few new versions of our reusable razors for women.
What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?
We’ve had some nightmare challenges to deal with. It can honestly feel at times like everything is going wrong and we’re spiraling. The first 2-3 years we were in business, everything went right for us and we didn’t really experience any setbacks, but over the past year and a half, there have been some issues that have forced us to reevaluate certain areas of the business.
Brexit has had a much bigger impact on us than we probably anticipated. Although import duties from the UK to the EU are low, many customs officers are charging extortionate admin/brokerage fees and it’s creating a mental barrier where EU businesses would prefer to shop within the trade union. This has meant that a lot of our EU customers, both retail and wholesale have looked elsewhere for their products.
We also experienced extremely high shipping costs during the pandemic and that meant we lost a few key customers.
Mentally it is difficult to remain optimistic when you notice sales dip on one platform or another. But the only way out of situations like this is to get back to basics in my opinion. Focus on sales, focus on marketing, and work longer hours until you’ve managed to turn the tide.
If you focus on authenticity and originality and you work hard to make your business a reality then you will have a really good shot at succeeding.
At times and my co-founder Chris have both experienced burnouts, but we have a great little team, and we’ve been able to insource and outsource some of our more time-consuming jobs, which has given us some time to have a break, although we both haven’t taken more than 4 days off in a row since 2018 (the year we started).
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
I have learned not to rest on my laurels. Everyday there are hundreds of other companies trying to replicate the success that you have. Other businesses will not hesitate to copy your photography, your products, and your newsletters and they’ll even make up versions of your story, so it’s important to always stay alert and make sure that you’re ahead of the competition. Standing still is moving backwards.
I am also learning how to deal with business stresses in a better way. It can be pretty tough to take when things go wrong, but it’s not the end of the world.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
We’ve had a rocky few years, but the future is bright. We are going to move into a bigger warehouse this year which will enable us to expand our product range and offer more customization services. We’ve also got plans to launch on Amazon AUS & CA which should help boost our revenue. We’re refining everything that we do at Jungle Culture and making sure that our systems of operation are scalable and low maintenance.
In 5 years, we’re hoping to have a full range of sustainable products that can help reduce waste around the house, when you’re out and about, and also for businesses. It’s a lot of work releasing this many products, but we think we’re up to the challenge.
In the short term, our goal is just to keep doing what’s right for our customers and the planet, work in a sustainable manner and produce products that make a difference. In the long term, who knows!
What’s the best thing you read in the last year?
Honestly, before starting Jungle Culture I was normally able to read 15-20 books a year. Now I am lucky if I can finish 1-2, so when I do read, it’s for pleasure, not business inspiration.
Normally, I will listen to podcasts, watch YouTube, and read blogs to help me with a specific area of Jungle Culture. For example, I recently listened to SEO in 2023 on Spotify to see if there were any SEO trends this year that I may have not considered.
I don’t stick to one specific blog or podcast. I just Google the questions that I have and see who has the best answers.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
My biggest advice for entrepreneurs is to try and be original. If you copy other companies, your customers will feel it. Customers know when a company is being genuine, so be creative, don’t lie, and think of your ideas.
If you focus on authenticity and originality and you work hard to make your business a reality then you will have a really good shot at succeeding.
The biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs make is starting a business thinking that it’s going to be easy and they’re going to be making “6 figure incomes” in a matter of months. I can guarantee that if you want your business to be successful, growing it will not be easy, so prepare for a lot of work.
If you don’t want to work hard, then maybe running a business is not for you. But if you are prepared to work hard and be original, then growing a successful business is within everybody's reach.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
We will soon be looking for a sales staff member. The role is not fully defined yet, but in short, we need a client relationship manager with sales experience.
Where can we go to learn more?
You can find more information about Jungle Culture here. If you’re a business, looking for zero waste products in bulk, you can contact us here.
Here’s a list of our social channels:
Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Linkedin
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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