A Manchester entrepreneur is offering everyone the opportunity to create an end-to-end online retail business with no risk and no cost.
Entrepreneur Sean Brown is launching Mercarto, a free, one-stop platform which takes care of web design, sourcing, storage, delivery and payment.
Mercarto manages every aspect of ordering and customer service, with store owners taking up to 40 per cent profit on products sold. All users have to do is name their store, select the products they wish to stock, and launch – they then drive sales by marketing the store through their own networks.
More than 100 stores have already been created through Mercarto following a soft launch earlier this year.
“The real ‘why’ of Mercarto is to give everyone the opportunity of starting their own business,” said Brown.
“We want to put entrepreneurship and business ownership in the hands of absolutely anyone, with no barriers.
“Where else in the digital space can you start a business and start a movement with no initial investment of money or time?
“Whether you’re a uni student, a single parent wanting to make some cash on the side or an aspiring business owner aiming to create an eCommerce empire, Mercarto creates that opportunity.”
Sean’s previous venture, Hatch, an influencer marketing platform, was brought in house by high-profile social media marketing agency, Social Chain.
The young entrepreneur says he received an incredibly strong entrepreneurial grounding working alongside Social Chain, but is ready to strike out in a new direction.
He said: “I learned a lot from my experience with Hatch and Social Chain. To have companies like Apple Music using the technology behind Hatch was amazing and a huge learning process.
“Mercarto is about creating something truly enabling for people who otherwise wouldn’t have the time or resources to start their own business.”
Sean is working with the Tech Manchester programme, a not-for-profit project backed by hosting firm UKFast to support up-and-coming technology businesses.
Mercarto is the first business to sign up to take space in UKFast’s FastForward incubator for tech start-ups at its newly expanded campus.
He said: “The support Mercarto is receiving from Tech Manchester is invaluable and I’ve also had the chance to share my knowledge in social media and growth hacking with other start-ups within the programme, which is fantastic.
“I’ve looked at a number of the incubator spaces across Manchester and the difference at UKFast was the energy when I walked through the door. I knew instantly that it was the right place for me to push Mercarto to the next level.”
Patricia Keating is project lead for Tech Manchester, which manages the FastForward incubator space.
She said: “It’s an honour that a business with as much potential as Mercarto is making its home in FastForward.
“Sean is a truly inspirational person and the other businesses within the Tech Manchester mentor scheme are already learning a huge amount from his experience. We can’t wait to welcome the Mercarto team to FastForward later this year.”