END 2023 ON A HIGH NOTE
What a year for KAZARTT and for me! 2023 has been intense, filled with significant events and successes, including an end to the year full of emotions and achievements.
On the way to Spain
Photo taken yesterday, we took the road to Spain: a personal and professional trip. And it is from a co-working in Barcelona that I wanted to take the time to look back on the year 2023 as well as to share with you the objectives for this new year.
And let's start with the most important thing, in my eyes: she said yes!
As an entrepreneur, the line between private and professional life is often very (too) fine. The girl with whom I share my life is also an integral part of the KAZARTT adventure.
She said yes
Marya, the one I can now call my fiancée, gave me the best birthday present! On December 11, she said yes to me from the top of the atomium in Brussels.
I had been preparing the plan from Dubai for several months. And it was thanks to the precious help of the Say-It agency that I organized my request on my birthday. She was expecting a family meal. Successful surprise!
For me, a very stressful moment because I wanted everything to be perfect. But above all, one of the most beautiful moments of my life, and rich in emotion.
I am very happy to have passed this milestone and to commit to a lifetime with this girl who has now been with me for more than 2 years.
But not only her!
Since we have known each other, she has constantly told me that she is not alone. And it comes with a combo. I am very lucky because his 2 sons also accepted me into their family.
The “kinky 2,” as she calls them, are still in Colombia. And one of our big goals for 2024 is to quickly find our nest and bring the whole family together under one roof. Hence our trip to Spain right now.
To end with this beautiful page, I wanted to thank Marya for her contribution to the development of KAZARTT. Marya played a crucial role in the development of KAZARTT, redesigning the Progrès model and handling the sending of nearly 1,000 packages in December.
At the end of the year, she also took care of taking inventory and took care of reorganizing everything. THANK YOU for being part of my personal life as well as the KAZARTT adventure. Thank you for believing in my madness and following me to the ends of the earth.
Now let's move on to another person who was extremely important this year.
Employee of the year 2023
This year 2023 would not have been the same without my Dad! He deserves the official title of Employee of the Year! Because it was he who took care of all the logistics during the first 11 months of 2023. More than 1,000 packages that he prepared and sent.
For his Christmas, I gave him this symbolic frame.
Because packages... we sent them!
And we took the time to remember the beginning of the year. Where we started very (very) humbly: he started by inserting your contact details on the Post Office or Mondial Relay website. Then, he printed the labels on A4, cut them out and glued them to the envelope using his Pritt glue pot 😂.
Fortunately, during the year, we became more professional: I integrated the Mondial Relay solution on the site, allowing you to choose your own delivery method as well as your relay point. And I also invested in a label printer, saving us money on Pritt glue and wrist pain.
Now for the results!
2023 results
From the beginning, KAZARTT has been a 100% transparent brand. Not only do I like to share with you how belts are made or my personal experiences as the founder of the brand. But I also regularly shared the results.
1,674 orders in 2023
With an average of 1.35 belts/order, we arrive at a total of 2,261 belts sold in one year. Of which 1,562 belts were sold during the last 2 months of the year (+- 75% of turnover)! AMAZING !
We therefore pass the €100,000 turnover mark in 2023. A very good figure for a young start-up managed by a single person and after my working hours. I couldn't be more proud.
France & Belgium... but not only that!
We have had the pleasure of receiving your orders from all over France and Belgium. But not only ! There were also orders from Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, Andorra, Switzerland, ...
It was quite surprising for me, because no advertising was published in its countries. So it’s about word of mouth or sharing.
Focus on Belgium
As a Belgian, I am of course very proud that my packages go to my own country. But this photo particularly fills me with joy. As my site is only available in French, all advertisements are as well. And yet, most of the packages went to the northern part of the country! Where Dutch is spoken.
DANK U WEL!
2023, the test year. 2024, the year of growth
Looking at these figures, we can say that the test was passed successfully! The goal, especially at the end of 2023, was to demonstrate that the project was viable and profitable. And that's the case !
Now how do we take KAZARTT to the next level? I decided to invest in a new website, a real logistical solution to let dad enjoy his retirement, and possibly fundraising to accelerate the development of the brand.
Logistics Solution
To free up my dad, who took care of logistics during the first 11 months of the year, I am currently looking for a real logistics solution. I would like the center to be located in France because this country represented 55% of sales in 2023. And I am currently in discussions with 2 potential partners.
A new website
The website you currently know was created by myself more than 5 years ago. I created it entirely on WordPress from a free theme. It was high time to refresh it! And I took the opportunity to migrate it to Shopify. The new site should be available from February and will be multi-language and multi-currency, in order to internationalize the brand.
A new platform for sending emails
I currently use Mailchimp to send newsletters. It's easy and very accessible as long as the database is small. But now that my contact base is starting to increase, I decided to migrate to Klaviyo.
Fundraising
KAZARTT is one of the rare startups with a product tested and approved by a happy customer base, positive figures, good traction and great potential. But despite this, funds are needed to continue growing the brand: investment in more stock, marketing, photo sessions, videos, etc. One of my goals for this year is therefore to bring an investor into the company. I'm preparing the pitch. Do not hesitate to write to me if you wish to receive it (guillaume@kazartt.com).
Digital Agency
As I already mentioned to you during the month of October, I am also working on the creation of a marketing agency. I finally decided on the name: Double-T Agency (in reference to Double T in KAZARTT). I bought the domain name and I am currently working on the logo and the graphic charter. The ambition behind this agency.
THANK YOU !
I must end this article by thanking you. THANK YOU !!!
Thank you for being more and more numerous to follow the KAZARTT adventure. Thank you for being part of this community that believes that a belt should not be boring and monotonous. Thank you for your trust, for your support and for your many positive and encouraging messages.
Good year
All that remains is for me to wish you an excellent new year 2024! May it be filled with meetings, coffees on the terrace, smiles and happiness. I wish you every success in all aspects of your life. I wish your KAZARTT belt a long life. And above all, I wish you lots of dreams and enough energy and madness to make some of them come true.
See you soon !
