Wish.co.uk Entrepreneurs Build a $1MM+ Business in Less Than 12 Months by Selling Fun

Some residents of the United Kingdom (UK) are now well-prepared to fend off an imminent zombie attack, fly a plane and race sports cars thanks to the efforts of Richard Kershaw and Stephen Pavlovich, the two young co-founders of Wish.co.uk, a website that sells life-changing experience days, like driving days, flying days, spa days, SWAT training, jet pack training and more.

Since the website’s launch in July 2011, the Wish.co.uk e-commerce business (think Groupon without the expiration issue) sells 95 percent of all zombie experience tickets in the United Kingdom.

The site reportedly turned a profit within six months of its launch and earned approximately $1,613,500 (1 million British pounds) in its first year of operation.

Kershaw and Pavlovich found early success by directing their small staff of contract employees to address customer concerns in a timely matter and focusing their own efforts on what they do best: online marketing and conversion rate optimization.

The Anti-Groupon Approach

Groupon, the deal-of-the-day website that features discounted gift certificates usable at local or national companies, snags customers by offering heavily discounted deals on specific items. By contrast, Kershaw and Pavlovich built the Wish.co.uk platform to offer a fun experience at a fair price, with a focus on great customer service.

Where purchasing a Groupon deal can sometimes be an exercise in reading fine print or cutting through red tape, the two entrepreneurs aimed to make doing business with Wish.co.uk a seamless experience. This approach allowed the co-founders to carve out a unique niche, which frees it from the need to attempt to compete with “big box” retailers, and instead concentrate on offering fun experiences its customers will enjoy – and recommend to their friends.

Their emphasis on fun has also allowed Wish.co.uk to buck the trend of non-essential services suffering sales downturns during economic hard times as customers tighten their belts. The pair attributes their success to the fact that their services represent a form of low-cost escapism to a stressed populace. Kershaw and Pavlovich point out that their fun-themed experiences are less expensive than booking a weekend at a hotel.

Optimizing the Website

A visit to the Wish.co.uk website can be jarring if you’re not prepared. A ghoulish zombie figure reaches out from the browser page as if in an attempt to grab you and pull you into its grasp. This attention-grabbing display advertises the site’s most popular offerings – an assortment of zombie-themed challenges. The bright colors and ready navigation add to the ease of the visitor’s experience. However, if you need help, chat assistance is a click away, and available during business hours.