4 months ago this was our test bag which we left hanging for 30 days to make sure there was no sagging and it maintained it's shape. This was the start of what the business was to become by doing things properly.
When I started the punch bag business 4 months ago I have been tracking the numbers with one eye on the target of achieving 100 bags per day. I thought we would reach this around Easter next year and not this year. The biggest problem was not knowing the demand as how many punch bags can be sold and is this even sustainable. Is this seasonal or will we see an increased demand and the numbers then tail off, but we have seen the numbers slowly increasing so it is looking sustainable.
Over the 4 months we have changed staff so regularly for one reason or another, but have a settled team now who are producing the numbers. This has been the frustrating part as we have seen double work take place which has kept us under pressure and ow we are doing the numbers there is no pressure. Next weeks orders are already palletized and ready to go without having to do any over time.
We are doing 3 different brands currently and the missing 4th brand may or may not be added in the new year. The biggest eye opener is that our biggest customer is now an online sales platform accounting for more than 25% of the total monthly numbers.
I do think part of the unknown with this particular product was that no other suppliers had been consistent so there was more out of stock situations than actual supply. Now with a steady supply and by maintaining the quality the numbers should remain constant.
100 bags per day on an average weight of 25Kg's means we are processing 2.5 tons per day which is also kind of crazy because locating the filler is the hardest part of this business. This is why all the other suppliers have failed in the past as they started cutting corners by adding water to the filler so it would seem heavier. Ohers literally had waste and customers even found rubble like broken bricks mixed amongst the cloth material. This is not only cheating, but also a health hazard and why we were more than happy to have the South African Bureau of Standards audit our operation. Having this endorsement sets us apart from everyone else and gives any new client confidence in the product they are buying.
I honestly do not see these numbers growing any more next year and do believe we are running at about 80% market share. The missing client accounts for about 20% and even tough it would be nice to pick up it is no longer necessary. The aim is to maintain what we have and to keep the standards we have set. The business is a great little business for now and there is no need to push even more and to let the business come to us.