- EST. 2022 -

How Silver Mushroom Inspired CK Fulfilment

If you have read our story then you may know a little about the conception of CK Fulfilment. 

Growing an ecommerce business is no easy feat. To an outsider looking at Silver Mushroom for the first time, you may think how lovely things seem and how well Rebecca has done to grow the company to the respectable level that it is at today. But what you don’t see is potentially the most important element of the company's timeline; how Rebecca painstakingly transitioned the business from her back bedroom to the state-of-the art 10,000 square foot warehouse it now resides in.

So, how did we go from curating breath-taking interiors collections and finding the perfect cosy-scented candle to figuring out the most efficient way to pick and pack other businesses orders?  We're so glad you asked. 

Back in 2020 when lockdown hit we saw something incredibly unexpected happen to our business. Overnight our sales increased by over 1000% and our team of five quickly turned to 35. Our 8 hour days turned into weekends and night shifts, it was a very scary time for the business. On paper such an uplift in sales may sound wonderful, but trying to navigate the dangers of the pandemic, training 30 new staff members and keep ontop of orders with no system was incredibly difficult and we quickly slipped behind.

Our pile of orders was growing at a rate that we simply couldn't keep up with and we decided we had to get help. We made the daunting decision to out source our operation to a fulfilment centre so that we could take back controll of the business and our lives. Long story short, things didn't work out.

The fulfilment centre we chosen hadn't been totally honest in their experience of fragile goods, amongst other things. We saw more broken mixing bowls, incorrectly packed orders and careless mistakes than we every thought imaginable. We faced a grim decision, find a way to bring our operation back in house or close Silver Mushroom, for good..

The fulfilment centre we chosen hadn't been totally honest in their experience of fragile goods, amongst other things. We saw more broken mixing bowls, incorrectly packed orders and careless mistakes than we every thought imaginable. We faced a grim decision, find a way to bring our operation back in house or close Silver Mushroom, for good..

Stuck at a crossroads where neither path was particularly satisfying, Rebecca had an idea: What if she could solve not only the needs of her own company but other small to medium businesses in the process? After all, it was becoming increasingly apparent that our experience was not a one-off, rather the experience a lot of small business owners might expect when moving to a 3PL.

With a wealth of experience behind her, Rebecca hired an incredibly talented and passionate operations director, Tony Barnes, and founded CK Fulfilment, her own third party fulfilment centre with a difference. The final leap of faith. The idea behind the new start up? Good, honest fulfilment, where every business matters, no matter what the size. Little by little, business owners began to notice CK Fulfilment. Our transparency and experience set us apart. What we went through with Silver Mushroom enabled us to know exactly what we didn’t want our partners to go through when entrusting us with their businesses. And little by little, our conscientious business model began to grow, its roots founded in honest pricing, attention to detail for every partner, and a caring attitude that means we treat every partner's business with the same thoughtful approach that we treat our own.

Stuck at a crossroads where neither path was particularly satisfying, Rebecca had an idea: What if she could solve not only the needs of her own company but other small to medium businesses in the process? After all, it was becoming increasingly apparent that our experience was not a one-off, rather the experience a lot of small business owners might expect when moving to a 3PL.

With a wealth of experience behind her, Rebecca hired an incredibly talented and passionate operations director, Tony Barnes, and founded CK Fulfilment, her own third party fulfilment centre with a difference. The final leap of faith. The idea behind the new start up? Good, honest fulfilment, where every business matters, no matter what the size. Little by little, business owners began to notice CK Fulfilment. Our transparency and experience set us apart. What we went through with Silver Mushroom enabled us to know exactly what we didn’t want our partners to go through when entrusting us with their businesses. And little by little, our conscientious business model began to grow, its roots founded in honest pricing, attention to detail for every partner, and a caring attitude that means we treat every partner's business with the same thoughtful approach that we treat our own.

What does 'CK' stand for, you ask? It's Rebecca's daughters initials, her driving force behind all she does. 

If you or somebody you know is looking for fulfulment for their business, take a look at our CK Fulfilment website and pop us a message, we'd love to talk.