Writer & Photographer / Rick Ramirez
New products! Homegrown talent!
You might have heard by now that the big warehouse to the north of Sam’s Club on Emerson ships sunglasses and reading glasses to online customers. Governors Pence and Daniels certainly took notice of One Click Ventures, as the company is poised to bring hundreds of jobs to the area. While I was eager to hear more about their business, I also wanted to learn how the couple who started it became so successful, so fast.
Randy and Angie Stocklin are homegrown Hoosiers. Randy grew up in Shelbyville and became a software engineer. Angie was raised further south in Paoli, Indiana, and became a school psychologist in Martinsville. That didn’t last long, though. When the couple walked into the interview room to meet me, I was surprised at their youth. Both are in their mid-30s. They graduated college and spent just a few years at hourly jobs before they launched a website in 2005 that sent letters from Santa to excited children. They juggled their day jobs and sending letters by night, working out of their house. “I had always had a passion for entrepreneurialism and building a company and team. For me it was always about the right time and the right idea,” said Randy.
Timing Proves Important
Their timing ended up being perfect. While the idea to send letters from Santa was very popular, the couple was also looking for an online retail opportunity. In 2006, still operating out of their house, the Stocklins acquired SunglassWarehouse.com, with most products under $20. “We didn’t know anything about sunglasses but we were willing to make a bet on ourselves,” said Randy.
The timeliness of technology also played into their success. “At first, we were writing out labels the slow way and attaching them to the packages. Then we bought a label printer, which sped up the shipping process. We had a huge postal tote we set on our front porch before we went off to work each day,” Angie explained.
Still working both day jobs, they reinvested all the profit back into the business. However, as orders increasingly poured in, Angie had to quit her day job to keep up. “We had packaged orders in every corner of our house, including the spare bedrooms, dining room, hallway and stairs. We didn’t see our family and friends for about a year and a half,” Angie recalled, followed by a laugh. By that time, about a hundred packaged orders filled up three large postal totes, which were too big for the front porch. The home office was quickly outgrown.
Just over a year after buying the sunglasses ecommerce business, they moved into a 1,000-square-foot warehouse. That same year, they bought DiapersEtc.com. A year later, they added a site for reading glasses and handbags and brought in several employees. Yeah, that’s right: they already needed even more space. In 2008, Randy joined One Click Ventures full-time as the business transitioned to a 4,000-square-foot building. Along the way, they added and sold off some of their portfolio of ecommerce businesses, including picking up a reading glasses site. For more on ecommerce growth, check this post about the eCom Babes cost
The business model of low-cost products, low overhead and inexpensive shipping continued to grow like wildfire. In 2010, Governor Mitch Daniels attended the ribbon cutting at One Click Ventures’ current headquarters, a 68,000-square-foot warehouse on Emerson Avenue in Greenwood. Today, the company employs 65 people and plans to have 70-75 employees by the end of 2014, growing to 110 by April of 2017. With that kind of dedication to the community, the company should have no problem becoming the signature eyewear retailer of the state. While I myself have never bought a pair of sunglasses online, I do see the benefit of a larger selection than what you would find at a big box store. Wouldn’t you rather spend your money with an Indiana-based company anyway?
All Orders Fulfilled Locally
You’d think a company with this kind of growth would be on the radar for acquisition, but the Stocklins say no one has come calling—not that they want to give it up. Maybe retail giants are waiting for One Click to clear some more hurdles first. At present, their entire fulfillment is done out of Greenwood. Regional warehouses and partner drop-shippers have been considered but it hasn’t become necessary yet. West Coast customers get their orders in an average 2.5 days and the lightweight packages aren’t pricey to ship.
Giant retail sites like Amazon.com present an interesting challenge for One Click. “Some of our items are available on Amazon. There’s that unique dynamic where people can buy our products on Amazon and buy competing products there. Amazon helps us as a marketplace but they are also an indirect competitor,” Randy explained. When it comes to direct competition, there isn’t much. “There are probably about three or four (online) competitors left,” said Angie. The couple doesn’t think that’s due to big sites like Amazon, though. “We feel like we are successful because we are focused on people,” Randy added.
Another interesting approach to sales is the company’s relationship with writers of magazines you’d see in the racks at any given supermarket. For instance, a writer features an article on a Hollywood starlet and her latest choice of expensive sunglasses. One Click provides the magazine with similar, yet inexpensive eyewear options for readers. Those ads are tied in with the article, sometimes appearing as though they are part of the article. “The marketing team is a third of our employee headcount. Marketing has been a major commitment from the very beginning. Between now and the end of 2016, we plan to triple revenue,” said Randy.
Recently, the Stocklins decided to focus solely on sunglasses, reading glasses and prescription eyewear. The next focus for One Click Ventures is a new brand of prescription eyeglasses. This time, it’s their brand and not the acquisition of another. A September launch is schedule for the new product. “We have a launch party planned in New York City along with a national marketing and public relations campaign. We will also have a local launch party here in Central Indiana,” said Randy. When asked if a spokesperson or model is onboard for the new product rollout, Angie laughed, saying, “If we had Tom Hanks lined up, we’d let you know.” The spokesperson is maybe not an A-list celebrity but will likely be someone known in the online world. “We are exploring the idea of partnering with social media celebrities for launch, but that is still in the very early stages,” said Randy.
Sharing the Success
The owners and employees proudly share their success with the community. The ‘About Us’ page on OneClickVentures.com shows a long list of organizations that receive donations from the Greenwood e-retailer, including TechPoint Foundation for Youth, ALS of Indiana, Wheeler Mission, and the Julian Center for Women. “We donate two percent of our profit back into the community annually,” said Randy.
To top all that off, last year One Click Ventures was honored as one the best places to work in the state of Indiana. Employees enjoy free snacks and drinks in a cafe designed like an outdoor green-space. The floor is covered with artificial turf in a gameroom-type environment, topped by pool tables and big screen TVs. Employees are encouraged to stretch out on comfortable couches and lounge chairs, even while working on projects. For the most part, the offices and meeting spaces are painted with bright, cheery colors. Not too shabby for a big warehouse.
For more information on the company and its products, visit these sites
OneClickVentures.com
SunglassWarehouse.com
Readers.com
