Automated Workflows Boost Subscription Box Business

Craft Clubs is the UK's largest alcohol subscription service. The company was founded in 2015 by Jon Hulme and John Burke out of a love for Spain's hand-crafted gins. Initially operating out of bedrooms with little to no funding, the company had to keep costs low. After a successful appearance on Dragon's Den in 2016, the company received a £75,000 investment and a new business partner, leading to a significant increase in business. Despite this rapid growth, the company has remained committed to using off-the-shelf software tools and has not hired any technical staff or outsourced technical help.

Craft Clubs, the UK's largest alcohol subscription service, experienced a sudden and significant increase in business after a successful appearance on Dragon's Den. The company received a £75,000 investment and a new business partner, leading to a sixfold increase in their numbers. Despite this rapid growth, the company did not have a technical staff member or outsourced technical help. Co-Founder Jon Hulme was responsible for managing the company's tech stack, which was comprised of off-the-shelf software tools including MoonClerk, Zapier, and Google Sheets. The challenge was to manage this surge in business and maintain efficient operations without the need for additional technical resources or expertise.

Craft Clubs leveraged the power of automation to manage their increased workload. They used MoonClerk for their recurring subscriptions, which integrated with Zapier, an app automation tool. Jon Hulme created a simple Zap to add a row to Google Sheets every time a new recurring plan was created in MoonClerk. This allowed Google Sheets to become Craft Clubs' database, with Zapier bringing in all the data from MoonClerk. Jon wrote reporting scripts to help with everything from forecasting to shipping reports. The company also used Zapier to automate customer service and marketing tasks. For example, when a new subscriber joined, their details were automatically sent to Help Scout to create a new customer profile. When a potential customer filled out a form via Facebook Lead Ads, Zapier sent a 'Thank You' email via Gmail and added the new email address to their marketing list in MailChimp.

• The use of automated workflows has allowed Craft Clubs to manage a significant increase in business without the need for additional technical resources. The company has been able to maintain efficient operations and continue to grow, despite not having a technical staff member or outsourced technical help. The automation tools have also provided the company with the flexibility to experiment with new workflows without the risk of losing money if they do not work out. This has given Craft Clubs the ability to adapt and evolve their operations to meet the changing needs of their business.

• Craft Clubs experienced a sixfold increase in business after their appearance on Dragon's Den.

• The company made in a week what would usually take six months.

• Craft Clubs was able to manage this increase in business without hiring any additional technical staff or outsourcing technical help.