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I recently caught up with Emilia Rossi, Melbourne based Blogger and Co-Founder of award winning preloved wedding marketplace Capriess, to chinwag about her online business ventures.
A little bit about Emilia…
Emilia Rossi is a highly passionate, multi-skilled, multi-faceted person. She uses her writing and work to motivate, educate and inspire others to work smarter and enjoy more fulfilled and purposeful experiences. By sharing her highs and lows, others can see it’s possible to focus on doing more than one thing while still having the time to spend on things you love the most in life.
Why we love Capriess?
Calling all future brides to be…if you’re on the hunt for a trusted and affordable preloved wedding marketplace, Capriess is your one stop shop. Selling on Capriess is also a super simple and lucrative way to recoup money spent on your wedding dress, jewellery, decor and bridal accessories from your special day. Why pay full price when you can shop preloved? Head over to www.capriess.com.au to find your perfect dress for the fraction of the original price. A great way to save money and make a conscious impact on the environment.
Thank you, Emilia, for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today.
How did your idea or concept to start your business come about?
It started on a road trip to Canberra. During that time in life, kid-free, carefree (you know what I’m talking about), we found ourselves always brainstorming ideas whenever we had free time. At that time, we were ‘talking’ about organising our wedding and because we both shop most of everything online, I commented that most if not all wedding-related marketplaces were difficult and slow to use. At that time, the best places to find wedding related things were Gumtree and eBay. So while driving, we actually said, ‘why don’t we create a marketplace for weddings’. So when we arrived back in Melbourne, in less than two weeks after surveying some relevant people we found on Facebook, we created a basic WordPress site to test the idea – we had nothing to lose. There was no soft launch, no advertising, nothing. After 12 months of operating with still no launch or advertising and little to no work on the site, we saw a 300% increase in Organic traffic. This proved to us that we were onto something.
There are plenty of preloved selling platforms out there, what makes Capriess different?
Being super easy to find on Google is an excellent feeling. We are the only marketplace in Australia to rank ‘number’ one and appear on the first page of Google for a large chunk of relevant keywords (outranking Etsy, eBay, Gumtree and other popular marketplaces). So we know that our content is relevant to the Buyers and Sellers that use our site. Capriess is also one of a few marketplaces that allow ‘vendors’ to list their samples, heavily discounted or returned wedding items (such as wedding or engagement rings). As Founders, my hubby and I have extensive experience with small to enterprise-level companies, having worked in digital marketing and SEO (in Australia and overseas). So the content, features and tech that make up Capriess ensure it continues to be as easy as we can make it for Buyers and Sellers to trade. Because, as online buyers and sellers ourselves, we know exactly what it takes to make a great marketplace with relevant inventory that is easy and safe to use.
Who is your audience?
We target anyone looking to make extra money by selling their pre-owned or loved wedding item, including wedding or bridesmaid dresses, wedding or engagement rings and even wedding decorations. We cater for all Buyers and Sellers located in Australia. It doesn’t matter if you are upgrading your ring, wanting to get rid of that old wedding dress or looking to buy some bits and pieces to decorate your wedding, I invite you to visit Capriess.
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting out?
YES! I would have already approached vendors as they would have appreciated having another place to potentially help them offload their designs other than their own shop front and online store. I would have also probably invested in a back end developer earlier. In those days, we did all of the front and back end development. Lastly, I would have enjoyed taking on some sort of mentorship and would have liked to do the Entourage Entrepreneurship course earlier than we did.
Before launching Capriess what were you doing for work?
While launching Capriess, I specialised (and continue to do so) as a digital marketer part-time. During that time, I serviced a small portfolio of my own clients. I also wrote for my blog (which I still do) and sold my jewellery designs to some stockists and via my Etsy store (which I still do).
And lastly, 5 fun facts about you…
- Your go-to comfort binge show?
Anything with drug dealers, zombies, aliens and a twisted end
- Your biggest fear?
SPIDERS!
- Which fictional character would you be best friends with in real life?
Someone from the Never Ending Story.
- Your first ever job was?
Working on the weekends in a darling little high end chocolate shop. That probably contributed to the fact that I am a serious chocoholic. I even have a chocolate box at home with a key and lock!
- If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
The Time-poor Hustler
Why pay full price when you can shop preloved? Head over to www.capriess.com.au to find your perfect wedding dress for the fraction of the original price. A great way to make AND save money and make a conscious impact on the environment.
Oh, and don’t forget…recommendations are my jam, if it’s got the Scout Stamp of Approval, you’re in safe hands. Head over to my Little Black Book now to connect with small businesses, caterers, freelancers and other fabulous creative types.
