A company I like at the moment is Viapost. In it’s own words it lets you “send physical post direct from your computer to any UK address.” Simple. Not particularly sexy, but simple. And that’s a good thing!

When I first heard about it, I have to admit it didn’t set my world on fire. But as I’ve got to know the company better (and I admit, as they’ve enjoyed awesome growth), I’ve come to like it more and more.

What I like most about it is that it makes 100% sense from a customer perspective. It is easier (no printing and stuffing and stamping), it is cheaper (because they’re mailing in bulk) and it is greener (because letters get printed out near their final destination). And it’s super simple to implement. You just add a printer driver to your machines. From a customer’s point of view, it’s a no brainer! And no brainers are good business!

Moreover, as a business it’s all about B2B sales which means it’s easier to grow scale quickly. They’re operating in a huge market and there are several obvious potential buyers once they get to scale.

My only potential concerns I’d have about the business model would be the low gross margins and the risk of the market commoditising, but once you get into international post the margins get fatter. And the options for product expansion into higher gross margin products are significant once you have the relationships with the large customers (a risk of course is losing focus and trying to do that too soon). On the risk of the market commoditising, well hopefully Viapost will be bought before that happens!

All in all, a very good, unsexy business! May they do well!

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