Seven years ago I set up Notonthehighstreet.com alongside my business partner, Sophie Cornish. Our aim was to build an online marketplace that provides a unique platform.

Seven years ago I set up Notonthehighstreet.com alongside my business partner, Sophie Cornish.

Our aim was to build an online marketplace that provides a unique platform enabling small businesses to thrive in a retail climate that’s otherwise dominated by high street and online giants.

Notonthehighstreet.com launched on April 3, 2006, and became an overnight success, changing the future working practices of many of Britain’s most creative small businesses.

Today we support more than 3,600 independent enterprises that together sell more than 80,000 high-quality products through a unique single checkout.

The site has an average of 2.2 million unique visitors per month, and at the end of 2012 a total transaction value of £45m was achieved.

It’s been an incredible seven years and I have learnt (and continue to learn) so much.

I’m often asked what piece of advice I would give to other aspiring entrepreneurs and, while it’s difficult to choose just one, my personal lesson is to never underestimate the challenges each day will bring.

I’m constantly tasked with dealing with things that I (or the industry) have never tackled before, and have now come to embrace it.

The key is to remain focused on your goals and aspirations for the business, using this as your driving force for every decision you make.

We recently relaunched Notonthehighstreet.com to expand on product categories across all departments rather than just gifting.

It was a huge project involving everyone in the business, which meant developing new ways of working and monitoring the change.

With so much untapped potential within the retail industry, there’s a call for entrepreneurs with the skill and desire to be disruptive.

We did exactly this - we saw a gap and went for it - and have created a whole new way of retailing. At Notonthehighstreet.com we are lucky to be surrounded by so much entrepreneurial spirit - be it our staff or the small business sellers that we represent - which helps enormously when breaking into new ground.

Of course, no one said it was going to be easy, and there are still days that prove particularly tough, but significantly fewer than when we first launched.

With so much being said about the doom and gloom in retail, I prefer to think positively about the future.

At Notonthehighstreet.com we see small businesses joining us and thriving.

We’ve been able to open up new categories rather than close them down and are now looking to expand internationally.

It has been a tough ride but the retail industry is full of inspiring etailers willing and able to keep the big boys on their toes.

  • Holly Tucker is co-founder of Notonthehighstreet.com. She is on the judging panel for the Retail Week Enterprise Awards 2013, which take place on November 26.

Retail Week Enterprise Awards

For more information visit Retailweekenterpriseawards.co.uk