When you buy something through one of the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
In this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast, Matthew James Davy and I discuss his remarkable journey from life as a marine engineer on luxury yachts to becoming the founder of a fast-growing e-commerce brand. What started as a side hustle during long stretches at sea turned into a highly profitable venture, thanks to persistence, pivots, and a willingness to learn through trial and error.
Matt shares how he went from early drop shipping failures to building and white labeling his own pottery equipment brand. His story is packed with lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs who are considering starting a side business or scaling up an existing one. Let’s dive into Matt’s entrepreneurial path, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what’s next.
From Yachts to Entrepreneurship
Before starting his e-commerce business, Matt spent nearly a decade working on superyachts. While the lifestyle was lucrative, offering tax-free income and six months of paid vacation, it came at a steep personal cost. Being away for half the year meant missing out on birthdays, weddings, and everyday life with loved ones.
So, during his off-hours onboard, Matt began looking for a way out.
- He used his downtime at sea, sometimes up to eight hours a day, to study and build online businesses.
- His initial ventures included low-ticket dropshipping stores that barely made a sale.
- After realizing the quality and shipping issues with low-ticket items, he pivoted to high-ticket dropshipping.
This commitment to change paid off in a big way, but not without its bumps.
Early Lessons in Dropshipping
Matt’s foray into high-ticket dropshipping began with a course he purchased after listening to countless hours of podcasts. He followed the advice carefully, selected a niche (initially water sports equipment), and then quickly realized that picking too narrow a niche led to limited sales.
He eventually landed on pottery equipment, a passion project inspired by his fiancée’s hobby. But even that came with limitations.
- His first store brought in about £1,000 to £2,000 in monthly profit.
- He discovered the total UK search volume in his niche was only around 25,000 to 30,000 per month, far below the 100,000 he now recommends targeting.
- Efforts to expand the niche to other hobbies failed due to a lack of cohesive audience targeting.
Despite these challenges, Matt was learning valuable lessons about niche selection, margin control, and customer focus.
Pivoting to White Labeling: The Game Changer
After failing to sell his store, Matt made a strategic pivot: instead of drop shipping other people’s pottery products, he decided to white label and eventually manufacture his own. This shift changed everything.
- He sourced samples from Alibaba, tested multiple factories, and ultimately selected one based on quality and communication.
- His first batch of 10 pottery wheels cost around £4,000. He sold them for £10,000, making £6,000 in profit, more than he’d earned in the previous four to five months combined.
- His net profit margins jumped from 6% to 9% (as a dropshipper) to 40% to 50% once he began selling his own branded products.
Not only did the margins improve, but he also gained full control over product quality, logistics, and customer experience.
Smart Marketing Moves
With better margins and control, Matt started experimenting with new marketing strategies that had been too costly as a dropshipper.
- He built an email list and used it to drive repeat traffic and conversions.
- He invested in search text ads, normally too expensive for low-margin dropshipping, because he could now afford the higher customer acquisition cost.
- Social media played a big role, especially platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, where his older, creative audience spent time.
Matt didn’t stop there. He also made smart moves in SEO, especially with backlink building.
- He created a pottery studio directory for the UK, categorized by county.
- After listing studios, he emailed them asking for a reciprocal link.
- This free (except for VA costs) tactic yielded between 50 and 100 backlinks, improving trust and search rankings.
He attributes a lot of his organic growth and sales to this community-based approach.
Scaling to Six Figures and Beyond
The numbers speak for themselves. Matt’s business has grown rapidly since making the pivot to owning his own product.
- 2023 revenue: £71,000
- 2024 revenue: £272,000
- 2025 revenue: £630,000
That’s nearly a 9X increase in profit over two years. He went from selling 10 products a month to 76 products in just one week during Black Friday.
With that growth, Matt transitioned from a solo operator to a team leader.
- He now has a full-time ad manager and customer service team.
- Many backend processes, like automation and order handling, are outsourced to VAs.
- He's investing in scalable systems, including logistics and returns, to make the business run independently.
Looking Ahead: More Brands, More Growth
With one brand now on solid footing, Matt is thinking about what’s next.
- He’s planning to build additional stores using what he calls the “cheat codes” he’s now developed.
- His priority is making sure the current store runs without his day-to-day involvement.
- He’s also considering how to help other entrepreneurs build similar success, though not through a course, just by giving back and answering questions.
He emphasizes the importance of staying persistent and learning through failure.
Final Thoughts
Matt Davy’s story is a powerful example of how a side hustle can evolve into a thriving business. He didn’t have a master plan when he started. Instead, he built his knowledge through trial, error, and relentless curiosity.
Some key takeaways from Matt’s journey:
- Start as a side hustle, but treat it seriously.
- Don’t ignore data, search volume, margins, and demand.
- Be ready to pivot when something isn’t working.
- Consider owning your product for better margins and more control.
- Invest in email marketing, SEO, and platform-specific ads based on your audience.
- Talk to others in the space; most are happy to help.
What makes Matt’s journey particularly relatable is that he shared not only his wins but also his mistakes. His transition from a stable but unfulfilling career to building a brand from scratch offers a realistic roadmap for others dreaming of doing the same.
And if there’s one final message from this interview, it’s this: Keep going. Keep learning. And don’t compare your middle to someone else’s end.
Related Posts
Want to learn step-by-step how I built my Niche Site Empire up to a full-time income?
Yes! I Love to Learn
Learn How I Built My Niche Site Empire to a Full-time Income
- How to Pick the Right Keywords at the START, and avoid the losers
- How to Scale and Outsource 90% of the Work, Allowing Your Empire to GROW Without You
- How to Build a Site That Gets REAL TRAFFIC FROM GOOGLE (every. single. day.)
- Subscribe to the Niche Pursuits Newsletter delivered with value 3X per week
My top recommendations
