Man drops London rat race to start business in Devon and turns over £20m

The self-made CEO of Stannp.com started out as a one-man band and now employs 70 people, with his digital direct mail platform projected to make £20 million from sales this year alone

The entrepreneur is encouraging more people to give small towns and cities a chance (Jam Press/Stannp.com)

A man tired of the London rat race has revealed why he ditched the big city to start his business in a quiet town in Devon – and is now set to turn over £20m.

Sam Heaton is determined to make waves by putting Barnstaple – best known for its river walks and scenery – on the financial map.

The self-made CEO of Stannp.com started out as a one-man band and now employs 70 people, with his digital direct mail platform projected to make £20 million from sales this year alone.

A lover of the ocean, frequently taking a dip to clear his mind, the entrepreneur is encouraging more people to give small towns and cities a chance.

“When I started the company, I had lived and worked in London for 15 years and was ready to make a change,” Sam told Jam Prime.

“As a kid, we’d go on holiday to North Devon, so this area has always held a special place in my heart.

“For me, it’s the perfect place to have a positive work/life balance.

“If ever I’m facing a challenge I can simply get on my bike or head out onto the water.

“I find being so close to nature is inspiring.

“Small towns also have a wealth of talented people and far more untapped potential.

“Being in Barnstaple has undoubtedly helped us succeed and Stannp wouldn’t be anything without its people.

“It’s a great source of pride that we’re playing a part in a thriving commercial hotspot in an often-overlooked area of the country.”

In 2023, Sam’s team are taking the US by storm – expanding into Denver, Colorado, just 18 months ago.

He said: “The American market is like a digital wild west.

“Every piece of professional advice we received forcibly told us not to expand to the US.

“We were told it’s a distraction, that we aren’t big enough, that we don’t have any experience there. We were also warned UK companies always get unstuck trying to crack this market.

“But the more we studied the US, the more convinced we were it was a good idea. Our technology enables some significant economies of scale with how the USPS operate – so we decided to ignore everyone’s advice and go for it.”

“Our self-service direct mail platform is now hugely popular in the US, and we have had to turn the marketing down to cope with the enormous number of inbound enquiries.

“It’s a great problem to have. But while we’ve grown exponentially over the past couple of years we try and retain that close-knit community feel, which is the cornerstone of small towns.”

Statistics show companies are shunning emails for personalised advertising in physical form – with Stannp identifying the gap in the market years ago.

The company can get its direct-to-door postcards and letters through a customer’s letterbox within 72 hours of the order being placed.

In the last two years, Sam and his team have doubled their customer base.

Big names like Holiday Inn, Rightmove, Wish and Autotrader – along with 6,000 other happy clients – have reported a hike in their own sales as a result of using the service, too.

Now with an army of 60 employees in the UK, and 11 in the US, Sam will continue to take on the corporate world – with idyllic beaches just a stone’s throw away.

He added: “I love the sense of community, and raising a family in this corner of the world.

“We have access to some of the most beautiful beaches, stretches of open water, and countryside.

“I couldn’t think of anywhere else in the world we’d rather be.”