In the world of retail, where adaptability and efficient transaction management are key to success, the story of Grondsels shines as a beacon of entrepreneurial ingenuity. Nestled in the heart of an agricultural and camping equipment business, Grondsels, helmed by the dynamic duo of Janetta Sikken and Jan de Morrée, has flourished over the past three and a half years. What sets their journey apart is their strategic embrace of Loyverse POS, a versatile point-of-sale system that has been at the heart of their operations for more than three years. Join us as Mr. Jan shares the remarkable tale of how Grondsels found its path, the integral role Loyverse played in their growth, and the invaluable lessons learned along the way.

Can you briefly describe your business type? 

We are in the retail business. We sell agricultural products and camping equipment. We also import electrical wheelbarrows. We have been running this business for three and a half years. We have been using Loyverse for three years and a quarter. 

What inspired you to start this business?

It came more or less in our path because we also have a campsite for the camper vans. I do some repair work on the electrical system of the campers. Then we started to import our electrical wheelbarrows. This business was growing. This business was going on for about 5-7 years. We were growing so much that we needed some more space. All of a sudden, the farmhouse across the street became available. We bought the farm, and there was already some kind of shop in it, which was not doing so well. But, we started it over and adapted to our own way of thinking and our own ideas. So all of a sudden, we had a shop! It was not a big plan for us to have a shop like that, but it came in our path. 

Do you have a business partner, or is it a family business? 

It is a family business. I do this together with my wife. Both of us are enthusiastic about it. My brother-in-law is also living in a part of the farmhouse, helping us from now and then. So, it is a real family business. 

What did you do before starting this business? 

I am still, to this day, a business consultant, working between the cooperation of businesses and educational institutions. My wife is an IT project manager. 

How did you first come to know about Loyverse?

I found Loyverse searching online for POS systems. I thought I needed something to record transactions. I googled online what available systems are there to record and track transactions. We were just starting, so I tried to find a system that was easily available, with no high cost, and adaptable to our needs. I selected three or four systems initially to try them out. Loyverse stood out among the options that I had, so we went with Loyverse. We tried the system. First, with caution and evaluating if this is what we need, if it did what he wanted. Loyverse worked just fine, so we went along with it. 

What are some of the features that Loyverse had that have been most useful for you?

The core is that we can add all the items we sell. This allows us to have a trackable record of all our sales. It is very convenient that it is available on phones. My wife, my brother-in-law, and I have the Loyverse POS app on our phones, so we always have the transactions system with us at any moment ready to use. Loyverse is growing along with our business. We added 5000 items to it, and Loyverse functions well despite this large amount of items and data. It also has the capability to export the reports to my liking, so I can export the receipts and work with the file in Excel and, in the end, have them in my accounting program. 

Do you track inventory with Loyverse? 

Not yet. Sometimes, I think about it. But then, I think it is too much of a hassle. That could be one of the functionalities we will use, but I don’t think it will be within the next six months, perhaps in one or two years. 

How do you utilize Loyverse’s reporting and analytics features to make informed decisions about product assortment, pricing, or promotions?

We are focusing on the reports now more than before. There is also the other app, the Dashboard. We use that frequently. It is very nice to have. It is also more or less our way to see the inventory because, in the Dashboard app, you can see what you sold this day or this week. When we see this data, it triggers what we should buy next. The report I check the most in the Back Office is the receipts report, which I also export with the option “export receipts by item,” as I mentioned previously. Another helpful report is the sales summary, which comes with the graph representation. I am missing the graph representation for the sales by item since I would like to see how the sales of a particular product have changed over the year. Now, I have solved this by exporting the sales and building my own reports in Power BI.

The reports are becoming increasingly important since our business is luckily growing, which means we have to be more sharp in what we are doing. 

What features or functionalities would you like to see added or improved in Loyverse to enhance your retail business operations further?

What I would like to be added is a breakdown of taxes in the exported receipt report. We have multiple VAT rates like 21%, 9%, 0%. Within one receipt, there will be multiple taxes. But, when you export the receipt report, only the total tax amount appears. It would help if there is a breakdown of the tax amount into each VAT rate applied in that receipt. 

Is there any advice or words of wisdom you would like to share with aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own retail business?

I was amazed when we started with Loyverse at how well the system is built, and the uptime is excellent. If I hear people who need a transaction system, I immediately suggest Loyverse. You just need to start your business, and then Loyverse makes it possible for you. You can start small and continue adding products or services along the way.