<p><b>Startup description</b></p><p>My product is a niche, automated service that helps UK vehicle owners obtain replacement V5C logbook certificates from the DVLA without the hassle of paperwork, postal orders, or trips to the Post Office.</p><p>Customers upload their information through our simple web form, and we handle everything: generating the official V62 form, purchasing the required £25 postal order, printing, and posting the application to DVLA Swansea on their behalf.</p><p><b>How did we start it?</b></p><p>The business was built to solve a clear pain point: the V62 process is cumbersome and time-consuming for the average person. Most people don't have access to printers, don't know where to buy postal orders, and find the whole process frustrating. We identified this friction and built a simple solution that charges a premium for convenience.</p><p>The website was built using Next.js with a straightforward order flow, Stripe payment integration, and automated form generation. Development took approximately 2 weeks, and the business has been operating profitably since launch.</p><p><b>Key Highlights &amp; Metrics</b></p><ul> <li>Annual Revenue: ~£22,500</li> <li>Annual Gross Profit: ~£6,950 (31% margin)</li> <li>Orders (12 months): 538 orders</li> <li>Average Order Value: £41,95</li> <li>Cost Per Order: £29.13 (£28.13 postal order + £1 posting)</li> <li>Gross Margin: 31%</li> <li>Net Margin: 29%</li> <li>Customer Type: 100% B2C, one-time transactional</li> <li>Churn Rate: N/A (one-time service, not subscription)</li> <li>LTV: £41.95 (single transaction)</li> <li>CAC: ~£0 (organic SEO traffic)</li> <li>Business Model: Pay-per-service, transactional</li> </ul> <p><b>Team</b></p><p>Solo-founder operation.</p><p>This is a single-person operation with minimal time investment required:</p><ul> <li>Founder/Owner: Handles customer service inquiries (rare), monitors orders, and occasional marketing tweaks</li> <li>Time Commitment: 2-5 hours per week maximum</li> <li>Fulfillment: Semi-automated - orders come in via Stripe, forms are generated, postal orders purchased in batches, and posted to DVLA.</li> </ul> <p>The business is designed to run with minimal intervention, making it ideal for a passive income acquisition or bolt-on to an existing portfolio.</p><p><b>Tech Stack</b></p><ul> <li>Frontend: Next.js 13+ (App Router), React, TypeScript</li> <li>Styling: Tailwind CSS</li> <li>Hosting: Vercel (free tier sufficient for current traffic)</li> <li>Payments: Stripe</li> <li>Database: MongoDB (order storage and tracking)</li> <li>Email: Automated order confirmations</li> </ul> <p><b>Marketing and Growth</b></p><p>Current Growth Activities:</p><ul> <li>SEO (Primary Channel - 95% of traffic). Strong organic positioning due to exact-match domain and optimized content. Zero ongoing marketing spend.</li> </ul> <p><b>Results:</b></p><ul> <li>538 orders over 12 months from organic SEO alone</li> <li>£0 customer acquisition cost</li> <li>Consistent monthly orders without active marketing</li> <li>Peak months: August-October (seasonal pattern around vehicle sales).</li> </ul> <p><b>Growth Opportunities:</b></p><ul> <li>B2B outreach to independent car dealers (they process V62s frequently)</li> <li>Content marketing around DVLA processes</li> <li>Referral partnerships with car sales platforms</li> <li>Expansion to other DVLA forms (V5C, V62, V317, etc.)</li> </ul> <p><b>Revenue and Profit</b></p><p>12-Month Financial Summary:</p><ul> <li>Total Revenue: £22,500</li> <li>Number of Orders: 538</li> <li>Average Order Value: £41.95</li> </ul> <p><b>Cost Breakdown Per Order:</b></p><ul> <li>DVLA Postal Order: £28.13</li> <li>Postage &amp; Packaging: £1.00</li> <li>Total COGS: £28.13</li> <li>Stripe Fee (~2.9% + 20p): £1.30</li> <li>Total Cost Per Order: £29.43</li> </ul> <p><b>Profit Analysis:</b></p><ul> <li>Total COGS (538 orders): £15,285.94</li> <li>Gross Profit: £6,666,67</li> <li>Gross Margin: 31%</li> <li>Payment Processing Fees: £568.32</li> <li>Net Profit: £4991</li> <li>Net Margin: 22.2%</li> </ul> <p><b>Monthly Performance:</b></p><p>The business shows consistent monthly performance with seasonal peaks around August-October when vehicle sales increase.</p><p><b>Return on Investment</b></p><p>At £15,000 asking price with current annual net profit of £4,991</p><p>Simple payback is approximately 3 years.</p><p>However, with optimization:</p><ul> <li>Price Increase Opportunity: Current price is £41.95. The market can likely bear £44.95-£49.95 (competitors charge more). A £10 price increase adds £5,380 to annual profit, bringing total annual profit to ~£7,000 and reducing payback period to ~2 years.</li> <li>B2B Channel Development: Car dealers need 5-20 V62 forms per month. Volume pricing at £29.95 with a subscription model could work. Just 10 dealer accounts adds minimum £1,800/year.</li> <li>Cost Optimization: Batch postal order purchasing reduces per-unit cost. Volume postage discounts are available.</li> </ul> <p><b>Realistic Optimized Scenario:</b></p><p>With pricing optimization and 10 dealer accounts, annual profit reaches £8,000-£10,000 with a payback period of 1.5-2 years.</p><p><b>Startup Assets Included in Sale</b></p><ul> <li>Domain: exact-match, SEO valuable</li> <li>Website: Complete Next.js codebase, fully functional</li> <li>Customer Database: 538+ historical orders</li> <li>Email List: All customer emails (potential for remarketing)</li> <li>Google Search Console: Access with all historical SEO data</li> <li>Google Analytics: Full traffic and conversion data</li> <li>Vercel Hosting: Account transfer or new setup</li> <li>MongoDB Database: Full order history and customer data</li> <li>SOPs: Documentation for order fulfillment process</li> <li>Supplier Relationships: Postal order purchasing process documented</li> </ul> <p><b>Risks</b></p><p>Risk 1: DVLA Changes V62 Process</p><ul> <li>Risk Level: Low-Medium</li> <li>Impact: High</li> <li>Mitigation: DVLA processes rarely change; V62 form has been consistent for years. If they introduce online submissions, the service could pivot to other DVLA forms.</li> </ul> <p>Risk 2: Competition</p><ul> <li>Risk Level: Medium</li> <li>Impact: Medium</li> <li>Mitigation: Exact-match domain provides SEO moat. First-mover advantage in this niche. Competitors would need to outspend on marketing.</li> </ul> <p>Risk 3: Margin Compression</p><ul> <li>Risk Level: Low</li> <li>Impact: Medium</li> <li>Mitigation: Postal order costs are fixed by DVLA (£25). Only variable is postage, which has limited upside risk.</li> </ul> <p>Risk 4: Traffic Decline</p><ul> <li>Risk Level: Low-Medium</li> <li>Impact: High</li> <li>Mitigation: Diversify into Google Ads, B2B dealer outreach, content marketing. Current SEO position is stable.</li> </ul> <p>Risk 5: Operational Burden</p><ul> <li>Risk Level: Low</li> <li>Impact: Low</li> <li>Mitigation: Process is well-documented and semi-automated. Can be fully outsourced with clear SOPs.</li> </ul> <p><b>Summary</b></p><p>Proven model, consistent revenue, minimal operational complexity.</p><p>Asking Price: £15,000 (negotiable).</p><p>Multiple: ~9x net profit (with optimization potential to 1.5-2x payback).</p><p>Ideal Buyer: Someone looking for passive income, a portfolio buyer wanting a UK-focused asset, an existing DVLA/automotive service provider seeking a bolt-on, or a digital marketer who can optimize conversion and traffic.</p><p>All financials are based on actual Stripe transaction data from the past 12 months and can be verified during due diligence.</p><p>✅ $22,500 in Annual revenue</p><p>✅ 538 customers</p><p>✅ Business model: One-time sales</p><p>✅ Built with Stripe, Posthog, Next.js</p>