Naas start-up Vevol Media helps merchants to build high-performing online stores.
Often businesses don’t know where to start when it comes to selling online, often navigating a maze of jargon and technologies.
Naas-based business Vevol Media, led by Dan Nistor and Bogdan Dogaru, is on a mission to change all of that.
“We aim to help merchants create high-performing online stores that not only sell well but also provide an exceptional user experience”
“We build and optimise online stores,” Nistor explains. “We approach our work from two perspectives.
First, from the customer’s viewpoint. Online shoppers desire a seamless experience: fast-loading websites, mobile adaptability, and a smooth purchasing process from browsing to checkout. Preferred payment options also enhance their satisfaction. Therefore, we aim to help merchants create high-performing online stores that not only sell well but also provide an exceptional user experience.
“Secondly, from the merchant’s perspective. We advocate for Shopify, offering an easy-to-use platform, secure technology stack, and robust infrastructure. This allows merchants to launch marketing campaigns swiftly and with minimal technical knowledge, making complex tasks appear simple. Much of our focus is on re-platforming online stores from legacy platforms to Shopify.”
The young business estimates that Ireland has an addressable online market worth €8bn and growing.
Globally, the e-commerce market is projected to reach over $7.4 trillion by 2025, according to eMarketer.
Smooth operators
Vevol Media’s core service centres on seamless migrations and bespoke Shopify Plus builds.
“We specialise in replatforming online stores from outdated systems to Shopify, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption,” Nistor explained.
“For instance, we recently migrated a client from a Woocomerce to Shopify, resulting in a 70% increase in site speed and a 25% boost in sales within the first three months. Our process involves a thorough analysis of the existing platform, meticulous planning, and execution to ensure that the new Shopify store is optimised for performance, user experience, and scalability.”
Trading places
Vevol Media was founded by Dan Nistor and Bogdan Dogaru in 2018. Both are tech-savvy, yet they bring diverse and complementary skills to the table.
Dan moved from Romania to Ireland in 2015, starting as a butcher in Kildare town. He later transitioned to a security guard role, where he utilised his night shifts to learn web design and e-commerce.
“While my colleagues were binge-watching Netflix all night, I was learning new skills, creating my own e-commerce stores, and testing different digital marketing strategies,” says Nistor.
Eventually, Dan left his security job to start Vevol Media, a fully remote Shopify Partners agency serving international clients.
Bogdan Dogaru, based in the United Kingdom for over ten years, has a highly technical background. He has held positions ranging from frontend developer in startups to fullstack developer and Scrum Master at Aviva in London. As CTO and co-founder of Vevol Media, Bogdan leads the development team and crafts technical architecture for the agency’s clients on Shopify.
Start-up environment
Nistor believes Ireland offers robust support for entrepreneurs through grants and the various Local Enterprise Offices and says accelerators and hubs like Dogpatch Labs and Microfinance Ireland are also invaluable resources.
“However, we found that support tends to favour product-based startups over service-oriented business models. Starting was challenging, and we bootstrapped everything ourselves.
“We successfully raised funds in 2023 for a Shopify theme project, fully backed by angel investors from our personal and professional network. Currently, we are not seeking additional funding but remain open to opportunities for growth.”
Key learnings
Nistor said that as a fully remote agency, having the right tools is vital for tracking project progress, efficient communication, and productivity. “We use Notion and Asana for project management, Slack for communication, Hubspot as our CRM, and a suite of tools like Google Workspace, Xero, Harvest for time tracking, and Leave Dates for HR management.”
As he embraced entrepreneurship Nistor learned some valuable lessons. “One major lesson learned is the importance of delegation. Initially, we handled everything from administrative tasks to marketing and finance, leading to burnout.
“We’ve since built a skilled team passionate about their work and committed to a strong, friendly company culture. Our team at Vevol Media is dedicated, talented, and integral to our success.”
His advice for fellow founders is to hire quickly and recognise the need for a team to build a business.
“Don’t rely solely on your own skills and energy. As Richard Branson says: ‘Take care of your staff, and they will take care of your clients.’ This philosophy is central to our approach.
“Additionally, be ready to adapt and pivot. We started as a social media agency and transitioned to a Shopify Partner web development agency due to market demand and platform growth.”
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