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LatestFreeStuff.co.uk 'Freeganism' Site Is Coming To America

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The very best entrepreneurs are successful because they love what they do. There really is no substitute for a passionate founder, so perhaps that’s why Deepak Tailor has succeeded in building a site that receives more than 400k hits per month, with 75,000 email subscribers, simply by recommending the products he loves most, free samples.

It also helps that, although he didn’t know it when he first started out launching affiliate sales websites in his first year at university to fund his other big passion, travelling, it turned out a lot of people in the UK shared his passion for finding free samples online.

Whilst working at the world famous Harrods department store, in the surveillance department, Deepak sold spy cameras to high-class customers for upwards of £500 pounds. A quick online search revealed that the cameras could be bought for as little as £5 pounds, so he created a site selling spy cameras, but with a much smaller mark-up. “I was travelling in South East Asia at the time”, he tells me, “and the cost of living was cheap, so one or two sales per day were enough for me to have the lifestyle I wanted.”

But already by that stage, however, Deepak had built over 70 sites selling or recommending niche products. Entirely self-taught, Deepak, despite having always possessed the instinct of an entrepreneur, had never really considered himself to be a start-up founder, but on returning from his travels he felt like there was something missing from his life.

“I wanted to do something that helped people live better, more fulfilling lives”, he explains. He read “The Four Hour Work Week”, by Tim Ferris; Ferris quickly became his role model, and the driving force behind his creation of the LatestFreeStuff site. It’s important to stress here, however, this by no means makes Deepak a slacker. For him, living free is a lifestyle choice, a discipline every bit as fulfilling as working a high paid job or observing a strict diet. Freeganism can truly change the way you look at life, he believes, but doesn’t preclude you from being a successful business person. Quite the opposite.

In the early days Deepak would spend 18 hours per day searching the web for the best deals on free samples, and uploading links to the products on his website, “I slept maybe 4 or 5 hours each night”, he remembers, “it was similar to the days when I was an Ebay power seller, only this time I had full control over my business so I didn’t mind the extra work, plus I got to help people too. I was making connections by sharing my experiences.”

Deepak admits to being surprised by just how many people share his enthusiasm both for being thrifty, and sampling the best new products for free, while conveniently manufacturers are always looking for ways to push new products into the public consciousness. It’s a marriage made in heaven; a social sharing platform at which advertisers are welcome guests rather than pariahs. And some of the offers are surprisingly generous. Gillette, for example, have recently given away razors worth £5-7 pounds, but it’s brands such as Procter and Gamble, Reckitt Bensicker, and supermarket chains like Tesco that are most keen to give away items ranging from hand creams, shampoos and nail varnish to cleaning products and pet foods. Intriguingly, 70% of visitors to the LatestFreeStuff site are female.

With the site showing such strong organic growth, there was no need for Google AdWords or other paid advertising; in fact, Deepak tells me, the entire site was built for less than £500 pounds! The average visitor spends 3-4 minutes on the site, an age by internet standards, and the bounce rate is low. “There is such a community feel to it, when the site went down for a day last year we were inundated by users pleading for us to resolve the problem as quickly as possible; people were even offering to help!” The press have taken a liking to LatestFreeStuff too, it’s been featured in several national newspapers which has helped to drive more and more traffic to the site, choosing from the 600 or so free items on offer.

This all got Deepak thinking. He began to take on extra staff to help him with his searches, and soon brands began to make contact with him directly, asking to be featured on the site, even doing battle with one another for a spot on the front page. This gave Deepak valuable breathing space and the time he needed to complete his next project, his book, “How to live for free”.

“I had set up a MeetUp.com group called The Four Hour Work Week”, he explains, “where we invite inspirational entrepreneurs to provide tips and advice on how to think differently, be your own boss and start your own businesses, without overburdening yourself with unnecessary tasks. It’s not literally about working only 4 hours per week, but it’s about being your own boss and expanding your horizons. It’s totally free, with the option of making a £3 donation to a charity that is close to my heart, Trees for the Future. We have a sponsor so there is always free pizza and beer too.”

“Anyway, one night I got chatting to one of our speakers and he said to me, “Deepak, if you want to take your business forward you need to develop your brand. Let people know who you are and what your mission statement is and it will help you to connect better with your customers, and of course, attract new ones too. The book seemed like the perfect way to do it.”

“How to live for free” was released in 2014, becoming an Amazon bestseller just 4 days after it was released. It’s been popular with critics too, having been reviewed more than 115 times since it was released on Kindle. And it is more than just a guide for bargain hunters; one reviewer was moved to comment “Deepak explains that you should pick and choose what you want to get for free, based around your life goals and think of it like a sport, something to supplement your lifestyle.”

The irony perhaps is that Freeganism is beginning to become big business. LatestFreeStuff has added a Facebook page with 70k likes, has 8k followers on Twitter and growing, and has become a brand in its own right, with Deepak as chief evangelist. So where to now? The US is the target; the aim is to launch in the first half of this year. Ever cash conscious, Deepak has rejected several offers of funding from angels and VCs; he wants to do it by sticking to the principles that have landed him where he is today.

America is a country Deepak loves, he has just returned from visiting LA (on a bargain flight, of course), where he loves to hire a car and visit his favourite place on earth, the Griffith Observatory Planetarium, a place where one’s physical perceptions are challenged in a similar way to the mental challenges of living free. Deepak believes the market for free samples will be every bit as strong in the US as in the UK, and his site has key differentials that help it to stand out. He genuinely only ever features free products from top brands and never asks for payments of any kind.

Deepak’s top 3 recommendations for budding Freeganists:

  • If you are new to Freeganism, there’s definitely some exciting ways to start your journey. How about travelling around the world for free? Join websites like CrewFinders.net and sail yachts to specified destinations. In return, you are given free food and accommodation. The best thing is there is normally no experience necessary.
  • Alternatively, if you’re not the outdoorsy type, try getting some free cinema tickets instead. Websites like ShowFilmFirst.com give you access to preview screenings at hundreds of cinemas across the country. Be quick to apply for these though, they run out pretty fast!
  • Also, let’s not forget our handy smartphones. There’s a lot you can do with free Apps – try Duolingo for example - this completely free service helps you learn a range of languages including French, Spanish, German and Italian. You can even challenge your friends to help you learn faster.

“I found something I love doing; my only regret is that I didn’t start 10 years earlier”, he tells me. Would anything persuade him to change his ways? “When I meet Tim Ferris face to face, then I think all of my goals will have been achieved”, he admits, with a twinkle in his eye. You suspect that might just be the beginning for Deepak Tailor and the cult of Freeganism. There is no contradiction, it seems, between living free, and trying to make it big.