BetterShared at Six: 6 Moments That Shaped Our Journey

This year we officially turned six.

It feels surreal to say it. Six years in and what feels like a lifetime of lessons that could honestly fill a book. No book (just yet). Instead, I'm sharing six key moments that have shaped BetterShared into the online destination we are today.

1. Platform Launch

In 2020, while the world was making sourdough and learning the latest dance craze, I was monitoring border closures, hosting IG Live artist interviews (remember those) and doing a celebration dance every time I heard the ping of an order notification.

We were a bootstrapped startup then, and we’re still fully independent now. Our growth has always been organic. We built a creative community long before 'community' became a buzzword, made up of artists and art lovers who believed in what we were building, many of whom have been here since the very beginning.

I have to start by saying a huge thank you to our founding artists, who trusted the concept of an online marketplace where people could discover and shop contemporary art by artists from Africa and the diaspora. Before our online launch, we hosted pop-up exhibitions across London. In one of our last exhibitions in 2019, we had hundreds of artist applications but only enough space to exhibit a fraction of them. It was at that moment we realised it was time to shift online, to help even more artists sell at scale.

 

2. Going Global

Within just a few months of launching online, we went from delivering across the UK to shipping to the US, and in less than a year we were reaching customers across Europe, Singapore and around the world.

Our mission to help artists from Africa and the diaspora sell at scale was coming to life. From Mozambique to LA, Lagos to London, the US to Paris and beyond, buyers and artists were able to connect across continents.

During this time, BetterShared became a destination to “bring the world to your sofa with a global online shopping experience”, as Lonely Planet put it.

'On Go Nan' limited-edition print by Neals Niat in Amber Guyton's Blessed Little Bungalow. Interior Photography by Marc Mauldin

3. Global infrastructure that delivers locally

As we started to scale, Lawrence, Head of E-commerce at BetterShared, joined the team and led the process to fully decentralise our production and fulfilment. This enabled us to produce and deliver museum-quality archival prints as close to the delivery location as possible.

BetterShared x Birch Selsdon hotel, featuring the 'Yaya' print by Kristen Woollery. Image copyright  A-nrd studio

4. Award-winning business

Although BetterShared began as a purely B2C business, we later launched a business and trade division to extend our global reach and continue to fulfil our mission. Kristen Woollery described the impact BetterShared had on her:

“BetterShared opened up a door that I didn’t even know existed or that I had access to”
– Kristen Woollery

Through this division, we have placed artwork in boutique hotels, fine-dining restaurants and design-led workspaces. We have also helped artists expand their intellectual property through art licensing and creative campaigns, working with clients including Uber, CBRE, Statkraft, Sercasa, Goody, Papa L’s Kitchen and more.

Our art rental service landed us CBRE GWS Best Workplace Experience Award and Liberty Global x Jamii's Entrepreneurship Award.

Visual artists sitting around a table for the 'Breaking Bread lunch' in Johannesburg, South Africa

5. BetterShared heads to South Africa

We hosted our first international event for artists in Johannesburg. The Breaking Bread lunch, held in partnership with Creative Nestlings, brought local visual artists together for an intimate lunch. Illustrators, artists and photographers had the chance to connect and have honest conversations about the business of print, from pricing and international distribution to scaling print sales. It was a beautiful event, with amazing food (thanks Sino) and great company.

Gallery wall of artwork (Top left: Hazim Untitled No.5, Bottom left: Féminité Camouflée, Middle: Magnolia, Top right: Hiplet Ballerinas, Bottom right: Flowa Girl)

6. BetterShared today

We took a look back and thought about what actually brought us closer to our mission. We also considered how we present artists and how people discover their work on BetterShared.

BetterShared has always been about more than showcasing art. It's about giving artists the spotlight they deserve, sharing their stories and helping people connect with the artists and their work.

We’re looking at more ways to give artists and their work the space to be discovered, through curated selections, artist spotlights and stories that offer more context than a simple product page. We’re also looking at how we can make it easier for collectors and businesses that share our values to discover and buy artwork in the same place.

Six years in, the mission hasn't changed. What has changed is our understanding of how to deliver on it, and we'll keep learning.

Same mission, but better. See what I did there 😉