Sid Sethi is the founder of Specscart, one of the UK’s fastest-growing eyewear brands. What started as a frustrating search for affordable glasses turned into a journey that would challenge entrenched industry norms and build a multimillion-pound company from a university dorm room.
Specscart generates more than four million pounds in annual revenue and now operates three stores along with a strong eCommerce operation that serves customers across the UK.
Sales were £534 for the first month, and my flat’s rent was £500. So I was like: ‘How do I eat?’ That was honestly a hard time.
Sid Sethi
The Moment That Sparked the Idea
The inspiration for Specscart came when Sid, then a student at the University of Manchester, broke his glasses just before an important exam. He was stunned by the cost and delays at local optical shops. Prices were shockingly high and service times painfully slow and rhe entire experience felt outdated and hostile to students or anyone looking for quick and affordable eyewear.
This moment revealed how broken that whole sector was, it was dominated by a few big players that kept prices high and lead times long. Sid decided to fix it himself and he started studying the eyewear supply chain, including a backpacking trip to China to understand how glasses were made.
From Shopfront to Startup
Specscart was then officially launched in 2017 with the help of the Albert Gubay Award, which gave Sid five thousand pounds in startup funding and a rent-free retail space in Walkden. He used this prize money to renovate a small shop in a rundown shopping centre, filled it with frames he picked up from his travels, and opened the doors. The community response was immediate, even as a solo owner Sid saw that customers were desperate for change and appreciated his transparent, helpful approach.
At first, monthly sales barely covered his rent, to survive, Sid’s father encouraged him to try wholesale. They began selling frames to independent opticians across the UK, so Sid drove a twenty-year-old Honda Civic from town to town, often sleeping in the car and showing off frame samples. Wholesale revenue soon hit ten thousand pounds per month and gave him breathing room to think bigger.
Going Digital and Building In-House
In 2018, Sid launched the Specscart website and received his first online order from Bolton on day one, the digital channel was a turning point. To maintain quality and speed, he brought production in-house and he acquired glazing machines for a fraction of their market cost and recruited veteran technicians to join his growing team.
They reverse-engineered the software behind the machines to integrate it with their order system. This automation boosted efficiency and allowed them to offer next-day service on prescription orders, while competitors still take up to three weeks, Specscart fulfills hundreds of orders per day from its Manchester lab.
Customer Experience as the Core Offering
Specscart built its reputation on exceeding expectations. Customers get a free home trial kit with several frames, anti-glare lenses are included at no extra cost, and routine services like screw tightening or cleaning are offered for free in stores. Staff are trained to provide exceptional service, and the company’s culture emphasizes empathy and problem-solving.
Sid describes the company as the friendly neighborhood eyewear brand, always focused on experience rather than upselling. The brand’s growth has come largely through word of mouth, community support, and organic traffic, no elaborate ad budgets or splashy launch events, just consistent service.
The Power of Persistence and Team
Like many founders, Sid started by doing everything himself but he quickly learned the value of delegation and built a team of twenty-eight people who share the same passion for disruption and care. From optical lab techs to customer support, the team is tight-knit, driven, and deeply invested in the mission.
I hire very, very slowly, and I fire quickly. Why should it be taken in a negative way? If someone’s not right, you just have to be up front about it. Don’t carry it on so it becomes ugly,
Sid Sethi
Specscart now handles every part of the process in-house, from frame design to lens crafting and final quality inspection. Sid’s focus remains on innovation, efficiency, and community. He plans to expand internationally with a US website already underway and future goals to enter the Middle East market.
His advice to aspiring founders is to focus on solving real problems and to be relentless in the pursuit of efficiency. Start small but think creatively. You do not need a hundred stores to build a powerful retail brand. You just need to care more than your competitors and back that care with operational excellence.
