Name of your website?Mama and Baby Essentials
Your name?
shannon
Your Location (city, etc)
Deerfield Beach, FL
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Mama & Baby Essentials began in 2005 with a few special products and has grown in just a few years to include a large collection of unique and hard-to-find gifts for new mothers and babies. We offer personalized sterling silver jewelry, feeding essentials and gifts for new mothers. Don't forget dad...we have fun things for him too.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
My determination to be home with my two boys and also provide new moms with practical products that are not offered at the larger chain stores.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was Mommy and Me Essentials. It launched November 2005. The name changed in 2007 to Mama and Baby Essentials. It was a struggle at first to get the traffic over to the new site name. Our old url was not redirected to the new site due to legal reasons.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I carry products for mom and baby and feel many of the products are essentials. It did take a while to decide on the name. The logo on my site is a caricature of myself and my two sons.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Our selection is hand picked and not mass marketed. We try to test our products and are very particular about what we offer.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I would love to continue to grow the business. I really enjoy seeing all of the great new products that moms are inventing. It takes a great deal of time and effort to bring a product to market. Then of course there is marketing to get it into the public eye.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I'm proud to say I've maintained my site, added new products and kept it running for over 2 years.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would have more help with updating, marketing, etc.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I would definitely like to hire other stay at home moms that want to get back into the work place and still be able to enjoy time with their children. It would be ideal if they could work for me from their own home.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Changing my business name after having it for 2 years was a bit of a headache. Coming up with another name and spending the money to make the changes on the web and print.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Marketing my business and keeping up with the latest products.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word-of-mouth is the best for a small business.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It is much more work than you would expect. Everything is done by me; from shipping, to customer service, adding new products...anything you can think of.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
It has been going strong for just over 2 years. I am determined to make it work and see it succeed and grow.
What is your website address?
Mama and Baby Essentials
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