Name of your website?Kindermusik with Ms K
Your name?
Annette Simmons
Your Location (city, etc)
Bergen County Teaneck
Please give us a short summary of your website?
class times dates locations for musical experiences for babies/toddlers easy online enrollments most forms of payment accepted daily discounts incentives Age specified curriculum including innovative new sign language class
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I felt the personal touch was the best way to reach my targeted audiece So I made the websittte as user friendly as possible
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
I actually am in the midst of designing/developing a work at home directory which should be up for public viewing shortly
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Simple and logical Direct and catchy the alliteration and play on words COmpany (Kindermusik) Ms K my maiden name and teaching name
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Probably our At Home Materials which are superior to similar programs both in quality and content and we are the only program of this genre to offer sign language as well as music
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To put the site on-auto pilot and evenntually expand into my own site
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
At this time we are just a fledgling set up so monetarily we are still trying to keep our heads above water Its really a mom annd pop operation (more likely just Mom) However there is a great sense of satisfaction that we are 'spreading the word' and that weve only been in business a few months I'm passionate about the program so its worth the endless hours and sore typing fingers
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Wow Thats like asking what I would do if I won the lottery The first thing I would do is secure a professional space and offer other relevant products/services as well Then I would purchase all the curriculums, hire extra teachers and promote promote promote
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes the site is designed to enable us to continually add classes/locations plus it keeps track automatically with the number of enrollees/payment plans etc it even sends out mailings and weekly news reports specific to the families class/curriculum From your mouth to G-d's Ears
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Not so much costs Plenty of headaches I think the biggest issue is the customers themselves I find that they are extremely fickle generally unreliable and not to count on anything they say until the money is in hand I believe that I could write a psychological profile on peoples personality regarding services provided perhaps they feel threatened that someone is dictating to them the how and when and how much Needless to say diplomacy and patience are the best "asprin" in my arsenal and hopefully my passion and honesty will trasmit positively and people will see for themselves
What has been your biggest challenge?
getting the word out In our community there are quite a number of similar programs and the competition is tough But I believe the class speaks for itself and therefore spend alot of time offering free previews/events
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Probably online directories/local listings They target the website directly and the customer can click on the link as opposed to print advertising where I mostly get phone inquiries
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Considering the fact that I've been involved in a number of developing/creating/maintaing websites I would say this one works beautifully and is professional and direct There are occassionaly some glitches but overall I'm very pleased
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?
The site hasonly been functional a few months and I will maintain as long as I have students
Why teach Kindermusik
I was looking for a way that I could earn money doing something I love and at the same time stay home with my son As a 15+ year teacher there arent many programs I would endorse I really admired Kindermusik's policies and practicies and really believe in there philosphies So I wanted to start a local chapter and still be close to home the support Ive received has been wonderful including tech for the website
What is your website address?
Kindermusik with Ms K
