How much do you make from your personal website? (not esty ebay or anthing like that)

[PrettyGirlBows]

Originally Posted by ronnie

Jennifer...you just amaze me. I told dh about you awhile back when you first told us that your dh got to stay home and help you with the kids. He never once thought that you could make that much out of making bows but I explained to him how you did it and he was like "wow". That book of yours on getting your business started has so much info in there that I have not even done everythnig you have mentioned yet. I am going to advertise this summer in two different regions in our state and I am hoping to bring in more sales. My etsy store is making nothing but I am getting custom orders from my website and here locally.

book? what book is that?

[ronnie]

She sells instructions on her website on how to start your own bow business and it is very detailed. So worth the money. I actually purchased all of her books. You can get it either through email (ebook) or have an actual book sent to you. I had all of her books sent to me. She has a set of instructions, how to start your own business, and how to make your own tutus. All of them are wonderful.

[Amber427]

I have my etsy store for my own personal local customers. Sometimes I am very hard to find. I also have a huge assortment, so this allows customers to browse before they place their orders. I will admit- the more I list and promote, the more random customers I get online. But- I want to keep this a hobby.

[Kinderbloom]

Hello and I would like to add my two cents,

Well, when i first started out. I wanted my own website from the start and wanted it to stand out from the rest and add my own style, format to it.

I did some browsing and saw other websites, which to me looked so professional. I know we all make unique and beautiful stuff, but I wanted my products to look professional as well as my website. Because thats your first and initial contact for reaching people or people coming to you. If your site looks unprofessional they automatically will assume that your products will look the same way and will go some where else.

First of all, there are lots of free site out there, which have lots of advertising flashing on the sites. If that's what you want go for it, if your on a budget. I was on a budget, so I was planning everything step by step.

How do you want your website to look (Front page)
How much is it going to cost to get it up and running.
How many products will you be loading on your site
Will you be using your own credit card system or paypal

Once you have all that figured out then you search for your host (there are several out there) You find the best that will fit into your budget

I wanted my cover to look professional but at the same time girly and since my favorite color is "PINK" I had to go with that. What was a blessing is that I did not need to hire someone to design my front page, I had my wonderful "Husband" who did that for me. Which was a relieve...not an extra expense.

Once, everything was set then you have to get ready for the most important task of all, which is "Promoting your site". If you don't do that your site is technically " Invisible" to your future customers. You need to find the right words to add on to your site, so your site can be " Visible" to your customers. Find some books regarding " adwords"

Now we have to advertise your site:
Get business cards
Talking to friends, family & church members -word of mouth(great method)
Forums (forums that is related to your products, are any you see fit)
Walk ins (go in to nail shop or any other shops, leave your card, etc) Just because you have a online store that does not mean you cannot go out and stop in and leave a business card.
Cold Calling (pick up the phone and sell your product over the phone- such as Boutiques)
Free Classified (There are plenty out there- use yahoo, google)
Participate in give aways (which helps quite a bit)
Email or Mailing list (send out new product announcements or sales)

Remember, if you have to keep up with it. You can not just do it once and just forget and expect customers to come to you. You have to keep at it each week. Make a schedule for yourself and keep at it.

Once you have it all figured out, you'll see it will work. I always say this to myself each morning I wake up " I believe I will succeed" and you know what if you believe that it will happen.

There will be some obstacles but you keep your head up high and don't let anyone set you back...keep at it. It is worth it all. I have living it and I love it. Be able to spend time with my daughter and having a supportive husband makes want to do better than ever.

Good luck and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Thanks and have a great day!

My front page is Kinderbloom.com: Girl's Pettiskirts, Tutus, Tutu Dresses, Hairbows, Pillowcase Dresses and T-Shirt Dresses

[the.apple.of.my.eye]

!!WOOOW!! i seriously didnt realize starting a website involed all this. I too am a SAHM and only do so because daycare is soooo expensive. I have my items on ebay but they dont sell very good plus I have noticed that ebay takes almost 25% from my profits. I considered a website because of the high prices of ebay and not to mention the fees for paypal. I would love for my website to be in the top 10 and I will try my best. Thank everyone for their advise!!

[youbowgirl3]

It's a ton of work and in more cases you have to buy supplies in bulk mutliple times a month. There were a few months I did pretty good. Not great but I had spending money. There were those months that I barely broke even. I've come to find that you end up putting what you make right back into the business!!