I really enjoyed creating this logo and website! Deborah was great to work with and her modern design taste was fun to design for. She wanted a clean design that had plenty of white space. We used CKGold for her cart and website management system.

Project Details:

• Premium Logo Design
• Ecommerce website design powered by CKGold
• Integrated WordPress Blog
• Website maintained by client
• Print Design: Business Card, Postcard, and Letterhead

Learn more about Deborah and Bumbini Cloth Diaper Company — read her interview below!

Who is Bumbini?
Bumbini is an online store for parents who are interested in cloth diapering their family in fun, modern, easy to use, environmentally conscious products.

What do you sell?
We sell a wonderful selection of cloth diapers and covers, plus all the accessories to go with them.   We are really concerned to offer a range of products that meet all parents’ needs.  We are especially motivated to provide organic and natural fiber options.

Why did you decide to start a business?
I used cloth diapers with my son and was so impressed by how easy and economical they were.  So few of my friends and family were cloth diapering, and most just hadn’t thought about it.  I felt that if I was to offer great products at good prices, have a user-friendly website, and offer workshops and education on cloth diapering that I could encourage parents to take that step.

How did you get started?
To start with I went to some small business seminars that explained the basics, such as how to register a business, whether or not to incorporate, and some basic accounting.  As a total novice, with no business background, these were invaluable.  From there it was a case of getting registered, finding the right person to build the website (and Cicily was definitely that person!), and teaming up with great suppliers.

What would you have done differently in the beginning?
I wish I had invested in some accounting software (e.g. Quickbooks) right from day one! As mundane as the accounting is to deal with, staying on top of the bookkeeping will save you many headaches down the road.  I created a maze of Excel spreadsheets that were really difficult to maintain and ate up so much time.  When I told an accountant that was the system I was using he asked if I could imagine a million dollar company operating off spreadsheets, and of course the answer is no.  So no matter how small your business I would advise to think like the big enterprises right from the start and keep your books professional and up to date.

What advice would you offer to someone just getting started?
Don’t be put off by having a small budget to start with.  I really believe that it is those businesses that grow organically and take time to expand that will stand the test of time.  When you are starting a company it is tempting to throw endless amounts of money at it to get it just right before opening day, but starting off with a large debt load will add so much more stress onto your already hectic life.  Do a great job with what you have and grow it from there.

Tonya from Kotori Photo Jewelry came to me needing a custom website that would have a wholesale login area and a photo upload feature. We used Shoppe Pro for the website management/cart system and custom coded a nifty file upload feature. The file upload feature allows her wholesale clients to easily upload photos within the product ordering page. I really enjoyed working with Tonya and am very pleased with how her website turned out!

Project Details:

• Client provided logo
• Ecommerce website design powered by Shoppe Pro
• Matching self-hosted WordPress blog
• Custom wholesale form
• File upload modification
• Website maintained by client

Learn more about Tonya and Kotori Photo Jewelry — read her interview below!

Who is Kotori?
Kotori is a family run company that creates custom photo jewelry pieces for professional photographers.

What do you sell?
We take photographers’ images and set them in sterling silver. We then cover them with a clear, waterproof, UV-resistant coating. All of our jewelry is completely hand made and customized to client preference, from the chains to the hand stamped charms. Each piece is considered an heirloom, to be passed down to the next generation.

Why did you decide to start a business?
I’ve always loved creating things – even as a girl I was always making something. If you can name a craft or art, I’ve probably done it, from making stain glass to throwing pottery to, well, just about anything. The transition to actually selling my work came pretty naturally.

How did you get started?
When I started making jewelry I found that it was a way for me to do something outside of my normal mommying. I wanted a way to have images of my kids with me wherever I went. I didn’t like the idea of traditional lockets because then the image is hidden. I loved the challenge of figuring out exactly how to make the pieces work.

I started wearing my jewelry, and before I knew it other people were asking me to make them pieces. Suddenly the business began.

I started selling retail, but after being endorsed by a few photographers, the word quickly spread through their community about my pieces. I found that many professional photographers were searching for a unique add-on to offer their clients.

What would you have done differently in the beginning?
While I spent a lot of time researching and experimenting with the jewelry, I would have spent a little more time figuring out some of the other aspects of the business, like how to photograph your products or how to set up a dynamic Facebook page. Wow, there is so much on the fly research you end up doing AFTER you think you are ready to launch!

What advice would you offer to someone just getting started?
Marketing, marketing, marketing! I am lucky enough to be married to my husband, who owns his own marketing consulting company. His input has been invaluable! I think too many people think they can do their own advertising work but it’s not just how your ads look it’s also about hitting a certain demographic, understanding your competition and staying consistent with your brand message. A good marketing company helps guide you through all of that. It makes your business really look polished and professional.