Saturday, March 31, 2007

Logo fun.


I am in the process of trying to develop a new line of scented Whipped Shea butter products to compliment the other products I have on my current sites. Neither of the other companies offer whipped product.


The product development process has been fun and appeals to my constant need for a creative outlet. The kids are getting in on the act and I love the feeling of a family business.

The logo design development however, has been a source of much anxiety.


Tip #1 - DON'T design too many or you may just lose your mind trying to pick one.


I did find some fun places to play around and work with designs online. AAA Logo. com was easy and fun and vast in the designs and things you can do with them. Fun for any computer geek with a few hours to kill. Logomaker.com was easy. Not as much design ability but better if you don't want as many choices. It was easy to work with and it provides simple templates that make the process easy peasy. The best part was the ability to have your friend weigh in on the process and vote on your top 6 designs.


My end result was to download a trial version of Corel and spend 8 hours developing, meshing and changing ideas I got from the other two sites. Ideas I never would have thought of on my own. Final result... the name koku (Turkish for trail of scent left behind that can be followed).
I have to send a special thanks to Jules at http://northofthe49th.wordpress.com/. Thanks.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Wecome...I'm a Newbie.

Welcome to my very first blog...ever!!!!
I started reading about blogs because I have recently started up e-commerce websites. This is I guess what I am ready to discuss on a daily basis. The trials and tribulations. The things learned. Mistakes made. Advice to the other newbies out there.

It's not that I am a professional by any means. It's that I have made some very costly $$$$ mistakes and if I can help others avoid this, then my job is done.

Mistake #1. Conceding to high pressure sales tactics and believing the hype.
I figured if even half or a quarter of the earning possibility that was hyped was there, I had easy money about to start rolling in. Of course, I am exaggerating, but I figured if I did all the things recommended to earn, plus a little extra - I would be successful... quickly.

In the back of my head, I knew the answers. I knew that it was still basically retail. Business plans for retail... generally a five year plan. But the sweet, mesmerizing hype. The visions of dollar signs dancing in my head. The quick calculations all adding up, cha ching, cha ching, cha ching. I jumped! Leaped . Hurdled past all my inhibitions and reservations and landed in financial debt.

Now I am on the warpath to recovery. All the while still plugging away at those sites I dished out thousands for. Sites I learned later... MISTAKE #2 RESEARCH FIRST, I could have started at a fraction of the cost.

Yes I admit I am a first class sucker, BUT I have learned and I am going the extra mile to make my sites work. And I hope I can take some of you along for the successful (got to think positively) ride I am about to embark upon.

Forget the fact that I was a dumbass and just learn from me how not to be!

Here's to growth of wealth and minds.

http://www.sheabuttershop.ca/
http://www.thesheabuttershop.com/
Let me know what you think of my sites. Lesson #3 - Learn to accept constructive criticisms graciously.