Mompreneur Gets Organized with ProStores
Working mom Stephanie Vozza had two young children when the idea for her web store suddenly came to her. “My oldest was in second grade when I was having one of those weeks when nothing went right,” she recalls. “I had forgotten to give him his lunch, so I went running to school to get it to him. I got to the parking lot only to see his bus pull away. That’s when I thought to myself why am I so organized at work but not at home?”
She noticed that the work environment lent itself to organization, but at home, it was “every mom for herself.” So Stephanie decided to start selling products that would help mothers like her organize their home lives. She opened her web store The Organized Parent in July 2005 with just 12 products. Now she carries 300. Since making $10,000 in sales that first year, she has doubled her sales annually.
No Retail Experience? No Problem!
Stephanie was selling on eBay when she heard about ProStores. “It seemed simple to use; there were so many templates to choose from; and the pricing was great.”
Even though she had no prior sales experience (besides working at the mall in high school), she found “ProStores easy to launch. I felt like I could implement it without being afraid that I would do something I couldn’t fix.” Stephanie still uses the ProStores Discussion Board and Knowledge Base to find any information she needs. She has also found a friend in ProStores’ technical support team. “If I ever have a problem, I don’t have to call them more than a couple times if I have a question.”
ProStores reporting and keyword tools have helped focus her. “I run a report every day to track my orders, visits, and conversion rates. It helps me note the days my site gets the most traffic and sales.” She also tracks her unsuccessful search reports to “see what someone was looking for and couldn’t find. Then I figure out what keywords I can add to help them find it. Or maybe it’s a product that I don't carry but should.”
Stephanie uses add-on tool Constant Contact for email marketing, PayPal as her credit card processor, and ProStores shipping tools to streamline her operations. Last year, she hired certified designer Solid Cactus to redesign her site.
She appreciates that ProStores and its user-friendliness have allowed her to work out of her home and spend more time with her sons, 9 and 14. “It won’t be long before my oldest is in college. I have to enjoy this time with him.”
Busy Mom Guru
A former newspaper reporter, Stephanie puts her writing skills to good use. She contributes to several online publications and started her own blog using the ProStores tool TypePad. “Just doing the blog has pushed us up one page rank on Google.”
Her products have also been featured in major magazines like Parents and Woman’s Day. The exposure has helped Stephanie grow. She recently introduced a subscription-based product called The Five-Minute Mom’s Club. Membership offers webinars, discounts, and personalized plans to help moms more effectively use her products and organize their lives.
Stephanie’s biggest win is her partnership with the organizational experts at Franklin Covey. In February they asked her to become their “busy mom” guru. She blogs for their website, which now carries 20 of her products.
The partnership is a sign that her business has come full circle. “I’m flattered because I used to be a Franklin Covey addict--that’s how I got through my work life. And now I’m working with them! When you start a business you write a plan and imagine where you’re going to be, but then an opportunity comes that you’d never even dreamed of.”
Stephanie encourages other entrepreneurs to follow their dreams. “Just do it. I know a lot of women who have an idea, and they are frozen by fear or by the belief that the time isn’t right. I don’t think there ever is a perfect time to start a business. I have a friend whose boot camp instructor said to her, ‘You need to ready, fire, aim,’ instead of ready aim, fire. I had no idea how to run a retail business; I didn’t even know what SEO was. But if you have a passion you should try it, and surround yourself with people that will support and encourage you.”
Visit: http://www.theorganizedparent.com
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