Name of your website?BibsandBlankies.com
Your name?
Rose & Jeff Kroboth
Your Location (city, etc)
New Windsor
Please give us a short summary of your website?
At BibsandBlankies.com, we have a wide choice of wonderful personalized keepsake baby gifts, which will be cherished for years to come.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
To offer affordable personalized baby gifts and clothes that we could not find or afford when our kids were babies.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
We started out April 1st 2005.We have worked on improving it and adding new items constantly.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
To find our name, we were looking for something short and sweet that could describe us in about 2 words that would be available in a 'dot com'. It was not easy!
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
We pride ourselves in 100% cotton and the top quality of our products.We offer Handmade gift cards and hand initialed 'Lucky Charm' pennies. We KNOW we have the best prices on the web for what we do,AND we have been able to offer FREE SHIPPING & HANDLING,so far to the U.S. AND we discount international orders of $5.00, so we are fair to our out of the U.S. customers, We know no one else does that!
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To make BibsandBlankies.com one of the first places you would even think of going to for personalized baby gifts.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Alot of hard work and "elbow grease" do have its returns!
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would advertise in all the big magazines with larger adds that areout of our budget right now.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
But of course! We are always ready to adapt to our needs what ever it takes to become more successful. "Where there's a will, there's a way!"
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Advertising costs can give you a headache,but that's expected. SEO (search Engine Optomising) has been a 'Royal Headache' that was unexpected and does'nt go away!
What has been your biggest challenge?
Trying to please Google! Building a google site map and trying to get recognized by them has already cost us a few broken computer mice and monitors!(only kidding) but it certainly is not easy for the average website operator.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Link partners and directories are very helpful. We also found 'word of mouth' referals,putting our business cards in with each order,and pubic apperences at craft fairs and street fairs and benefits really make a difference.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I thought we were going to get rich quick!!! Yeah right! Its not called the 'World Wide Web' for nothing! But it IS great to work for yourself and feel the results of your hard work!
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?
Almost 3 years.We won't give up, We will adapt!We will make this business work what ever it takes!
How do you maintain your sanity through all this?
Its not easy! Having your own business is hard enough,but having one on the internet really is as hard if not harder than a "brick and Morter" business.Sometimes you have to get up and walk away from the computer for a few hours or sometimes even a few days until your frustration disolves and you can get a fresh look at what caused all your stress!But We believe it will be all worth it in the end. So keep at it, and Good Luck!
What is your website address?
BibsandBlankies.com
