Name of your website?Children's Affordable Party Services
Your name?
Karen Morrow
Your Location (city, etc)
Downingtown, PA in Chester County
Please give us a short summary of your website?
My website provides information on the services we provide for children's parties and events.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
A website is such an important tool in today's media and I was inspired to launch my website to help people understand what the business is about and answer any questions that they may have.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
The website was launched earlier this year as one of the baby steps in starting an in-homed based business.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I wanted to utilize the company name; however, the company name is quite long. I also wanted people to feel like the site was made just for them. I combined the two ideas by abbreviating the company name and using the words "for you"; hence the name www.capsforyou.net
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
I am the only event planner in Chester County Pennsylvania that specializes in children's parties. I am also able to offer services at a lower rate because I don't have the overhead that large, commercial companies have. There's also the extra bonus of accomodating each client's schedule and working with them one on one by working from the home.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I would like to build the business to successfully supports itself as well as provide additional income to our household. I have no intentions of ever selling the business. Instead, I would like to pass it on to one of my children to keep it in the family. Should the business grow beyond my capabilities, I will network with other local businesses to accomodate the clients' needs.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
This is a new business; therefore, it is hard to answer that question. I would say that taking things one step at a time as a stay-at-home mom, I have been able to ensure that all the necessary bases in starting a business have been covered without accruing any debt allowing the business to have a better financial position in its infancy. With that being said, I would say that the investment of my time and money balances out with the success of starting my business with no debt.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would hire a professional site builder and/or marketing advisor to give me some insight on how to better promote and design my site. I took a Web Design class to learn how to build and maintain my site as a way to keep my business costs down; however, there is a lot to be said for experience.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I don't think this is a concern because my site's primary purpose is to inform people of the services provided by my business. There are no on-line sells or other related services that would create such a demand on my site.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
I have not really had any unexpected costs or headaches to deal with. By taking things one step at a time in starting up the business, I was able to accomodate just about everything so if something unexpected did come up it wasn't that big of a deal. It also helped to have realistic expectations in starting the business in that there would definitely be some obstacles that would cross my path.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge has been networking with other businesses because it is a new concept to me and I have never done anything like it before. My previous business as an in-home childcare provider required nothing more than word of mouth to meet my advertising and marketing needs. I believe that networking with other businesses in the area is crucial to my success due to the nature of the business.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Up to this point, printing the website on my business cards has proven to be successful. In attending networking meetings where business cards are the main marketing tool, it is a must that the website be printed and noted on the cards.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I was expecting to gather my information and put it on my site without a whole lot of thought. It turns out that the thought process takes much longer than the actual posting or updating of the site. I have found myself amazed at how much I have changed my website from it's initial publishing and how I continue to make changes.
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?
I will continue to keep the site up and running as long as I'm in business. Even if it takes longer than I would like, I'm confident that the site will come to serve as a great asset to the business.
What was the deciding factor in choosing this type of business?
The deciding factor in choosing this particular business was that this business was able to bring many of the things that I love and enjoy together. Children are my life. I have two children of my own and couldn't picture myself without them. My husband and I have been involved with youth ministry for 13 years and my experience with special needs goes back even further. I've always planned and hosted family events so it just seemed natural to open a children's party business. What better business could there be than one that is always "Celebrating Children One Party at a Time"?
What is your website address?
Children's Affordable Party Services
