Tabithadas Interview

Day120
Tabithadas has 2 premium shops with CafePress:

NaughTee Clothing and Accessories

Maternitees

1. What drew you to opening an online store? Were you in a related field?
I have always been interested in art and design, and my friends and I were always coming up with witty sayings and phrases that would make us crack up. It was only natural to put them together and make shirts!!

2. When did you open your store?

I started with Cafepress sometime in early 2004, but didn't have a "real" store up and running until around July 2005. I opened up a second premium store shortly thereafter, and have plans to open two more this year.

3. What is harder about doing this then you thought it would be?

Finding the time to work on everything! I work a full-time job with a 60+ minute commute each way, so by the time I get home, I am exhausted! I hope that one day I will be blessed enough to be able to stay at home and pursue not only my Cafepress interests but other artistic endeavors as well.

4. What do you like best about being an online shopkeeper?
I love the flexibility an online store provides. You can make sales in your sleep or while you're at work. It's great to come home after a tough day at the office and see that "You made a sale!" email in my inbox!

5. During the very first month, what do you wish you had known then that you do now?
I wish I had known how much work it takes to be successful. I think a lot of people, myself included, signed up and thought the money would just start coming in. But it takes a lot of work - advertising, marketing, designing, updating, research, and so on.

6. Could you share some of the marketing you’ve tried so far (on or off line) and what has worked and what hasn’t?
I have tried a few things... some pay off, some don't. I tried an ad on one site and had 1000 visitors practically instantly but not a single person bought anything. Start with friends and family - they will be able to look over your shop and suggest changes or other ideas you would not have thought of otherwise. Let them know about the affiliate program, and let them do a little legwork for you! The affiliate program has done very well for me so far - sales that I wouldn't get otherwise and require very little work on my part. I would advise the best way to get your shop noticed is to use great keywords and descriptions to get your site in the search engines. And don't forget about MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, email signatures, forum signatures, and trading links with sites of a similiar nature.

7. What other sites, blogs, etc. do you have if any?

I have two more premium shops in the works but you will have to wait and see for those!

I am working on www.naughteeclothing.com with CPShop to offer my Cafepress items, as well as my personal site, www.tabithadas.com which will feature my artwork such as pencil drawings, photography, and calligraphy. Neither of these sites are ready to be unveiled at the present moment but hopefully will be ready to go live this summer! I also have two MySpace accounts - http://www.myspace.com/naughteeclothing and http://www.myspace.com/tabithadas - don't forget to add me as your friend!!

Nancy’s comment – In her maternities store check out the mom and baby “supply and demand” items. Very clever!