Need help going digital and other business help?

B

Brian.Evans

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Joined
Aug 20, 2011
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3,267
Guys, I am upgrading my grinder so I will finally be able to get into my knife making heavily part time. I'm still going to keep my full time job, but I am going to stop working so much overtime and make up for it with my knives. However, I need help.

I made my business FaceBook page. However, I don't know a dang thing about Instagram or Twitter. I have no idea what to do with a website. I'd like to have a page with dedicated email just for the business. I already have way too many emails in my personal email. It gets confusing and I'm going to forget someone if I don't figure out the email thing. Frankly, I really hate to spend all my knife making time updating electronic stuff, but what knifemaker doesn't!? I'm kind of drifting with no real direction right now.

Also, I am looking for ideas how to track different stages of projects. How do all of you guys that have a bunch of orders keep track of communication and other stuff for every single knife? I am working on controlling my ADD, but part of that is mitigating what I know to be personal foibles.
 
Paid site - wix.com or godaddy.com - both are drag and drop - easy to use - can link FB to them

Lots of free sites but they will have advertisements - your choice

faststone image viewer for photos http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm - easy to use and a very small program that even old OLD computers will run just fine - almost no learning curve and FREE!! Unless you're taking pro level photos, then this is all you will probably need.

Good luck and if you need help or a tutorial to use any of the aforementioned programs let me know...
 
Squarespace has a website/gallery/blog/store builder that even I can use... must be really easy. Plus it integrates with the Square register for selling at shows and markets. Works great for me.
The one thing about that framework is that they've cut way back on phone support and don't have an online chat system, so if you have a problem on the weekend, you're hosed....but there's plenty of info available on how to work it and their end is rock solid.
 
I disagree with having a gmail or any other e-mail address that does not come from your custom knife domain. Using gmail, yahoo, etc is unprofessional and amateurish. Do you want people to think of you as a hobbyist knifemaker or serious knifemaker. You have to think about how you are perceived by customers.

The argument about losing your domain is not a good argument. If you are serious about being in business, you will do what is required to stay in business. Renewing your domain name is just like paying taxes, renewing your business license , buying belts, etc. It is a distraction that must be attended to or you will not be in business.

Chuck
 
I agree with you Chuck, but he had stated that he was keeping his 40+ hours/week job and his comments seemed wishy washy about a website in the first place...

Dedicated makers and self employed business men should definitely have the Professional email address... I for one prefer to be thought of as a hobbyist/small shop bladesmith, that way I can spend one week or three months on a single project, but in the end it's up to me. You can keep your deadlines and spreadsheets. If you're in it for the money, then you have to be in it for the money.

I respect your opinion and see your perspective for what it is and it's nice to be able to have this forum to see all the different aspects of producing knives in one place.

I personally have ordered from you company and will most likely again in the future... keep up the good work AKS!!
 
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I'm not very far ahead of you, Brian. I know what you're looking at.

I think Chuck made good points. Do it right the first time. If you want to be recognized as a professional you're going to have to pay for it.

Godaddy is finishing my new site. It was an expensive PITA, but I don't see a good way around it.
 
Well, I signed up with SquareSpace, but I think I'm just going to go with someone else. I hate the dumbed down version of design crap. I almost had a degree in Network Administration before I said screw it and became a paramedic. That's a long and involved story, let me tell you. Anyway, I am at the point in my life where I'd rather just pay someone to do it than screw with it myself.

I only wish I worked 40 hours a week! Right now I'm at 60 on the low end and 96 on the high end.

Also, +1 for AKS. Chuck and Jess are good people. I really enjoy talking to them on the phone. They are my go to place for supplies. Just got received my order from them the other day.
 
As to the e-mail address, its a plus to look as professional as possible but in your situation it's much more about putting out a great product. If you have that the e-mail addy is immaterial, the opposite is true as well.
We are a two man business and have websites and paypal and official looking e-mail addresses; but if we didn't have quality service and a customer is no one attitude everything else is moot.

Good luck with your venture, Fred
 
It sounds like a few email rules and preset email links would fix it for you.

If your email link automatically filled in the heading with "Work request". And your email had a special folder to redirrect "work requests" into, you would have all emails flowing into one folder.
 
@brian.evans.com will require you to buy server space and register the domain to use that email domain. Otherwise you will be using someone else services and it will be their domain @gmail for example. The domain costs a certain amount to keep up to date. and the server will cost some each month.

If you pay for internet services you can usually get limited domain service from them, but it typically won't support professional levels of service.

That is my understanding of it. I built one website on my own, and set up another domain for a forum that went unused.
 
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I could help you out... I'm new to knife making but the internets my thing! You can contact me on here or on email at taylorh28397@gmail.com

It should be relatively cheap to set up, $10 for a domain name. Free web hosting on my servers. The expensive bit is if you would like a paid or free website. I would personally use Wordpress and then an Ecommerce theme, it has a simple backend that is easy to manage. Let me know if you need some help :)
 
taylor.holden.338 said:
I could help you out... I'm new to knife making but the internets my thing! You can contact me on here or on email at taylorh28397@gmail.com

It should be relatively cheap to set up, $10 for a domain name. Free web hosting on my servers. The expensive bit is if you would like a paid or free website. I would personally use Wordpress and then an Ecommerce theme, it has a simple backend that is easy to manage. Let me know if you need some help :)
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Email sent
 
I have a web site thru BladeMakers.com. Was easy to do and I get emails when it's time to renew, not to expense for a part time maker.
 
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