Name of your website?Placid Moon New Age Products and Gifts
Your name?
Carolyn Donnelly
Your Location (city, etc)
Darwin, NT, Australia
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Placid Moon is an online shop selling a range of New Age products and gifts. The products that we sell have a spiritual link in that many of the items we sell are used in ritual magick or for personal care to assist in improving the health and wellbeing of yourself, those you care about or the earth. So our products are more than just gifts, they are products for personal care and meaningful symbols and representations aimed at adding value to your life and the things you care about.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I have always had an interest in natural remedies and holistic health and, although I am by no means an expert in this area, I have used herbs and oils since I was a young teenager. Ever since I was a young girl I also believed that our mind was a great resource that could empower or disempower our lives and how we used it was totally up to ourselves. I have also maintained an interest in alternative beliefs and I remember being over-the-moon when at the age of 12 my mother bought me my first pack of tarot cards. By the age of 16 I could remember the birthdates of everyone I met and could tell you all about their star sign.
My love of the natural environment propelled me to study environment science and management and this is my area of qualification and work. The combination of my interests in the power of the higher conscience, the ancient wisdom of the old religions and my love of the natural environment has sparked a recent interest for me in 'spiritual ecology', an area that I am really looking forward to delving into further.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
This is my first website.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I wanted to select a name that conjured up an image and provided a symbol of what my site was about. The moon is the symbol for femininity, psychic powers and serenity and placid means calm. Many of the products on my site are products that aim to produce a feeling of calm, relaxation and attunement with your higher self.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
There are alot of new age sites. The term new age covers a broad range of disciplines, beliefs and products. There are also alot of websites offereing the same sort of products that I am offering. I think what makes my site different is that I only sell products of certain quality. I have put alot of thought into selecting the products that I sell. For a start, I have to like them, so I am targetting a particular end of the market and they must align well with the them of my site. Many of the new age sites selling a range of products sell alot of products of very varying quality. If you are looking for something of quality on one of the these sites you must wade through alot of items before you find it. I would rather sell fewer items and have my customers be delighted at almost everything they see.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
My goal is to grow my site into a successsful new age online shop. I expect that my online shop will evolve with my interests. I feel that if I have a site that reflects my greatest interest then I will be able to provide better quality products and information for my customers. Eventually, I would like to right a book because I have alot of ideas and beliefs that I am passionate about when it comes to the new age movement.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I have only just launched my site so it is not possible to provide you with an objective answer to this yet. So far the balance is weighing heavily in the direction of time investment. However, I feel successful and very proud of what I have produced.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
If I had an unlimited development budget I would direct towards advertising at the moment.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
If I could not keep up with demand, I would hire someone to help me process orders. I would love that because I could then provide a stay at home Mum or just someone or wants to work from home with an income doing pleasant work.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
It has taken alot of time and alot of work to develop my site. I have totally enjoyed the work though. It gave me alot of joy. The headache part would be having to wait for webmasters to complete tasks. Getting a design I liked was difficult. I didn't like the unimaginative designs that were thrown together quickly by paid designers. I ended up doing it myself overnight in desperation. I really like what came out the other end though and, although a didn't get any sleep, I absolutely loved doing it. Doing my own design has actually been the best thing about my website because I get joy out of looking at it. So, it was a little painful but the anxiety was worth it. Costs, yes they have blown out somewhat too.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Its all been a little challenging. Maybe I have my biggest challenge to come.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
I have only just launch my site so I will tell you in about six months time.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I have not run it yet.
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 have not run it yet.
What is your greatest geographical target area.
My site is an international website. I sell and send products all around the world. Although I am based in Australia, my wholesalers are all located in the United States therefore. The new age movement is greatest in the United States. It is growing in Australia and I am keen to contribute to that growth. However, it will be cheapest and easiest for Americans to purchase from this site because of the location that the products must be shipped from. I am considering an Australian site too.
What is your website address?
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