We Are Here!
Finally, the website is up and running and I couldn’t be prouder. I love it, it is amazing. Toot Toot (blowing own trumpet!). It shows our colours and personality and what we are all about. For anyone who doesn’t know me I am a hands-on kinda gal, so to put the ‘face of my business’ on the internet I had to really trust my website designer and believe me I spoke to loads. Some got me, others didn’t, some quoted thousands, others ‘mere’ hundreds. But it never felt quite right. I had to make compromises or accept that there were some things I just couldn’t include.
Then, as if by divine intervention, I came across Naomi Gilmore and her business Jet Set Websites. Naomi provides the template of a website and then guides you through how to make it your own. She made it much easier to give it a go. It also built my confidence in myself in an area, I must admit, I’m little shaky in.
As a non-website designer, I can tell you; do not to underestimate the time it takes to pull a website together! The content, the layout, the images, choosing what you want, where you want it and editing it takes soooo long. But the pleasure and pride I feel at seeing everything come together is beyond words. Every component is finally in one place for everyone to see my passion, my knowledge and my abilities.
Of course, I couldn’t do it completely by myself, I had some help from a fab local photographer Tracy Kidd. All the best shots are hers, she put my words into pictures and showed the best of my products. She is also responsible for the About Me photos which were completely out of my comfort zone, but she made me look like I wasn’t.
All the graphics were completed by my rather wonderful designer Stella Watkins. She is super super talented, and I love having her on board (no she doesn’t do work for anyone else she is mine and I’m not sharing!). I had some great colour and brand input for my logo from the lovely Vicki Nicholson at Brand Creative too
My Token Tots have been in the background for a little while now and were made exclusively for me by Chloe Udden a professional illustrator. I wanted them to add another facet to Happy Tokens – I’m all about adding facets :). Wait till you see the seasonal versions, think pumpkins and reindeers.
Its almost 6 years since I started Happy Tokens, 6 years since we threw together a FB page and website (me and my better half that is) and this new website signifies how far we have come and the success of the business. Sometimes success isn’t measured in customers, clients or income (but the latter really really helps) it’s about who you helped and the feedback you get and of course a mighty fine website.
I love working for myself and I love the products I make and the customers I serve. One of the best things about doing my own website is my enthusiasm is able to filter through. My personality is a part of my business just as much as my products, so to have had the opportunity to present ‘the whole package’ gift wrapped in my style of choice really is fabulous.
Sorry if I’ve waffled but I wanted my very first blog to be genuine, heartfelt and set the tone – I warn you it may be all downhill from here.
Take a peep at who I am: