Building Online Businesses That Contribute Significantly To Their Household Incomes

Kim Shanahan (pictured left) and Wendy Navarro (pictured right) are two "regular" women. They both came up with their own independent home-based online business ideas and actually succeeded.

    Kim started BookBouquet.com in 1998 when she made a book gift basket for a sick friend in the hospital, and the positive response it received inspired her to start Book Bouquet. She was confident that her prior experience working in marketing would guide her in the right direction.   
    Wendy was working for the Superior Court of California creating training and leadership programs for over 1,600 staff members when her daughter’s separation-anxiety meltdown caused her to decide to leave her job and start her own home-based business. She created SaigeNicoles.com, a baby and toddler boutique.
    Today, both Book Bouquet and Saige Nicole’s have grown and prospered. Both Kim and Wendy have embraced social media marketing to promote their businesses. Book Bouquet has earned a high search engine ranking for relevant keyword phrases, and Kim twitters twice a day, blogs twice weekly, and produces an enewsletter twice a month. Saige Nicole’s has an active Facebook page, and Wendy twitters regularly, blogs often, and sends out a monthly enewsletter. Kim and Wendy both have sent press releases and pitches to the media. Wendy also has cross-promoted with some other businesses, participates in giveaways, and has guest-blogged. Both Kim and Wendy practice a combination of do-it-yourself and outsourcing, and participate in women’s networking groups.

    Book Bouquet’s customers are mostly busy working women ages 28 to 55 who are college educated. Saige Nicoles’ are mostly parents with children aged 0 to 6, plus a growing contingent of baby boomers with grandchildren.
    Each considers her best business achievement to be survival and growth during these tough economic times, without incurring debt. Neither has had generous funding, insider contacts, ideas that were so "out there" that they owned their marketplace, nor unbelievable good luck or smooth sailing — far from it. Kim is a military wife who’s had to pack up and move several times and who puts in frequent stints as a temporarily single mom when her husband is deployed out of state or out of the country, all while actively raising three children. Wendy too is raising three children, and has kept her business growing despite not only the usual pressures of a family, but a bizarre setback — a murder (so freakish that it made national headlines) that occurred in her family’s home that they were renting out at the time. Her family has hung together through it all, and each member now plays an enthusiastic role in the business: Her husband is the webmaster, business-namesake daughter does photography, and one son occasionally models the clothing. Says Wendy, “Saige Nicole’s is truly a family-run business, and we each play an important role.” 
    Both Kim and Wendy consider it a dream come true to be able to work around their children’s schedules. If they have a school performance or game, or want to volunteer for an event or care for a sick child, they can do so. Yes, they may be up at 2:00 a.m. working, but both feel it’s well worth it. Also, says Kim, “No time wasted commuting means I add two extra hours into my day.”
    Book Bouquet has grown so much that Kim estimates that in three years, they will need to move into rented warehouse space in order to house their inventory. Saige Nicole’s anticipates adding nursery furniture to its inventory and opening a showroom where they could host local family events and fashion shows.
    All in all, both businesses have grown from modest initial investments to positive revenue streams that contribute significantly to Kim and Wendy’s household incomes. The common threads in both stories of success are their consistent exercise of social media marketing and PR activities through a combination of do-it-yourself activities and outsourcing, supportive and involved families, and connection to other women entrepreneurs. HBM

Previously published in the February 2011 issue of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine, an international publication for the growing and dynamic home-based market. Available on newsstands, in bookstores and chain stores, and via subscriptions ($19.00 for 1 year, six issues). Visit http://www.homebusinessmag.com

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