Snohomish County business owners share the ins and outs of success online
Published 10:44 pm Monday, January 11, 2010
LYNNWOOD — The future of business doesn’t include George Jetson’s space-age office or his big red computer button.
But the future has migrated online.
That’s the bottom line from the Snohomish County Business Development Center’s 21st Century Business Planning Expo, held Monday afternoon in Lynnwood. A handful of entrepreneurs from a start-up program at Edmonds Community College showed off their companies and explained how they’re cultivating an online presence. Here are a few of their stories.
Priceless Parenting
Building an online business isn’t easy. Kathy Slattengren can tell you that much.
She knows the ins and outs of how to tell a child “no” and how parents can help teens become responsible adults. But when it comes to driving traffic to PricelessParenting.com, that’s something else entirely.
Slattengren has taught parenting classes since 2000. But a few years ago, she decided to take her business online. Now customers around the world can purchase parenting presentations with titles such as “Hey, Your Kid Just Hit My Kid!” and “Why Can’t You Behave?”
A former software engineer, Slattengren isn’t one of the EdCC students. But she faced many of the same challenges, including acquiring skills that don’t come naturally — such as how to coordinate online outreach efforts.
Starting her own business wasn’t always her goal. But Slattengren said she couldn’t find an existing company with the same vision.
“Starting a business is a little like having kids,” she said. “When you have a baby, you have no idea what you’re getting into, until you bring that child home. Then you realize you’ve gotten into a lifetime commitment.”
Caregiver Help Link
Mark Siebert came by his idea for a business after analyzing his abilities and skills.
“I found out that my main focus was — what really lighted me up — was organizing,” he said.
Technically unemployed for a year now, Siebert is getting ready to launch CaregiverHelpLink.org, the site for his caregiver assistance company. The business provides assistance, counseling and organization help for caregivers — both family members and professionals.
He took the EdCC class to learn the ins and outs of running a business, and he is gearing up to officially launch the company once he finds a Web designer willing to work for a service swap.
“In terms of budgets, a shoestring is a wealth compared to mine,” he said.
Creative Image Photography
A layoff brought Daphne Taylor to terms with what she really wanted out of life. As it turned out, a career in finance wasn’t it.
Photography, on the other hand, felt like a better fit.
“I just decided to take my career and life in a new direction and pursue my passion as my career,” she said.
Taylor started her wedding photography business in March, the same month she enrolled in the EdCC class to learn the basics of running a small business. Her background was in large businesses; she was laid off from a job as the vice president of finance from the Bothell-based Cardiac Science Corp. a year ago.
Running a small business turned out to be a lot different.
“I sort of had to pack it all up and start from zero,” she said.
The biggest surprise? How time-consuming owning a business is, Taylor said. She had a personal Web site and a Facebook page before, but running a business site is different. But with one wedding season behind her and another filling up fast, Taylor said she made the right choice.
“So far, so good,” she said.
Amy Rolph: 425-339-3029, arolph@heraldnet.com.
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