Name of your website?Impress The Guest
Your name?
Laura Woodward
Your Location (city, etc)
Pearl River
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Party Planners that specialize in entertainment & those extra special details that make your party or event unforgettable. Children & Adults.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
To reach more people, and to supply more information to perspective clients. Some people walk into a store and immediately look for a salesperson to help them, or prefer to speak with a live person rather then the web, others like to browse and shop around before they purchase something whether on the web or in a store... I wanted my customers to have both options depending on what appeals to them more.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
In college I had a webzine where many of my fellow students would log on to find out what was going on entertainment wise around campus... what where the happening spots or upcoming events, what was the must see movie or a DVD that must be rented, sports team info.... It had this awesome guest book where everyone signed in as there favorite character from cartoons, movies, tv.. It was a very popular site- I tried to keep it going for a little while after I graduated and moved back home, but eventually I said goodbye. As I write about it, I realize how much I miss it...I guess I was destined to have my own party planning company :)
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Impress The Guest is my companies name... When I first started out I actually was working under a different name, but many of my clients would write "you really impressed my guests" or some version like it and the name started to stick... so I went back in to the county clerk made sure no one else used the name got another business certificate and ordered brand new stationary and it has been Impress The Guest ever since... and we really do live up to our name and everyone always seems to remember it!
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
I would never be presumptuous enough to say we are the best, but I believe we are up there :) We are constantly coming up with fresh unique ideas to make our clients parties ones that there guests will not forget... it is all in the details!! Everything we do, we try to put a spin on it that makes it a little different, more unique and memorable & to personalize it for the client. We are known for our Karaoke show & Rockstrar Karaoke- we really brought it to a new level guests love it- we made it an experience and even the shyest guy there comes away feeling like he was a rockstar! I would go more into detail, but you just have to experience it & I don't want to give away any trade secrets ;)
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Our goal is to continue to bring the best party experiences to our clients. Our website is only the beginning for them...
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Party Planning is enjoyable, but there are alot of people & companies out there of all different experience levels and it does take alot of time and effort to do it right. And again as I said before, it is all about the details that is how you come out ahead in this business. I know this is one job that many people say they would love to do, but often people do not last very long in the business because they truly do not realize what goes into event planning- the business aspect, legal aspects, the proper insurance you must carry, sales, vendor relationships (this alone can sink you- reliable professional proven vendors are your key), and the list goes on... And not every quote that you put your time and effort into turns into a booking. I would say TIME is the real investment here, but I am happy to say when I balance it all out we are a success story- but we will continue to invest & work very hard to keep it that way.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Oh my mind is spinning...the ideas I have!! I would expand into other aspects of the party & entertainment industries.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I would like to think so, we have pretty decent traffic as it is now.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
I have been pretty lucky, I have a pretty good handle on my business and our budget and we have not really encountered anything unexpected that has turned into a headache or excessive cost.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Balancing my family life with a job that seems to keep you on the clock 7 days a week with very long hours.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Joining networking sites that do alot SEO - an d constantly keeping my eyes peeled for and researching sites that we should be on.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
In some ways it has. As customers respond you must continue to tweak it to make it as user friendly as possible. Always searching for ways to improve search engine ranking and keywords that will be used in searches. I am not sure if I would say that it is overly differing from my expectations, but it is a constant work in progress.
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 believe having this website is a huge asset to our company and it continues to bring in alot of business. I do not forsee it slowing anytime in the near future
What is your website address?
Impress The Guest
