Name of your website?Consultants on Certification, LLC The Experience You Need!
Your name?
Stephen A. Patoray
Your Location (city, etc)
Tryon
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Consultants on Certification, LLC website is a site to find information on NTEP Certification for weighing and measuring devices in the United States. It also provides information on VCAP, which is a new Conformity Assessment Progam by the NCWM.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
With over 35 years in the Weights and Measures industry, with the past eight years serving as NTEP Director, I beleive I have a unique set of skills to offer companies seeking NTEP Certification in the US.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
This is my first website launch. It went live approx August 2008
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Consultants on Certification, LLC is the name of my company. It is taken from the abbreviation CoC which stands for Certificate of Conformance. People are familiar with CoC in the world of NTEP Certification.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
I beleive that I may be the only website that offers help and assistance from the manufacturer's perspective. All other sites offer information from the Association or Public organization perspective.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I plan to grow my business, with the website as a main part of that business model.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Currently, I have spent quite a significant amount of time in learning about website development and also now in marketing the website. Overall, I have not had the site or the business long enough to know if my investment is a good one or not.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would add dynamic aspects to the website. Search capabilities, password protected areas, much more information.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I would not be able to keep up with the demand. However, I do not expect the website to get "really big". My market is relatively small and very specific.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
The main one is SEO development and getting my site up on the list of the search engines. Just having the site live does not allow people to easily find it.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Managing the marketing, business and brand development, and doing the work needed to satisfy my customers
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
I have not gotten that far yet.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It has required a little more time than I expected, but overall, it has been a very positive learning experience for me. I continue to learn every day.
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?
It is my plan to continue with the website for at least 10 - 15 years. This is the window of my full time business activity. After that I may still continue the website, but with less attention as I will be officially retired.
What is your website address?
Consultants on Certification, LLC The Experience You Need!
