Tell us a little about the person behind the business? I work full time as a Key Account Manager for a large FMCG company and run SaySo from home in my spare time. “Spare time” is a bit of a misnomer, as I am also studying part time, am planning my wedding for November and am a Stepmum to two beautiful boys as well!
And now a little about the business itself? SaySo is a group of three community based websites – one for weddings, one for parenting & family and one for over 50’s. I’m about to add a Supplier Directory to the weddings website as well, which is keeping me very busy!
How did you come up with your business name? It took ages to come up with a good name. I wanted something that was short and easy to remember, but so many of the options I came up with were already taken. Funnily enough, about two weeks after I launched the websites, Brian McFadden releaed his hit single “Just Say So” which I took as a sign from the universe that I’d make a good choice!
What made you want to begin a WAH business and how did you get started? While planning my own wedding, I was hanging out on several different wedding discussion forums. Many of them were full of advertising, while others had very strict rules which didn’t allow brides to talk freely about their experiences with wedding suppliers. I just couldn’t find one place that met all my needs as a net-savvy bride, so I decided to create my own! The Family and Over 50 websites seemed to be a natural extension of the Wedding website, as I had a vision of building three separate but complementary communities, where members would naturally progress from one site to the next as they moved through different life stages.
What motivates you to keep your business going? It’s so wonderful when I receive emails from members thanking me for building a community where they can hang out in a social setting, but also help each other. We’ve had some very deep and meaningful discussions on the site where people have poured out their heart and soul and received encouragement and support from other members. We’ve also had some very fun, light-hearted discussions too!
Do you have a current best-selling product or service? This question is not really applicable, although I am in the process of adding a supplier directory to the wedding website and I’ve had a very good response from a range of wedding suppliers so far.
How do you advertise your business and which methods have proven more successful? All of my advertising so far has been online. Facebook has probably been the biggest and most efficient way of getting the name out there and I currently have over 1,000 fans amongst the three sites. I have also placed several banner ads on sites I consider to be strategically aligned, such as Support A WAHP. I’m very excited that I’m about to move into print media, with a full page ad in a national wedding magazine coinciding with the launch of the Wedding Supplier Directory in August.
How do you juggle your family and your WAH business? Any tips for other WAHPs? It is a constant juggling act. In my opinion, prioritising is the absolute key to success. There are never enough hours in the day, so I make sure that I attend to the key family matters first (including plenty of cuddle time!) and then deal with the business issues that will give me the greatest return on the investment of my time. Everything else gets slotted in somewhere along the way! Oh, and spreadsheets are an enormous help!
And finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a WAH business? Go for it. It’s the most exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating, satisfying thing in the world to see your business grow and succeed. Pablo Picasso once said “I am always doing things I can’t do, that’s how I get to do them”. Never think something is impossible.
Website URL: http://www.sayso.com.au
Facebook URL: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SaySo-Family/107436529281855
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