Name of your website?Rustic Designs
Your name?
Trevor Pottelberg
Your Location (city, etc)
Brownsville
Please give us a short summary of your website?
I custom build Cedar Log Furniture. Items consist of arbors, beds, benches, chairs, dining room sets, pet beds, swings and more. I create new items daily, so it is always expanding.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
My love for nature and the great outdoors inspired me to design, build and market a unique line of quality Cedar Log Furniture. I wanted to get the word out and share my furnishings with the public. I have always loved the look and feel of Cedar Log Furniture and I decided that it was time that I learn how to build it myself.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was launched in 1999. It was a site to promote my Photography business. My wife and I photograph Weddings, Families and Scenics from all over Ontario, Canada.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I love "Rustic" furniture, so I knew that the word rustic had to be part of the name. Since I design the furniture, I figured that Rustic Designs covered all my needs.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
Everything I build is hand crafted. I take my time and pay close attention to every detail. I put my heart and sole into a project. I care about giving my customers a quality product and I hope that they can see the time that I put into their furniture.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I hope to get enough orders to keep me busy year round. My goal is to do this full time.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
So far, I have spent a lot of money to get the proper tools to get this business going. I now hope that I can get enough orders to help pay for the start up costs and make an honest living from the business.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would probably hire a professional web designer to create a site using the latest technology.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
If I started getting enough orders, I would hire an assistant to help me out.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Temperature and mother nature really play a huge part in my business. I need to have the temperature a certain value in order to stain, glue and polyurethane my furniture. My workshop is not heated, so it makes it tough some days.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge has been trying to get the word out to the public that I have this business.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
So far, search engine submissions, our local Kijiji and Facebook has been my biggest help.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It is hard to try to keep the site changing and looking fresh. It is also hard deciding if what I have created, looks good to the public.
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 have run the site since 2000 and have recently added my log furniture to the site. I will keep this going as long as I can, even if times get tough.
What is your website address?
[404 Check: was link to http:/ / www. digitalfxphoto. com/ Rustic_ Designs/ Welcome. html, anchor: Rustic Designs]
