On this part of the Wooassist Interview Series, we talk to Lisa Shinham – owner of Wave Zone Skimboards. Together with her husband Jeff, Lisa first worked part-time building Wave Zone while she worked in corporate. At one point, the company experienced massive growth that Lisa had to leave her 15-year stint in the corporate world to focus on their company. “Good enough is never good enough” has always been their mantra. And now they own and a successful and thriving WooCommerce store that sells high-quality hand-crafted skimboards.

So let’s get started with the interview.

How did WaveZoneSkim start?

Wave Zone Surf Company opened in 1990 as a single location watersports store. Among the offerings were custom surfboards, skimboards, wind surfers and apparel. We expanded to include the wholesale of our skimboard brand to surf shops around the world. The growth was so massive that we decided to close the shop and transition purely to wholesale. As the customer need expanded, we found that we were able to reach additional market areas through our own website; a great option for holiday shoppers, those who do not live near a beach or surf shop location,

What are some of the major challenges for WaveZoneSkim?

Managing materials costs is a daily event, but one over which we can exercise some control.

Tougher to prepare for are the challenges presented by natural disasters. This year alone we have seen red tide spreading along the western coast of Florida, a hurricane strike to the eastern USA, a tsunami clipping Guam and volcanic activity threatening Hawaii. If one of our surf shops are affected, we are as well.

The exponential increase in online sales has created opportunity and challenge in equal measure. This could be counted as the largest ongoing shift in the way we do business today versus 25 years ago. Most significant is the detail needed for an individual transaction. This is much different and more labor intensive than shipping a case of a dozen boards to a surf shop. Customer expectations must be successfully managed on the front end. Fulfillment and customer service must be top notch.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

The largest challenge I have personally faced has been keeping up with technology. From e-commerce, to web design, to multiple social media platforms. Change is constant when determining how to best reach a customer. Having a good working knowledge as well as augmenting that by delegating to skilled individuals has been essential!

What are your tips on how to make a business startup a successful one?

Strategic planning is essential. It’s a relay race of sorts. A clear written timeline with each step assigned to a specialist. Communication is key. From concept to implementation to promotion to launch every step must be giving its due. Responsibility, accountability and respect to all must be flowing with the team working to build each other up. If the day has come to load website product then the individuals in charge of descriptions, SKUs, pricing and photography need to be aware and on point!

How has ecommerce changed over the past 10 years?

10 years ago there was a greater range of comfort in terms of buying online. As customers have gained understanding of secure sites and payment systems, closing the online deal has become far more achievable. Customers are largely at ease doing online business.

Today websites must be engaging and easy to navigate… truly streamlining the customer experience. A picture is worth a thousand words and the professionalism of your site must inspire confidence in your brand and products. A customer can comparison shop platforms and brands quickly and easily. The online marketplace continues to grow and a business must be on its game to stay out in front of competitors.

What do you think is the future of ecommerce?

The past few years ecommerce has paralleled brick and mortar business challenges. Smaller “mom & pop” retailers struggled to keep pace with big box stores, and still do. Today, online businesses battle the same fight to keep pace with large sites like Amazon. A marketplace the size of Amazon can afford to offer membership benefits such as free shipping and customer-centric return policies that can be tough for a small business retailer to match. With the continued increase in online sales, that pendulum is beginning to swing back a bit, with a bit more customer accountability to the tune of re-stocking fees and reduced eligibility for pre-paid return shipping.

With a continually growing base of tech savvy customers as well as online purchasing being the increasingly common choice, people will be continue to be more and more comfortable with doorstep delivery in many aspects of their lives. Convenience fees will become the norm and exceptional service will no longer include a huge ding to profit margins to secure the sale.

That said, however, individual sites will always need to continue bettering the customer experience in order to secure the business.

How did you get started with WooAssist?

A colleague mentioned WooAssist to me in passing. Upon visiting the Wooassist site, I found a video on the home page told my story well. Like many, I had invested a generous sum to rebuild my site. After completion of the project, I found myself buried under lack of knowledge regarding WordPress and its many plugins. I felt a bit stranded… as if I was in a newly built house with a bit of furniture yet so much more was still needed to truly live there and call it mine. I learned as much as possible via trial, error and online resources to add content and enhance the sites direction.

I had big ideas and no way to bring them to fruition. I bought a small support package from Wooassist and tested a small job. The recommendations and results have been amazing. The Wooassist staff has been responsive and proactive. Their service and follow through have been superior.

What advice can you offer for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

Continuing education in the areas of technology and online marketing is important. Learn about meta tags, keywords, H1 headings, etc. Outsourcing is highly effective but, like all other business investments, it’s important to know what you are paying for. A good blend of both paid and organic exposure is important. Top notch photography, engaging content and relatable videos are very achievable and worth the investment. Most importantly, automation is critical. With systems and automation that cover everything from FAQs to inventory control, people can use time where it needs to be spent, such as building business and relationships.

Nathalie Brouard started GardenWare with Nick 15 years ago.  Since then, GardenWare has grown leaps and bounds. Mothers who have started or want to start an ecommerce business can pick up a thing or two in our interview with Nat. She shares some tips on how to manage your time between your ecommerce business while tending to the kids.

Today, she continues to manage GardeWare while Nick has moved on to his other WooCommerce businesses. She writes regularly on the GardenWare blog and her posts are always a pleasure to read. GardenWare has now grown to be a leading provider of garden tools, footwear and apparel in Australia.

So let’s get started.

How did GardenWare start?

We moved to Queensland from Victoria 15 years ago. We were working remotely for the employer we had in Victoria. They were a garden footwear wholesaler selling Sloggers.

There would be customers that would like to buy Sloggers but they would be in locations where there wasn’t a Slogger retailer close by. Many of these customers would be used to buying from mail order catalogues as they were in remote locations. So the opportunity to sell direct to them arose.

What are some of the major challenges for the GardenWare?

In the beginning, trying to get our name out there was a challenge. We did a lot of garden shows as a solution and we were happy if we just broke even. Having young kids at the time meant we would have to organise care for them.

I got a second job to keep income coming in. That involved working nights and weekends. My son was eight months old when I started the second job so there was the juggle between work, feeding him and spending time with my family.

Although these may seem like personal challenges they also were intertwined with our company growth.

Being in a rural area saw us have some issues with couriers picking up some of our products. Long handled tools that Australia Post won’t send. We eventually found a courier company that does – yay.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

My work ethic has always been strong. Working from home can sometimes test this though. There are times when you want to extend your lunch break just a little bit longer to watch a bit more Netflix.

I can also miss working in a team. Sometimes the first time I talk to someone all day is when I drop off the orders at the post office.

Working for yourself means total responsibility, sometimes that can be scary and financial insecurity pops up, more so than when I was working for someone else and had a known wage coming in.

What are your tips on how to make a business startup a successful one?

Create a routine in your work week. The best strategy I use is having a strong morning routine. I wake up, go for a walk which centres me for the day, have breakfast with my kids. Then I’m in the office by 7.15am. This allows me to check my emails, get the orders ready for me to pack and set up a rough plan for the day. I check on the kids at roughly 8 o’clock to make sure they are getting ready for school! By nine o’clock I’m back in the office and ready to pick my work day back up with a clear idea of what to do.

A routine also gives me discipline and structure in my work day. I make sure I have a lunch break as well J

What works for me may not work for you – so create your own unique work routine.

Take time out where you can – I’ve had busy work times where I’ve juggled newborns or been pregnant. I’ve been no good to anyone when I’m burnt out. My garden has been my chill out at times like these. Even just five minutes away from my desk is helpful.

How has ecommerce changed over the past 10 years?

There is so much more competition out there. And with Google it is easy to compare and shop around – I do this myself. There is also more product transparency with most sites having product reviews. I see this as valuable information not only for your customer but for you as a company. If a negative review is left on your site, this is an opportunity to engage with your customer and offer a solution.

Improved technology has made it easier to shop online. Great websites offers a great customer experience, equivalent to being in a bricks and mortar store.

What do you think is the future of ecommerce?

It will only get better. Technology improvements have seen this happen. Our mindsets and comfortability have also changed over the years around online shopping. This will see it here to stay.

Do you have any advice for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

Be different. Provide great customer service. Companies that have websites with all the bells and whistles but suck at customer service are common. I’ve lost track of the number of times customers are grateful that I have responded to their email in timely way or returned their phone calls. Two basic things that you would think would be a given. We all remember when a company goes that extra mile to help us out – be that company. My customers love that we attach a couple of lollies to their invoices – I feel it is a touch that adds to the positive experience of them opening their order.

Be honest if you aren’t sure about something. Customers will pick up insincerity and pretty much all of the times I’ve been honest with a customer they have appreciated it.

What do you like about ecommerce?

Ecommerce has given me flexibility in my life. I can help out at my kids school which I love doing. If I need to go to an appointment during a work day I can. If I want to start early and finish early I can. This work/ life balance works for me.

Having orders come in at any time of the day or night is also a bonus – income coming in while I’m sleeping –why not J

We have also been able to involve our kids in our ecommerce adventures. They have benefited from learning life skills like a strong work ethic, dealing with customers, responsibility, time management, budgeting as well as some basic website backend skills.

And lastly being an online shopper myself, I love that I can browse and buy online any time. Even though I now live in a rural area I can still have access to all stores as if I still lived in the city.

We  are starting a series of interviews with different WooCommerce entrepreneurs. We’ll listen to their stories — how they became successful and what their thoughts are on the ecommerce landscape. We’re starting our series with our very own Nicholas Jones or Nick J. as we call him. Nick started GardenWare back in 2003 and later on, Wooassist. He has since stepped down from managing Wooassist to focus on his other WooCommerce businesses and now only takes on a consulting role.

So, let’s get started.

How did GardenWare start?

I was working as an accountant for a footwear importer that were selling Sloggers garden clogs and boots. Customers would ring from small country towns and ask where they could buy them. There were no stockists within hundreds of kilometres so we would take their credit card and address details and send them some in the post. After a couple years there was about 100 people. It was 2002 so ecommerce was not very big, but I thought a small catalogue might work. We designed the catalogue and a small website, placed a small add in Gardening Australia magazine, and mailed out to our small list.

We got a few sales and added garden clothing, gloves and hats to the range. In 2004 we added tools and watering cans not long after. Back then only 25% of sales were online. Most came from the catalogue, but every year that changed a little until the business was 95% ecommerce.

What are some of the major challenges for GardenWare?

Initial growth was the biggest challenge. I wanted to focus solely on my online business but the revenue was not enough, so I needed to supplement my income by consulting and my partner working a separate job. I wanted us both working for GardenWare full-time and pushed growth to make that happen. I would bet heavy on certain advertising and promotional campaigns, but they never met my expectations. I learnt the hard way that businesses growth comes best from demand not from supply. For a small business without funding it is much better to be patient and work those second jobs to supplement your income.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

The most rewarding has come from personal discipline and time management. When I am healthy mentally, emotionally and physically I am able to make better decisions. A 30-hour week’s work where I have exercised, meditated, read some good books, and spent time with loved ones can be much more effective than a 60-hour week where I don’t look after all the other areas of my life so well. Although the occasional 60-hour week is still needed.

What are your tips on how to make a business start-up a successful one?

Know yourself, product, and market. Waking up every morning to give your heart and soul to a business that may not succeed is a challenging task. You don’t have to love it, but doing something you don’t hate is very important. It is much easier if you have a personal interest in the product, or at least distribution or marketing channel. Take a thorough assessment of your personal strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. I am an introvert and enjoy working on my own in my own time. It’s not surprising I have built a network of successful ecommerce businesses and my few attempts at bricks and mortar retail stores have failed.

How has ecommerce changed over the past 10 years?

Ecommerce hasn’t changed much for my businesses. While the technology has changed, the marketing principles are decades and hundreds of years old. You find a product people want, let them know you have it, sell it to them for more than you paid, and entice them to come back and buy more.

What do you think is the future of ecommerce?

I see as technology improves ecommerce and bricks and mortar retail merging more. The big market places like Ebay and Amazon will continue to grow so to compete in commodity price-based products you will need to be there.

How did you get started with WooCommerce?

In 2003 I was using my web hosts managed platform to sell. It was functional and easy enough for us to get started, but lacked the ability to take advantage of marketing strategies like upsells, cross-sells, rewards programs, abandoned cart reminders, custom shipping options, etc. So in 2009 I did some research and decided on Magento. WooCommerce was out then but didn’t have everything I needed at the time. We worked with Magento for a few years successfully, but the development and server costs seemed high. I looked at WooCommerce again and it seemed ready. We converted my two sites over in 2012 and have built all sites on WooCommerce ever since. I have no plans on changing ecommerce platforms.

Do you have any advice for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

If I was to speak to my younger self I would say invest more in yourself than the business. It can be easy to neglect your own education and work like a mouse on a treadmill. The problem with this is you are limited by working with your current skills and you can often miss the forest for the trees. You need to step back learn a new skill, read a business or motivational book, and get back to the grind the next day with a fresh brain. Recognise the value of your time and don’t try and do everything yourself. If you can find someone that can do something better and faster than you then delegate it to them and work on yourself and the parts of the business that only you can do.