nickjmarket

The Story of IOTA Designer Planters Australia

I opened a shop in Noosa (not one of my better ideas) for Gardenware in 2008. Up until then, Gardenware had focused on very high end and hard to find tools and garden products for the home garden enthusiast. The niche was small but we had exclusivity on several brands and being mail order weContinue reading “The Story of IOTA Designer Planters Australia”

Why Business Objectives Are The Critical First Step to Website Design

Too often companies consider their website as an after-thought. They try and bolt on their website to their existing marketing as a separate entity. But then they get disgruntled when the web site is not the success they hoped for The reason the website does not perform to expectations is often because of a lackContinue reading “Why Business Objectives Are The Critical First Step to Website Design”

My Experiences as a Design Hacker. Now There’s a Name For It

I am a business owner first, and although I have been building websites since 2000 I had also been a hacker. Get a business idea, quickly build it myself, and get it in front of my market. If I got a bit of traction and some sales I would upgrade certain parts. I had someContinue reading “My Experiences as a Design Hacker. Now There’s a Name For It”

Custom vs Premium Themes – The Debate

Custom vs premium themes is a hotly debated topic and my opinion is a little bit heretical within the upper echelons of the web design community. I am a big fan of premium pre built themes. In my own experience on using both custom and premium pre built themes, I felt that while there wereContinue reading “Custom vs Premium Themes – The Debate”

Pricing Decisions – Should Your Online Store Offer Wholesale?

The Lure of Wholesale Markets For an online store it can be a competitive advantage to create a brand yourself. In this scenario, more often than not the idea of wholesaling, selling to retail stores, gets put on the table. I have had only limited experience with selling products under my own brand, but inContinue reading “Pricing Decisions – Should Your Online Store Offer Wholesale?”

Minimum Viable Customer Service Process

When I started Wooassist and was looking at designing the customer service process, I decided that it would be more efficient to wait till we got our first customer, and deal with that customer myself, document how I handled that customer, and make that into a process the team could follow. I estimated it wasContinue reading “Minimum Viable Customer Service Process”

Creating a Business Model that has Good Founder Fit

At close to the age of 40, I have a quality of life and peace of mind that I have never had. My businesses are more profitable then ever and require from me the least amount of effort than ever before. On the other side of the coin, I am no longer particularly interested inContinue reading “Creating a Business Model that has Good Founder Fit”

A Great Business Idea I Discovered Was Not For Me

I had been an online store-owner for over 10 years and was ready for a change. I had lost the motivation for my businesses that I once had. While that is ok in the short term and I was not neglecting anything, I was no longer looking out for new opportunities with the passion IContinue reading “A Great Business Idea I Discovered Was Not For Me”

Time Budget for Competing Objectives and Managing Accountability

With all the competing business objectives and the complicated web of businesses I have created for myself, the one thing I can control is how much time I spend on each part of my business. I have been doing this with a time budget for a few months now and it has given me someContinue reading “Time Budget for Competing Objectives and Managing Accountability”

Morning Routine For Increased Effectiveness and Creativity

I recently picked up a book called “Daily Rituals” by Mason Currey. A fascinating account of the daily rituals of famous creative people. My morning routine is something that I hold dearly and when I was younger, was a discipline that I didn’t always achieve. It was obvious to me that both the quality andContinue reading “Morning Routine For Increased Effectiveness and Creativity”