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Company: SoleHeaven
Project: SoleHeaven.com
Dates: Oct 2007 to Mar 2008
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How did the project start?
The project started back in October 07 ,on the streets of New York City. The choice of sneakers in America is out of this world compared to the U.K. I wanted to give British shoppers a better selection of footwear and provide a slick and informative place to shop. My plan is to turn SoleHeaven.com into an industry leader. I am already providing interactive services other sites are not. These include product discussion and promotion, video podcasting and the showcasing of artistic talent within the Sneaker Community.
What options did you consider?
I toyed with the idea of a bricks and mortar shop but I soon realised that I wanted the wider public to benefit and enjoy this type of limited edition, exclusive footwear along with the informative & interactive services of the site.
What help and expertise did you receive?
Business Link & North Tyneside Building up Business were a massive help. They gave me the advice, assistance & funding suggestions I needed to get the project off the ground. My web design and development team at OrangeBus have been outstanding. They understood the concept from the beginning and have turned my ideas and vision into a reality. Their creative and digital marketing skills are very innovative and forward thinking. They were clear about what was achievable and what was not from the start. Overall they have been a dream to work with.
Did you face any challenges or learn any lessons?
The major challenge for me was meeting with top footwear brands and sourcing good reliable wholesalers. A further challenge was to develop an understanding of how the fashion and retail sector operates. I have come from a background in finance so I have had to develop several new skills. I have had to achieve a deep, thorough, working knowledge of the product to enable me to become credible in the industry. This, in turn, has enabled me to build strong relationships with suppliers.
Another challenge that I am still battling with is site optimisation and search engine rankings. I am constantly developing new and exciting content, and processing the analytics to improve the sites visibility.
What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?
The outcomes of these challenges are that I have been able to develop my interpersonal skills and I have thereby been able to build good, reliable, working relationships with several of the leading manufacturers. They have all been very impressed with the original concept of the Soleheaven website, in particular the images and the representation of their products.
I feel my business has been improved greatly by investing the time in building these relationships with people.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to continue to develop the business, and increase the number of products on sale. I want to expand the areas in which I promote and showcase artistic talents. I also want the site to be accessible to as many people as possible, and want to translate the site into other languages such as Japanese & Russian.
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