I think it’s inexcusable when people say they’re being held hostage by their designer. First, make sure you’re the one who owns the domain name. You’d be surprised at how many sites I’ve helped the owner wrest control away from the “designer”. I try to make sure that even though it may be my email address that things come to (it never changes while other people’s do), they are listed as the owner. Maybe I’m still carrying around emotional baggage from the early years.

Second, make sure that you can get into your site and make changes if necessary. I spent a lot of time with clients teaching them so they could. They may never have to touch their sites, but when I had a major stroke in 2008, few people had a problem making changes and I was pretty useless for a while.

I have found a number of reasons. First, those pesky spam filters. The person I was answering never got it. They didn’t realize that their spam filter was eating up a lot of their mail, INCLUDING orders. Second, some people were using their lack of response as an excuse. I’ve had more than 1 web designer say they never heard from me because they wanted my client and they could point out…”look, she doesn’t answer email, and I’m a good person that does”. That’s a too common thing. And some people are just overwhelmed.

So, I’ve gotten rather clever with this. If it’s a web designer with for one of my hosting clients, after 5 days I write back to them, saying this is what I said, on such and such a day. Haven’t heard back from you, did you get it?” with a copy of this going to the client. And amazingly enough, there’s a response immediately.

I cases of general inquiries or questions about orders, people usually never got them and are grateful you followed up.

It pays to be organized and inquire a bit. It shows you care.

First, many herb businesses have limited funds and decide to do the website themselves. Or have someone in the family do it. Or a friend with little experience wants to get experience by doing it. All very poor ideas. Websites aren’t just a way of showing yourself to the general public, but they should be a means of converting a visitor to a customer or better yet, a raving fan. I’m absolutely amazed when I visit the website of an herbalist who is dynamic and well regarded in their field and there’s broken links and a mish-mash of pages. No one realizes what this does to the reputation of someone that deserves better. The next post we’ll describe some of the things that can fix this.

Get rid of the forms guys and if it was the site designer’s idea, get rid of them as well. They know little about marketing.

Sure all that stuff is warm and fuzzy. But does it pay the mortgage or put seed in the ground? It’s important to push your own products while you’re giving advice and teaching, in fact, you should think that way. Right now, for example, we’re offering members a free year long marketing course that’s just a bite each week. And that’s about all most of us obsessed people can handle. We’ve got to do a little each day in order for our passion to pay the bills.   Check out our Marketing 101 course and do a little each day. Your business (and your passion) will thank you.

Because loving what you so is important but understanding the nuances of being a successful business are is more important.  The difference between a glorified hobby and a successful business are great.  You have to have a plan.  One that takes you from an excited newbie to a solid entrepreneur. 

You have to study successful businesses of all types to understand what makes them different.  I adore herbs.  They fill my life.  But the only time I look at an herb book is to work on the Herbalpedia.  I get several books a month and they deal with using social media for marketing or how to optimize a landing page. 

 And that’s why herb businesses fail…they think that if they work on non-herbal parts of their business they are somehow being untrue to their herbal selves.   When it’s these nonherbal parts that make your enterprise strong enough to support your future business. 

So if you’re thinking of starting an herb business, or you feel yours is floundering, write to me and I’ll send you our Herb Business Startup Guide.  We sell it for $10 as an ebook, but I’d like to help those that are trying and will make this available for free for awhile for those that find our blog.  And try joining the Herb Growing and Marketing Network.  Many will think they just can’t afford $95 a year for membership.  But that $95 gives you not only exposure on our sites, but keeps you focused on those “boring” nonherbal details that will make your business bring in more revenue during these chaotic times. 

It won’t be served on a platter, but you’ll know where to go to find the information you need to grow and your business to thrive. 

The first time I came back to La Paix after my stroke, I wondered how it would be.  There’s not an inch of even ground on the mountain.  And I fell down around my house which was adapted for me.  But I coped.  It wasn’t easy, there were places I couldn’t get to any more, but that was part of being handicapped.  I didn’t expect everyone to adapt for my problems.  Especially when I visited once or twice a year.

That’s something I’ve noticed more since I had my stroke.  Some people are so intent on “being normal” that they’re determined everything should be accessible in case they want to participate.  It would be nice if we all could participate.  But unfortunately in life things happen which leaves us on the sidelines in such events.  There are some that insist they should be able to have the chance to take part no matter what.  I’m surprised that they don’t scream because they didn’t win.  Doesn’t matter they didn’t do as well as the winner, they should have the “experiene” of winning.  Reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite authors Tom Robbins.  “….a choice without consequences is no choice at all.” 

We can gripe because life dealt us a bad hand and infect all we come in contact with or we can take the hand we’re dealt and create something quite remarkable from it.   

This year the theme is “Keep on Dancing” and dance we will.  The music will be there along with a gourmet luncheon from Chef Dale Hawkins.  If you nothing but sit and enjoy the lectures it’s the best way to spend a summer Saturday that I know.  For a lot more details visit www.lapaixherbfarm.com   I hope I’ll see you there.

But it seems people with herb businesses don’t think the rules of business don’t apply to them.  And that could be why most herb businesses fail.  The ones that succeed….they’re the ones that act as any other business does.  They plan, they look at lots of ways to promote their sales and not just the usual “herby” ones.  One of the more successful herbal businesses I knew swore that “The E Myth” was their bible.  And they didn’t get into it for the usual “herby” reasons…..they wanted a successful business that they could retire on….they did.