Enterprise Nation

I met Valerie Salomon in our forum when she was asking a question about promoting her website. I visited her site and discovered a treat for the eyes and a threat to the credit card! I ask Valerie about the site and her home based business.

Valerie & Zoe create Becky & Lolo

Valerie’s business is called Becky & Lolo and is an e-commerce business offering beautiful and original gifts for all the family. The site was designed by Zoe Tucker, another home based business owner and boss of web development company, Rude Goose. 

Valerie takes some time out to answer a few questions.

When and why did you start the business? 

A: I started the business in 2006 by selling smart lunchboxes imported from California. I had spotted a gap in the market when I was looking for a decent lunchbox for my daughter and just could not find one in England!

Q: It’s a great name! How did you come up with it?

A: Becky and Lolo comes from Rebecca and Laura, the names of our 2 daughters! 

How did you meet your web designer?

A: I heard about Zoe from Karen Skidmore’s blog.I was looking for a local designer and Zoe lives nearby so I contacted her asking if she would be interested in designing a website for us (‘us’ being me and my husband as we work together.)

Who came up with the design concept for the website?

A: I wanted to create a website with an original, bright and appealing design to go with the look of our products. I already had some ideas and Zoe built on them by coming up with the look and feel of the site and the basic idea for the logo. We worked well as a team. Zoe is a very capable designer and listens carefully to the wishes of her clients.

Is the 'shopping cart' part of the site easy to manage?

A: The shopping cart / CMS is supplied by Trading Eye. One of the reasons we chose it is because it is very search engine friendly and is extremely easy to use. There are a few downsides to the software eg no international postage with the standard setup but these are being addressed.

How do you find & source your products?

A: I source my products online by searching on English but mainly international sites, and visiting trade shows.

I strive to find innovative, beautiful, original, but also practical products from around the world (So far we sell English, French, American, Swedish, Dutch, German, Belgian items).

Do you have international sales via the site?

A: We launched Becky & Lolo mid-November 2007 and have had a couple of international sales. For our  Laptop Lunches lunchboxes, around 40% of our sales are international, mainly from Scandinavian countries but we’ve also had orders from Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Malta and even Russia and Israel.

What are your plans for 2008?

A: Our plan is to grow the business and make Becky & Lolo a well known name!

Valerie Salomon speaks to Emma Jones

Top tips from Valerie

• Find a designer who is local and a good listener
• Use software that’s search engine friendly and easy to use
• Source the best possible products and make it easy for people to buy from you
• Your website is your window to the world so make it look really great and update regularly! 

• Becky & Lolo 
• Rude Goose
• Karen Skidmore’s blog
• Trading Eye