Nothing is Free

Just wanted to remind myself to always read the fine print. In early November when buying ScribalWarriors.com, I also secured the domain for JOBSLAY.com because I wanted to take it off the market, hoard my site from other ambitious webpreneurs (yes, just coined that term). I successfully paid GoDaddy via PayPal and thought buying the domain even when I wasn't ready to develop the page was a brilliant early move on my part.

What I didn't realize was that if I didn't direct the domain anywhere, GoDaddy was going to "park" my page for free. Sounds good enough, right? Well, that free parking came at a price. They littered my landing page with advertisements relative to the key words in my domain (JOB). Unknowingly, my domain had been advertising for competitors for over two months.

Since I hadn't started promoting JOBSLAY, I doubt I had that much traffic. But it was the principle that got me. I hadn't heeded my own advice and created at least a simple landing page right away. I now know another good reason to do so.

JOBSLAY.com: A Subsidiary is Born

When I established Scribal Warriors, a company providing various writing and marketing services, I had envisioned using generated revenue to later establish a sister company that would specifically focus on resume services and personal marketing. With the sharp economic downturn and unemployment rates rising, the immediate need for career services has encouraged me to speed up my timeline. 

I already had a company name and a basic branding idea from personal journaling in the spring of last year and I had already purchased the domain name a few months ago, so I formally moved forward with JOBSLAY.com this week. Starting a JOBSLAY blog a few days ago, a blog dedicated to career and job hunting advice and resources, I finally launched the company's "phase 1" website today! With a similar style of Scribal Warriors' website, but with a different color scheme, I wanted to be able to link the two sites and have it be an easy visual transition for online visitors. 

Who knows? Maybe I'll continue to break up Scribal Warriors into other more focused writing and marketing services in the future. A sister company like JOBSLAY allows me to market a subset of my services to a more targeted market.

New Business' Landing Page - A Starting Point

When starting any new business, it's critical to have an online presence. Even if you have large dreams about a highly interactive, high design website it's important that you create an online destination while it's in development. Customers expect credible businesses to have a website and lack of one will shake client confidence. Even if you aren't a web expert or if you don't have initial funds for the site of your dreams, you can at least secure a simple, attractive landing page in the short-term.

Landing Page Minimum Requirements:

• Business name
• Thorough description of your services or goods
• Contact information

Other Landing Page Elements to Consider: 

• Pricing 
  Pricing may be eliminated for service-based businesses that require more customer informaton, but should be included for retail/goods that are competitively priced. Not showcasing pricing will suggest that "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" which may be the premium, exclusive branding you are seeking.
• Competitive Advantage
  You've successfully directed a potential customer or client to your landing page via search engine, advertisement, or luck so take advantage of the opportunity to have a virtual conversation with them. Consider adding copy to your website that distinguishes you from your competition. Choose compelling, truthful information that will encourage your visitors to take the next step - whether it's visiting your brick and mortar location or contacting you online.

What's in a Name?

I love puns, word play, and double entendres so it's not surprising that I wanted a clever name for my company. I also wanted the name to convey something about the services we provide even if it's not immediately obvious. While I didn't want to narrow my focus, I knew that writing would definitely be at the core of any service we provided. There were many existing companies that played around with "write" and "right"so I knew I didn't want to join that crowd. Contemplating words that were synonymous with writer, I landed on "scribe" ... "scribal" ... hmm sounds like tribal ... tribal warriors ... Eureka! "Scribal Warriors."

Wanting to convey that my writing services are powerful and persuasive - whether it's ad copy or a resume - I like the fact that the name conveys aggression. Like an attorney who "drops the hammer," I want potential clients to know my professional writing and marketing services will empower them to achieve their business or personal goals.

 

Scribal Warriors... The Beginning

I founded Scribal Warriors LLC so I could fulfill both personal and professional goals. Owning my own business challenges me to be disciplined, organized, analytical, and decisive. The nature of my business - writing and marketing - challenges me to be creative, intelligent, inspired, and current. I enjoy flexibility, mobility, and independence, however, I also risk stability, income, and security. It's too early in the game to determine whether the benefits will outweigh the risks, but any entrepreneur must be willing to wait and see.

My first steps were to create a name, choose a focus (or not), establish myself legally, and build an online identity. I will delve into each area more specifically in future blogs. These first steps all started last November in Cafe Java on Gattis School Lane. They have a great chef's salad and don't frown upon you for getting unlimited coffee refills for hours. Their wi-fi is reliable and their staff is friendly. Cafe Java has become one of my favorite "offices."

To see the company website in Stage 1 (built by me using template), visit www.ScribalWarriors.com.