Open for business

Need a new or better online store or booking system? How does 75% off sound?

I realize that my favourite web projects are the ones that transform the working life of my clients, add value and make things easier and more productive.

One of the very  first projects I ever took on as a freelancer was for a large umbrella non-profit with small staff. They had a large number of affilliate charities who were under their umbrella and their main operations consisted of communicating with those other organizations, mobilizing them and advocating on their behalf on shared issues. At the time telecommunications were very different – email was a fairly new thing, and much of their communications were by long distance fax or postal mail, which were significant expenses.

The project I proposed to them was to create a custom database using familiar tools, whihc would automatically email any contact with an email address, fax those with a fax number but no email address, and print out mailing labels for the rest. The new process saved them tonnes of time and telecommunication and mailing costs. They wrote an article about me for their newsletter, which resulted in several referrals that formed the basis of my business for the next year.

Solving problems with creative solutions that make things better makes me happy.

More recently, during the pandemic, I’m noticing that businesses who have not sold online before are sometimes poorly prepared to do so  –

  • Grocery stores who haven’t enabled customers to place orders for pickup or delivery online, or who have done it in cumbersome ways
  • Business websites that don’t display key information when viewed on a phone or tablet
  • Clothing designers and manufacturers who could be taking custom orders via their website if they had a way to collect measurements and other requirements
  • Service providers who spend unnnecessary time responding to telephone or email to book appointments with customers

People are getting used to buying things online, but often would prefer to buy local and support local businesses. Unfortunately, these same local businesses aren’t currently providing the same online customer service as some of the big box and online stores.  It doesn’t have to be that way – online stores are straightforward to set up and there is a BC government grant that pays for all or most of the cost.  As a local, BC based, woman-owned company with over 20 years of experience in this kind of work, I’m a great fit to get this work done. I love working with entrepreneurs.

I think that the reason a lot of local companies aren’t jumping on this prospect is that they are too overwhelmed to ramp up for things that change their business. A lot of us are fatigued, and filling out proposals for government grants can be daunting. This grant is open for proposals until September 2021, or until all the money is spent, so if you need an online store or booking system and have revenue from your business in 2019 of at least $30,000, you would be smart to jump on this opportunity. I can help make it simple to receive this grant, and will even prepare the materials for you (read on for details).

Here are the short eligiblilty requirements:

Eligible B.C.-registered businesses must

  • Have generated sales of more than $30,000 in the past year (in 2019, or in the year preceding the application)
  • Not currently have an online store or has an online store that has no more than three of these online store features:
    • Customer registration and information security features
    • Shopping cart and order management capabilities
    • Payment processing options including application of appropriate taxes and shipping costs at time of ordering
    • Product catalogue, search and inventory status
    • Website analytics and reporting capabilities
      OR
  • Not currently have an online booking system or has an online booking system that has no more than three of these online booking features:
    • Customer registration and information security features
    • Shopping cart and order management capabilities
    • Payment processing options including application of appropriate taxes and shipping costs at time of ordering
    • Product catalogue, search and inventory status
    • Website analytics and reporting capabilities

More detail here

I provide all of the services included under this funding, which include:

  • Platform and website development
  • Copy and online content writing
  • Developing an online inventory of goods and products
  • Pictures (including hiring a photographer), stock photos or related graphics needed

I will do the grant proposal for you at no risk

I’m offering to prepare the bulk of the grant proposal for clients who are wanting to hire me to create a useful online store or booking system for them. I will create the project plan and budget and fill out relevant paperwork. If you do not get the grant, I will waive charge for up to three hours of time spent on the proposal. If you do get the grant, you agree to hire me to do the work, or to pay for my time preparing the proposal at my regular rates. Either way you are not out of pocket.

In addition to 20 years in my web development and business analysis field, I have 11 years preparing and administering grant proposals for non-profit organizations, and I know exactly how to do it effectively. I can make it easy and straightforward to get the online presence you need to reach the local customers you may be losing to Amazon or other international merchants unnecessarily. This is an asset that will serve you long after covid restrictions are relaxed. Give me a call or email at your convenience to learn whether this is a good fit for your business. With 20 years of experience helping small businesses do good things better, I’ve got your back.

Sophia Kelly is a highly experienced WordPress website developer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Call 604-813-7674  or email  now to get started.

Photo by Álvaro Serrano on Unsplash

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