Name of your website?Hotweazel.com
Your name?
Elliot
Your Location (city, etc)
Los Angeles, CA
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Hotweazel.com is a web design and search engine optimization company based in Los Angeles, CA. We have designed anything from medical to e-commerce sites and our optimization services are fantastic. We have acheived top rankings on Google and other search engine for a number of keywords.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
Web design has always been a passion of mine. It was always a decision between medical school and starting my own web design company. I declined my medical school acceptance to pursue one of my greatest passions.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was a subscription service where my friends would be able to add or remove themselves from comedic e-mails I would send everyday. This eventually evolved as I began learning more and more, such as the incorporation of a database which allowed for usernames/passwords, for example.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Hotweazel.com was derived from my instand messaging account. I remember trying HotDonkey, HotMonkey, etc. Everything was taken, believe it or not! After some time, it hit me...HOTWEAZEL!
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
We are different than the average web design company as we keep it very personal. Never once have we encountered an unhappy customer and we strive to acheive our customers' 100% satisfaction with ANY project. Many companies feel as though the contract stands above all. We go above and beyond the contract and under promise and over acheive.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
My eventual goal is to assist the countless doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc. in redesigning their ugly, useless and boring websites into a tool that will help their business grow and expand. I have no intentions of ever selling it...I have watched it grow for so many years, it would be like selling your child!
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
In all honesty, I have spent the majority of time in school at UCLA as I was launching this business. The majority of income was used to pay off my school loans and expenses to live. I have paid off all my debts and now I am beginning to accumulate a good amount of money which I plan to invest. I am sure I have put in a tremendous amount of time and energy that I considered fun. The thought of money did not come into play as I was learning this field.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would invest a lot more into advertising in order to pull in more customers. I would additionally hire a large team of graphic designers, SEO specialists, database programmers, etc.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
As of now, I delegate many different tasks. I have a long list of people who are able to work on different aspects of a site, such as graphic designers, Flash animators, etc. Hence, I would definitely be able to keep up with demand. A friend told me once, "A true businessman never turns down a job".
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Rent, rent, rent and paying for a crown at the dentist...LOL! Food is also a big problem for me as I can't resist it. I spend a good amount of money every month on delicious foods. In the long run it is emptying my pockets but filling my soul.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge for me was to find people that I can trust. Many of the people I work with can easily go behind my back and offer their services to my clients for a cheaper price. However, I have learned that the majority of people who contact our company have heard such wonderful reviews that they are excited to work with us.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word of mouth. One happy customer tells a dozen people at least. This is the most effective as it is coming from a person who has enjoyed themselves while working with our company and has received a great product, a beautiful website tailored to their heart's desires.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I am competing with millions of people in the same field and who know SEO. I soon realized that cometing with these people for high search results in a difficult challenge. However, lately my site has been coming up around 40-50 for a search of "website design company" on Google. I am hoping and striving for the first page!
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
The site will remain forever and I have initially put it up in 2001. The site is me and will never go down, regardless of the income it generated, traffic or popularity.
Do you think choosing a more professional company name would help your business?
Absolutely not! Yahoo is Yahoo and Google is Google for a reason. These are catchy names and will be remembered. That is the whole point of advertising. It is very rare people will ever forget Hotweazel.
What is your website address?
Hotweazel.com
