We met one fine day at La Creperie in Robinson’s Galleria. She was referred to me by my partner, The Techie Mom, for domain and hosting service, and a possible WooCommerce set up. I’ve been working with WooCommerce for years already, and around the second quarter of 2014, I started to seriously think of offering it as a service outside of my VA gig as a new income stream. The first person to know of this plan was of course my partner.
So in July, I met Mia Sison. She told me her apprehensions about having an online store. She was selling her products through Instagram, and using Viber as the point of communication. She also was not sure as to what the process would be. She has gotten used to doing business through her phone, and she was worried that her customers might not welcome the change.
I was just going to buy her domain name for her, and set her up with a hosting account, which I did. Then I was supposed to just wait for her to get the site ready for me to install the cart. But she wanted to know how an online cart actually works, so in that first meeting, I discussed with her how the process would go, from the time that a customer lands on the site, what happens when they click on the ADD TO CART button, how she would get alerted of orders, how the customers would pay. I took note of her present process on deliveries and went on to explain how I would set up her cart to accommodate the present process.
As we continued to discuss her cart, she had questions about what else to put at the site, what would be on the menu, how customers would navigate, if she could connect her Instagram account with the site, could she put photos, could she put another product in a way that that product would not be a major item at the site, and I just felt that she needed help in setting up the website itself, not just the cart. So I offered to just manage the project for her. At no cost. I would just charge her for the cart set up, and I would take care of getting her a designer.
In truth, I was not even familiar with her products at that time. So my first request was for her to provide me with a list of her products, descriptions, etc. She said she has a product brochure, complete with cleansing instructions and all. And I said, great! Send that to me, please!
And she sent me this really colorful artwork!
And what do you know, the artist is not a stranger, but rather an admired online personality of mine.
Upon seeing the brochure, I instinctively knew who the best web designer to contact. And I was so grateful (still am) that she was available to take on the project that time because she’s the designer who gets full booking for months ahead. Or maybe because she loves me, too, that she took pity on me. #wishfulthinking
The old brochure became the basis of the web design, with Nica providing all the images and artwork, and Pat translating them to codes that made them come alive online.
The process was long, but it was a very fulfilling five months of working with the best of the best. I will continue to be in awe of Nica’s artistry, and will forever be Pat’s number one fan. Together, they created this online showcase of healthy goodness that I am so proud to have been a part of.
This is Juice Hut Manila.
As for me, it was by far the most challenging cart set up I’ve ever done. Variable products, variable purchase options, variable shipping. Without any extensions used. It was a dream project for someone who thrives on challenges.
But most importantly, I will forever treasure the relationship that was started with this project. This is what makes my WAHM life so fulfilling. The relationship that develops on a project and goes beyond its completion. Nothing beats getting to work on projects that you can be passionate about while working with people that you can be friends with.
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Marge, also known as The Happy WAHM, is a virtual assistant who turned her passion for entrepreneurship into a worthy endeavor of offering complete business solutions to CEOs and business owners around the world. She turned her back on a thriving corporate career to become a hands-on mom and created a lifestyle that allowed her to build a homebased career, homeschool her children, and still have time to pursue her passion for arts and crafting.
She only posts her content on her website, TheHappyWAHM.com. If you see this content on someone else’s site then it is NOT by any means authorized.
