Today while working on some of the final details of my micro site for muse 1 I realized that my web site may be to generic to the product. Meaning I am not targeting to my niche market enough. Since I am not more than 5 elements away from completing the design I have decided I will us A/B testing with my micro site and test two different versions of the site. I will get the first version out by Monday the 25th, and hopefully have the second version setup within the following week.
For Muse 2, today I talked with my potential expert that I am planning to team up with to create some digital content. Thankfully they are interested in coming on board with me and putting something together. I believe Muse 2 will be quite an enjoyable challenge as it is likely I will have to use some of Tim’s techniques to become recognized as an industry expert, or at least elevate my partners status in the industry. It will have a challenging Public Relations aspect as we will need to position ourselves as experts in the field.
~Nathan Hein
Today I heard back from the manufacturer on details of how I am allowed to use their brand. Thankfully everything I had designed so far was right inline with my ability to use their brand. In fact they are allowing me to use more materials than I had originally planned which is helping the web site come along.
Besides making great progress on the design of the micro site, I also setup the web hosting, purchased a domain name, and setup Google Analytics. Hopefully between tonight and tomorrow I will be able to finish the design and start developing the site. At this point is seems fairly likely that I am investing a bit too much into the micro site, but I do enjoy designing and implementing web sites so it seems like a reasonable use of my time.
~Nathan Hein
Yesterday and today I have been working on putting together a micro site to test the market I have identified. I have yet to hear back from the manufacturer on the approved use of their brand, but in the interest of making progress I am just continuing on preparing the site. Lacking approval to use key pieces of their brand I have been sending a substantial amount of my time developing an original brand through design. The web design & brand are coming together well though.
With the marketing testing to begin soon(hopefully), I am also in the process of identifying a accountant to help me get the books in proper order for this new venture. Upon hiring an accountant I also plan to get Port Eighty, Inc. ready for the next steps I intend to take this year.
~Nathan Hein
Muse 1 is being particular difficult with the reality of owning an inventory. I do not want to own an inventory, it creates a lot of new challenges before even getting into the accounting side of the business. I have made great progress in forecasting operating income needs, profit margins, and sales today though. Markup appears to be okay, order processing and fulfillment charges seem nominal, but manageable. At this point I just need to get some final details on how I am allowed to use the manufacture’s brand, and get the micro-site to test my market.
~Nathan Hein
