Part 1: Start in the kitchen and ride to success

Your start-up story is truly inspiring! You literally stirred your first product a mere five years ago in your kitchen -- now your business is booming offline and gaining every day online. Tell us about your start and what inspired you to succeed.
One way to view my business is to say that my whole life, to this point, manifested itself in a two ounce bottle called Cowgirl Cream. These products are inspired by the herbal traditions and beauty rituals kept alive by women for centuries. I believe that I am to carry on this tradition in the modern world. Extensive travel to Europe, India and South America opened my eyes to plants as the source of health and beauty. This period of travel profoundly influenced my outlook on beauty, health and how plants are the source of medicine, cosmetics and well-being. Later, this very influence became the seed for the Cowgirl products.

Our mission is to produce excellent and effective skin care products based on natural ingredients. Cowgirl Enterprises, Ltd. is committed to an environment where our members can operate at their highest levels of aspiration. The satisfaction of our good work directly benefits our customers and builds a profitable business for all to enjoy.

The cowgirl has been an archetypal influence for both my customers and myself. Inspired by the cowgirl archetype, I am learning to "hold the reins and to stay in the saddle."

When did you decide to take the reins and ride into the online arena? What was the most challenging aspect to taking that first online step?
I went online in September, 1999 with the help from the Small Business 2000 folks who had come to film us for their TV series. They led me through the registration process and gave me some up front advice. I hired a web designer and was up and going. Basically, I used most of the graphics, photos and written material that I had. The most challenging aspect was realizing that a web designer is usually very technically or artistically talented, but not both.

How has your site awareness grown since you've been online?
Our site awareness has grown slowly because it takes a lot of daily work to get the URL out in front of the search engines. We really just jumped in. I have never had a web department and our growth has been slow but steady.

What is the main makeup of your site's visitors? Do they come from word of mouth, press or do you have a strategic marketing plan in place that incorporates attracting visitors to the site?
Our site visitors are usually looking for us. They have heard of a specific product or my company and then they go online to find our site. Of course, lots of people get our web address and go directly there to order or re-order. We have our web address on all of our packaging and collateral material. We have great bumper stickers with just Cowgirl and our site address. We send them to every person who orders or even asks for a brochure. People love stickers!

Your website is very simple in its design, yet it fits for the product, have you changed or updated your site since its inception?
I'm on my third web person. We are trying to work out some bugs, and update designs. In general, I like the site to resemble my brochure and other printed materials (for consistency). There are some design aspects that I don't like, but to change them right now will cost me significant dollars so I live with them.

One excellent aspect of the site is that you encourage customers to send testimonials and then you incorporate them in the site, why do you think that's important in relation to your customers?
We love "cowgirls", all kinds of them and they love us! Women relate to us on an emotional level. We're not the cheapest, fanciest, or most expensive. And we're certainly not the only skin care line out there, but we make great products for folks who work hard and play hard. Women and even some men (who aren't afraid to use something with a girl on it) like the sassy and fun way we treat skin care. We give them an emotional tie-in and a place to put it. We get cards, letters and e-mails all the time from "cowgirls" who just want to say "hi" and wish us good luck.

Continued...