This week I had the opportunity to interview Crissy Herron for our Buzz a Mom feature.
Crissy is the founder and owner of IndieBizChick.com where she provides information and support to women that will help them start and grow their own businesses.
Here is our interview:
Crissy, please share how and when you realized your passion is helping women with DIY internet businesses? Was there one key aha! moment or were there a lot of little things?
I think that it was something that was always inside of me. I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. (I did live in Alaska for about 7 years, but am now back in Michigan). Michigan as a whole has seen some very hard economic times, but I do think that Flint has been one of the hardest hit areas. We’ve had the highest unemployment rate in the nation for a very, very long time.
I’ve seen a lot of businesses crumble and watched about half of my city’s population move away to find work elsewhere. I knew that if you could create a business online, it wouldn’t matter where you lived – your customers could be anywhere on the globe. You could live in a city that wasn’t doing so well economically and stay close to your friends and family.
I wanted to empower others and show them that this could be an option for them.
Your website for IndieBizChicks.com is very well put together. What steps did you take between when you had the idea and the business we see today?
My website is a continual work in progress! I appreciate your compliments! But it will never be “done.” I cringe when I look back at how it started – it was built in HTML and was static (meaning nothing changed or moved). Now it’s built in WordPress and has a few dynamic elements. I’m always learning something new and as I am figuring out things I apply them to my site. Like I said, it’s a continual work in progress!
As the owner of Indie Biz Chicks you fill the roles of supporter and teacher to the women who join your membership site. Who has been the biggest supporter, advocate, and teacher in your life in regards to Indie Biz Chicks? And what what did he/she/they do?
Well, I’ve actually faced a lot of nay-sayers. And that has put a fire under me to achieve and succeed, to prove them wrong… that I CAN do this! I will say that my sister has always been a good supporter. She wears an Indie Biz Chicks shirt and tells people about my site. No matter what I do in life, she’ll always be my #1 fan!
What 3 things do you suggest a woman do (other than join Mom Masterminds and IndieBizChicks) to start her own online business if she has no solid idea of what she wants the business to be. Let’s say she just knows she needs to bring money into her household while staying at home.
Well, you really do need to decide what you want to do. If you want to make money fast, a service based business may be the way to go (virtual assistant, graphic designer, ghost writer, etc). Once you know what kind of business you’re going to have, buy a domain / hosting and set up a site using WordPress (it’s free!). Then, start using social networking sites to promote your biz and find clients!
Thank you, Crissy, for sharing your business story and ideas with us here at Profitable Mommy Blogging.
Be sure to check out the great business resources at IndieBizChicks.com. While you are there register for the FREE Indie Biz Chicks Conference. You can’t beat good business advice for free!!
Great interview Stephanie!