100 Percent Bootstrapped 10 Million Dollar E-Commerce Company: WaterFilters.Net CEO Jamin Arvig (Part 4)

Sramana: Aside from the content in the catalogue, what other content did you offer on the website?

Jamin Arvig: We created resources for the customers including a blog and the forum. We used the forum early on for a Q&A interface for customers who were looking for answers. We were not just uploading data from some source, we were making information available to customers.

Sramana: Did you monitor the forum, or did customers answer each other?

Jamin Arvig: Both, although it was primarily us answering customers questions. It was something that we felt could grow over time as the site grew and became more reputable.

Sramana: When did you introduce the blog, and what did you blog about?

Jamin Arvig: It came online in 2004. We were blogging about industry news and the things that we felt people cared about, which included the impact of water filters on the environment. At different times the economy was hurting, and we used the blog to educate customers on the cost savings of water filters. We also wrote about major industry news or anything that we felt would be interesting to our customers.

Sramana: How often did you update the blog?

Jamin Arvig: It was not updated regularly like it is now. We did it monthly or even weekly. Now we update it several times a week. The forum was much more active.

Sramana: In 2002 when you were starting out, how did you learn about search engine optimization?

Jamin Arvig: I used every resource I could find. I talked to people in the industry on the Web and read several publications. It was a new industry, so we all got our education based on whatever information we could find.

Sramana: How long was the business just you and your wife?

Jamin Arvig: We hired our first employee in 2003. We became seeing progress at the end of 2002, so we hired some contract help in 2003 which included someone who had good knowledge of the water filter industry.

Sramana: How much revenue were you able to generate in 2003?

Jamin Arvig: We did around $100,000.

Sramana: Were you able to reach that point just by fulfilling orders via your suppliers after you had received them, or did you have to acquire a lot of inventory?

Jamin Arvig: The inventory building process has been continual. Over the first year we did some forecasting on the big sellers. We then started to find other filters and market them on our site.

Sramana: What were some of the major milestones in 2003?

Jamin Arvig: One big thing was to improve our sourcing. That was important because we needed to be a reputable water company. I did not think it made sense to be just an e-commerce company because anybody can sell a water filter. We wanted to have expertise and be an industry player. That means we had to do a lot more than wholesales, and it required that we establish great relationships with manufacturers. That is not easy.

We had to take our time and build a history with them. We also had to travel and visit them, and attend industry conferences. Over the next few years that became a key element. That enabled us to really expand our selection. Selection was first in the growth period, and once we became an industry player we were able to offer our selection to larger organizations as well as to consumers.

This segment is part 4 in the series : 100 Percent Bootstrapped 10 Million Dollar E-Commerce Company: WaterFilters.Net CEO Jamin Arvig
1 2 3 4 5 6 7