Interview of a Christian in business: Julie Miller

December 2006

Name: Julie Miller
Business: Little Girls’ Pearls

Q. Tell us a little about yourself, Julie.

A. I am married to my high school sweetie; we have been married for over 11 years now! Time has certainly flown. We have been blessed with two boys, ages 5 and 2. They bring joy, laughter, adventure, energy and noise to my life! They certainly keep me hopping and bless me every single day. We live in a lovely little town on the Central Coast of California . It’s known as the city of murals in the valley of flowers. It’s a wonderful place to raise kiddos. We are beginning our Homeschool journey, and while it’s been a bumpy road I know God will bless this time with our boys. My favorite things to do are play with my kids, walk on the beach and work in the garden. I am so blessed to be home to play with my kids, live 8 miles from the beach and live in a temperate climate so I can garden all year long!

Q. How long have you been a Christian and what does Christianity mean to you, especially where business is involved?

I grew up in a Christian home and attended a Christian school as a child. I dedicated my life to Christ in Junior High at a camp retreat. I truly feel that as a Christian businesswoman I have the responsibility to not only run an honest business but to treat each customer as the special child of God that they are. My signature line of “autumn blessings” (or whatever the season happens to be) is not just a quippy one liner. I openly discuss my faith with my customers on a regular basis. I truly believe that we work-at-home-Christan-mamas have a huge responsibility to be sure that our emails, our website and our orders always reflect the Lord and his grace and mercy.

Q. What is your primary website and if you have others, can you tell us a little about each site, the goals and purpose for each site.

I have two websites. Little Girls’ Pearls http://www.littlegirlspearls.com/ is my newer venture. It turned 1 last month. The purpose of my LGP site is to create heirloom keepsakes that will be passed down from generation to generation. I love the idea of giving the gift of a baptism bracelet to your little one which will in turn be used in her bouquet at her wedding and then passed down to her little one. I find that the material things that I want to hold onto are items that have a family history to them. I feel blessed that I may be in some way part of helping a family start a family tradition.

Jules http://www.julesjewelry.com/ has been around for about 7 years now. I had my 4 year online anniversary in September. I created Jules because I wanted to design jewelry with meaning. I always find that things I love have a special meaning to me. So I design and create each piece custom to order. My signature is my trademark handmade heart dangle charm, but I also offer other pieces as well. Many of my pieces are mothers, grandmothers, family or sister pieces. We are blessed with so many loved ones around us, that sometimes it is nice to celebrate that bond with a visual, tangible item. I always keep one of my little handmade hearts in my pocket or purse to remind me of the bountiful blessings that surround me each and every day. Even on days when it seems life is falling apart around me, I know that God is blessing me even through tragedy. It’s sometimes nice to have a physical reminder of God’s mercy and blessings.

Q. How important is it for a business owner to have a Web site?

This completely depends on your market. I do not have a brick & mortar store and no longer do craft fairs, so a website is my only storefront. I feel that even if you are a brick & mortar store or only do craft fairs; it is still nice to have a website to connect with your customers even if it is for informational purposes only. I am a very internet driven person…I will sooner go to the www to find a name, address or phone number than I will the phone book. I love to look up information, about us, products and services on the web because I can usually find such great detail, advice and information via company websites. It seems that the more I know about a company, the more I trust them. The more comfortable I am with a company, the more likely I will be to purchase something from that company.

Q. What are some of the perks and pitfalls of running a business online?

There are so many great perks, but the wahm world also seems to also be laden with pitfalls as well. I adore the new friends I have made in other wahms and customers that I would never have met if I had not been online. I love that I can write off all of my jewelry findings, fabulous beads and fun technology stuff off my taxes. The best part is being able to stay home with my boys. I never miss a first! I never miss a hug, a snuggle, a kiss or a picture. I am here to kiss scraped knees, put my little one down for his nap, Homeschool, go for walks, visit the park, run around wild at the beach, go on picnics…everything. I am here because I have an online business and my office hours are completely flexible around my kids and their needs. I am also here for my husband when he needs me. I am able to focus on his needs as well as the needs of my boys. I also have the option to close my business for a vacation. One very nice thing about being an online business is that my overhead is so very low compared to that of a brick & mortar store. There are so many lovely “perks” to being an online business owner.

Pitfalls… I find that sometimes my business seems to take priority over my family. There are times, especially during the holiday rush, that I have to work until 2 or 3 in the morning just to keep my head above water. There are times my boys have to wait until I finish a business call or finish packaging up an order for me to play with them. I hate to admit it, but my house is not always the pristine lovely house I’d like it to be. There are times that business stuff gets my grumpy, but this is true of all work. There are times I am not considered a “real” business because I am only online, which hurts my heart because I work so hard at it.

Another pitfall that actually has its upside is that as a wahm of an online business, I’ve become a “Jill of all trades”. God has blessed me with the resources that I have needed to learn to design my own jewelry, as well as be a printer, web designer, marketer, advertising guru, secretary, receptionist, accountant, tax person, chauffeur, deal finder, web master and more! It seems that every time something new comes up, I think to myself that I’d really love to find someone to pay to just do it for me…but in the end it seems that God gives me the resources I need to do the things that need to be done myself. God is good…no matter how overwhelming life seems to get, God is always there lifting me up if I am just able to look to HIM for my guidance, support and help that I need. It’s when I rely on my own actions that I stumble.

Q. What are your favorite resources for business owners (offline & online)

Web Host: Wahmshoppes.com
Search Engine Optimization: GNC Web Creations
Printing: Expressions On Paper

Q. What advice would you give to a Christian Business Owner concerning promoting their Internet Business?

Always do what you know in your heart is right. Pray daily and ask God to guide you.

Think of a business that you shop from and love…how is their customer service? What are their products like? How is their packaging? What type of advertising campaigns do they use? Always market your business in a professional manner and never compromise your beliefs for a sale.

Trading links with other sites that you feel your customers would love is an excellent and free way to advertise. I have spent a LOT of advertising dollars over the years and I have to say have seen very little from it. I have found that the best things that I have done for promoting my business are ~ word of mouth advertising (which you can’t really do on your own, the customer just has to like you), great packaging, good customer service, a nice variety of products that change and grow to meet the needs of my customers. Basically just make your package look like something YOU would like to open.

The word of mouth advertising from good customer service, good packaging and quality products will far outweigh any paid advertising (usually, at least in my experience).