Meet Natalie: A mom who's making it happen in a rough economy

Me: Can you give my readers a brief description of what your company name is and what you do?
Natalie: we are Modern Sugar and we provide web and graphic design services, mostly to woman owned businesses.

Me: The economy is hurting, but some industries are thriving. Are you thirsty or thriving?
Natalie: we are holding steady. We have seen a bit of a decline in our higher priced services so we are restructuring a bit to try and offer some better price points for people. But, we have seen an increase in work from current clients, as they try to optimize their sites to gain more traffic.

Me: In 2008 did you make money or lose money? How are you doing in 2009?
Natalie: we were on target in 2008 to double our sales from 2007, but our sales slowed in the latter part of 2008 when I cut back and took time off during my pregnancy. I'm really not sure what 2009 will look like, I took maternity leave and have been restructuring things to try to give myself more time at home with my family.

Me: What are your favorite sites/forums for gaining information to assist you in your business?
Natalie: Does Pottery Barn Kids count? I do get a lot of inspiration from kids clothing and furniture sites. Other than that, I use the adobe site and forums a lot. I like the pinkmagazine.com site for inspiration and business tips, but don't really get to it as much as I would like. I also love howdesign.com, there is a lot of design inspiration as well as trade information.

Me: If you could give one piece of business advice, what would it be?

Natalie: Don't ignore marketing. I used to think I didn't have time or money for marketing and it really caused my business to stagnate. When I started paying attention to marketing on a regular basis - which for me meant daily - I really saw an increase in clients and sales. Basically you can't afford to not spend your time and money on bringing in more business. That might be as easy as signing up for a mailing list service or setting up a google adwords account - it doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive, just consistent.

Me: Do you have a favorite book that has helped you in making business decisions or helped in answering important business questions?

Natalie: I really like both e-myth revisited by Michael E. Gerber and Cash Machine for Life by Loral Langemeier.

Me: What is your favorite social media site? How long would you say you spend "socializing"?

Natalie: I'm way behind on the social networking sites - I recently signed up for facebook, but haven't really utilized it for my business.

Me: Do you tweet on Twitter? If so, what is your Twitter username so my readers can follow you?
Natalie: No...I keep thinking I need to, but I just haven't really been compelled.

Me: If you could do one thing different when it comes to your business, what would it be?
Natalie: one thing? just one...I think it would be something different everyday. I guess overall I really like Michael Gerber's idea of turning your business into a franchise model that anyone could follow. I would love to take the time to get systems and processes for the business written down - but it always seems like the last thing on my list.

Me: What is your greatest business accomplishment thus far?

Natalie: In 2008 I made more working at home in my own business then I did my last year as a full-time teacher. That's partly a statement about how little teachers are paid, but also really a testament to what I have been able to achieve in my business.