A Fond Farewell We take one final look at our "Biz 101" tech makeover winner.
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Without the unique style and design flair ofPursesnickety!'s fashionable purses, Deborah Nail'sbusiness might not be recognizable from the one that embarked onEntrepreneur and Interland's tech makeover project ayear ago. Along with a new website, new Treo smartphones from Sprintand new laptops from IBM, Nail's company also has a newattitude. It's tech-savvy, internet-ready and on the cuttingedge of online marketing.
And Pursesnickety! is growing like gangbusters. "We'vegot to expand and hire some new people," says Nail, 41."I need a secretary, a new seamstress and a biggerspace."
After a year of being inundated with new web features andtechnology, a big question awaits Nail: Which services and hardwarewill she keep? "Everything," she says. "We'renot changing anything." From the e-mail marketing campaigns tothe search engine advertising to the laptops and Treos, she'ssticking with all of it.
She also plans to explore new ways to use the technologies. Forexample, one perk she's discovered is the ability to useInterland's mass e-mail service to quickly and easily updatesales reps on new products and information.
The laptops and Treo smartphones mean that nobody is ever out oftouch when the Pursesnickety! team is off on their frequent tradeshow travels. And the new Pursesnickety.com is more than just goodlooks. The reborn website is an invaluable reference for wholesalecustomers and has been a tremendous boost to the retail side of thebusiness. It has also helped speed up order processing.
Though we've reached the end of our year following thePursesnickety! makeover, it's just the beginning for Nail'scompany. Embracing technology has made Nail more efficient andallowed her to expand her product lines and customer base.
"Our business has tripled," Nail says. Pursesnickety!purses can now be found in 49 states and seven countries. Nailbeams when she looks back at all the progress over the last year."We're very grateful," she says. Pursesnickety!'stechnology and website now have as much pizazz as its purses.
