It all started in 2008
I started my web design business to support my family
Natalie Crowe Designs is a Hunter Valley based website design business which was founded back in 2008. The business was originally created because of my passion for web design and my desire to work, however, I did not have my license at the time and the pending arrival of my daughter limited my ability to work outside the home.
Holding my Diploma in website development, and certificates in business management. I felt that this combination and working for myself would be perfect for our growing family needs. We officially opened our doors 1 month before my daughter was brought into the world and it’s been onward and upwards from there.
My passion was problem solving and Helping Others
I loved the diversity, the challenges, the ability to provide financial security for my family but also the flexibility
working for myself as a stay at home mum. I had a natural knack for the process of problem solving and helping others to find solutions that supported their businesses, and time and patience to sift through the constantly increasing “sea of information” available and offering the skills and knowledge needed in a personalised and down-to-earth service, which I hear so often, is so hard to find when working with larger companies.
7 Years in business – 2015
Seven years on, I am phasing through the next stage of my business. I am working in a career that still “lights me up” as it did in the beginning. One that gives me such drive and motivation. One that can see me “working” until the early hours of the morning, and still get up the next day, ready for a new day with enthusiasm and purpose. Whether that be a consultations for a new client, raising my family and whatever lessons life throws at me, I love my job and can’t imagine doing anything else.
NEWS & UPDATES:
- We’ve just celebrated our 11 year in business!! (2019)
- Check out our About Us Page
- Explore our recent blog post : 10 Year Review as we welcome in 2020
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History of Natalie Crowe Designs
History of Natalie Crowe Designs:
Originally as a NEIS (New Enterprise Initiative Scheme)
business. Natalie Crowe Designs has grown and evolved into a profitable
and exceptionally rewarding means of supporting my growing family.
Over the past 7 years or so, to which we’ve been established,
I have learned so much, met so many amazing businesses and made some
life long friends.
Through this experience, I definitely got more than I could
ever ask for.. My initial goal was to just make ends meet as most stay
at home or Work At Home Parents (WAHP or WAHM) experience. Being
financially independent had always been the motivation and working from
home gave me so much more flexibility and ability to divvy out my time
to my family, life commitments in addition to my work.
Question Time: How do you keep track of your clients
Good Morning,
After a conversation with a colleague, it was quite interesting to hear the different approaches to managing or keeping track of clients from person to person. I would put everything down in a note book or display folder for each of my clients so all of their file was together, but carrying 4 files with me when I’d do heavy consultation day, meant I needed a truck get from A to B and so forth.
There are an ample amount of digital software out there that can be used, for example keeping a (Microsoft) Word document for each client, an Excel spreadsheet or Access database, in the past I’ve liked OneNote for it’s flexibility and digital factoring when it comes to creating notebooks and what not… however I found it tedious having to take notes on paper then transfer them back into the OneNote program after a consultation. So the quest continued….
That was up until I came across EVERNOTE..
DIY Product Photography at Home
Take a professional product photo from home using your phone!
As someone who completely values the work and efforts and talent a professional photographer has in order to create the masterpieces that they produce, it’s also beneficial to try and keep costings down when you’re just starting out in business. Professional product photography can often be expensive and is something we often don’t have the needed budget to have every product we create professional photographed.
Although we don’t have tangible products so-to-speak, we do have ample clients who do, and who struggle with getting crisp professional images without the need to book in a photographer each time they release a new product. It’s not practical. Being able to take professional looking photos of your products at home would not only be a great skill to have but it will improve the enticement levels of clients to want to purchase your product – simply on how it looks!
This is where, the wonderful “youtube”, can play a major part in the learning process. By simply going to youtube and typing in what you want to know you will literally find hundreds of video tutorials, keying in “DIY product photography” or “Product Photography Tutorials” will bring up ample videos to get started.
Below you’ll find one of the many I’ve watched that seemed to have the most relevant information and for businesses with small scale products this would be fantastic! All of those soaps and candles, jewellery and more.
IPhone Product Photography Tutorial At Home:
Check out the video; it uses:
â–ºa white box,
â–º3 desk lamps,
â–ºan iPhone
â–ºand a piece paper.
How easy is this!!
Webinar: Sell More Online with Great Product
Photography (eBay and Etsy)
10 Product Photography Tips
This video contains more complex tips… for those who have camera with fancy features
Visit our facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/nataliecrowedesigns
Email Security | Trojan Horse Virus | Document.zip or IMG.zip
Hey all just a reminder to be vigilant with your email security. We’ve discovered that two local businesses on our mailing list have sent out an email with a zip file attachment that when opened triggers the virus to be sent to their entire email list..
These emails include:
First email:
Subject line: Fwd: Documents-323
Body message: Please look invoice attached.
Attachment: document.zip
Second Email:
Subject line: Quotation Sheet_Snowman
Body: Sent from my iPad
Attachment: IMG.zip
Both of these contain a trojan horse virus
AVG picked up both of these:
http://www.avgthreatlabs.com/au-en/virus-and-malware-information/info/trojan-horse-generic_s/?name=Trojan%20horse%20Generic_s.ELW&utm_source=TDPU&utm_medium=SCAN&PRTYPE=AVF
We highly recommend you upgrade your virus scanners to the latest version, scan your computer and make sure you’ve removed the files from your computer to avoid any contamination.
If you’ve by chance opened the email, you need to notify your contact list to avoid any further contamination and then address the issue accordingly.
As always, we recommend doing a regular back up of your computer to ensure if things like this happen that you are able to simply restore your computer to the previous state.
If we can be of any assistance please let us know.
Thanks in advance.
More than just Website Design in the Hunter Valley
Did you know Natalie Crowe Designs offers:
* Website Design and Development
* Logo and Graphic Design
* Business Mentoring
* Branding and Print Media
– Business Cards, Flyers , DL Brochures and more
* Website Hosting & Domain Registration
* Computer Training and Tutorials
* Social Media & Marketing
* Search Engine Optimisation
* Website upgrades and revamps
Contact us today to discuss your requirements and see how we can help you get from where you are now to where you want to be!
Hackers & Importance of Updating Your Website
IMPORTANCE OF UPDATING YOUR WEBSITE!
It’s been a busy last few days, we had a client come on board, whom had been held at the mercy of an international hacker, who utilised an outdated software or content management system behind their website to hack into their online database. The hacker had gone the step further and initiated taunting and demanding money. So it required further contact to the appropriate authorities…
Althought,The client acknowledges that given that the website system was built 7 years ago, that they were an easy target. It’s a big reminder to all website owners *You need to keep your systems updated and implement security measures* otherwise there are people out there who will attempt to do the wrong thing…
If you’re using a system that is open-source or that is free to use, it’s more important than ever to upgrade that system and keep your site up to date with the latest security, as that the source code is available to everyone and hacker use these type of systems in order to exploit people… Keeping in mind, there is always good and bad in every situation, as long as the appropriate security measures are taken, you can benefit greatly from content management systems such as WordPress, or Joomla etc, one these precautions have taken place..
Natalie Crowe Designs will be working closely with this client to get this website back on track, we’ve currently accumulated a whole day over the last 3-4 days, in addition to a midnight call out to address the emergency, all of this time has been spent trying to address the issue. And are now having to implement a clean version of the latest software and rebuilt the website system.
If you find yourself in the same position or you have not updated your website for some time, get in contact with us so we can help you get your site up to date and also make sure it’s secure! It’s a loss of revenue, loss of business and damage to your reputation when it comes to issues with your system security and we’re here to help.
7 Years Ago Today – Natalie Crowe Designs Registered
Hey all… 7 years ago today, I decided I’d make a major change
in my life… I decided I wanted to start my own business, I wanted be
able to financially support myself and at the time my unborn daughter. 7
years ago today, I registered my
business name and began the long journey down the road to build a
business that represented me and my desires to be independent, to be
able to make a contribution to grow and to evolve… 7 years on and I
look back on my journey, the only thing I regret is not making the
decision sooner. It’s been one heck of a roller coaster ride and
believe me when I say – that it truly is worth it once you come out of
the tunnel. My business didn’t start operating officially until April
2008 but today 7 years ago I made the decision that will forever alter
my life. and I am so grateful to be one of the ones who have made it
through!
NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR GOALS AND DREAMS – Trust your ability to see things through. It’s never too late to try!
Keeping the goal post insight
Keeping your goals insight
After running Natalie Crowe Designs since 2008, I’ve come to the conclusion that having big dreams and desiring to do more is an amazing motivation tool – being able to visualise your ideal as already being true is one of the keys to achieving that which you are working towards. Next in like when it comes to progress is actually keeping that focus on what you’re doing and doing the hard yards! We can often lose sight of our goals. Lose sight of what we’re working for when we’re caught up in the day to day life..
Write your goals down
Research shows that people who write down their goals or more likely to achieve them, oppose to those who simply mentally acknowledge them, imagine them in detail and write those details down… keeping them at the top of your mind in order to continue to propel you forward.
Know what needs to be done to achieve your goals
But it’s not enough just to know what you want, most people say I want to do … I will own … by 31st of December 2015, however in order to make this achievable and measurable you need to know the steps to achievement in order to get from A-Z and achieve your goals.
Making it accountable:
Once you have all the foundation work in place it’s a matter of making it accountable. – Share your goals with others, accountability is one of the major driving forces for people who are working toward something. Share your achievements. keep track of your progress… keep a list of the things you’re doing so you can see, 1 week.. 1 month… 3 months 1 year down the track of what you’ve been doing – it might not seem like you’ve done much
Work toward taking 3 steps towards your goal each day
Work towards taking 3 steps towards your goals each day.. even if it’s just getting the resources, making a phone call.. something is better than nothing. Keep a goal diary, write down your progress and what you’re doing to
achieve your goals, what steps you’ve taken and what’s next for you.
Reach out to support networks to give you additional support
All in all, it’ll all be worth the work and effort you put into your goals. So keep your goals in sight and remember that there is always someone out there who will be keen to help you work through your goals. If you need an additional support contact us today and we can have a chat about what you’re wanting to achieve and setup a mentoring program tailored around your needs.