Spotlight on Mom -- Bola Ajumboi of Slimy Bookworm

 

What is SlimyBookWorm.com?:

SlimyBookworm.com was founded in 2010 and is based in Highland, California.
We are your premiere online children’s bookstore and take pride in being “The destination for books kids love!"

It all started with a book-loving mom with a son who shared her insatiable appetite for books! Knowing that the effort put into exploring and acquiring wholesome books for her son could come handy for that parent, grandparent or Godparent looking to unleash the imagination of the kids in the lives through books, she started SlimyBookworm.com.

Up to 20 percent of proceeds go to fund literacy efforts among the underserved regions of the United States and Internationally.

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If you follow my blog, then you know how important reading to my daughters is to me.  I love the book selection SlimyBookWorm.com has to offer, and based on the customer feedback I read from customers regarding their purchases, they love the selection, as well as fast delivery service.  So, if you are looking to add a few new books this spring to your child's book collection, why not check out Slimybookworm.com.


But, in the meantime, please enjoy my Spotlight Mom interview, with the mom and creator of this amazing online store, Bola Ajumobi.

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Name: Bola Ajumobi

Company Name/Product/Service: Children's books and educational toys

Company Location: Online, based out of Highland, CA

Company Website:  http://www.slimybookworm.com

Facebook URL: http:www.facebook.com/slimybookworm

Twitter Handle: @slimybookworm

Age of Company: 1, will be 2 this coming November

Favorite Inspirational Quotes: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Favorite Book: Jane Eyre



Tell us a little bit about yourself. How many children do you have? What
are their ages? Your hobbies? Etc.

I am a mom of 2 boys, ages 4 and 18 months, married to my college sweetheart for almost 10 years. I have to admit that I am not much of a hobby person.I am a voracious reader if that counts as a hobby. 

Briefly explain your business. How did it come about?

I own an online kids bookstore which opened for business November 2010.I conceived the idea while pregnant with my second child.My older child loves books and I spent a lot of time picking out books for him and reading to him which lead me to think that there are probably busy parents out there who would appreciate a curated collection of good quality children's books. To help them further I offer a free gift suggestion service where they provide information on the gift recipient and I furnish them with a list of books most suited for that child. 

What is a typical work day like?


I work out side of the home on a part-time basis, so most days finds me dashing out of the house in the morning, kids in tow. Most days I am done with work by 1.30PM. I then try to get some exercise when I can. Run errands, pick up the kids. Make dinner, bathe the kids and put them to bed and read them to sleep. My kids insist on that, even the little one. I try to spend some time with my husband after they are asleep or I get on the computer to process orders that came in, write articles for my blog or attend to anything else with the business. 

What has been a struggle while starting up your company?


I had zero knowledge of what it took to run a business much less of a web based one. The learning curve was steep. 

What did you do in your past work life?


I still work in my career as a family physician 

What have been some of your major successes?

After a lot of sweat, money and blood, my online bookstore is starting to appear high in online searches. I had a page rank of 0 for months but within 6 months of working on search engine optimization, I saw it go up to 4. I love when I get customers who found my store on the web. 

What have been some of your major challenges?

Not finding enough time to do it all. I have come to appreciate business down times as I can use the time to work on the business and improve my processes. I was deluded into thinking I could run a passive business with little time commitment.

The other challenge would be marketing. Marketing an online business is tough and painstaking. 

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?


My stubbornness and resilience.

What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?


I don't have any secret. I categorize anything that comes at me into urgent, expedient, can wait, don't even bother. The urgent ones get done right away, then the expedient, in that order.

I have a team of freelancers that I call on from time to time; a virtual assistant here in the US for some tactical work, I use Odesk.com for web developers and data entry sort of things. My husband also shares a lot of the household burden so that helps. 

What is next for your business?


My first year in business, I needed to prove that it was a viable business,now I have to improve my operations. Working on some website upgrade with the mind of serving my customers better. I plan on doing more inbound marketing this year to improve my ranking in searches with blogging, author interviews and guest blogging. 

Do you have any advice for other mom entrepreneurs that are starting out and struggling, or are on the fence about starting a business?

Feel the fear, do it anyway. Know that support from your business may not even come from your family and don't be hurt by that. Tackle a task in your business daily however small. Those little steps add up with time.