Name of your website?Ginga Squid
Your name?
Vicky Hunt
Your Location (city, etc)
Auckland, New Zealand
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Ginga Squid jewelry features one-off, exclusive, handmade art designs using mostly organic, ethical, sustainable & Fair Trade sourced materials - sea urchin spines, gemstones, fossils (dinosaur, ammonite, palmwood, etc), fine & sterling silver, coral, shell, paua, bone, horn, wood, recyled 'Coke' bottle glass, Afrfican clay Kazuri beads, ethnic beads, crystals and more.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I'm a stay-at-home mum and needed to get back to using my brain - with flexible hours.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Ginga Squid, beginning 2008
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Ginga - I'm a ginger Squid - I have a full back tattoo of an octopus, but Ginga Octopus didn't sound quite right!
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
I try to source my materials from ethical, sustainable & Fair Trade sources. I like to use mainly organic material - and not mass manufactured 'plastic-fantastic'. Everything I make is a one-off, unique design - which is cool for the person who wears it.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To make my website work for me and support the growth of Fair Trade operations and the people that they in turn support.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Kiddies come first - and I rush to get everything done in the hours before they wake up again!
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Loads & loads more photos and funky designs.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
No - I only have one pair of hands.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Two children!
What has been your biggest challenge?
Two children!
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Still working on that one - its early days yet so can't say.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Lots more admin.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
6 months - to infinity!
What is your favourite piece on your website?
A funky organic 'Triffid' ring. The silver base I bought Fair Trade from the Thai Hill Tribes and the 'Triffid' is made from turquoise chips, wood, pink & red coral & Swarovski crystals.
What is your website address?
Ginga Squid
