Name of your website?Selvam Architectural Interiors
Your name?
Selvam Mariappan
Your Location (city, etc)
New Territories
Please give us a short summary of your website?
A one-stop interior design and build service for all your fitting-out needs.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
Almost every interior designer has a company website. Most of them provide their services to only a selected category of customers and mainly based on project size. I thought I will make mine a bit more personal and offer a niche quality service to all clients by making good design available to all, and at a price they could afford.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
About five years ago. I launched several health products related websites. One of them was launched with the intention of benefitting all who sought a natural 'health protector' during epidemics like SARS or the H5N1 flu. The other was a product I developed for 'men' who seek a natural alternative to a very common problem. ( Apart from being an architect by profession, I am also a qualified doctor of alternative medicine) The websites are: http://www.trueionics.com http://www.vpowerherbal.com
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Just decided to use my own personal name to make it unique.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
I offer a personalised service with the same quality of a larger and more established interior design company but at a lower cost.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To use it as a portfolio of my work for future prospective clients
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Quite favourably. I work on every design personally, and create all designs by hand ( with minimal use of computers). The satisfaction I draw from my work and the end result based on my customer's appreciaton spells success to me. I do not feel that even a single drop of midnight oil that I have burned so far was to no avail.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I don't think I would change it in any way. It is a site that I designed personally and is exactly the way I want it to be. And I have had very good reviews from many clients. The only thing that I might change is perhaps add a portfolio of more work references, and of course my personal photograph to match my current looks!
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
As for my design site, well yes. As with every design company, its just a matter of expanding your design base. But there is one thing that I would not compromise in the process, is my initial objective and the quality of my work.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
When an unscrupulous client decides he can take advantage of your generosity by squeezing every single cent out of an already below-average budget, the likes of which would have cost him an arm and a leg if he had gone to a larger and more established practise.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Dealing with dishonest people.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
A link in the 'expat' community website, and of course word of mouth.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
There have been no surprises so far. It is basically a source of information and it is performing like its expected to.
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?
My design website has been up and running for nearly two years now. Its upkeep is basically an investment of time. From my understanding of how these things work, the longer a website is up and running, the more traffic it could generate ( apart from the other technical issues involved). And since my website serves as a source of information, I have no intention of discontinuing it at any time in the future.
Replace this with a question of your own
If ten thousand people answered all the above questions at the same time, how would you handle them? A - Take your time and review all of them an list them at your own pace B - Review only the ones with long answers C - Set up your system to reject future submissions, and review all ten thousand and get them listed one at a time, by which time half the websites would have shut down D - Trash all of them and say 'System Error'
What is your website address?
Selvam Architectural Interiors
