I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Ben Marcum – Owner/Web site designer for Cobalt Spider Web Design. From their website: “For over a decade, Ben has worked as a theatrical sound designer, composing and compiling “noise” for countless productions. While he’s very committed to using sounds to tell stories, he’s never lost his love of computers and making art with them - the natural outgrowth of these loves found a new direction with the foundation of Cobalt Spider Web Design, allowing him to help designers, artists, and small businesses find their niche on the web.”
Cobalt Spider Web Design was founded this year. Ben and his colleague Philip Allgeier started talking about working together after working on a successful commercial shoot. There was a synergy between the two artists that got them both excited to continue working together. Excited by the collaborative synergy of that successful commercial shoot, Ben and Philip decided to embark on a new venture – a locally owned andoperated website design and video production company geared towards small businesses, artists and designers.
Louisville Business Examiner: What have you found to be the greatest challenges in starting your own business?
Ben Marcum: Letting people know that we exist and that they can trust us. There are TONS of web design companies out there right now. Some arereally great, some are college kids and most are expensive. So if you do a Google search for web designers it is easy to get overwhelmed. I think people do get a little nervous when they see that our portfolio is still developing, which I totally understand. I think we will fare betteronce we have more content published and people see that in addition to stellar website creation we offer photography, graphic design and a range of video production services.
LBE: What do you think will be the greatest challenges as you progress?
BM: In the short term, getting clients. Like I say, we are brand new on the scene so we have a lot to prove – but our inaugural clients have been extremely pleased!
LBE: Given that there are over 349,000 results when you Google “Louisville website design”, what sets your company apart?
BM: For those of you following your SEO, we are number 2 on that list, thank you very much!
We know and understand that small business owners and artists cannot afford a $5000 website. Stretchngrowky.com is a prime example. That site would have been at least $4k to $5k with some of the bigger design firms out there, but there was no way that, as a small business, they could have afforded that amount. We were able to step in and give them quality and affordability without cutting corners.
As for working with artists and getting their work out there…the 2 of us at Cobalt Spider Web Design (yup only 2 which also speaks to us knowing what other small businesses need) are both successful artists. We have both been creating projects with groups of other artists for years. This means that we understand that design is a process that moves and changes, and we understand collaboration with not only each other but also with our clients, and with their clients, and so on.
LBE: Give me your opinion on the “Buy Local” concept and why it is OR isn’t beneficial to local residents and businesses.
BM: I think the Buy Local concept is fantastic. There are of course some products or services that a person needs to go outside of their immediate area for, whether that is a neighborhood, city or state, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, when a fair amount of cash flow can stay at home it makes for a stronger community. It means more local jobs. More people working in a community means more people playing in a community which then means more jobs.
Not to mention who is going to have a better idea of what one community needs/wants, a giant chain store or the local “mom and pop” shops?
That is not to say that I am not more than happy to design a site for someone elsewhere either. I just did one for a client who splits time between New York and LA – but even with our remote clients, Cobalt Spider Web Design is still bringing revenue into Louisville, and that’s important to us.
LBE: What advice would you give to those that want to start their own business in Louisville?
BM: Do not think that just because you decide you are in business people are gonna come a runnin’. You have got to go to them, and there is going to be a lot of trial and error until you figure out what your customers need to hear in order to want to buy what it is you are selling. That is ok. Keep working at it. And get a terrific website, of course.
LBE: Tell me something about this process that you REALLY wish someone had told you before you started.
BM: There are going to be a lot of sleepless nights worrying about how you are going to pull it off. Or once you put your product out there you worry about “did I do “x” right?”
LBE: Is this your dream job? If so, then why? If not, then what is?
BM: I would certainly say it is one of them. My arts career has been successful which has been fantastic but as for the website design…
I have always been a computer nerd (is that the right term these days?). The hows and whys of how they work have always interested me. So being able to sit down and slam out a bunch of code and then have it generate a sleek and efficient page is right up my alley.
Website design also lets me use both sides of my brain which I love. I still totally get to be all right brained and arty while working on layout and how a site “feels” but I also have to be logical and left brained to do the programming to make it all work.
LBE: Stocks are down, unemployment is up, confidence is down and in general the outlook is bleak. What are your thoughts, from a business perspective on fixing it or at least getting people through the doors/butts in the seats?
BM: I would say starting a new business is step one.
Next I would say that the nature of my business is to help to “fix it”. If we can help a small business present their product to a larger audience in a smart and creative way, they stand a good chance of making more money. If they make more money they can grow.
It is when times are tough that people need to be brave and step up. The old saying of “no risk, no reward” still holds firm.
LBE: Give me your prediction on where Cobalt Spider Web Design will be in 10 years.
BM: In 10 years Cobalt Spider Web Design will be thriving. We will have grown our staff by then but not to a huge size. I don’t want us to become a “big firm”. I never want to lose touch with our clientele - each artist or business that we work with is unique and we will continue to get to know them and build a relationship with them so we can give them the very best web and media presence
I am very grateful to have had the chance to sit down with Ben, and I look forward to seeing great things from his company.
Contact Cobalt Spider Web Design on their website, via email, via phone (502) 509-3759 or find them on facebook, twitter or Linkdin.
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