Whether you’ve been at it for five days or 15 years, as a small business owner you’re always hitting new firsts. The idealistic light-bulb moment for your business idea, the first time you sold to someone who wasn’t a friend or relative, and most importantly, the day you realized your business is primed for long-term success.
Having so many firsts only means that your business is always growing and, with the right support, it’s exhilarating.
Celebrating every achievement together
At GoDaddy, we care about the journey of the entrepreneur. While the path may look wildly different for each business, there are always moments that lead to a sense of confidence and fulfillment.
Our Advertising Creative Director, Fiona Parkin, explains why this campaign means so much to us:
“I signed up to work at this company because I thought the stories behind entrepreneurship would be powerful. Then I studied the vision statement and got even more swept away – to radically shift the global economy towards life-fulfilling independent ventures.
It’s a mouthful, but let’s talk about just the word fulfillment here:
This is stories like the cheesecake sisters taking the reins to create a business during a government shutdown.
This is Creighton creating a livelihood out of his lifestyle and every day looking at the products he is making with a sense of pride.
This is Lindsay stepping out from a stylist job, creating something, getting a patent then creating a whole new female empowerment e-commerce experience.
These are just some of the stories.
So where does GoDaddy come in? We have products are inherently tied to so many of the ‘firsts’ in these stories. Naming your business (domains), crafting the narrative (websites), getting it out there (social tools), getting your first sale (commerce), getting your first brick and mortar (in-person payments)… and this is how ‘Behind Every Small Business First’ came about.”
One of our guiding forces is to build value. We are relentless customer advocates and strive to include diverse people and perspectives.
“We worked really closely with our entrepreneurs to make sure the campaign is rooted in truth, even down to re-writing on location when discussing Lindsay’s script with her. “Would you react something this?” we asked. “F^$# no, I’d react something like this.” And this is how High Note was created.”
Our Makers
We’ve teamed up with GoDaddy customers to show how the spirit of an entrepreneur is constantly pioneering, making their own way forward.
The Furlough Cheesecake
Nikki Howard & Jaqi Wright
We would donate lemonade cheesecake slices to our first responders, hospitals, grocery stores… Life can serve you lemons and you can be sour, or you can make lemonade.
Sisters Nikki Howard and Jaqi Wright were furloughed from their jobs during the 2019 government shutdown, unable to pay their bills or care for their families. With the support of their family, they decided to take a leap of faith and open The Furlough Cheesecake, selling both online and through their brick-and-mortar location in Prince George County, MD. They work to uplift their community by partnering with charitable organizations and HBCUs.
Notable Firsts
First storefront opened (July 2020)
Earning their first $100k
First time they sold out at the store, on National Cheesecake Day, of course.
First time their refrigerator broke down.
First time the phone locked up because of all of the notifications for orders they were receiving.
My first thought when creating the new website was `Let it work, Please God. Not knowing anything about creating a website. The Website Builder was very, very easy, thankfully, and we were able to be up and running within a couple of days and processing orders from all over the country.
the fileist
Lindsay Albanese
I actually came up with the name the fileist. The word did not exist. I know. Crazy. I thought of the name because to start a business, you have to file a business license. You have to file taxes. And it just felt so right that the filelist was really rooted in building a small business. So that’s where the name came from.
Lindsay is an LA-based, established fashion stylist, TV personality, inventor, social influencer and businesswoman. She is the founder of the Lindsay Albanese Serviceable Style brand and inventor of TOPTOTE, the only patented hat holder in the market that allows you to carry your hat, hands free. She is also the founder + CEO of The Fileist.
Notable Firsts
Her first iteration of the TOPTOTE worked.
Receiving her first patent as a female inventor.
Right when I figured out the name of my company, which is the fileist, I bought the domain. And that’s my biggest tip to any business owners. When you figure out what you want to call your company, get the domain. Do not wait.
Hinterland Skis
Creighton Elinski
First thing you want to focus on, opening your online store is your unique selling proposition. What makes you different in the market and what the benefits are to the customer for that uniqueness and just keep showing those things over and over again on your website and showcase that to the world.
Creighton is one of the founders, owners and operators of Hinterland Skis, a company determined to offer the highest-quality, top-performing skis in the industry. Hinterland also partners with TreeUtah to plant two trees for every pair of skis they make to help repair and revegetate damaged lands.
Notable Firsts
The first time he was able to pay his employees more.
Seeing someone I didn’t know on the skis on the mountain.
Selling the first international skis. To have someone from Sweden to purchase his skis was a HUGE thing.
The web builder and iPhone app have been invaluable. I can make changes on the fly and sell skis right from my phone while on the chairlift.
Here for Every First
From platforms and hardware that help you sell online and in-store, to websites that dazzle and entice, to award-winning 24/7 support, GoDaddy’s products are there to help you achieve every first along your journey — and be ready for the next ones.
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