ShopID: 1512blvdbaby

I am 29 yrs. old and a mother of 3. I have been married for almost 5 years. I have been a graphic designer for 10 years. I worked at an auto magazine for 6 years and have done freelance graphic design the last 4 years.

How long have you been a shopkeeper?

I have been a shopkeeper since March 2007, so just over one year.

If you listed a basic shop or did not list a shop in your bio, do you own a premium shop?

I operate several Premiums and Basics.

Why were you inspired to run for CafePressVoice?

I have been wanting to be a Voice rep since the first elections, but felt too new to run. My desire has only grown as I have become better at shopkeeping and seeing all the issues we face. I was inspired because of my own need to be a part of the process, rather than sitting in the sidelines.

What do you feel the CafePressVoice program is all about?

Representing the shopkeepers so that CP is in touch with what we deal with and what we need.

What do you feel are your qualifications that would make you an effective CPV member?.

I have been a graphic designer for 10 years. I have self-taught myself almost all I know by reading and watching tutorials, discussions, etc. I read the forums everyday, more than I post… and I post a lot. I am a hard worker. I am flexible. I listen to others. I often put the needs of others before my own. And another big qualification is my huge desire to be on the team. I think that is important, because I will be committed to it, because I care about it.

How much time are you willing to devote to CafePressVoice responsibilities on a weekly basis?

I plan on devoting as much time as required, plus more. I will make myself very available to listen to concerns other shopkeepers want me to voice to CP. I will be on the forums daily, just as I am now, but with more intention to seek out what issues are arrising, seeing what trends there are in what people would like to see improve.

What, if any, previous experience do you have working in a “committee” setting?

To be honest, this will be my first time in a committee setting.

If elected, how do you plan to communicate with shopkeepers in order to understand their concerns and keep shopkeepers informed?

I plan on being in the forums on a daily basis, just like now. I plan on adding info in my signature how other shopkeepers can reach me. I may possibly create a page on my website devoted to CPVoice. I also will honor that CP may not allow me to be open about the specifics of what is happening. But, I will be sure to be open about everything I am allowed to be open about. I think that it is important for the CPVoice team to be secretive, otherwise other PODs could find out about things before CP has a chance to implement them. And that would harm us all.

If you are elected, what is the number one thing that you would like to see implemented or changed concerning each committee’s mission:

Without knowing exactly what the teams are already up to, that is hard to answer. But, I will try my best with what I see each team needs to be.

Shop Management- More communication about what is going to be happening and what changes may be in the works. Of course, the specifics cannot be openly shared with shopkeepers. But, it would be nice to have some updates as to general things that we could look forward to. So, maybe a page that just lists what areas are being worked on.

Merchandise- I would like to see the gaps between clothing sizes filled. Right now, it is not very easy for a customer to know what size to order. It is not consistant across all apparel. And once a child outgrows the 4T, then the children’s small is too big!

Name the top three things that you would like to see changed at CafePress.

1. The site being down during S&Ms. We lose sales all around because of this. We lose sales when we cannot get into our accounts to add products or work on SEO. We lose sales when a potential customer cannot get into our site or the MP.
2. Solve the Marketplace tag spam and controlling personilization flooding without hurting the shops that do personlizations.
3. Making apparel more consistant across the board. No more gaps in clothing sizes. More colors in all the apparel options.

Name three things that you think CafePress does better than its competitors.

1. Keeping in contact with the shopkeepers through things like CPVoice, Meet & Greets and CPConnect.
2. Incentives for shoppers like the 30 day return policy and allowing us to use coupons in our stores.
3. Offering help through chats, the learning center, etc.

Name three things that the competitors do better than CafePress.

1. Offer trendier clothing
2. Free Premiums stores
3. Product thumbnails. Some PODs have photographed the products in a nicer way and some even offer models you can choose to display your design. And some allow you to add text to your design or move the design around on the shirt.

If you could pick one new product, what would it be?

Black hoodies. Second choice long-sleeve infant rompers.

Knock our socks off- tell us anything else that you think is important about your campaign.

I have gotten some concern over the fact that I am with child. I just want to address that. I would not have nominated myself if I felt I would not be up to the job or that there would be any concerns with me being pregant and having a baby to care for. I am a work at home mom. I am used to working long hours while also taking care of my children. And I do a good job of both. I am at no risk of being on bedrest or having any complications. I am healthy and the pregnancy is progressing smoothly. With all my other children, I was up and in town doing errands 2 days after having the baby. CPVoice will be my commitment just as my job is and just as taking care of my kids is.