Kim Snyder, CEO & President of Over All Beauty

We're coming up on 15 minutes past the hour. "Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." -Demosthenes (384-322bc) Greek orator

Kim Snyder joins us this morning in the studio to share how she turned her dreams into reality with her very successful online Internet business. Kim and I met in what us fellow bloggers call the blogshere. In addition to running her own business, Kim provides delightfully engaging stories on her web log (blog). I have my RSS reader tuned into her blog, so I don't miss any of the everyday learning situations Kim loves to share.

What is the name of your company and what products or services does it provide?
The name of my company is Overall Beauty and we have a site online at www.Overallbeauty.com Right now its nail polish, eyeshadow, lip gloss and Natural skin/body products. Working on getting music for soothing the soul and other natural skin/body and bath products. I am very fussy about what I use so the natural products that's I sell are the only products I now use on my skin. So why not sell it?

What role do you play in your organization?
Cook, Chef and bottle washer? Sorry no I'm it, I am doing everything from taking orders, getting out so they can be drop shipped, deciding what new products to add, pay bills all the usual stuff for a one woman business. Working on a idea for a ebook that given to me by Kevin over all www.kevs-korner.com. A really neat guy all around. So I would say the organization is me and a lot of great friends online.

As a successful person, how did you get started?
I have teenager boys and now that they are mostly out of the house I wanted to do a business out of my home selling something I know. That's what you are told to do, sell what you love/ know the best. Well I can't sell cars cause I'm lucky if I remember to put oil in mine but I do know that Body Butters are best for me having very dry skin, and I can't live with mascara and a good lip gloss. What I sell are all products I use, have used or going to use, all the time so when I went looking for a ideas I thought having a business online would be the best way to go. I also was in a car accident and blew out my back so I can't do my job that I did have that was working with the elderly. If I had never had the car accident I don't think I would be working a online store cause I loved so much working with the elderly.. Plus having great friends that I have come across a few just by me asking a question in a forum..

How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
Lots and lots of reading and really great friends who don't mind you asking questions. I think the one person that help me the most is the owner of www.tawnystreasures.com cause he is so much better at PHP than I will ever be. I think when I got started I was feeling I am behind the eightball cause everyone has been on computers for years and I wouldn't own one till about 3 years ago. So when I started I read everything I could on web design, computers, I even took a course from ThomasDirect.com on Web Design to get me going right. Learning what is best for me with products that's a hard choice cause there is so much out there, marketing and advertising. I am doing Google Adwords right now and that's something can't just jump into without reading more than what Google has up on their site.

What personal/family activities do you enjoy?
I read. I have a few favorite authors that have nothing do with computers or my online store. Right now with just getting her up I am still so busy with Overallbeauty.com that I don't just sit back much but I try. I do enjoy writing my blog cause that's just noise I'm letting out. Check out my noise at http://havecoffee.blogspot.com and you will see what I mean. I am a talker that's for sure. I do watch TV every Friday night cause I have got to watch StarGate SG-1! Also really truly enjoy the family pet Tweaker who happens to be a bearded dragon, taking care of him is a blast cause beardies are a trip all by themselves. I'm raising roses this year and really can't wait to see them bloom cause I put 6 in.

What experiences in your life have helped you expand who you are as a person?
I would have to say having children. I have a son who is going to be 21 this year who has autism and that alone is one of the hardest disorders to work with but I are really lucky, I got to stay at home and raise my boys. I would of lost Derek if I had listen to doctors when he was young so my heart goes out to all woman who have to work cause I was so lucky. Plus Derek even with autism is now able to drive, (I know killed me too when he drove for the first time), finish high school and work these are all things he would of never would of done if I had had to work. .

What are your concerns about the world today?
That woman are having to work instead of raising their children and if they don't the world looks down on them if they do work they are frown on for not taking care of their kids. These days there is a whole age group of kids raised by nannies and babysitters and not their mothers or even grandparents. No one really talks anymore about being part of families and kids have no respect for their elders. That senior citizens are not treated with respect and taken for their hard earn monies all the time. That really blows my mind what children do their parents and grandparents for their money and throwing out into street like yesterdays trash. Yeah taking care of seniors is something that is very near and dear to my own heart having been a caregiver. The hardest thing was watching Volet pass away but it was even harder cause there was no family there to see her go. Now how wrong is that? Seeing a proud loving woman go onto the next world without any family around, I pray that is something will change and soon.

If you had all the time and all the money you needed, what types of things would you do? Consider money as no object.
I would want to travel but I have places I really want to go. I want to see England and see the town I was born in, see Germany were my youngest son Sean was born and go on some real major walks there. That's a big past time thing to do in Germany is go on walks, you see more of what Germany really looks like by getting off the autonbaun. Yeah I want own a high powered car that drive on the autobaun and bring back to the states and race. Yes I do have a lead foot and I will be the first to admit it..LOL I want to create my own product something that I can put my name on and really say yeah that's me!! I have made it in this crazy world of the internet.

Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer people?
Never give up on your dreams. Always be willing to work for your dreams not thinking
someone just needs to give it to you. One of my dreams has been my website www.Overallbeauty.com and I can tell that once I had the code so messed up that I was in tears ready to just give up. I didn't know at the time you can't update PHP like you can HTML. But instead of giving up I just starting looking for that one person who could help me out, check forums oh everything. It took me over a month to find someone who didn't want over thousand dollars to fix her. I had a double site going, it was really cool looking if you like looking at something drunk maybe. It had one web site on top of another website working as one. Yeah for real. I got really lucky and met someone on a forum who jumped at the challenge and I had to go out of town and I left on a Wednesday and check her out on Friday and it was done. www.Overallbeauty.com was back being beautiful again. Never not listen to someone else who might have a better idea than you do about doing something, park your ego if need be, some of my best buddies are guys who tell me "you know----" And nine times out of ten something is better because they speak up. Admit when you are wrong and don't know everything. That's hard thing to do at times I even know that. I start my web site in June of 2004 and she didn't really go live till Janunary of 2005 cause I made mistakes and forgot to park my own ego at times and took me way longer than need be. You can't do this alone you got to have either friends or a guru or just someone else help you out or its just not going to happen/ I have a very young site but she will grow. In fact if you saw her check her out in about 6 months when she is a teenager and you will see that there are going to be more improvements thanks to my great buddy Phil owner and creator of TawnysTeasures.com. Now that is a man who knows his PHP....LOL Never stop growing as a person, as a friend, as parent, as someone out on your own, you have got to keep doing things, other things that you don't know how to do but want to try. One more thing is never forget your family, never forget they love you and are there for you went times are hard. You wouldn't be here if you didn't have a parent who loved you enough to
bring you into this world.

Are people more interesting than product stories?
I love talking with people, I am a people person and I have great respect for my elders.
Let me answer you with a question of my own , if you were in the mall and you saw this
great looking hot male/female walking by, what's on your mind? The item in your hand or
them?..Couldn't help but ask you that..It really depends on the product, if you believe in it
enough and it does everything you are told it does and more, then it can be a product. My
friend Michelle who is the creator of Gaia's natural products tells me stories of why each
one of her products came about and that is some really neat stories like were the Body
Butter came from. She has a son who has skin that when he was a child was all broke out
cause he was that sensitive to just about everything. So she decided to create something
that even his skin could handle, so we have Body Butter now because of that. My own skin
loves it and I got a sister who is having a baby who is using it on her stretch marks and can't
help but say wonderful things about it. Its amazing product it really is. I hope it will be my
major seller once word gets around about it. All natural too.

What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
To be a future 500 company. Yeah going to dream then I'm dreaming big. I want to create more web sites for other products besides what I am now having drop shipped. I want to put Overall Beauty on a line of products not sure which either your face or body maybe both. I want to write a ebook maybe more. I want both my boys to go to and finish college and then see them married someday. I want to be able to help one of my sons get started online as well in a
idea he has been thinking about. I want to remarry my husband of 21 years when we been
together 45 years or longer. I really hope to help my husband have a site of his own someday
and it doesn't even have to be selling something.

What obstacles do you have to overcome to achieve your goals?
Wow that answer would have to be no computer knowledge till about 3 years ago.
In fact I was just plain scared to death of them. You couldn't get me to even touch them.
Then my husband decided I needed to be part of his and the guys world and got me my
first laptop. I started out with help from my mother with a AOL account and then I
started surfing and that's all it took. My little brother help me set up by hosting my
web site and ideas just started coming to me about having a store online. You can find
everything you want online somewhere. I even have a eFax with a number for my city,
916-405-7444. Now how cool is that? I went from know nothing to knowing more than
my guys do about everything having to do with owning and operating a web site. They
didn't know you can get a answering service as a 800 number online. I have 888-422-2694
which is great to have. I found out my website domain name idea I wanted was free,
friends still wonder why Overallbeauty was free so I got it so its the name of my
company as well. We are growing slowly but we will get there someday, plans are in
the works so to speak.

Which people have been role models to you?
Well my mom for one, she had 9 of us and still loves us anyway...haha sorry family joke..
Volet who God Bless her soul taught me to be myself without having to worry what other
people think. Katherine who was one of meanest senior I ever had to work with who calls
me now just to check up on me. I was the only caregiver she ever liked and likes to remind
me of that often. My husband for helping me start and keep Overallbeauty running when
things are lean.. My son Derek for never giving up, you would never know he has autism
and I Thank God for the honor of being his mother.

What are your favorite books, computer programs, or forms of entertainment?
I love to read stories about werewolfs, vampires and magic. I love books by Christine
Feehan I own everyone one she has wrote and can't wait for more to come out. I love
puzzle games my favorite had got to be bejeweled..I love to shop but not like your thinking
I don't shop for shoes I shop stilling looking for the best lip gloss and I love to watch people,
sit in a mall and watch what others are wearing and what they should be wearing.

What is it that you are most passionate about or gives you the greatest enjoyment in life?
Well one thing I am most passionate about is my website, making her better and getting more
sales, check her out at Overallbeauty.com and see what I mean. But if there is a improvement
that might make my site better give me a call at 888-422-2694 or drop me a email at
Kim@overallbeauty.com I love hearing what other people has to say good or bad. I'm
sure there could be improvements and another set of eyes could be of great help. My greatest
enjoyment is putting a smile on a face of a very old woman, who still calls me to tell me how
bad her food is and what hurts now.

Thanks for all your questions its been a blast answering.