Mandaline Metaverse

 It's hard to believe, but my brand is almost 13 years old already! Although I started selling online in 1998 I didn't have a branded store until 2012, when I opened Atelier Mandaline on eBay and Etsy. The name came from my Mandaline Artful Living blog, which I started in 2011. At the time every variation of my name, Amanda, and nickname, Mandy, was taken. There was even an artist named Amanda Baer (my maiden name) who already had a website! I thought and thought and decided to use my grandfather's nickname for me, Mandaline, but even that was taken as a domain name! So when I bought my own domain I had to use Atelier Mandaline. 

"Atelier" means "studio" in French, and specifically the teaching studio of an artist. Doll companies have been called ateliers for hundreds of years, so it made sense to use that name. Unfortunately, "Atelier Mandaline" is really difficult for people to spell, so it's hard to tell someone my website and expect them to find it and it's too long for a lot of sites where I sell. My Poshmark boutique is called "Studio Mandaline" for that reason. Now, however, I was finally able to get the mandaline.com domain! So all my various sites will be united under the Mandaline brand ~ or Mandaline Metaverse, if you will! There are still some hiccups; every search and editing site constantly changes it to "Mandolin"!

In all the years I've had a brand I've only rebranded twice, and the second time was over two years ago, I still haven't moved the new logo to all my shops. Everything is just too scattered. It will be really nice to have one brand for good. I spent all day building the website. My brain is fried, so please, give me some advice! What do you think? It's far from finished. The very first photo of the lady with the laptop is only on there because I can't figure out how to remove it from the mobile version! It's terrible how technologically inept I am! I have learned a lot recently though. 

As you know I've been super busy taking classes for the last few months. One that I'm still knee-deep in is the Click Funnels software. Click Funnels just unveiled a one-stop branding site. That means eventually all my products, website, blog, membership site, courses, webinars, and email list will all run from one place on Click Funnels. Right now I have a confusing, clunky, and very expensive network of websites scattered all over the Internet. You only have to look at the ateliermandaline.com homepage to see what I'm talking about; what a mess of confusing links! To build mandaline.com and connect it to Click Funnels I had to learn how to create a subdomain and code DNS tables. It took about a month longer than it should have but I finally did it!

So tell me, what does the overall design so far say to you?  I started as a reseller online, just buying goods on sale and selling them. Then I added custom dolls and doll supplies. But now I have my own branded dolls, doll supplies, home goods, fashion, and art. I am an author now too, teaching doll repair as a career, and I have more books on the way. I am branching out from dolls to teach people to start their own business in any field. So really Mandaline has become a lifestyle brand. I want to convey Mandaline as your destination for unique and custom-made goods as well as a place to learn to start your own journey to creativity or self-employment. Mandaline is about sustainability, exclusivity, and freedom. Does the website design convey that? Please let me know. And please let me know any topics you want me to cover in my upcoming courses and webinars as well. I love to hear from you!