Sayvee | goodies

A life-changing yet hypothetical interview with Nico...innovator & partner at Sayvee

So, in one sentence, what is it that Sayvee does?
We're helping artists by providing all the tools they need to set up a professional website where they can sell their swag.
OK, what type of artist?
Any type of artist. Musicians, photographers, designers, painters, flugelhorn teachers (need I go on). It's also for promotional organizations that are involved with artists like studios & venues.

What inspired you to create Sayvee?
Well, we saw so many of our awesomely creative friends struggling to get their artwork out there. We have some buddies who are trying to be full-time artists but you can't even buy their stuff online because they don't have the tools or skills to make that happen. So, with Sayvee, we're bringing everything they need to one place where they can get a killer website up and running which they can edit and sell their stuff from.
What is your marketing plan?
(see image on the right)
Any other brilliant schemes?
All we are allowed to say at the moment is that it will involve trained animals…or not. You decide.
So, why should I choose Sayvee instead of using a free service like Myspace, Facebook, Blogger etc.?
I will now direct your attention to a tattoo on my right leg, inspired by a phrase the cavemen came up with, which reads "You get what you pay for". Boom.
Um, a tattoo? Could you elaborate?
Alright, it's not a tattoo - but still.
We're not trying to compete with the free companies - we're offering something different…a totally customizable & professional site with a ton of tools that will help you rule. No banners or ads for "singles in your area" on your site. It is a place where your fans and clients will come and say things like, "This site looks so pro, I didn't know you were a super-geek-web-designer" or "Wow, I love being able to buy your photos and music right from your site - it's so neat". By getting what you pay for you will be getting awesome customer support and a team of people that really want you to succeed so we'll be working our little buns off to make sure you have the tools you need to have an amazing website.
Do I have to have any super-geek skills to set up and design my own site?
Negatroth. That is a new word I just made up because 'NO' was just not powerful enough. We hold your hand through the whole thing by giving you templates to choose from as well as a list of designers that could help you if you want a custom design. Then, you're able to change the color schemes, add new pages, and drag 'n' drop new features wherever you want on your site. The key is that YOU, the super-sweet-visual-learning-non-technical artist, will have the power to edit your entire site. It's S-I-M-P-L-E.
What is one feature about your site that makes you giddy?
Our built in store feature is the shizz because within minutes of signing up you'll have everything you need to start selling your swag. We've done all the dirty work for you so all you've got to do is upload your images, music, origami (or whatever you've got) and people can buy it. That's right, you can watch Jeopardy and we'll just send you money. For example, this is sooooo perfect for musicians selling MP3s, photographers selling digital prints, and you selling your shirts you made using glitter, model glue, dead ants, and recycled engine oil.
What other features do you have that a Sayvee-ian would be really excited to use?
Features like the built-in mailing list manager, blog, media galleries…I could go all day man; the list goes on for, like, ever. Honestly, I would have given my left arm for a service like Sayvee when I was managing my band's website. I remember working with Frontpage trying to create tables, load HTML code, and sell merch via Paypal and saying, "Aaaaaaaaggggghhhhhhh. I friggin' hate computers!" as I tossed small objects across the room at my couch. So, it's also really cool that even your grandma could figure out how to edit a site from any computer and there's no program you have to download or anything.
What are your plans later on?
Are you asking me out on a date?
No, I mean future plans for Sayvee, you nimrod.
Our 'future plans' list is longer than our 'what we have' list. But eventually, we want to offer things like shipping and printing fulfillment, Digital Distribution for musicians wanting to get their tunes listed on iTunes and Amazon, and integration with Facebook & Myspace where the components on your website will be portable (Ya, so, I guess the techie term for this would be a 'Widget' which sounds like a cross between a garden tool and a swear word).
What's up with giving your profits away to the underprivileged?
We hate money.
C'mon, seriously?
Actually, we believe that greed is bad and compassion is good. We would like to be generous with what we have right from the start…even as we work to pay this off. There are a lot of people doing awesome things for people in need and these people & organizations need support and financial help to do what they have in their hearts to do. We are passionate about sharing what we have - not only our awesome website tools but our awesome money.
So, where do you guys work from?
We're based out of Canada - you know, the big piece of land above the US of A.
Great, thanks for not being very vague on that last question. Where is your team from?
Most of our tribe is from Canada (speaking Canadian-ish, the only language where the phrases "about" and "a boat" are pronounced the same way).
What's your favorite thing about working with Sayvee?
Everything except cleaning the staff toilet. We're having air-cleanliness issues.
Dang. It sounds like you guys are really doing something amazing here. I'm going to sign up right now before it's too late. Thanks a lot for your time, Nico.
Oh, don't mention it. It's always a pleasure interviewing myself.