During this time of economic hardship it seems like we all know someone who is looking for a job- it might be a friend, a family member, or even you. While countless employers have been cutting back and laying employees off Volusion has continued to grow rapidly. This year alone we have hired about 30 new people in Austin, doubling the staff in our Texas office.

We’re Hiring!

If you’re looking for a job (or know a fellow Austinite that is looking for a job) at a dynamic and exciting company, look no further! At Volusion we’re seeking passionate individuals who are ready to do their part to help Volusion grow to new heights.

Our HR Director, Sandra Nguyen, said it best, “We’re a local company looking for Austin’s best talent.”

Our First Ever Mixer

On Monday August 24th Volusion will be hosting a mixer in Austin, TX for anyone interesting in joining the Volusion team at our Texas office.

Positions

We currently have nine posted positions ranging from entry-level sales consultant to director of business development. For a list of our posted positions please visit our careers page!

In addition to the positions you’ll find on our careers page we also have some positions that aren’t posted, so if you’re interested in getting more information about Volusion but don’t see exactly what you’re looking for go ahead and submit your resume anyways.

Resume Submission

Resumes can be submitted until 4:30pm CDT on August 24th but it’s better to submit yours early if you’re interested because we may end up having to cap the event if we get a large enough response. (more…)

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Mark and JoAnn Thompson sat down with us to discuss their online motorcycle accessory business. In April of 2007 they started www.CycleAccessoryStore.com with MyEbiz, selling everything needed to “Ride, Rock and Talk;” but less than a year later they had moved their store to Volusion. They shared with us some interesting information about their experiences switching ecommerce providers and utilizing all of the resources Volusion has to offer after making the move.

Volusion: So how did you get started in motorcycle accessories?
Thompsons: We had a bike we were trading in so we took the chrome accessories off to sell on eBay to make a little extra money towards our new bike, and once we put them up for auction the response was just overwhelming! So we thought “Wow there might be a business in this.” We did a lot of research to figure out exactly what we might want to sell (because the world of bike accessories can be endless) and then got started with our new business.

Volusion: So describe what you settled on; what exactly do you sell on www.CycleAccessoryStore.com?
Thompsons: We offer motorcycle accessories (primarily for cruisers).  We specialize in motorcycle audio communication and music. Our audio, stereos, and accessories are miles tested and rider assured.  For the Harley Baggers we offer Biketronics Stereo plug and play systems. We are also a major dealer for Kendon stand-up/fold-up motorcycle trailers. We have lifts for sport and dirt bikes, as well as lifts for cruisers and choppers. Our handlebar mounted sound systems blend perfectly into any motorcycle allowing riders to simply dock their MP3, iPod, or Satellite Radio receiver on their handlebar and add a personal soundtrack to their ride.  We have motorcycle audio systems (wired and Bluetooth) with helmet headsets, CB communication or rider and passenger intercom.

Volusion: You said you were originally with MyEbiz, why did you decide to leave?
Thompsons: It was okay to get started, but [MyEbiz] lacked all the bells and whistles that Volusion offers.  We enjoy the feature rich website by Volusion that includes wish lists, email a friend, promotional products on the home page and much more.  We quickly out grew MyEbiz and needed to go with a host and website that could handle the traffic.  After doing quite a bit of research on different hosts Volusion rose to the top and the references and write ups on Volusion were wonderful. It was a no-brainer. (more…)

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The last of our four-part series of guest blogs from Volusion CEO, Kevin Sproles (with reporting and photography by Kari Costanza and Jon Warren from World Vision) is on one of the most important issues facing Ethiopia today- education.

If you’re just tuning in, you may want to start with the first post. From the bottom of our hearts we would like to thank you for reading Kevin’s accounts of his trip and for supporting The Volusion Foundation!

Education

Imagine only having access to an education equivalent to the 4th grade. For many in this region, if they have access to a school at all, this is the highest education they can hope to complete.  Before World Vision began putting donors’ dollars towards the construction of new schools almost all education in Ethiopia ended after what would be equivalent to our 4th grade. Since then, World Vision has been making a major difference in the lives of Ethiopian children by opening up a world of education to them that they could have never imagined.

This is the story of how a generous donation by the Simpson Family has altered a school, and the lives of its students and the entire community.

Two months ago, students moved into a new school, complete with two new classrooms and a new office. The 124 new desks provide students with places to sit, and something they had never had before- places to write. Previously students sat on crowded benches with no writing surfaces.

We took a four wheel drive vehicle off-road, traversing bone-dry riverbeds to get to Bekektu-Mume Elementary School. It is the proverbial oasis in the desert. Upon reaching our destination, Principal Abdele Wodeso was there to greet us. He explained to us how the school used to educate students until the fourth grade but how at fourth grade, education ended for every student due to a lack of facilities. But with the new classrooms, the school has been able to add grades 5 and 6. (more…)

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In our forums people have been asking “How often should I update my site?” The quandary, our forum users pose is “If I update my site too often it may alienate returning customers but if I don’t update it often enough it could hurt my SEO efforts!” Our marketing team discussed this issue in depth so that we could offer advice in a way that is as straightforward as possible. Here is the result of that conversation:

Types of Changes

We should clarify that the “updates” our forums users were referring to essentially fall into three categories: Content (website text, pages on your site, and blog entries), Navigation (layout, categories, and products), and Design (colors, headers, homepage images, and buttons).

SEO

In terms of a direct SEO benefits, content is king! Other changes will only have an indirect SEO benefit; for instance, navigational and design changes may make your site more appealing to potential customers and companies that want to link to you.

That doesn’t mean that your SEO efforts should only focus on your content, but it means that you should be continually improving on your content if you’re serious about committing to SEO.

How Often Should I Make Changes?

It’s dangerous to say “you need to change this aspect every X number of days, weeks, months, or years” because it assumes that whatever you were doing before actually needed a change. But what if what you are doing is working wonderfully?

Let’s state the question this way: “How often should I re-examine my efforts?” (more…)

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When Kevin Sproles, Volusion CEO, returned from Africa, we had planned on running a summary blog post from his trip; but after he landed, we realized he had far too many stories to cram into one post.

Below is the third of our four-part series of guest blogs from Kevin ( with reporting and photography by Kari Costanza and Jon Warren from World Vision) to wrap up our in depth look at The Volusion Foundation and our partnership with World Vision. The first post in the series can be found here. This guest blog tackles the delicate issue of human rights and shares one story of how World Vision offered their support to save a young girl.

Tsehey and her grandmother

Human Rights
In December 2007, 13-year-old sponsored child Tsehey (pronounced t-sigh) was walking to school when she was attacked by a young man. She struggled with him, but he overpowered her.

By Ethiopian law, a woman must be 18 to marry, but many men can’t afford the dowry. World Vision Radio reports that many girls, sometimes as young as 10 to 13, are abducted by kidnappers who want a wife but who can’t afford the courting process. These girls are considered tainted when this assault happens and their parents often have no other choice but to consent to a marriage of their daughter and her attacker since the legal system is often unwilling to get involved.

When her granddaughter was abducted, Tsehey’s grandmother, Mulu, turned to World Vision for help.  Seven others turned to World Vision as well, but with an entirely different message: “Stay out of it.” Esatu Elilo, Boset’s ADP manager, tells the story. “I was shocked when they came to my office. I was shivering.” But he stood his ground. World Vision would not be quiet. (more…)

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