Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!
You're IT Hosting Connecticut!
Three questions with Paula Pierce, founder of Hosting Connecticut, located at 75 Wyndemere Lane Windsor, CT.
Why did you start your business?
I had started a small online retail shop in 1997 while still working full time. I taught myself how to build a website, how to accept payments online, how to market my business, how to network effectively, and how to use the search engines to my advantage. By talking to other small business owners over those early years, I realized that I had a lot of hard-earned knowledge that they were desperate for.
So in 2003, I partnered with my web host and we founded Hosting Connecticut LLC to offer our services and experience to fledgling small businesses. Being a two-person business empowered us to challenge ourselves and allowed us to pivot at will without a layered management structure to wade through. After a few years, my partner headed in a different direction but I still wanted to provide the services that I knew other small business owners needed to thrive online, so I bought the business outright and have been growing ever since.
Website development - by far! We have been custom-developing websites for many years to best suit the needs of each client. From simple brochure sites to hefty e-commerce sites and custom application development, we are able to tease out the clients' technical needs and make them happen.
How many local businesses do you use to support your business (products and services) and can you name them?
I have been a long-time supporter of small and local businesses and was even awarded the Home Based Business Champion award from the SBA in 2008. I use local businesses like PC Development Group and Invisible Gold for technology needs, and I support other local businesses by joining my local and regional Chambers of Commerce and Main Street programs like First Town Downtown.
Have you "reimagined" your small business?
We started as a website hosting company in 2003 and expanded into website design, marketing, and custom programming over the years. We now offer full-service digital marketing services from email marketing to Paid Google Search Advertising. We've come a long way!
Hosting Connecticut is located at 75 Wyndemere Lane in Windsor. Visit Hosting Connecticut online here, and make sure to check out their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages as well!