The Big Three

There are three things to consider when deciding what to create: What do people want to buy, what are you good at, and what do you love to make. Starting out you may not know the answers to the first two, but you probably have a good idea about what you want to make. So that is where you start. Here’s the rub; the things that you love to make may not sell great initially. You have to test the market with things. The most important thing to remember is that not immediately connecting with your audience isn’t a bad thing. Pay attention to what people are saying they like/don’t like about your work so that when you can start answering that question about “what people want to buy”. Pay attention to which items do sell and consider making more of those.

You also need to try to answer that third question: Things you are good at. There are a few ways to do this. It can be hard to sometimes to have an unbiased critical eye on your own work so seek advice from others. Ask friends and family. Post online to FB groups, Instagram, and Reddit and ask for others’ opinions of your work. Ask people at markets. Sometimes I’ll have two versions of the same piece that is each slightly different and I’ll ask customers which they like better. Be warned; if you post online, be prepared for honest criticism. If you cannot take harsh critiques or aren’t used to receiving negative feedback you should brace yourself when posting your work online because honesty can sometimes be hard to hear and some people can be downright rude.  Just remember that your work is not a reflection of who you are and, with criticism, you can only improve.

Narrowing your scope

Now that you are starting to get to know the big three it is time to start segmenting those into different categories of work. I am going to break these down individually:

• Aspirational Projects These are the things that you love to make and people want to buy but you haven’t mastered the skills yet to create them. For me, these are photo-realistic portraits. I get asked for them all the time, I would love to make them (especially pet portraits) but I don’t feel my skills are there to quite do these pieces justice. I aspire to be good at this and one day I will but, until then, they are out of my wheelhouse.
• Things that make money but can burn you out These are those projects that you have made that everyone loves, you have perfected the skill of creating them, but you just aren’t passionate about doing them. I had a lot of success with coasters early on. I made dozens of coaster sets and, eventually, got sick of them. They sold well so I kept making them but eventually, I got burnt out. So I raised my price on them so, if people really want them, they can still buy them but I don’t find myself making them as frequently which means I am less likely to be frustrated when an order comes in for them.
• Things that you make for yourself There are going to be those things that you make, that you love, and that look fantastic but never seem to sell. This can be because they only suit your particular taste or because they just don’t have the broad appeal of some other things. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do those things. You do what you do because you love it. If these projects bring you joy then make them, hang them up in your house, and share them with your loved ones. Not every piece is going to sell and that is ok. It is about keeping your passion alive and, if you can do that by making the occasional piece for yourself, c’est la vie

The Sweet Spot

Obviously, as time goes on you’ll start to find that sweet spot.  The place where all three converge: Things people what, that you love to make, and that you are good at. Me, when I realized how much people loved my florals, it occurred to me that I found something special. Something that makes me happy, that I have honed my skills at, and that people absolutely adore.  Once you find that, try your best to capitalize on that. Make large statement pieces to draw customers in, make small affordable pieces to get those volume sales, and make mid-size pieces for those people who want some beautiful wall art but can’t afford the big statement piece prices.

Remember, finding that sweet spot isn’t going to happen overnight. It takes time to hone in on each one of these categories. If you listen to our podcast, PyroToastyTalks, you’ve heard Renee and I talk about this in “How to Stay in Love with Your Art”. Take your time, have fun doing it, and make sure you are constantly learning and adapting along the way.  Have you found your sweet spot? Let us know and tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post How to Find Your Niche in the World of Art and Pyrography appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

1. Price point: The biggest driver of how your product will be seen is how much it costs. You want to set a price point that will cover your costs and ensure you are compensated adequately. At the same time, you need to make sure that your prices are palatable to your customers. Do some recon; go to markets in the area before your market and see what comparable work is selling for. If similar works are selling for less than what you are charging you need to consider a few things.  Can you afford to lower your price? Are there less expensive pieces that you can make that would better suit this clientele? If neither then maybe this isn’t the right market for you.  Listen to what people say as they browse your booth. If they are commenting on the price (too high / too low) take note of that and see if you can adjust your prices accordingly in the future
2. Display: How you present your work is going to play a major role in how it is perceived to your customer. How do you want people to see your work? Are you going for a craft show, small business, or fine art? If you are trying to appeal to the craft show crowd think of lots of simple, cute, low-price pieces. Display is important but not as important as matching the price point of your customers. Small businesses you should appeal to customers who are looking for quality and value. Having a good variety of products along with some high-ticket items is a good balance. Offer “deals” such as two for one or buy one get one half off. Cross-promote your products and try to upsell.  If you are going to fine art think about fewer, expensive pieces.  Leave the low and medium prices back at the studio and present only your big-ticket items. Invest in good quality displays (pedestals, acroterion). This crowd is looking for quality and isn’t generally thinking about price. So your display should reflect that.
3. Style: When you start out you may have a very specific style of your own. This could be subject matter, technique, color palettes, or detail. It is good to stick to your style as that is what will eventually set you apart from other artists. At the same time think carefully about what customers ask for. Are a lot of your customers asking for pet portraits? Try your hand at them. It may not be your passion but being able to give people what they want can pay the bills while you spend the bulk of your time working on the things you want to work on. As you work on these pieces you may gain new skills as well that you can then incorporate into your pieces. Try not to be too stubborn in what you are willing to create if it means that you are alienating yourself from your customers.
4. Marketing: this is something that is going to change constantly throughout the life of your business.  You may find that your social media posts aren’t getting much traction.  Look at what other people are doing, read up on what the people are saying is trending, and adapt your strategy accordingly.  Maybe Facebook is prioritizing lives or Instagram is promoting reels. Use this to your advantage. If you have money to invest in marketing spend some money on a campaign. Run a contest or a giveaway to increase engagement and gain followers.  The important thing is to try new things until you find something that works. Then, when that thing doesn’t work anymore, try other things until you find something new that works.  Rinse and repeat.

Learn to adapt your business to best suit your customer and you are on your way to being a successful small business. Remember, this doesn’t mean you change your style every time someone suggests something to you. You don’t need to chase trends or try to make everyone happy to be successful. But look for indicators of what is selling, what is working of others, and what you read online, and make adaptations as you go along to better meet people’s needs and wants. Have your own tips? Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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Four Reasons to Give Homemade

1. A gift should be unique. When you are choosing a gift for a family member or friend it should be representative of that person. Although getting a neat gadget or knick-knack might seem like a great idea those gifts are less likely to make them feel like you recognize what makes them unique to you. Handmade gifts are one-of-a-kind. Every crochet stitch, brush stroke, and marking is a one-of-a-kind. It will contain imperfections but, like us, those imperfections are what make it special. The receiver will know, without a doubt, that this was made with them in mind.
2. A gift should tell a story. One of the things I like to tell my clients who commission work from me is that the wood I use has a story behind it. Whether it is the tree itself that it was cut from, where it came from, a mishap or mistake that turned into your favorite part of the piece, or some new technique that you needed to learn to complete the piece. These stories become a part of the piece. They are the stories you tell when someone comes to your house and you are admiring it. They become a part of what makes the piece special.
3. A gift should last a lifetime. I never like to throw away a gift. This is something that was given to you because the gifter thinks you are special and deserving to be remembered. Giving something that is only meant to be used a few times only to be discarded or re-gifted means that the receiver will not cherish it. Something that is made with care, love, and quality materials is going to withstand years of use. These are gifts that will move with someone from home to home. These are the things that will be passed down between generations.
4. You don’t need to be an artist to make something homemade. There are plenty of ways to make simple, homemade gifts that don’t require you to be a master craftsman. Beginner crochet kits and Paint by Numbers are great ways to be creative while maintaining guardrails to help you along. Pinterest has tons of ideas for things that you can create that are beautiful and personal. Or, if you simply don’t have the confidence or the time, you can commission a handmade gift for a loved one. Artists such as myself love creating unique and personal gifts. These make wonderful gifts because, even though you didn’t create them yourself, it show that you took the time to find an artist whose art represents what you want your loved one to think of when they think of you.

Happy Holiday Shopping

The holidays are so hectic and being creative may be the last thing on your mind for this time of year. Maybe, this year, set aside some time from your busy schedule, make a list of those loved ones who you know would appreciate the care and consideration that only comes from something handmade, and come up with a plan for how to make their holiday extra special. Have you ever received a homemade gift that you cherish? Share your story and tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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Finding your Muse

All artists have a unique way that they create their art. It takes time, however, to find that style and, as a result, every artist starts as a copycat of another artist they admire. Much like an apprentice, they begin learning the techniques and theories of this artist. This can be in the form of classes, or learning directly from their mentor. Others learn by studying their mentor’s work through books, history, or simply admiring their pieces. Learning the basic techniques takes years or study and practice and, eventually, every artist starts branching off, evolving, adopting techniques from other artists, and ultimately establishing their own unique style.

Learning your Strengths and Weaknesses

In my mind’s eye, my drawings are superb. In reality, however, my skill when it comes to drawing leaves something to be desired. As an artist, this is unfortunate. There are, however, things that I can do such as trace, and create beautiful lines. When I started doing pyrography I did simple pictures much akin to those you would find in coloring books. Tracing the lines allowed me to develop techniques for creating straight lines and neat curves. Once I was comfortable with those I began experimenting with different mediums to color them in. This continued on to more complex patterns and further experimentation with coloring mediums until I started to find my niche. Now I continue to challenge myself by trying realistic pieces. My next endeavor is to create works that look like photographs burned into wood.

The Journey of a Thousand Strokes

Throughout my journey I found many things which I loved, particularly shading. There is something satisfying about creating shadows and depth, lines that draw the viewers eye to focal points. Minisa Robinson of Woodburning University (@minisa_robinson) was a muse of mine. She inspired me, through her patterns and her classes, to create a piece with flowers and an owl. 

Having failed before with fine lines and shadow I was reluctant to try again, but something about these patterns called to me. I took the two patterns and made my own design combining them together. The wood, a piece I had been sitting on from Carolina Urban Lumber (@carolinaurbanlumber) for about two years, was undoubtedly the canvas I was going to use for this piece. It was cut on an angle, stands upright, and is itself unique. After putting the pattern on the wood, I’m not going to lie, I was worried.  I worried that I might damage the wood beyond repair. Worried I bit off more than I could chew.  Reluctantly I took a leap of faith, and, what I created is a piece of work that I absolutely love. 

I amazed myself with the patience demonstrated, the lines I drew, and the depth I created. Most of all I found that I love creating flowers evident by the fact that I subsequently created two more floral pieces. Those pieces sold without hesitation and I learned that not only do I love doing florals, but others love them as well.

The Next Endeavor 

So does this mean I found my “style”. Maybe, or maybe I this is a stepping stone to what my style will ultimately be. What I do know is I will continue to push the limits of my work, try things that are outside my comfort zone, continue to learn from those around me, and hopefully create many more beautiful things along the way.

How about you? What are you good at? Who was your muse? Tag us @bz_furfur and tell us about your journey and, as always, stay unique.

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A Dream Not Realized

Little known Zona fact: After doing a testimonial published in a print ad some time ago I got the modeling bug. The lights, cameras, and excitement were intoxicating. It was short-lived, however, as they said I was too short and their ideals of what a model should look like did not align with mine. That’s not to say it wasn’t fun while it lasted. However, the one thing I had wanted to do, an opportunity that never presented itself, was to walk a runway. 

Lending a Hand

Fast forward twenty-odd years later and I am being asked to assist a designer at a show! Truthfully, the tasks I was assigned offered a nice opportunity to sharpen some of my managerial skills that I don’t use so often as a solo business entrepreneur. Jill placed me in charge of inventory, distribution, and collection. Being able to help her in her first-ever fashion show was nice. Imagine the fear, excitement, and anxiety she must have felt. I was happy to be there to support her. It was also nice that it wasn’t “my” show, so I didn’t need to worry about all the details, I only had to focus on certain tasks that needed to be taken care of.  

Now, those of you who know me, know there are two Zonas; Work Zona and Fun Zona. Work Zona is driven to complete tasks efficiently, completely, and correctly. I was there to do a job and, damnit, I was going to do it right. That doesn’t mean that Fun Zona wasn’t invited at all. I dressed in my favorite outfit; an all-black corset and leggings. Unbeknownst to me this was actually the theme of Jill’s show; victorian lace and badassery. 

You Better Work, Girl

Of course, no event can go by without a hitch.  It turns out one of her models was a no-show and, of course, the pieces she was intended to wear were pieces Jill absolutely wanted to show. Surveying the outfits of all the models none of them quite fit the theme for this particular piece. When her gaze came around to me her immediate thought was “Zona, you could do it”. I didn’t hesitate and I told her I would do it. Not only did I walk out there with confidence (save for some nervousness as I waited at the entrance to the runway), but I was the first to represent her.

It was a bit of a crash course for me. Terms like “flood walk” – the walk all the models do together after everyone has walked and with the designer – were new to me. What I also learned was that I could still do the things that scare me, but that secretly I always wished I could. It was a bit of a Cinderella moment for me, albeit a bit more badass given the black corset with chains and buttons, black shiny leggings and heeled boots.

Dreams Fulfilled

What I learned after all this is my experiences have value.  Over the years I’ve acquired life skills that have benefitted me in many different settings. Being a manager taught me how to handle a team, identify tasks and prioritize.  It taught me how to devise and execute a process quickly. My creativity helped me quickly see her vision and help her make it a reality. My experience as a small business owner, operating in 10’x10’ spaces in pop-ups, taught me how to operate in small spaces efficiently. All those hours playing Tetris helped me manage all those pieces in a small container. Knowing how to be a friend helped me make her show a success. It was amazing to be able to sit back and watch her shine. 

If you know me you have heard me talk about karma. You do good things, and good things happen. Maybe, by putting aside everything to help out a friend, karma was allowing me to accomplish something I never thought I would have the opportunity to achieve. On top of that, maybe this new experience will be something that I will carry forward to help me succeed in other future endeavors. Do you have a dream that you were able to fulfill that eluded you for years. Tell us about it and tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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1. Think about transportation: When heading off to a market you have a lot of valuable cargo. You must protect your work.  Think about how you are going to wrap/store your items. We use cardboard for some items, and moving blankets for others. Also, think about how it’ll fit in your vehicle. Do you have a minivan that you can load up with merchandise or a sedan where you’ll need to pick and choose carefully what to bring? Make sure, whatever vehicle you choose, you pack carefully. You don’t want things so cramped that they end up breaking due to pressure but you also don’t want them so spaced out that accelerating and breaking causes items to jolt and jostle around the back of your car.
2. Ask about themes: Some themes are obvious (for example, the holidays) while others may not be so obvious. Many organizers do, however, like to theme their markets. They will sometimes go as far as to invite special guests that align with the theme. Think about this before you decide what product to bring. Try to bring items that will cater to the individual market and convert those into sales.
3. Presentation is key: Make sure you have packed displays to properly showcase your items. These can be stands, grids with hooks, easels, shelves, or any combination. Try to be consistent. If you can pack some decorations to accent your tent. Think about the theme or bring seasonal decorations to create a more welcoming environment. Make sure you have signage, price tags, QR codes for customers to scan, and anything else that may help draw customers into your booth.
4. Resting your weary head: Is the show you are doing a good deal further than you usually travel? Is it going to be two or more days? If so you may want to consider lodging. Doing a market can be exhausting and a long trip there and back can make an already tiring ordeal all that much more so. Think about booking a hotel stay if you don’t think you’ll be up to the return trip. Book early so you can get a good rate and consider how much the hotel is going to cost when you are thinking about how much you’ll need to sell and still make a profit.
5. Self-care: We spend so much time thinking about our product, but we can’t forget to think about ourselves. Get yourself a cooler and pack some water, some snacks (maybe some fruits and veggies), some caffeinated beverages, and more water. Make sure you have essentials like sunscreen, a first-aid kit, medicines you take (even if you think you’ll be home in time to take them, it’s good to have them on hand), and backup chargers. The last thing you want to do while you’re at a market is stressing about your well-being and personal care so make sure you have everything you need with you.
6. Keep it clean: If you are doing markets every weekend things are bound to show a little wear and tear. Remember that your booth is a reflection of your business.  If your tablecloths are dirty or your tent canvas is ripped that will be reflected in how people perceive your business. Repair or replace things when they break, regularly wash any of your linens, and bring cleaning supplies with you to clean up messes when they happen.

Life is busy and time can easily escape you when you are preparing for a market. Just remember that having a tight, clean, welcoming environment for your customers is going to encourage them to come inside, stay longer, and buy things. What do you think is the most important part of prepping for your markets? Tag us with your ideas @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post 6 Essential Tips to Prepare for Your Next Market: Maximize Success & Minimize Stress appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

If you are interested in helping here are some  ​charities you can donate to:

• Beloved Asheville (https://www.instagram.com/belovedasheville)
• Rural Organizing and Resilience (https://www.instagram.com/_roar_wnc)
• Brother Wolf Animal Rescue (https://www.instagram.com/brotherwolfanimalrescue)
• MANNA Foodbank (https://www.instagram.com/manna_foodbank)

Keep all our friends and neighbors in Western North Carolina in your thoughts and prayers.

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As an artist, social media is both a help and a hindrance. It is both time-consuming but mandatory in today’s market. The struggle many artists have is finding a balance between personal and professional. How much of yourself do you put on display for the masses? Many artists show off only their professional side and their work. Others fully integrate their personal lives alongside their art. I’ve tried to sprinkle in bits of my personal life here and that, of what makes me who I am, but tow the line between too much and not enough.

My life outside the social media and markets

Earlier this year I was pregnant. Brian and I were ecstatic after having been told that, due to medical reasons, we would not be able to conceive. We had previously lost two babies due to miscarriages and were very pessimistic that we would get pregnant again. So we hoped and prayed until the seventh week. Our previous babies were both lost at week six, therefore, week seven was a victory for us allowing us to grow less wary and more hopeful. 

I had decided this pregnancy would be the one where I simply enjoy being pregnant. Foregoing the stress over what might happen in favor of enjoying the moments of knowing I was growing our little bean. Rather than plan too far in advance I approached it with a degree of cautious optimism. Despite wanting to dive into being pregnant, being a Mom finally, I knew that I needed to be realistic.

Complications

In April I was admitted into the hospital for shortness of breath which had gotten progressively worse over the last several weeks.  Assuming it was due to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle I attributed it to me being out of shape. That was until the day that I almost passed out walking a mere ten feet. It turned out I had developed a serious and potentially deadly saddle pulmonary embolism (blood clot) in both my lungs.

As a precaution, I was told to go see my OB for a post-hospital check-up. It was then that we received the heartbreaking news; our baby had stopped growing at nine weeks. To say we were devastated fails to capture how hurt and saddened we were, are, and probably always will be. The tiniest bit of solace came from the fact they were able to get a sample which allowed us to test for the gender of the baby and the cause of the miscarriage. With that information she was granted her name, one we had carefully chosen, Felicity Emma. 

Loss, honoring a life, and friends

When we first found out we were pregnant, I asked David and Renee (of Its David and Renee) to make a memory box. A place to store “All The Things” that come with being pregnant: baby books, sonograms, letters, post-it notes, hospital knick-knacks, and such. Knowing how amazing they are I gave them full creative freedom to create it however they saw fit. My only criteria was size and that it be able to close. It would be like receiving a surprise gift even though it was something I commissioned.

When we lost Felicity, her memory box became her memorial box. It still holds her baby books, her first and last pictures, letters, and notes. The box itself is truly a work of art. David crafted it using Curly Maple and Walnut. The chatoyance in the maple is truly beautiful and mesmerizing and I love moving it so I can watch the light dance on the grains. The walnut trim adds a beautiful contrast to the maple’s creamy light color. It was so beautiful I almost didn’t want to burn on it.  I knew, however, that to help me heal and to grieve I needed to complete it. We treated this piece as if it was a commission from a customer. I put us first and created a pattern that paid homage to us and her by creating bouquets of our birth flowers according to our month of birth. I lost myself in the burn, seeking solace as I created as I always do.

Felicity’s box is so much more than a box. It is a hug from afar, a simple comfort in a time of great sorrow. You can tell when the artist has become a part of the piece. I am blessed to have them as friends.

Facts about Miscarriages:

Miscarriage is the sudden loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher. This is because many miscarriages happen early on before people realize they’re pregnant. And because of the stigma of having a miscarriage.

Most miscarriages happen because the unborn baby doesn’t develop properly. About half to two-thirds of miscarriages in the first trimester are linked to extra or missing chromosomes. 

Things that don’t cause a miscarriage

• Exercise, as long as you’re healthy. 
• Sex.
• Arguments.
• Use of birth control pills before getting pregnant.
• Working, 

Things that may cause a miscarriage

• Uncontrolled diabetes.
• Infections.
• Hormonal problems.
• Uterus or cervix problems.
• Thyroid disease.
• Obesity.

If you or someone you know is in need of counseling, please do not hesitate to seek help. Loss and grief can be overwhelming. There are groups that specialize in infant and pregnancy loss. There are many groups and counselors available for support.

October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I may be early, but I am honoring my girl.

If you read this far, I love you, and you mean the world to me for hearing our story. Stay unique my friends.

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The Tools

• Table Saw: More often than not when I get a slab from a lumber mill it can be upwards of 12 feet long. Generally, the mill will be happy to cut it down to size for you but, if you don’t know immediately what you are going to be using the piece for you may not know how long you are going to need it to be.  Getting familiar with a table saw is going to be key to cutting these larger pieces down to size. Table saws use large circular blades to cut through wood and can be raised and lowered to cut through multiple depths. They can also be tilted to cut at angles. Warning: These are some of the more dangerous tools in the workshop and you should take a safety class before operating one. In the MakerSpace they have a SawStop which can detect skin contact and come to an immediate halt. This will destroy the saw, but will also likely save your skin.
• Jointer: One thing that you’ll notice about unprocessed wood is that you aren’t going to have those smooth edges that you get from a piece of processed wood. They’ll usually be rigid and uneven. The jointer is a great tool for smoothing out those edges. You can run the edge of your wood over the jointer and it will create a flat, square, smooth edge to your lumber. Remember: When you are using a jointer you are shaving the edge off the wood so, if you are trying to conform to a particular length/width make sure you don’t have the planer set to a huge depth (should be 1/8” at most) and make sure you mark your desired measurements so you don’t shave off too much.
• Planer: These are one of the most important tools for a pyro. You want to be working on a smooth, level piece of wood. Often times wood is cut unevenly at the mill, or it warps over time. You can pass your wood through a planer, however, and get yourself a nice smooth, even slab. A neat trick to making sure your wood is level, after it comes out of the planer, is to scribble pencil markings on the wood. When it comes out the other end, if it is level, you should see no pencil markings.  Another useful trick: If you have a smaller piece you can use a sled to compensate for the length and make sure it passes through completely. Make sure that when you are doing multiple passes through the planer you adjust it lower in small increments so that the wood doesn’t get wedged in, especially on the first several passes.
• Drum Sander: A planner will level your wood but it won’t give you that smooth finish. In order to get that you need to sand your wood down. At home, I use an orbital sander for my wood, but that can be exhausting (not to mention hard on your arms, and waste supplies) so, whenever possible, I like to use a drum sander.  A drum sander will let you pass a piece of wood through and sand it uniformly.  This is great for larger pieces of wood that would take hours to sand with an orbital. Just make sure you know how to properly clean it and that you are running your wood through evenly so that you don’t completely wear the sandpaper down on one side and not the other.

Where to go from here

There are plenty of other tools you should be familiar with as well but these four will get you through most of the basics. You should also be familiar with T-squares, tape measure, levels, and the other standard woodshop tools. Do you have some tips on how to process your own wood? We’d love to hear them. Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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This month we took a a look at our website, bzfurfur.com, with a critical eye and had to make some decisions about what works and what doesn’t.   Two years ago, when we moved off Etsy and decided to launch our own website, we made a lot of decisions about the organization of the site. Not all of those decisions played out the way we had hoped. So we decided it was time for a tune-up. Just like you take your car to the mechanic to make sure everything is operating efficiently and you go to the doctors to get an annual checkup: if you don’t spend the necessary time to keep your website well maintained it is going, at best, be an inconvenience to your customers and, at worst, drive customers away from your products.  So here are the top five things that we recommend you do to keep your website healthy:

Spruce up your site with these five tips

1. Performance: A poor-performing site is going to be a strain on any user. Hi-res pictures are a wonderful way to showcase your products but they tend to be large. Remember that there are still a lot of potential customers who don’t have high-speed internet connections or who might be accessing your website on a mobile device. Are you using plugins on your site? Take a look at how those might be impacting performance. Go one by one and disable plugins from your site to determine if certain ones are consuming more memory/bandwidth and slowing down your site. Use tools like Google Lighthouse (https://developer.chrome.com/docs/lighthouse/overview) to get metrics around how quickly your site renders and try to boost those stats.
2. Inventory: If you have been running your site for a long time it is very likely that your inventory is out of date. Whether that is old products that you no longer have in stock, incorrect amounts, or incomplete details. Often times we are heading to a market and we put a product up “just to get it in the POS system” without a decent quality product photo or limited product details.  Now is a good time to go through your inventory and make sure everything is as up-to-date and accurate as possible.
3. Search Engine Optimization: You want your site to show up on all the major search engines.  Even if you took the time to optimize your site for search engines when you initially stood it up, the requirements for search engines change all the time.  Make sure you have key words in the titles of all your pages, add meta descriptions, make sure you follow the guidelines for getting your pages indexed for google, getting your products listed on social platforms, and you are that you are reviewing best practices such as Google’s SEO Starter Guide https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide
4. Information Architecture: A website is only as good as the people who are using it. If your menus are cluttered, if items don’t show up in your search, or if the layout makes it difficult to navigate users are going to take one look at the site and head off elsewhere. Take the time to use your site: pretend you are a customer and search for something.  Go through the checkout process. Ask friends/family to do the same and provide you with candid feedback. Take the feedback from your own experience as well as that of others and put together a strategy for how to improve the overall user experience to optimize it for connecting your customers and your product.
5. Branding: If your site has undergone many changes your overall branding strategy may have gotten muddied over the years. Fonts, color schemes, logos, and styles could vary wildly across your site. Take this time to determine what those styles are and apply them consistently across all your pages. Make sure that font sizes for paragraphs, headings, navigation, etc are cohesive across all your pages. Think about this in terms of your verbiage as well. Does one page sound fun and quirky whereas another page sounds like something out of a corporate brochure. Use this time to give your website a consistent voice.

What’s next?

These are just a few tips. Maintaining your website is an ongoing process and you are never really done so come back to it frequently and make sure you are giving your users the best experience possible. Have your own suggestions for how to make your site great? Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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