I imagine building a second online store is a bit like having a second child. In some ways building my new website www.theorangechairstudio.com was a little less scary than building my Etsy store had been. This time around I had a lot more experience under my belt. I had a little more confidence. Plus all the resources I had discovered while creating my shop on Etsy were handy when questions and problems came up as I built the new site.
But, like any big, life-changing event, there were unexpected bumps in the road and issues that I hadn’t experienced while setting up my Etsy shop! And despite my experience, it was still a ton of work. I even had some sleepless nights worrying about all the decisions I’ve had to make.
E-commerce can be complicated, and it's constantly evolving. There are so many tools, apps, blogs, books, podcasts and endless advice and resources to tap into. Over the last 5 years, I’ve learned so much about SEO, google ads, shooting and editing photos, writing copy, creating email lists, and processing online sales that I feel like I’m still a full-time student in college! Luckily, I enjoy research and learning because despite everything I’ve learned already I’m sure I’ve only just begun!
Still, I feel like publishing this website was a huge milestone and great achievement. I was really excited when I was able to share my brand new site with the world, but my proudest moment came when I received my very first customer review!
Shortly after my first review, came the second. Two 5-out-of-5 star reviews in a row? I think TheOrangeChairStudio.com is off to a great start!
And of course, there is always room for improvement, so, as I tell all my customers, I would love to hear your feedback! If you have any thoughts or suggestions about how I can continue to improve my site, I'd truly appreciate you sharing your comments below!