It is March of the year 2004 and the website has been moved to
a new service. Since 90% of all online purchases are done with
a credit card, we had better get up to speed on adding some form
of shopping cart to the site. Our other service did not allow
for this type of script transactions, so we had to move. It is
also less expensive with the new service including the added features
and faster internet backbone. We also had to change our e-mail
name and update that all over the place...it too is now more better.
There were many art shows last year, but when it was all said
and done we were at an expense ratio of 5 to 1. That is not how
a business is suppose to be operated. The four shows in the Chicago
area were fun, but they were also expensive to attend. People
bought the artwork and both artists and the public had positive
comments, but sales and the distance made the area too expensive
to continue attending at this time. We need to try and establish
our market a little closer to home to support the marketing at
more distant ones in the future.
The application process is also in full swing again, as well
as establishing authorization for the company to do business in
Connecticut, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania. Another added cost
of doing business as a corporation. We also dissolved the authorization
to do business in Vermont. One Vermont show was just too expensive
to maintain a business presence in the state at this point in
time.
Also learning about search engine optimization (SEO) and how
the BiyoArt site is setup in frames creates a whole new world
of problems. Most search engine web crawlers or spiders cannot
handle a Frameset index. So, for the moment the noframes content
was updated to include site content and a site index link. Currently
working on the keyword ranking but competing with multi-million
dollar organizations and their internet content is a little daunting
to obtain a page ranking. We are pondering this issue, as this
might be the direction required for future sales with controlled
expenses.
Since the economy appears to be picking up, it may be possible
to find an agent to promote the artwork or the images within it.
Depending on the outcome of the search and on how the acceptance
into more regional art shows progresses will determine how and
where the business focus will head...working on it.
It's been real
We'll have to do it again real soon.
Talk at ya.
