Getting Down To Business

 

My massive distribution empire is beginning to take shape!

I checked my analytics stats this morning and was happy to see a referral to Exhibit Meh from this blog and one from Google.  It's no real surprise that those of you who read this blog would also take at least a glancing gander at my art site, but it's nice to see tangible evidence.

I'm also happy to see that some form of Google search led someone to my site as well.  I'm assuming that person didn't stay long based on the bounce rate statistics, but it means the site's probably opened a microscopic portal into the World Wide Web, which is exciting!

The analytics from today are a lucky happenstance that serves as a good intro into this blog post (which I was going to write anyway, but it's like the gods of micro-businesses were favoring my topic!  Probably because my wife has sacrificed the lives of so many basil plants in the past year to honor them.  Meanwhile, my succulent lives on [water once every 2-3 weeks and...done!]).

I left off a couple of posts ago discussing ways to improve engagement on the site.  I have ideas...

First, I need to simply wait.  Any success that I'm going to build on a site like this is going to take time to gain momentum.  I have to be patient, which is hard when you spend several hours on something and irrationally expect the world will immediately beat a path to your door.  You humbly acknowledge that the first month may only clear $250 in revenue, but things will ramp up steadily after that.

Instead, you face facts that your revenue is $9 in total and see a post on LinkedIn where someone is making $5,000 per month using a No-Code combination of Bubble and Zapier, making you question what SaaS option you can create to make a living.

But it's time to take a deep breath.  This is LinkedIn, after all, and there's no requirement to tell the truth.  A lot of people seem to be clearing $5K or something like that a month, but they never actually reveal what their business is, which is odd to say the least.  

And, if they actually are pulling in that level of revenue, they've either come up with a pretty solid business idea (again, wouldn't you let people know what you're doing - it's good marketing) to hit growth that fast, or it's taken them a while to get there.

I have no clue if Exhibit Meh or a derivative idea that comes out of it will ever hit $5K in monthly revenue.  If it does, I'd call it an unqualified success (despite my claims of million-dollar upsides in previous posts, I have humbler expectations).  If it doesn't, it can still be successful by my own measures.  Hell, the fact that it's made revenue at all is pretty impressive.

Second, I really can't just wait.  I need to be patient, but in this go-go world of the internet, I need to continue adding content.  Though AI has prematurely called the death of SEO, and an undead SEO still clamors for rich, novel content even though it thirsts for zombie keywords, new content is still important and is likely to lead to more traffic on the site.  Luckily, the source of content is rich, and I have an initial target of 250-300 pieces, which gives me a long runway to continue building my user base.

Third, I need to expand my marketing channels.  I know I'm Instagramming wrong, but it's a start.  As I become more comfortable with the platform, I'll make adjustments.  I'll also give Bluesky a try.  I don't like posting the same lead in content on each of the channels, and it takes at least a few minutes to come up with a witty rejoinder, so I'm wading into new channels slowly, lest I burn myself out creating marketing copy every time I release a new piece.  Also, if any one of you is thinking "why not use AI?" you (a) haven't been reading this blog very long (b) and/or your sense of humor and appreciation for writing is on par with a C-SPAN comedy routine.  Nothing gains attention like the same old vanilla content everyone else is using.

I'm also considering a pledge month wherein I place a banner across the site for a month saying, "Please, please, please support me!"  I'd tossed around showing a pop-up randomly, but I'd hate to alienate unlucky souls who visit frequently and see the message too often.  A banner (hopefully) can still be noticeable without being obtrusive.  At any rate, it'll be interesting to see if it has an effect.  

Fourth, I need to look for ways to innovate.  Originally, I wanted Exhibit Meh to act as an interactive experience, where you could wander from piece to piece and crawl inside it (which would turn into a pixel art representation for further exploration),  allowing you to move to interesting or novel portions of the work.  Doing that, however, would require a lot of research and work, or additional money to pay someone to do it for me.

I'm not averse to the former, but I wanted to get something up before America's 300th birthday.  I'm not averse to the latter if my workload becomes burdensome due to the success of the site, but I don't want to go broke on an idea that may not work out, and I'd prefer to start with my own sweat equity anyway.  The goal is to make money with my own efforts, not outsource the primary role to someone else.

So, I'm literally going back to the drawing board.  Things may not be interactive in the near future, but adding my own drawing content and - potentially - short animations can augment my written copy.  However, I need to (a) figure out where this original content will land and (b) ensure my drawing skills are up to snuff so viewers don't call a social worker when they see my doodling.

I will likely create a sibling YouTube channel named (of course) Exhibit Meh-nute to explain the artworks via video.  For those of you who don't know me, you'll be able to hear my rich, stentorian voice for the first time.  For those of you who do know me, you'll wonder when I acquired a rich, stentorian voice.  The possibility is exciting, but video casts are hard work, even if you're literally expecting to release 1-2 minute episodes, and my experience is nil, so...

Fifth, I need to set some goals.  Easy enough - by the end of the year, I'd like to be able to capture enough revenue to cover the costs for the site as it's constructed today for the next 3 years, so $50.  For 2026, I'll aim big - let's say $500 in monthly recurring revenue by the end of the year.

I think a consistent release of 2 new works of art per week is a good pace for content generation without overwhelming myself or users.  If I do start adding more original artwork to the copy, I might slow it down to 1 per week, but anything less and I risk stale content.  Lord knows what happens if I actually reach the promise of 300 pieces, but I'll worry about that later.  Who knows? In 3 years' time, no one will care about old human art anymore, and we'll all be enthralled with the new robot RAMbrandt's latest creations.

Finally, I need to be open to change.  If this were something that wasn't a labor of love, I'd have to set harder deadlines and determine when to pivot or simply end the experiment.  Luckily, I have the luxury of time.  But that doesn't mean I shouldn't look at the changes as my business evolves.  

Maybe Exhibit Meh's framework will be so useful, museums will hire me as a consultant to help maintain the framework rather than the content (given the full-tilt push towards anti-intellectualism at the moment, that's doubtful, but still...)

Maybe it's also possible that my own original artwork will create a demand I can't foresee now.

Or someone will be so impressed with my general business acumen that they'll offer me an entry back in the TradCorp world that I just can't refuse.

I doubt any of these will happen, but I can say that wherever I'm expecting my business to go as of this moment, the path I follow will certainly be something completely different.  Can't wait!

Until next time, my human and robot friends.