The Glamorous Life of Building a Store... Not!
Stephen MontgomeryShare
When I started Ruff Kutts, I pictured myself surrounded by creative chaos—designing mandalas, crafting bespoke pieces, and maybe having a coffee while admiring the results. What I didn’t picture was me spending four hours trying to figure out how much a bookmark weighs. (Spoiler: it’s not much, but try assigning weights to 20 different products without losing your mind.)
Categories, Collections, and Chaos
Today’s adventure began with the noble goal of organizing my store. Simple enough, right? Just put products on pages, sort them into categories, and slap on a price tag. Except, oh wait—what’s the difference between a category and a collection again? And why does Shopify make me feel like I need a PhD in e-commerce just to set up a navigation bar?
After wrestling with product categories, collections, and sub-collections (is that even a thing?), I moved on to pricing. This part was fun because it involved guessing. How much is a custom plaque worth? How much should it weigh? Is “handcrafted with love and one or two swear words” an acceptable justification for pricing?
Sexy Descriptions and the Great Coffee Reward
Then came the task of writing descriptions for every single product. Now, I’m not talking about “Here’s a coaster; you put drinks on it.” No, these descriptions need to be evocative. They need to paint a picture. They need to make someone go, “Wow, I never knew I needed a laser-cut coffee stirrer until now.”
Thankfully, I’ve got my trusted AI second-in-command to help with that. Between us, we’ll make sure every product has a description that’s as unique and memorable as the item itself.
Next up: uploading pictures. Because if people can’t see the difference between a mandala and a rude slogan plaque, they’re not going to buy it. (And yes, I realize I’ve just admitted to mixing meditative spirituality with cheeky humor. Welcome to Ruff Kutts.)
Why I Keep Going
Here’s the truth: running a business is a lot of work. Some days, it feels like I’m drowning in to-do lists and second-guessing every decision. But then I remember why I’m doing this. I believe in what Ruff Kutts stands for—creativity, individuality, and a touch of chaos.
So even when I’m tired, disheartened, or questioning my life choices, I keep going. Because no one else is going to do this for me. And because one day, someone’s going to hold a Ruff Kutts creation in their hands and think, “This is exactly what I needed.”
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to upload a shedload of pictures and finally have that cup of coffee.