Gain and loss do not indicate success or failure.
Image by Martin E. Dodge
December 2025 uduforu Blog topics include switching website hosting from Shopify to Squarespace, SEO, creator vs. retailer needs, print-on-demand, and business development for creatives.
I hope it helps you untangle a thought process or provides you with an idea to pursue.
For me, 2025 has had more loss than gain. My most significant gains and losses this year came from switching my website host from Shopify to Squarespace. The Shopify website looked great, but it used retail product grids rather than display galleries. I used Printful to provide print-on-demand products, but I couldn't keep up with competitive pricing year-round, and the products did not play well with search engine optimization. In general, a lack of SEO compatibility became a finger-pointing game for all companies involved. Without SEO, my website was mired in a marketing void. Also, I am a creator, not a retailer.
Switching web hosts with minimal website downtime is a challenge. I hope not to need to do it again. While waiting for changes in the internet ether, I built a new website on Squarespace.
Additionally, I expanded uduforuDesigns, a store I had created on Redbubble.com as an experiment to increase brand visibility. Redbubble claims to have built-in shoppers, and it offers timely sales. It is free to use, securely processes payments, delivers quality goods, and has a reliable product returns process. The products I ordered were on par with those from Printful. But I am not happy with the limited store design options, paltry artist payout system, or the spammy customer checkout process. At the end of the day, I want a low-maintenance way to sell my work and ensure customer satisfaction, and, for now, Redbubble checks the boxes.
I am very pleased with my new Squarespace-hosted website. The galleries are precisely what I want, and I have options for different styles. However, retail functionality is an additional cost with Squarespace, and to use SEO to drive traffic to the new website, I need to list products or services.
Enter WhiteWall, an award-winning print shop offering print-on-demand website integration. Unfortunately, WhiteWall partnered with Shopify. A workaround I settled on was integrating Shopify Buy Buttons. This necessitated creating a Shopify store to place the products and create a secure checkout process for the Buy Buttons. Then, I added the Buy Button links to my new Squarespace website. This process was complicated because I now technically have two websites, and the product listings are not on the one I want SEO to notice. I eventually got it all sorted, but why did I switch web hosts again? Oh yeah, Squarespace has display galleries, Shopify only has product grids for retail sales listings.
It was a loss to suspend my online sales of WhiteWall premium photo prints due to US tariffs. Currently, all WhiteWall products ship from Germany. A comparable-quality US-based print shop hasn’t partnered with Shopify or Squarespace. I could not, in good conscience, keep the WhiteWall listings knowing that my customers would receive an undefinable bill from US Customs upon delivery. Without the WhiteWall products on the uduforu website for search engines to feature, my website is again mired in a marketing void. The quality of the print-on-demand products in my uduforuDesigns store on Redbubble.com is fantastic, but Redbubble’s limited marketing options are frustrating.
On a positive note, I can more easily get the results I want from my photography gear thanks to disciplined practice all of 2025.
Since 2018, I have gained much from the learning and effort I have dedicated to my business, uduforu, LLC. The learning curve to create uduforu was steep. At first, I did not have a whole concept of what I wanted. Then, I had to learn about many things I did not know about or did not know how to ask questions about.
Initially, I wanted to create an e-book with embedded videos to help people prepare for recovery after hip replacement surgery. The internet and YouTube served as a sounding board for my inquiries and provided breadcrumbs to follow, if not ready-made answers. Clickbait, misinformation, and scams are abundant, but avoiding them is a part of the learning process. The hours wasted on internet rabbit holes and wild goose chases taught me new ways to find focus.
The e-book project expanded to include:
The formation of a small business, book formatting for printing, graphic design, photography & video with editing, and website design & management. Acquiring equipment, apps, and learning tools. Integrating the necessary workspace into a small apartment I share with my wife. Consulting a lawyer, filing for federal copyright registration, getting a business license, zoning permit, and tax filing requirements. Self-publishing on Amazon.com, retail e-commerce, and social media marketing.
Many of these things are career fields, but I don’t have the money to hire people. And I am not trying to enter any of these professions. I write, draw, photograph, make YouTube videos, and it would be nice to sell some stuff.
With a chunk of the learning curve behind me, I now need to put in time to produce work. My initial creations for uduforu were good, but I need to get better. Experimentation and practice require additional time management and are crucial to improving my skills and the quality of my work. Most importantly, gains stack faster when I limit my focus to specific aspects at a time rather than trying to push all of them forward at once. However, I have found the skills surrounding digital photography to be a keystone.
It is also important to note that when you take a picture, finish a story, or design something, it is not yet a product ready for sale. Additional processing and editing are needed. You must also consider product use, packaging, delivery, different file formats and sizes, cover art, synopsis, product description, SEO, variations, pricing, and more. Then create images, soundbites, or ads that model the product and make it irresistible. Social media has its own can of worms.
My business does not pay my bills; I spend most of my time working for other people. The website has zero visibility, Amazon Ads costs far outpace book sales, and my wife and I are the only customers buying my products at Redbubble.com. I struggle to explain what my business is to people. I’m not unique, but I have yet to meet anyone in real life who is doing something similar. I know this is a terrible interview pitch, but if your company needs someone with tenacity, contact me.
Compared to my other interests, uduforu is the most economical, healthy, and fulfilling hobby I have ever had. The hip book helps people, and I have positive interactions with patients in the comments sections of my hip YouTube videos. The website looks great, and I am gaining a better understanding of messaging. Photography and its related skills will remain my focus in 2026, and I’ll expand the photo product listings at uduforuDesigns on Redbubble.com. I’ll work on local community outreach and visibility for uduforu. In addition, I have travel plans to Virginia State Parks that may inspire some new Tales, and I’ll use my creative skills to share them with you.
I wish you the best and a Happy New Year!
Martin E. Dodge
Visit uduforu.com to explore Designs, Pics, and Tales by Martin E. Dodge, read the uduforu Blog, and join the uduforu Newsletter. The Blog and Newsletter are posted quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Follow uduforu on social media at YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Medium, Substack, and Bluesky.
Martin’s Amazon author page.
Also, shop for uduforuDesigns and Pics merch at Redbubble.
