Your Handmade Business and Etsy

***This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy here***

The world has changed so much with technology and the internet compared to when I was a kid (my children cannot believe there was no such thing as internet then!) I remember travelling to craft shows with my mom and that was how you sold your handmade creations back then. Nowadays there are many selling platforms available online for those who want to sell their craft and Etsy is definatley at the forefront. For those of you who haven't explored this amazing marketplace,  Etsy was launched in 2005 as an ecommerce site for handmade and vintage items as well as supplies. While it has changed and grown over the years I personally still find it extremely user friendly and economical to list on. There are tons of great resources out there for those looking to start or grow their own Etsy shop.

 In my recent post Looking Ahead in 2019 I mentioned that I wanted to refocus on my products in my Etsy shop. While great products, appealing pictures and good use of tags (words that people use to find your items) are essential I have found that adding more products translates to more sales. Makes sense right? In previous years I have had as many as almost 200 items listed and if I'm really serious about focusing on continued growth for Kawartha Beads (which I am!) then I would like to get back to that number. While this tactic may not prove true for everyone or even attainable, it is something that I KNOW works for me. Additionally, in the early days of Kawartha Beads I wrote a series of posts Etsy Shop Blog Series and I went back and reread those articles and most of that information still holds true today plus it made me take a look at my shop through beginner eyes again vs. those of someone who has been selling there for almost a decade.

I mean seriously when was the last time I went through and reviewed what tags were on my products? Do my products have more than one picture? I changed how I present my products several years ago and as I went through my listings I noticed that many of them do not have a picture of the new cards I put my products on. Something to add to the to-do list. Watch for my Etsy shop check-in in the weeks to come!

5 Links Worth Reading for Your Crafty Business

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Can you believe its time to start your crafty biz holiday planning already?!!!!

• Getting into Holiday Gift Guides
• Seven Tips on Better Picture- Taking for your Blog and Etsy shop
• What to do with Your Etsy Shop when attending a craft fair
• A Simple Retirement Plan for the Self-Employed 
• Thanks to Amanda of Beautypops for suggestion this cute idea for making your own packaging

Getting in Touch with Your Etsy Shop: DAY FIVE: Your Workspace

Welcome to Day Five in my blog series "Getting in Touch with Your Etsy Shop". If you missed anything we have covered so far you can catch up here.

Today I wanted to talk about workspace. When we first moved into our new home I was so excited to have a dedicated space for my creative work. But of course life gets busy and my once organized space now looks like this!

 Regardless of whether you have a whole room, a corner of a room or just a box of supplies, it is important to try and stay organized. If you spend extra time looking for product and shipping supplies, searching through inventory and asking "where did I put that darn camera?" it can be both creatively stiffling and lead to mistakes.

I was also surprised when I set up for my mini open house yesterday that I didn't have as much physical product as I had thought. I keep everything stored away in plastic containers until a show or an order so while I maintain an inventory on paper VISUALLY seeing it all laid out made a big difference for me. As I begin to make multiples of popular items I need to figure out a way to organize and visually display my inventory within my workspace (SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED!) Being able to find a way to organize your inventory and your workspace will save you time (and perhaps money by not buying new items that you just couldn't find) and allow you to devote more energy to both your creative projects and your Etsy shop.

***Todays assignment: Spend 10 minutes organizing your space (I am going to spend 10mins/day for the remainder of the series...lets see how it looks by next Friday!)***

Getting in Touch with Your Etsy Shop: DAY FOUR: Make a Trade

Welcome to Day Four in the Getting in Touch with Your Etsy Shop series! In case you missed the first few days you can catch up here. 

Still waiting on your first sale? Been awhile since your last sale? Looking to grow your sales numbers? Considering doing a trade might be your solution. Instead of purchasing an item with cash you are trading your goods (or items from your shop) with theirs. Here are some of the benefits that I found through my trade experiences:

*Someone who may not have otherwise stumbled on my shop is exposed to my products. A trade can turn into repeat business as well and your new customer may share their new goodie from your shop with their friends, thus in turn sending more people your way.
*It helps to increase your number of sales. If you are still waiting on your first sale this is a good way to get the ball rolling. It may surprise you to know that my first 12 sales on Etsy were actually trades but this helped to grow my sales number and create a good feedback score. New customers coming to my shop saw that I had sales and felt more comfortable purchasing from me.
*If you have yet to make your first sale it familiarizes you with the checkout process
*It gives you something to relist

*It is a way to see what items people are drawn to in your shop (by what they choose to trade your for)
 *It is a chance to treat youself to something 
*It is a chance to practice/ work with your packaging
*You are able to give and receive feedback

For new sellers especially I think that trades are an excellent way to practice and refine your online selling experience. It is important to know how the process works so you can assist a customer if they need it and when those orders start rolling in you will have an idea of what to do. And of course you get to choose something wonderful to enjoy as well! There are plenty of trade friendly shops on Etsy which you can find through searching "trade" and "tradeaholics". Do remember that it is also ok to say NO to a trade but always be sure to answer an inquiry.

Have you had any experiences with trades on Etsy? What are some of your favourite things to trade for?

Getting in Touch with Your Etsy Shop: DAY ONE: The Plan

For some of us our Etsy shops started as a hobby or a way to destash some of our extra goodies. For others we dove in intending to make a fortune and retire to the Bahamas. The rest of us fall somewhere in between. But how many of us actually went in with A PLAN? (if you did good for you!)

Business plans come in many different shapes and sizes. There are plenty of great resources for creating an in depth business plan, or if you are more like me, than answering a few questions can give you some great direction. Also setting monthly goals/plans can be an important tool for keeping organized and monitoring growth, seeing what may or may not have worked and developing a strategy for long term. Since I began writing my month round ups I have found that I am much more focused on what I am trying to achieve every month. Here's a peek at my April Round Up post if you aren't familiar with them.

Now back to the long term plans. When I began my Etsy journey I was in partnership with my mom at Bijoux Designs For You. Initially I just enjoyed the time that it gave us together and the common ground to bond over. Making a couple of extra dollars was just a bonus. As our creative sides took different directions I branched out on my own in 2010 and began Kawartha Beads. It was at this point that I hoped that by the time I had my second child that I would be able to make enough of an income to cover my own personal bills and the groceries. And that was the plan....period.

Now here are the questions that I have since asked myself (and my answers) to help grow and further my business. For the record my second child just turned one and I feel comfortable enough with my business growth now that I officially call it my job!

• What do you hope to accomplish with your Etsy shop creatively (your focus)? Kawartha Beads will offer affordable handmade necklaces, earrings, bookmarks and keyrings with a charm theme to the overall shop.
• What do you hope to accomplish with your Etsy shop financially? This is not just a hobby for me. I am looking to make more than just money to buy more supplies or things I want from Etsy. By the time my second child goes to kindergarten I want to be earning an amount at least equal to a full time minimum wage job (NET).
• How am I going to accomplish this? While growing my business in the online community I am also trying to be heavily involved in the local handmade/craft scene. I have joined a wonderful group of artisans to help grow our business/spread the word, I am active in several local Facebook groups and have done several local events (and will continue to do so) to share my business with the community. In order to achieve my financial goals I am also eventually looking into displaying in some stores/boutiques and perhaps wholesaling.
• How many listing would you like to have in your shop? How many can you comfortably maintain? This is a tough one. For me personally I notice a big difference in sales now that I have reached 140+ listings. My current goal is to reach 175 listings and maintain that number. With two little kids at home I am finding that this is all I can comfortably manage at this point. In the fall when my oldest goes to school and with the holidays approaching I am hoping to be able to carry 250 items. I will need to review this point post-holidays.
• How are you going to spread the word? (aka marketing and promotion) Maintain a large amount of listings on Etsy, create Etsy treasuries, blog, facebook, twitter, have a local presence by joining a craft group, doing some local events (mom to mom sale, Early Years Centre, craft shows), approach some blogs about featuring Kawartha Beads, word of mouth.

This is just a very basic set of questions, but once you really sit down and start to think about them (and others) it helps to focus yourself and decide where your direction is going. As I mentioned earlier I also find sitting down at the beginning of the month to break things down into smaller goals has helped me immensely. 

***Today's Assignment*** Try and take some time to sit down and answer some of the above questions. I hope you will come and share with us here where you are headed with your business.

Join me tomorrow for Day Two: Social Networking