Etsy Conversations Podcast

Cara is an elementary school teacher by day and an Etsy entrepreneur by night... and that is literally by "all night" because she's having so much fun selling on Etsy that she really throws herself into it when she's not working.

She runs the Etsy shop where she sells her unique handmade crochet items. Currently her bestseller is a , which caught my eye as well. Click on the link and check it out!

One of the things I really liked about Cara is just how excited she is about selling on Etsy. She has a clear idea of what she wants to get out of Etsy, and so, unlike some new sellers who get jaded when the sales don't come rolling in quickly, she's enjoying the process of learning to sell on Etsy.

Her goal for now is to have continue her hobby but get it to the point where it pays for itself.

Topics we discuss:

Leveraging experience as an Etsy buyer to be a better Etsy seller

Using good customer service as a marketing tool

Loop giveaways on Instagram

Resources mentioned:

 - Note: you'll need to have a business account in order to participate when they eventually roll out this feature to sellers on platforms other than Shopify and Demandware

Best ways to reach Cara:

Email: laceyblue83 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Etsy shop convo:

Social media: , ,

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Jordani runs the Etsy shop and with just over 6,700 sales (at the time of our conversation) she has lots of good tips for selling successfully on Etsy that I think will be new to you and very, very actionable.

Her success is real and her techniques for selling on Etsy are very down-to-earth and organic. They've worked well for her and even though you may sell products that are vastly different from hers, I think you'll get the spirit of how she found her own unique path on Etsy and made it work for her. 

Like a lot of Etsy sellers, Jordani started off selling on Etsy as a hobby but in four years (these things take time to develop folks!). She was able, over that time period to successfully convert it into a legitimate business that completely supports her today.

Listen to our convo to hear Jordani talk about:

How raising her product prices led to increased sales

The importance of renewals to increasing sales

Outsourcing administrative tasks, even product photography

How goal-setting can help to keep you on track and measure your progress

Resources mentioned:

Best way to reach Jordani:

Etsy shop convo:

Social media: , , ,

Website:

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I love communicating with folks that listen to the podcast and when I ask for feedback and guest suggestions I honestly want it. This week's guest is a direct result of this... I got a request from a listener via Twitter asking for an episode with an Etsy seller that specializes in selling downloadable patterns.

I was thrilled to get this very specific request and set out on a mission to fulfill it. I'm truly grateful to my guest Maria, she runs the Etsy shop and has done so since 2009 and she responded to a request I put out on the Etsy Conversations Facebook page and group.

Thank you Maria! ...and ShoutOut to Karen of Etsy shop for introducing Maria to the podcast back in 2014! :)

Maria is a veteran Etsy seller and she opened  as a way to sell toys and sensory tools she had designed for children with ADHD and autism.   She started designing products she thought would help children who were diagnosed with ADHD and autism with input and ideas from an occupational therapist.

Initially, she started out selling her designs locally in the occupational therapist's office before she moved to selling them online. 

Maria said she chose Etsy because she loved the marketplace, loved the forums, and felt like it was an encouraging place to grow her design skills and business. And grow she has...

Hear how Maria used YouTube to learn advanced skills that helped her expand her product line and how that led her into the world of patterning. We also discuss the benefits of local Etsy teams as well as those that are not primarily focused marketing and shop promotion.

I think it's a great discussion about the importance of connecting in a constructive way and how that can help you grow as a business person both on and off Etsy.

Resources mentioned:

Etsy teams: , , , and

Local Etsy teams:  and

Helpful podcasts:  (Jennifer Ackerman),  (Amy Porterfield), (Pat Flynn), and (Natalie Sisson) (I also find all these podcasts beneficial as well) :)

Best ways to reach Maria:

Etsy convo:

Instagram:

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Cyndi Blais is my guest this week and her Etsy shop is an extension of her fitness business.

I love that Cyndi has found a great niche to serve and she is blossoming within it by just serving the market she narrowed down her products to - Fitbit and fitness tracker users.

Cyndi creates stunning and unique wearable Fitbit jewelry and fitness tracker accessories for men and women to securely conceal Fitbit Flex activity trackers. In her own words:

Our versatile pieces are designed to work with all of your outfits, taking you from day to night.

Her line of products includes durable high quality necklaces, bracelets, headbands and hair wraps that can be worn with or without a Fitbit, and they are as accurate as the original plastic wristband!

Cyndi said selling on Etsy combines two of her favorite things - fitness and fashion so naturally the products she offers are both fashionable and affordable.

We talked about the pricing of her items in our convo because it was important to her that her pieces be more accessible, financially speaking, to a broader audience, so you'll see that their prices are a fraction of comparable Tori Burch Fitbit products. And even better, they can be customized to express your individual style at no additional cost.

Watch out for her new premium line of high-end silver-plated accessories coming soon...

Resources mentioned:

Maker's Place

Stitch Labs

Ship Station

Best ways to reach Cyndi:

Phone: (858) 397-2999 Monday-Friday 9am-7pm (PST)

Email: info [at] FUNKtionalWearables [dot] com

Etsy convo:

Social media: , , , , and

Sister sites: and

 

Please take a minute to subscribe and leave an honest review of the podcast in and . That really helps to get the word out about the show.

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Yes! This is a bonus podcast episode... I haven't done one of these since October 2014 so I'm pretty hyped about this one. If you follow the or you're either in the or on the Etsy Conversations mailing list (psst... if you aren't on the mailing list yet, the sign up is over on the right side of this page, just scroll down a little bit and sign up now ;)) then you know I announced about a month ago that I would be taking your Etsy questions because I had an upcoming interview with a former Etsy employee, Kim Konen, who had graciously agreed to answer your questions on the podcast.

Up until October 2014, Kim worked with Etsy on various teams including supporting Etsy sellers, the Seller Education team, and on the team that trains Etsy team captains. She's very knowledgeable about the inner workings of Etsy and still maintains a good relationship with folks she worked with while there.

Kim also has an Etsy shop of her own - - where she sells bandana baby bibs and a new line of quilts.

My co-host on this episode is Angie and she runs the Etsy shop (you can listen to the podcast episode when Angie was my guest on ). Big thank you to Angie for introducing Kim and I and making this episode even possible in the first place :)

Thank you to everyone who participated by sending in your questions for Kim, we tried to get to them all in (hence the almost 2-hour episode... yikes!). Without your participation I doubt that this episode would have happened because there's no way I could have thought to ask all the questions we received. Thank you!!

Your Etsy questions answered... Here are the questions (in summary) that we addressed:

Is there a way for people with more than one Etsy shop to be signed in to all shops at the same time? (Kim also discussed why she thinks it is better to have just one Etsy shop). Editing functionality of the Etsy Listing Manager - Kelli of

Anticipated changes for Etsy sellers as a result of Etsy's IPO - Charlotte of

How to get featured in Etsy Finds - Rachel of

Best strategy for getting more views/sales - Tammy E.

Why does Etsy search results return some "questionable" results and tips for getting to the top of the results? - Kara of

Factors that affect relevance in Etsy... Rumors vs. reality - Diane of

Separating Etsy into vintage, fine art, and handmade - Beate of

Basic advice about product titles and keywords as they pertain to Etsy relevance - Charlie of

Relevance of treasuries today? Item duplication in Etsy search results - Kathleen of

Why can't we see who is following us on Etsy? - Doug of

Benefits of selling on Etsy (from an outsider's perspective). High demand-low supply products and over-saturated niches - Sandy

Resources mentioned

Made In Wisconsin and

- Etsy/creative business consulting services run by former Etsy Admin and Seller Education Director, DanielleXO and Kim Konen. There's also a .

Etsy Seller Pro Tips

Link to other shop sections (or other listings) within your listing descriptions

Make suggestions in the forums on the day new Etsy products launch (the staff does read them)

Do A/B split testing with keywords and categories to see which ones perform better

Tell a story about your target customer (actually write it down)... This will help you to focus your branding efforts

Use your most important keywords early in your listing title; use the Etsy search bar for keyword suggestions

Etsy SEO is mostly based on titles and tags

Send an email to 10 friends and family members with a link to your shop and ask them to send you 5 keywords to describe your shop

Best ways to reach Kim

Etsy shop convo:

 

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My guest this week is Agatha Whitechapel and I'm a tad bit envious of her "Bond girl" name.

Agatha is a London-born collage-photographer and filmmaker living in Vienna, Austria. She left school at 16 to become a photographer's assistant and from there segued into film production and has since been living between the two worlds. 

She runs the Etsy shop and she has a unique way of sourcing the item she stock with.

She constantly sources and collect props and costumes to style and create her images and films. They would then end up in storage for years after being used until things got so bad that she started living in her warehouse!

It was then that the concept for Etsy shop was borne. She turned to Etsy as a means of finding new homes for her collections.

Agatha offers her buyers a view to the previous lives of their purchases, through her website - - where they can see in pictures how their new acquirements once lived and as a way for them to own a piece of the artwork.

In her own words:

"I love all things colourful and fantastical and which tell me a story"

Customers of the can request items they see in her pictures, if they are not already listed in my shop.

Best ways to reach Agatha:

Etsy shop:

Website:

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My guest this week is Teena Stewart and she runs three, yes three Etsy shops - , , and . Each store carries a different line of products so Teena is one busy lady:

was her first shop and today she sells gifts incorporating recycled glass (primarily wine bottles) and includes suncatchers, window art, wine bottle candles, fused glass ornaments, slumped wine bottle cheese trays and soon, decorative bowls and plates from recycled glass

 is her handmade jewelry store and her line incorporates recycled glass, semi precious stones, glass fusing, and wire wrapping to make the items

offers gifts for pet lovers including pet jewelry, pet coasters, and pet ornaments

My conversation with Teena took place at a unique time in the life of her Etsy business. She just quit her full-time job in January 2015 to pursue Etsy full time and she openly said that she was struggling in her Etsy business... I LOVED that!!

Not the fact that she was struggling, but her open honesty about where things stood with her and her business and just how willing she was to discuss the reality of trying to build a business and what the journey looks like in the daily trenches.

It reminded me that Etsy success stories don't happen overnight, well, rarely anyway and the majority of sellers come to times in their business when things aren't going the way they wish they would.

Teena's advise... Persistence!

That's exactly what it takes. Teena had a very successful Christmas selling season and is now learning how to implement new selling strategies to maintain the momentum her Etsy shops picked up during that busy season.

Etsy sellers like Teena are one of the reasons I do the podcast. I believe it inspires and encourages other Etsy sellers to hear about the realities of what other Etsy sellers are going through and know that they are not alone and they aren't necessarily an outlier.

I hope you enjoy listening to my Etsy convo with Teena.

Resources mentioned:

Etsy SEO Team - there are quite a few

Etsy Relevancy Tool - Erin Bass of

Best ways to reach Teena:

Website:

Email: TeenaStewart412 [at] gmail [dot] com

Social media: ,

Etsy shops: , ,

Please take a minute to subscribe and leave an honest review of the podcast in and . That really helps to get the word out about the show.

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Ever considered making every item you create and sell in your Etsy shop a limited edition piece? Well, that's exactly what my podcast guest this week does.

She's Gemma Fenol and she runs the Etsy shop . Gemma makes just 30 individual runs of each item and then that line goes away forever.

Listen to our convo and hear how and why she has chosen this unique path.

Gemma went from being an interior designer to a graphic designer and now she gets to combine the best of both worlds and both skill sets in her original line of handmade notebooks and lifestyle journals.

As a relatively new Etsy seller, I was also curious about how she manages her time so we discuss that as well. And of course how she promotes her Etsy shop and which systems are giving her the best return on her time investment.

Gemma's advice to new and struggling Etsy sellers: Do one thing and do it right

...I totally agree, especially since as creatives we tend to go through periods of abundance of creativity and new ideas, this can sometimes be hard to do but we just need to do it when necessary.

Resources mentioned:

Happ Barcelona (local shop in Barcelona, Spain that carries Gemma's notebooks)

ISSUU

Best ways to reach Gemma:

Etsy convo:

Email: Designs.Tandem [at] gmail [dot] com

Social media: , ,

Website:

Please take a minute to subscribe and leave an honest review of the podcast in and . That really helps to get the word out about the show.

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My guest this week is veteran Etsy seller and she runs an Etsy by the same name.

She's been selling on Etsy officially since 2007 but says that she made the bulk of her sales, over 12,500, within just the last three years!

Claudine shares how she started off on Etsy and what changes she made in her product lines that resulted in the massive sales explosion in . She's a true wealth of information... From getting featured on Martha Stewart's TV show, to appearances on PBS, HGTV, HSN, and other national media outlets, Claudine shares her story of how it all happened.

And lest you think that you can't do it, I encourage you to have a listen to Claudine as she tells how this all happened for her. She is so very down-to-earth and you'll see that what has happened for her can very well be your story as well, you just have to stick it out.

We talk about email list-building and how she uses her email list. Etsy sellers need to have an email list to stay in touch with folks who want to hear from you. Both Claudine and I use for communicating with people who have signed up to our lists and we love it! :) One of the things we don't talk about but which you can very easily do with is include your Etsy product listings in your newsletter. This way, when you have something new you can show it to your subscribers right in the newsletter and direct them to exactly that product when they click on it.

Okay... Back to Claudine...

If you sell digital downloads, or are considering selling digital downloads on Etsy, then you'll especially enjoy this conversation because Claudine opens up about both the ups and downs of selling your products using this medium.

I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation, and if you have additional questions or comments for you can find all her contact information below OR you can leave a comment right here in the comments section below the blog post on Convome.com.

Best ways to reach Claudine:

Etsy convo:

Social media: , ,

Email: ClaudineHellmuth [at] gmail [dot] com

Blog:

Website:

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I'd like to give a big shoutout to my friend Jessica Rhodes of and for referring this week's podcast guest to me. As a small business owner or entrepreneur, you might need a helping hand with some tasks from time to time and if/when you do I highly recommend you connect with Jessica and see how she can help you out. Thank you Jessica! :)

And my guest this week is Kelley Quakkelaar, and like me, I'm pretty sure she gets to spell her last name for people quite a lot... ;)

Kelley runs the Etsy shop Gracie Designs and she's a veteran seller on Etsy who's been on the site since June 2006 and she's had way over 7,000 sales on Etsy to date. From her college days of making and selling stuff to pay for beer to quitting her day job to become a full-time Etsy seller, Kelley shares her amazing, very colorful, and most of all, inspiring journey.

In our convo, we delve quite deeply into topics that haven't been discussed in such detail as of yet on the podcast and it's all great stuff!

From Facebook ads and Facebook promoted posts to how to sell successfully (and lucratively) at local farmer's markets, to outsourcing administrative tasks (specifically for Etsy sellers) and even some words of wisdom from Mark Cuban...

Yes, that :)

There's lots more stuff that I intended to discuss with Kelley in our convo but as you'll see, this convo ran for over an hour so that gave me a really good excuse to have her back on the podcast again to continue our discussion...

Resources mentioned:

- virtual assistant for Etsy sellers, Stephanie Lin

Go Daddy accounting

Best ways to reach Kelley:

Etsy Convo -

Email - Shop [at] GracieDesigns [dot] com

Website -

Social media - , , ,

Please take a minute to subscribe and leave an honest review of the podcast in and . That really helps to get the word out about the show.

Connect With Me:

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Facebook Group: - This is where I'm connecting with you after the podcast. Lots of fun convos & Etsy shop promos here too!

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Pinterest:

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Email: Use the OR interview [at] convome [dot] com