Etsy Conversations Podcast

My guest this week is Amanda and she's standing in for Sofia Encinas who runs the Etsy shop of the same name - . There's some good education in here as we discuss the idea of upcycling versus recycling.

Sofia is very well-travelled and her designs reflect that eclecticism. She also has a very unique business structure and I think it will be of interest as it presents ways to be more efficient as an Etsy seller.

We talk about time management and the inspiration behind her designs as well as how she's leveraging social media to help promote her and drive more traffic to it.

Best ways to reach Sofia:

Etsy shop:

Blog:

Social media: ,

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One of the main reasons I absolutely LOVE hosting the Etsy Conversations Podcast is because it is my "not-so-secret" source of new friends.

Yes, it's true, I guess one of the advantages of the podcast is that it helps me make new friends and for a reserved person like me (yes, I know, I don't sound like it on the show), that is HUGE!

Angie runs the Etsy shop and she's my guest this week. We first started "talking" about 3 months ago when she sent me an email with some very kind feedback about the podcast (I know it seems kind of self-centered but I just eat those up... they really do fuel me). She had downloaded Stitcher to her phone and found the podcast by accident!

So she and I developed a rapport until the inevitable happened... She became my guest on the podcast!

My convo with Angie felt like having a conversation with a friend I've known for a long time so I have to give fair warning, I had a hard time keeping this one under an hour...

Angie does local markets and organizes an annual handmade selling event and she shares how she grew that from an event in her home to one that is now held at a commercial venue. She also does one-on-one and group "How to Sell on Etsy" classes in her home for people who want to start selling on Etsy... This Etsy seller is on fire!

Have you ever considered doing a giveaway with a blogger to get more exposure to your Etsy shop and for shop promotion? If so, you'll want to listen in to how Angie says she vets and does her due diligence on which blogs and bloggers to align her Etsy shop with for giveaways. Note: there's a lot more to it than just sending them a product and hoping for the best.

Sites mentioned:

blog

Etsy shop - (for unique baby slings - Ring Slings)

Best ways to reach Angie:

Etsy shop:

Website:

Social media: , , ,

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

I thoroughly enjoyed my EtsyConvo with with Karen and I'm pretty sure you will too.

Karen runs the Etsy shop where she sells custom Converse, Vans, and Toms shoes. We "met" on Twitter (which is where, by the way, I meet a LOT of interesting Etsy shop owners who end up becoming my guests on the podcast) and soon after I knew she just had to come on the podcast.

In our convo, Karen shares how she leverages her educational background in business to boost her real-life business while passing on that knowledge to her students. Best of all, she also shares some of the most unique ways she promotes her Etsy shop - - that I have ever discussed on the podcast.

One of them is actually a service I plan to offer right here so you'll hear me get very excited when she mentions it... ;)

She goes way beyond social media marketing and all the usual outlets and I couldn't help but be reminded about the importance of adding a physical marketing strategy to one's ecommerce business.

Best ways to reach Karen:

Etsy shop -

Email - karen [at] intellexual-design [dot] com

Social media - , , , and

Websites - 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.

My guest this week is Christine and she runs the Etsy shop .

Christine shares with me in our convo the story of how she went from being four and a half months pregnant and unemployed for the second time to now running her Etsy shop full time with a team of 9 sales consultants spread across the United States. Wow!

She talks about the importance of face-to-face selling and instilling that human connection into your online ecommerce business. She also shares about her experiences with craft and vendor fairs... Did you know these were two different things?

Christine also shares about her experience using Facebook to sell from her Etsy shop.

There's lots of valuable info here on how you as an Etsy seller can really leverage social media to help increase your Etsy sales.

Best ways to reach Christine:

Etsy shop - 

Email - HilltopDesignsHD [at] gmail [dot] com

Social media - , , , 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.

Connect With Me:

Twitter: Follow

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

Facebook: Like the

Pinterest:

Instagram:

Google+:

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

This week I have on another special non-Etsy shop owner guest!

I "met" Jessica Hardecke on Twitter (I just love Twitter because of all the fun and interesting people I get to meet on there), and Jessica is the Senior Manager of Marketing Communications for .

Okay, So I'm excited to have a conversation with her but you might be wondering what and who ShipWorks is right...? That's exactly what we discuss in our convo this week.

She shares lots of great information about and the solution they offer for (or at least, a lot of) your shipping woes. We talk about international shipping, domestic shipping, best practices for shipping in general and also as it relates to Etsy and your ecommerce pursuits.

Now isn't for everybody so we get real about who should or should, and who or may not be the best candidate for the service they provide.

Thank you to Angie who runs the Etsy shop and Nick who co-host of the Beats & Eats podcast for the questions they submitted for Jessica. She tackled them both and provided some very valuable guidance for all sellers in general as well.

ShipWorks also offers a free ebook with tips and techniques for shipping for ecommerce sellers. If you'd like get your hands on it here's the link to it:

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

Marci is my guest this week and she runs the Etsy shop . She makes and sells mostly organic spa grade face and body products.

She's also a photographer and uses her skills there to create her product labels and also a line of notecard sets that she also sells in her Etsy shop. Talk about a one-woman show!

From body butters and lip scrubs, to candles and more, Marci has a passion for creating products that take her customers on a luxurious spa experience right from her Etsy shop.

We talk about the struggles she has faced when it comes to marketing her Etsy business and I really think a lot of new (and veteran) Etsy sellers will be able to relate to her story because to some extent we've all been there.

Marci also has a second Etsy shop - - which she sells an additional line of products in. I had the opportunity to have a great discussion with her about the idea and reason for separating distinct product lines and not diluting one's Etsy shop or confusing customers.

Best way to reach Marci:

Etsy shop convo:

Also check out her website and blog on

Social media: , , , and

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Have you ever wondered if you could be doing more to help your Etsy sales along? Have you ever wished that people who bought and liked your products would tell the whole world (or at least their friends and family) about them and send them your way?

Have you ever wished you could have a sales and marketing team but one that worked on a budget that you could afford?

Okay, okay... I can hear you saying "enough with the questions already... get to the point!"

Well my guest on the podcast this week is Jordan Whelan, and he is the co-founder of , the premiere (well, actually the only one I know of) social commerce site.

So what is Social Commerce?

Well, I'm glad you asked! I had the very same question and I posed it and many others to Jordan and he tells all.

Find out how can help boost your Etsy sales. Learn how the system works and determine if the solution that's offered is right for you and your Etsy business.

If you're an Etsy seller who is already using , I'd love to hear your feedback about your experiences with it.

If you're an Etsy seller and you decide to give a whirl based on what you hear Jordan and I discuss in our convo then I'd love to hear about your experience too!

If you have additional questions for Jordan you can reach him at Jordan [at] Framestr [dot] com

PS: no, that isn't a typo, Framestr is spelled without a second "e" ;)

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Anna is one enthusiastic Etsy shop owner and it's almost hard to believe that she opened her shop - - literally on a whim because she had a felt need while planning her own wedding and ended up filling it herself.

There's a saying that goes like this: Necessity is the mother of invention. Well, that's exactly how Anna's Etsy shop and business came to be. And naturally, since she had this need, that is, sandals to wear for her destination beach wedding, there was a market of other brides who needed the same thing.

We talk about the trajectory of her Etsy business, from slow initial sales to gaining momentum at the peak of bridal season which thankfully has not tapered off! Anna's plate is quite full and she shares how she manages and organizes her time between a full-time teaching job during the school year and summer employment with running her ever-growing Etsy business.

We also discuss how she uses social media to promote her Etsy shop and what the return on time invested in social media is for her.

Anna shares very candidly about mistakes she made in the beginning and how she has learned to do things differently, and better, in order to improve her and what she says is very valuable for all new (and veteran) Etsy sellers that may be making similar mistakes without even realizing it.

Best ways to reach Anna:

Etsy shop: 

Social media: , , , and

Website:

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Are you a fan of biology and Buffy? Then you'll love my guest this week! She's Robyn and she runs the Etsy shop .

Robyn sells stippling portraits, Buffy the Vampire-themed artwork and jewelry as well as human anatomy jewelry. Intriguing huh...?

In our convo, Robyn shares the personal story of what led her from a career as a model to the world on arts and crafts and selling on Etsy.

We also discuss how she developed her pricing strategies for the items in her shop and how she handled a dispute with a customer in the past.

Best ways to reach Robyn:

Etsy shop:

Website:

Social media: , ,

eBay shop:

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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Rachel Fisher loves animals and she sells paintings of them in her Etsy shop .

I'm an animal lover and my favorites are dogs and cats, but I have to say, seeing Rachel's rat art almost has me creating a special place for rats in my heart... :)

I love that Rachel has made a very deliberate plan to make a full-time living on Etsy eventually and in our convo today she shares how she drew up her business plan then broke it down into manageable steps and is now working her way towards that goal by making and meeting her very realistic goals and milestones.

Rachel's journey is offers lots of encouragement for any Etsy seller that is starting to feel overwhelmed at the thought of what it will take to achieve their Etsy business goals so listen in and takes notes from her :)

Rachel also does custom pet portraits so if you, or someone you know has a beloved pet, these would make a nice gift... Just in time for Christmas/Hanukkah, so check out

Best ways to reach Rachel:

Etsy shop:

Website:

Blog:

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.

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