The Handmade Shop: Etsy Business Strategy for Makers with Physical and Digital Products

I talked a lot about Black Friday in a few episodes last month.  And now it’s only a month away.  So let’s talk about how I’m prepping this month.

I’m focusing on 4 main things from supplies to inventory to premaking goods.  Listen to the full episode to learn more.

Find show notes here.

For more resources on getting more Etsy sales, join my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram.

I talk to a lot of makers who want to start getting daily sales on Etsy.  And it’s a great first goal!  But there are some surprising side effects to hitting that mile marker.

So let’s talk about those today.

Obviously getting daily sales on Etsy means more revenue (and hopefully more profit), but there are some surprising side effects as well.  Listen to the full episode to learn more.

Then join us in The Handmade Creative here.  Doors close soon!

Find show notes here.

For more resources on getting more Etsy sales, join my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram.

Not sticking with your  plan is a huge mistakes that I see a lot of sellers making.  Bouncing around from strategy to strategy hoping that what you pick next is going to be *The Plan* that throws you to your goals.

You make a plan, get really excited about it, and then decide to do something else in a few days or a few weeks because you think the first plan isn’t working.  Or you get bored.  Or you hear about something new that some other seller is doing and seeing success with.  And you think maybe that is the magic solution to getting successful on Etsy.

So you change the plan and come up with something new that you're excited about but you're not going to stick to that strategy either.  For all of the same reasons you didn’t stick with the last strategy.

Maybe you're expecting results too quickly, maybe you are getting bored for some reason, maybe you just aren't prioritizing your business in the best way that you could.   but those problems are going to continue to follow you from plan to plan until you get your strategy down.

So today I'm going to give you a few tips and tricks to making a plan you love and sticking with it so you can actually see results in your Etsy business.

Listen to the full episode to learn more.  Then join me in my free Q&A session about The Handmade Creative here.

Find show notes here.

For more resources on getting more Etsy sales, join my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram.

Today I want to talk about something that holds a lot of sellers back.

And that’s perfectionism.

My motto is done is better than perfect.  Here’s why.

I have 18000 sales on Etsy at this time.  And my shop still isn’t perfect.  I look at my stuff and can pick dozens of things that I need to change or fix or improve.  If I would have waited until everything was perfect or even just closer to perfect to launch my shop I would be months, if not years, behind where I’m at right now in my business.

And this doesn’t just apply to starting your Etsy shop.  Listen to the full episode to learn more.

Links:

Take my free Etsy masterclass here.

Find show notes here.

For more resources on getting more Etsy sales, join my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram.

I recently took a poll on my instagram, and more than 90% of you that follow me there experience burnout in your business.

I definitely have periods in my business when I’m feeling burnt out.  For me it looks like neglecting my social media and email list, working way too long and late, doing a lot of time wasting activities like checking email 100 times a day.  Which nobody needs to be doing.  When what I’m really doing is procrastinating on other tasks that I should be doing.

So today I want to talk about how to avoid burnout in your business.  So both you and your business are as healthy as possible.

We’re going to work on planning ahead, staying healthy, asking for help, and your mindset.  Listen to the full episode to learn more!

Links:

Take my free masterclass here.

Find show notes here.

For more resources on getting more Etsy sales, join my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram.

Your marketing options for your  Etsy shop are endless.  But there’s also a lot out there that don't work.  And we’re going to talk about 4 of those today.

One of the issues when you run a product based business is that so much of the advice out there is for serviced based businesses.  And it’s easy to try to adapt that advice to us. But that doesn't always work.

And sometimes we hear advice that’s great for makers and product businesses, but we don't always apply it in the right way.

So today’s episode is going to save you time and frustration by skipping these 4 things that don't work for Etsy sellers.

After you listen, join us in my JumpStart to find a marketing plan that will work for you in just a few hours!

Links:

My favorite hashtag service.

For more resources on getting more Etsy sales, join my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram.

I have a handful of unpopular opinions about Etsy and how to succeed on that platform.  And this is the one that most people disagree with me about.  But let me tell you why you don’t need a website until you’re making 100k or more on etsy.

Here’s the scenario.  You’re making a handful of sales on etsy every week or  every month.  You put hours and hours into a new website because everyone tells you that you need a domain you own.  Then you launch it.

And nothing. No sales.  No traffic.  You spent all that time and money and then it’s not working?

Why?  Because you didn’t do things in the right order.  Listen to the full episode to learn more.

Then join us in JumpStart to give yourself a head start on building that audience that loves you!

Other Links:

Find show notes here.

For more resources on getting more Etsy sales, join my Facebook group or follow me on Instagram.

Email lists are something that most Etsy sellers aren’t thinking about until they are years into their business, if at all.

But they are a super effective marketing tool that most business owners wish they would have started sooner.  Including me!  I didn’t start my email list for a few years after I opened my business and every time I think about it I’m shaking my head because of what I missed out on.

So today we’re going to chat about why they’re so important for your business.  Listen to the episode to learn more.

Then join me in my free masterclass here.

I hear this all the time.

“I get a lot of favorites, but how do I convert them to sales?”

Here’s the deal (and it might surprise you).  95% of the time, this isn’t the actual problem you should be focusing on.

Listen to the full episode to learn how you can tell.

Links:

Episode 7: Conversion Rates

JumpStart - The easy marketing guide for Etsy sellers

So when should you be listing holiday items on Etsy?  The answer is now.  Listen to the episode to learn why and how!

If you feel behind already or are worrying about making this as effective and successful as possible I want to announce that the doors to The Handmade Creative, my signature Etsy course are open.  I haven’t opened this course to the public for almost a year.  Here’s why doors are opening this week.

Starting next monday, August 30th, I’m hosting a four day Holiday prep training for handmade creative students.  We're going to spend 4 days creating your product lines, diving into keyword research so you know  buyers are searching for what you’re making, scheduling your holiday sales, and prepping your social media so you can make the most out of every single day of the holiday season.

And these trainings are only available for students in The Handmade Creative.

And this course is going to teach everything you need to know to have a successful holiday season on Etsy.  It makes product lines, keyword research, SEO, and marketing so simple.

So join us today.  Doors close Friday.

Click here for show notes.