Long-term strategy Archives

5 Easy-to-Fix Mistakes I Made That Seriously Hindered the Growth of My Etsy Shop

You have a crafty hand.

People always compliment your work and say, “you should totally sell these!”

Then your wheels start turning, “how CAN I sell them? Maybe online? In a store?”

You do some slight research to see if those people were right about you selling your “stuff.”

You'll most likely come across Etsy on your hunt for information.

You've probably already heard of Etsy since it's been around awhile and you probably know someone you has also sold their craft there.

But shucks, that sure does look intimidating.

Well, that's where I come in.

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How I Made Over $2K in My First Two Months On Etsy

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could just add your products to your Etsy shop and the sales just started rolling in?

Customers would leave you nice, positive comments.

You'd be the top shop of the search engine for your products.

Easy peasy.

If only it didn't take some major research and smart work to get there.

The market would be even more saturated if it were that simple.

You're probably wondering, how the heck can I sell over $2k?!

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2016 Annual Income Report For My Handmade Business

Have you ever been curious about how much other people make from their jobs?

I know I have, and the first place I look at is GlassDoor.com where employees of specific companies share reviews for the businesses they work for.

But more interestingly, they also share their annual income.

This is great data for job seekers and college students picking a major.

Unfortunately, this kind of data for handmade businesses is not readily available for public viewing.

This is one of the few reasons why I do an annual income report for my handmade business every year.

Here's 2014's income report, and here's 2015's.

One, to educate other creatives who are interested in taking their business to a more serious level.

Two, I believe in transparency and that you should follow a mentor or teacher that not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.

Three, because this is a good excuse for me to do a year review and analyze what went wrong or right so I can make plans for the new year.

Are you ready to take a peek behind my business?

Here's a snapshot view of how the year went:

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Why Your Competitors Are Your Secret Weapon To Success

“Your enemy can be your best teacher”- Dali Lama

It’s natural that as an artist or maker, every single item you create has a little bit of you in it.

It was your creative vision that made it, and your nimble hands that painted the brush strokes, cut that pattern with a scalpel or turned that stone into a pendant.

It was your time you sacrificed away from your friends or family, or mostly in my case Netflix and gym visits, to make that beautiful piece of art.

So when we think about successful people in our niches, we can get a bit….well…..defensive and our self confidence takes a nosedive.

We start to do what we do best, beat ourselves up!

In my Facebook group recently I asked my creative friends what thoughts spring to mind when thinking about their online competition.

The people who are making a full time income from their creative talents and are further along the journey than them.

Here is what they said.

“Looking at online shops that are doing better than me makes me feel totally and utterly worthless”

“I’m not sure who my competition is, there are so many of us doing the same thing which feels pretty much like rubbish if I’m honest.”

“When I think about my competitors, especially those at the top of the tree, I just think ‘Gosh, they are untouchable' and then I wonder how the hell they got there and I’m still here.”

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