Simplysavy

Etsy Shop Name: Simplysavy

What you sell: Handbags, totes, messenger bags, evening bags and more. Our whole concept is “simple purses for your savy mood.

Tell us about your featured item: This was a hard one to pick. My sister is more conservative where I am more funky and retro. So since I am the one writing this interview I picked our Stella Tote. Funky and Unique! That is how to describe The Stella. This is a great medium size tote that fits perfectly without too much bulk horizontally. We added a black vinyl bottom and tote style handles for durability. Pack up your things for the day and go with style. Great colors of orange, taupe, white, purple and black give this a great Bohemian look. This is a MUST to have. Dimensions: 12 1/2 inches wide 13 inches high 2 1/2 inch bottom 12 1/2 inch tote straps top to bottom

What do you enjoy most about running your own Etsy shop?

We are two sister's/mom's who created Simply Savy because we wanted not only our kids to spend more time together but for us to do something that would be fun and creative together. Our goal is to have a line of original purses that fit every style, outfit and savy mood without breaking the bank. As mom's we are so busy taking care of other's that sometimes we forget about ourselves, this way you can treat yourself, while still staying within your budget. Our shop is for anyone looking to spruce up their closet and satisfy their handbag obsession without feeling guilty for overspending. It's handmade, handcrafted and made with care and love. We have total control over what we do on our shop, how and when we promote and when we create. Etsy is flexible and fun. The community is probably the second best thing about Etsy!!!

Do you set goals for your Etsy shop? If so, what type of goals?

Always!! Our goal is to sell 10 items a month, does it always happen, no but we come pretty close. Some months are better than other’s and it seems to all balance out in the end. We try and make 2 handbags each a week. Being mothers and having other jobs besides Etsy that can be difficult, so if we can’t create, we take the time to promote and talk to other Etsyians in the chat rooms of Etsy. (My personal addiction)

haddy2dogs

Etsy Shop Name: haddy2dogs

What you sell: Needle felted fiber art

Tell us about your featured item: This is a paper mache ball a little larger than asoftball, filled with treasures. I also add a clothbag to collect them in.We started making this kind of pinata when our firstchild was very young. Gnomes would hide them in thefairy garden. To open it you can toss it, kick it orplay hot potato with the family.

This toy is for all the parents out there who havecome home with a pile of plastic oddities from anotherchilds pinata. Myself I stare like a deer inheadlights wondering exactly what do with it. Myfillings are a natrual alternative. The materials canbe used for many activities. The other items wouldblend nicely into any home. I also have a deaf childwho, blinfolded and armed with a large stick canstrike fear into the bravest soul. So we still enjoythe thrill of pinatas but play soccer with theminstead of hitting them.

What role does creativity play in your marketingmethods?

Creativity is very important. I find that having ashop personality helps set me apart. Owning a smallbusiness takes more than just artistic talent.

Do you enjoy, loathe, or simply accept the necessityof record keeping for your business? Why?

I am awful at keeping records but I admit as mybusiness has grown I force myself to do it.

Etsy Shop Name: Pink Quartz Minerals

What you sell: I sell handmade natural vegan mineral makeup. Foundations, veil, blushes, bronzers, eye shadows and eyeliners, concealers and correctors. I also make custom vegan lip balms.

Tell us about your featured item: My featured item is my Mineral Makeup Sampler Kit. It contains a choice of 6 products along with a fantastic silky vegan baby kabuki brush. This gives the opportunity to try out a variety of my products without a huge investment, and to get a high quality brush that will last for many years. Most people choose a few foundations, a blush or bronzer, and some eye shadows for their kit. I am also available to assist with color and product choices, I love to help people find their perfect colors!

Have you taken any business classes to help you prepare for being an Etsy shop owner? What class would you like to take?

I have taken business classes in college, but what is most helpful with my business is my degree in Interior Design. I apply many of the principles learned to my makeup business, whether it be color theory or marketing. I would like to take additional financial classes to assist in future expansion of my business.

Do you hire an accountant to help with your Etsy shop finances? Why or why not?

I do not have an accountant at this point in my business. I feel more comfortable keeping tabs on exactly where the money is going. Having a limited budget, decisions are constantly being made regarding where to spend the money most effectively. This month I may spend on minerals I am getting low on, and next month I may spend on new supplies, jars or new items to try in my business. I am very pleased with the software I bought from JJM Finance. It is easy to use and super helpful, making my paperwork much easier!

The Lola Collection

Etsy Shop Name: The Lola Collection

What you sell: I create unique pendants using collage, decoupage techniques, glass and polymer clay.

Tell us about your featured item: My featured item is my most popular pendant, featuring a vintage map of Los Angeles. I love the colors in this piece and it seems many other people do as well. I create a lot of custom map pendants using the same style map and people cannot get enough of them. It is a great way to commemorate your home town or favorite destinations.

How do you decide on the price of your products?

I see so many talented artists on Etsy and in other venues and sometimes wonder how they can afford selling their work at the prices they do. Pricing is such a touchy subject, but one that I spend a lot of time contemplating. Basically, I add up all of my supplies, my time and listing fee’s and double the sum to come up with a price. Then I work backwards to determine my Etsy and PayPal fees and then adjust the price accordingly.

I’ve settled upon this formula so that I can offer a substantial discount for wholesale orders. I have found that the 50% discount for wholesale that is standard in the retail industry is so imbedded in people’s brains; I had a difficult time landing wholesale accounts at a 25% - 35% discount.

How do you market your Etsy shop?

Why do you think that most Etsy shop owners are worried about filing taxes? Well, I cannot speak for other Etsy sellers, but I can certainly tell you why I am worried about filing taxes! The whole idea of taxes (or anything that bureaucratic and/or involving mass amounts of paperwork) really stresses me out. Plus, this will be my first year not receiving a W-2 from a job. But, on the other hand, it’s a great feeling knowing that you’ve had the opportunity to really make your money work for you and your business before having to pay massive taxes. Hopefully I’ve invested in the right areas and won’t get crushed this year!

DebbieCarroll

Etsy Shop Name: my shop name is debbiecarroll and features jewelry by myself for my line, Vintage Revisited by Debbie Carroll.

What you sell: I sell original jewelry fashioned out of my stash of vintage beads and findings which I accent with semi-precious stones such as Turquoise (a personal favorite), Carnelian and Jasper, among others; freshwater pearls and contemporary glass. My designs reflect my interest in art and fashion and range from chunky Turquoise necklaces accented with lime green lucite and leather, to glamorous, ultra-feminine multi-strand necklaces of sparkling crystals or pearls. My focus is on color and creativity, but with an eye to what is ultimately wearable and fun to own. Due to the nature of vintage, and the sometimes limited availability of certain beads or findings, pieces are mostly one-of-a-kind or limited editions. While this can sometimes be a drawback, I feel it adds to the creative process and love the treasure hunt mentality involved in finding new items to use and love

Tell us about your featured item: The Violet Brooch Necklace is definitely what I call a "statement piece" and would transform any simple dress into an elegant ensemble! The necklace is centered around the vintage jewel encrusted brooch to which I've linked two strands of lustrous Czech glass pearls in fuschia on gun-metal colored wire, and added a single strand comprised of vintage Swarovski faceted, vitrial nail heads and vintage faceted black glass, also linked on gun-metal wire. The idea here was to compliment the brooch and give it an elegant framework; it looks amazing on!

What do you enjoy most about running your own Etsy shop?

I love having a forum to display my work and share it with all the others out there who enjoy and appreciate making and creating art. The Etsy site is so user friendly and upbeat and positive, and it is nice to feel like part of a community. Having the freedom to feature any item you choose, whenever you choose is a nice feature, as is working from home at any time of day or night

What do you dislike most about running your own Etsy shop?
I am not so good at updating the listings. It is so important to have really, really good photographs of your work (an area I am working on), that it takes me longer than I'd like to get new items up and running.

Dinner Time Chimes

Etsy Shop Name: Dinner Time Chimes

What you sell: Our primary focus is windchimes created from silverware, hence our shop name. A few other silverware creations are added from time to time also. We’ve recently expanded our creations to include other recycled creations for the garden (bird houses and bird feeders).

Tell us about your featured item: “Working Man’s Bird House” continues to generate the most views in our Etsy shop and turn heads at craft shows. The bird houses have been created from old boots collected from friends and purchased at thrift stores. Even the wood is recycled, since the lumber is from demolished barns. These bird houses are a unique addition to the garden and they quickly become the talk of the neighborhood. House wrens and other smaller birds welcome an exciting new place to build a nest--and, yes, we’ve actually had birds live in the ones at our house!

What role does creativity play in your marketing methods?

Before Etsy, we relied entirely on word of mouth advertising by family and participated in a few craft shows to sell the windchimes. We’ve recently joined a couple Etsy Street teams (EcoEtsy, CAST, NCTriangle), which is great for networking. In hopes of reaching out to shoppers around the world, we’ve been making simple promos for our shop that can be given away at craft shows or slipped into packages shipped by fellow team members. In keeping with the “eco” theme, we’ve created a couple versions of promos for our shop that are made from recycled items. It took a lot of thought to come up with these promos, but we hope that our creativity will be appreciated and potential buyers will enjoy what they see in our Etsy shop.

Do you enjoy, loathe, or simply accept the necessity of record keeping for your business? Why?

This is the first year that we’ve been a ‘real’ business. While that is exciting, it does come with a lot of responsibility and additional paper work. Since crafting is only a hobby for us, it’s very important that the recordkeeping doesn’t become overwhelming and we still have time to focus on the crafting (and life in general). We must admit that we rely heavily on an Excel spreadsheet to keep everything straight!

SecretIdentity

Etsy Shop Name: SecretIdentity

What you sell: I make jewelry out of silver, beads and salvaged mechanical parts.

Tell us about your featured item: My featured item is a bracelet made of chain and magenta glass beads. I really loved the lipgloss pink color of these beads and I thought the shiny chain really set them off.

What do you enjoy most about running your own Etsy shop?

Etsy lets me work at my own pace. I like the flexibility of selling here. In addition to Etsy, I’m a librarian and a grad student, so I can fix my selling schedule around all my other commitments. If I want to list new items at three o’clock in the morning, I can. The environment at Etsy is much more individualistic and unique than on other selling sites.

What do you dislike most about running your own Etsy shop?

If I had to pick something, I would say the relative obscurity of Etsy. It’s not as widely known as that other E—site, so there isn’t that immediate recognition whenever I tell someone about my shop. I do love introducing people to Etsy.