Daily Chat January 14, 2015

[naturepoet]

Welcome to new members, welcome back to returning teammates! If this is your first time here - this is a place to ask questions, share your most embarrassing secrets, or just chat about the slow and boring bits of your day…we want to hear from you!!

Be sure to check out the discussion board. There are games to be played and threads to explore. The more you promote your fellow team mates, the more you get promoted, so be sure to participate on a daily basis. Check out our blog and our Facebook page, as well as the other links provided below.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
* Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/301427606658253/
* Etsy Calculator: salecalc.com/etsy
* Etsyology: www.etsyology.net/
♥ Online Photo Programs: fotoflexer.com/ or www.picmonkey.com/
treasurypin.com./ and editor.pho.to/
arwmedia.net/tools/pixlr_express.php
* Etsy Craft Tools: www.mycrafttools.com/
* Etsy Gadget: www.estygadget.com
* Craftopolis -Edit multiple listings: www.craftopolis.com/#com=ee
* Etsy Banner Maker: bannerfans.com/banner_maker.php?bnew=1&pses=1a256d05
* Craftcount - craftcount.com/teritory.php
* Google+ tutorials blog.kissmetrics.com/personal-google-plus-account/ and moz.com/blog/tips-to-use-google-for-s
* Chrome Treasury Box: brittanysbest.com/treasurybox-chrome-extension/
* Google+ information plus.google.com/communities/112658132414010568954
* Etsy team page: www.etsy.com/pages/aaasupport
* Check your keyword relevancy in search: www.tools4etsy.com/Wall-e/Relevancy/Keyword

Please don't forget to post in the AAA Support Team thread in the promo forum :)) www.etsy.com/uk/teams/21915/promos/discuss/15267796/

Good morning, everyone. What a wonderful chat we had yesterday. This team is awesome and I want to remind you that every member is valued. Thanks to all of you for being so supportive of each other.

Today, let's talk about goals for 2015. What do you want to accomplish in the coming months?

I keep my goals reachable and have found this is the secret to achieving them. When I started on Etsy almost 5 years ago, I wanted to have 365 sales for the year. That would average out to one sale a day. Surprisingly enough, I was able to reach that goal. Since then, I've set my goal to increase sales to more than the year before. So far, that goal has been reached. 2014 was my best year every. I'm hoping to exceed that this year. Time will tell.

There are a few things I do to make my shop successful.
1. I set reachable goals every month.
2. I try to list something every day, though I don't always have time to do that.
3. I promote in teams and in the forums. I've had good luck in the forums. It may not be a direct sale, but other sellers fave my items and then people see them in their favorite lists.
4. I try to bring in new items on a regular basis. I have an idea I'm working on now.
5. Whenever I sell 100 items, that particular buyer gets a little gift.

These are just some of the ways I promote my shop and keep it fresh and appealing. I'd enjoy hearing what others do. Together we can help all team members achieve their goals.

QUOTE of the DAY:

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."
~ Brian Tracy

[naturepoet]

One thing I forgot to mention and there are probably others. When someone follows me, I check out their shop and if their items are something I like, I follow their shop as well. Just followed one tonight that has over 2200 followers. That connects me to even more people.

[Former_Member]

Oh, it's the 14th already for a lot of you. I won't be able to check in much for a few days as the owner is having the driveway redone, which means first removing the old concrete. Should be noisy. I have a desktop computer so I'll be computerless for a lot longer than I'm use to. How will I survive : )? Apparently concrete dust is very bad for the lungs, so I'm going to ask the owner to tape plastic over the old leaky windows. The dust causes something like asbestosis. Makes a bit of sense as the dust is composed of tiny rocks that get inhaled and can't be exhaled.
This goal subject is getting me thinking a bit more clearly.
I hope yesterdays chat is still around so I can check it out when I get a chance.

[NaturalClocks]

Good morning team!

Woke up to about 5mm of snow, it doesn't even cover the grass in the garden, what a pathetic poor effort tut tut... (in case you are wondering, we are talking of around 1/8''). I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the real snow and Winter weather won't come at the end of the month to disrupt travel, as I'm going to Italy then.

Good luck with the driveway work Betterwyth, that is a nuisance, I hope it won't last long. Yes, I think that plastic sheets over the windows are a must to stop some of that stuff getting in.

Goals.. uhm... I don't have any set goals, apart from keep creating, keep listing and keep selling. I would love to reach 200 listings in the next 2 or 3 months, but at the rate things are going it'll be a struggle to make it happen. And of course I would love to beat last year's sales, who wouldn't?

My brick and mortar will re-open in February, so it'll be back to the juggling game again for 8-9 months, both in terms of time dedicated to each shop and finances too, where and how to re-invest the money (treating brick and mortar and Etsy as two separate entities is just not possible for me at the moment). So yeah, it gets challenging to set goals! My immediate goal is to get my backside down to the beach looking for driftwood actually, I've only had a short foray on Sunday for some pebbles for a custom order. There again, if the weather is poor there isn't much that I can do about it, but today looks promising.

I have found a couple of threads on the forum regarding an Etsy IPO (basically going public with their shares), which seems pretty imminent https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/15839228/page/1 . I'm wondering what that will mean for us and for the future of Etsy, as it's a known fact the world over that whenever there are shareholders involved, money and profit are king at the expense of everything else. No need to panic over something that is out of my control, I'll just have to wait and see and carry on as usual I suppose.

Right, lets see how Blake will like walking on a bit of snow now, the pavements seem to have a dusting of it.

Have a great day everybody!

[Former_Member]

I would like to thank everyone for their words of support yesterday! I did not get to read it until now because I worked the afternoon/evening and I was too tired when I got home.

It is wonderful to be part of this team, with so much support! Honestly, this is rare, and something to be cherished!

There where load of great tips, and I will try to do something with most of them. For the moment I will not go to a therapist though, I already had 5 years of intensive therapy in the Netherlands, and things did not get better until I moved away. It feels like I might manage on my own, and the tips given yesterday where very helpful. Of course, if it does not work out I will go and see a professional! Rebecca, thank you for your story, it was good to read about you and how your shop is helping you. I did recolonize a lot of things you wrote, though with me it is a bit milder I suppose.

About goals for 2015, I do not have any for Etsy, besides keeping the shop open. I do have some for my private life. I wish to work on my confident issues and I hope to get my drivers licence. I also hope to be able to travel to Armenia in June, and to the UK in August. These are the 2 things I look forward to the most, and I think that going to Armenia especially will be a wonderful new experience. I do not yet know if it can go trough, but time will tell.

Mary, I think the list of goals you made is very reasonable, and I am sure it will help you a lot!

[naturepoet]

Aisha, we are glad that we were able to lift you up and help you a little. If you need to talk about anything, you can post it here, or convo anyone of us to talk about your situation. All MUST hold these kind of conversations in perfect confidence.

[KrochetKingdom]

Hi Team,

Great chat yesterday from this wonderful supportive team. I am out of town attending to my daughter who is having inFusions, biopsies, MRI's etc. life is hectic at the moment but i am blessed.

Everyonde have a great day.

[ItsSewYouDear]

Good morning team!

I love the quote, Mary, thank you!

Goals for my shop? The only thing that I thought about is adding a couple of new lines as far as creation goes, which will result in more items for sale. Other than that, I'll take whatever I get in terms of sales :) I still have a lot to do to restock after holiday sales. So I guess creating is main goal and focus right now.

Val, it'll be interesting when Etsy goes public. One thing for sure is that Etsy will get a lot more PR, which means higher traffic and more sales for the site. But also, raising fees won't be out of the realm of what may happen. One thing I'll be looking forward to is the release of all of Etsy's financial data as it goes public and will be required to show such information. Heck if numbers look as good as I think they may look, I may even invest in it haha.

betterwythcage, good luck!

Marion, best wishes for your daughter!

Still a bit gray here. I need to finish a couple of orders before going to work.
Happy Wednesday all!

[Former_Member]

I didn't get to read yesterdays chat, but I just read something here that suggests we should make these chats private. It's not a big deal to make them private, just click the private thing when starting.

[naturepoet]

Marion, I have added your daughter to my prayer list.

Better, I doubt if Chris would think that was a good idea. He likes all things public, which allows people to view our posts, but I will consult him about a private chat. In the meantime, we know when we post that anyone can see it.

[naturepoet]

Interesting read about Etsy going private. Not sure what it would mean for sellers and it might be a good investment. We won't know until their financials are released to the public.

I can't complain about how I've done on Etsy. Each year my business has grown and that makes me happy. I have tried selling at other venues but have never been successful doing that, so for now, Etsy is my only venue.

[Former_Member]

I remember asking a while ago for the dailies to be private and it was poo pooed. I'm saying this now because of the reference above. Why does Chris like all things public? Perhaps Chris will weigh in about it.

[Former_Member]

Marion, all good wishes for your daughter and a big hug for you. Take care.

[Former_Member]

I just read yesterdays chat and it's not supremely personal. Good.
I'll add that the Vitamin D suggestion is good, also omega 3 oils.

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Better, I remember the discussion had about going private or not last year and I think I weighed in, because on another Team, I'm the Leader charged with the Chat Thread, which is private.

My experience on both is that there is a lot more action on this version (public) than the other because a lot of folk may be being put off by the fact of the privacy. Our Team Leaders, who are all pretty hands on here, are more than capable of contacting any offender and suggesting they go elsewhere if the tone is becoming unsuitable!

The other team's chatterers tend to me mostly me (what a surprise!) and a handful of regulars, with another handful or two who chip in once in a blue moon. It's a pretty active team, but not nearly as big as this one - which, come to think of it, might be as good a reason for Chris to want to keep it public, so more folk don't get put off!

Have been nattering of late about Body Puppets. Here is the finished result of the dry run in the form of a Black Cat Puppet - who has just been listed.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/218473996/black-white-cat-made-to-measure-arm

Antibiotics and inhaler beginning to work now: last night wasn't much better on the sleep stakes, but the bug is beating a retreat!!

Now off to read the rest of yesterday's chat.

[beckyspillowshop]

I have a question. Maybe someone can help me out. I have "never" actually seen the direct checkout fee on my Etsy bill. I have had to figure it out by what what was deposited into my account. Is there something I am missing? Somewhere else that it shows up??

Also I am using craftybase.com , still on a trial basis , for bookkeeping, and had a sale yesterday . It didn't show up, so they told me to import Etsy again , and it did show up. The .79 fee for direct checkout showed up also. Never seen it anywhere else. So can someone tell me where it does show up??

[NaturalClocks]

I'll go with whatever Chris will decide, but I can't see the big deal personally between a public chat and a private chat, as private chats can still be read by any of the 2790 members of the AAA Support Team, most of which are, and I say this with the greatest respect, complete strangers to us as they don't take part in the daily chat and therefore we never got to know a bit better. Is there any reason why you think that the chats should be private Better?

[ZingRetroFinds]

Hi All,

Marion, your daughter is in my thoughts. I hope things improve for her.

Wyth, I think it is good to have our discussions public because it shows how we really do offer support to each other.

My shop was going to participate in a multi-arts event in Philly but after going to a pre-meeting, I realized that there would be live and loud music which would make it difficult to talk with my customers as I have a moderate hearing loss. I would have done this when I was younger, but not now. Oh well, back to traditional craft shows.

Have a great day

[NaturalClocks]

Marion, you and your daughter are in my thoughts, hope it will all go well, keep us updated.

Sorry Becky, but even though I have DC I've never looked closely at how fees are calculated and deducted, I just trust Etsy in doing the right thing and getting on with it, I'm bad that way LOL! You could try looking through Your Shop -> Finances -> Your Bill, where you'll find up to date statements with all your transactions.

[Former_Member]

Hey, hey.
My concern re public/private today was in reference to a reference to yesterdays chat. I thought perhaps someone had posted too personal stuff forgetting the publicness, but it's all good. The info wasn't supremely personal.
Thanks for addressing addressed concerns. : )

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Sorry, Marion - forgot to wish your daughter (and you too) well in your battles with the medics. Keep us posted, and you're both on my prayer list as from today too.

Sorry to hear about the upcoming show not being the right one for you, Donna, but better you find out BEFORE the event rather than AT the event. The last one I was at, just before Christmas, we were furthest from the front door (on a bitterly cold day), but right next to the stage from which some local broadcasting station was "doing their stuff". Both Clare and I had major headaches by the end of the session (went from 1500 - 2100 on a Friday afternoon!) and will be checking it out more thoroughly next time around! You did the right thing.

[ItsSewYouDear]

Becky, if you go to Dashboard ---> Shop Payment Account, DC fees show up there.

[beckyspillowshop]

Thanks!! I appreciate it Candi!

[beckyspillowshop]

Thanks again, I never knew that was there. Etsy isn't the easiest site to navigate and learn where stuff is!

[RedRiverValley]

Good Afternoon Team,

Love the quote Mary. Something I need to keep in mind for myself right now. Thank you!

For 2015 I hope to have a 120 sales, 200 items in my shop, finish redoing my pictures and build my social medial presence on Instagram and G+. And my long term goal of being able to walk away from a full time job.

Marion, prayer for you and a speedy recovery for your daughter.

Donna, I'm glad you discovered that the show won't be a good fit for your shop before you went through all the work of preparing for and doing the show. They are so much work to not have a good result. The show does sound interesting though. I wish I lived closer to Philly. I enjoy live music.