I'm drowning and the offers keep coming

[PotteryLodge]

Basically my shop has really taken off way better than I could have ever thought possible. At this time I am receiving giveaway offers, blog ad space, and other features from some of the top blogs from the US and overseas. As a business I want to be involved with each one because their sites are amazing and the opportunity is rare. As a business ran by just me, it's overwhelming.

It's very hard to pick the ones I want to be involved in and which ones to turn down. I have turned down so many great opportunities because I know the traffic it would bring would be too much for me to physically/mentally handle.

I feel horrible turning down these offers, mostly because these are the blogs people SEEK out and they are seeking me out. It's crazy. I don't want to pass up these amazing opportunities and getting my name out there, but I'm so swamped I just can't handle it. Any advice? Is it okay to pass up blogs that have over 25k facebook likes with hundreds of 'comments' 'shares'.

I feel like putting my shop on vacation mode while I finish up my existing orders and 2 wholesale orders I'm working on. Is this okay to do?

[JennyLU]

my advise? Enjoy it! And congrats!

[ClairAshley]

That's the beauty of owning your own business, you can do whatever you NEED to do. If you feel you need to close down your shop to catch up, do so!

I personally would raise your prices. They're a bit on the low side. That will slow traffic down a bit, and make things more manageable, and if you see that it does not slow down, then you need to hire someone.

As for the BIG DEAL blogs, if they aim for your target market, I would find a way to do them. The back links it would create for your shop would make an important mark in Google for you. You wouldn't want to miss out.

Is this your full time day job? If not, make it so :-) Sounds like you can!

[Former_Member]

Hey Casi!
First of all, I'm super jealous you have so many great opportunities coming your way! Good for you, I wish this was a problem for me!

If you are having trouble keeping up with the popular demand of your items it might be a good idea to look into hiring some help.

Someone to wrap out going orders and field some paperwork can take a lot of the extra stress off your shoulders, and if you are continuing to grow your business you will most likely end up hiring employees down the road anyway. A local college with an arts program would be a good place to look.

Congrats on your success again!

[Former_Member]

Take some time, It is better to take a break then to have the quality of your work start to suffer, decline politely or even better see if the option to postpone is available and schedule the features/giveaway etc. at another time…. Good Luck and Congrats on your success a great problem to have!

[PotteryLodge]

My fiance also suggested raising my prices a little. I suppose that will be a good step in the right direction. Nice to hear someone else thinks the same.


Thanks for the advice everyone..it's comforting reading the comments.

[ClairAshley]

No, not raising your prices a "little"…raising your prices by a lot.
For instance your whale ring holder is currently $15.00 ( too low, that is what Target charges for their ring holder…you are better than Target, you are an artist).
You could charge minimum $20.00. Your target market will pay that.

I know everyone always says "Work smarter, not harder." It's really true though.
Don't be a sweatshop of one. You will burn out.

[PotteryLodge]

I totally feel like a sweatshop right now. I'm working from 9am to 1am almost daily. I also suffer from depression and other mental health issues, which is why I wanted to work from home and explore art. I barely have time to do anything other work. I love being busy, it keeps my mind busy and is a diversion to my mental health issues, but at the same time the overwhelming nature is beginning to trigger my health issues, which isn't good. I also have a little sister who has major mental health issues and is currently in a residential housing unit and yesterday she was taken to a mental ward for her issues. It's heartbreaking for my family and to know my little sister is hurting so bad. (sorry for the drama story)

For my prices, according to etsy's formula, they are on point. However as an artist, I also understand that pricing artwork is very subjective and should also be based on the talent, which is priceless. It's all so confusing and I'm just hoping this new year I will continue to learn.

[ClairAshley]

I am so sorry to hear that you and your sister are going through all of that.
Good for you that you have picked a job that helps you deal with your health issues and allows for you to thrive, but like you said, it's a fine line, balance is so important and so is sleep! If you don't get enough sleep, you will feel worse.

You said (according to Etsy's formula) is on point. Maybe for some of your stuff, but I just don't know, I just keep going back to the whale and it just seems so low, and I know how ceramicists make things, and it's a lengthy process….

[6feetco]

Hi,
I know what you mean about feeling like a sweat shop - I feel the same way - I have been overwhelmed with orders for months and can't catch up it seems no matter how much I try. I have told myself this year I am going to start working smarter - so I am going to look to see if I can get a helper for a few hours a week to do some of packaging and other things - that might be something that you could do - also for the blogs - just ask if you could delay it as you are catching up on orders - if they are interested I am sure they will wait. Hang in there!

[WomanShopsWorld]

Congrats on the success Casi! Take a deep breath and remember that this is a beautiful situation to be in!

I agree that raising your prices would be a good place to start.

And can you hire someone? Like Simone above recommended, an extra set of hands to help with some of the less creative work might help you.
Or maybe hire an intern to help.

You could also consider delaying your delivery times, and taking the time that you need to get the orders out. I'm sure people won't mind waiting a little longer to get their fabulous items from you!

Try taking a step back and looking at what parts you enjoy and what parts are stressing you out, and then re-assess from there. Sometimes it's just a matter of tweaking a few things, and then things fall into place.

As for the bloggers who want to feature you, ask them if you can take a rain check. Maybe they can give you a few months to work out some kinks and then feature you.

Best of luck, and congrats!

[Former_Member]

Casi, I have anxiety and OCD so I totally get what you're saying. I was told to focus on doing something, especially something physical, to help with both. But at the same time if you're getting overwhelmed with orders and offers it's like going in a circle and ending up exactly in the spot you were trying to get out of.

I agree with raising your prices and being very selective with the offers your still getting. If it's for a fact, 100% your target market then go for it. And you can always graciously explain to the others that right now, you've got all the traffic you can deal with but thanks.

[Former_Member]

Casi, I have ordered from you. I bought my sister a ring holder. It was absolutely gorgeous. As someone who has had a piece of your artwork in her hands, you should definitely be charging more for your pieces.

I would say I am jealous. I wish my shop would take off. However, I can see how it can go from being a blessing to being overwhelming very quickly the more your traffic increases.

I don't think it is a bad thing to turn down offers if you know you aren't going to be able to be your best self or do your best work if you are swamped. Don't feel guilty about that. You need to do what is right for you. It is your business.

Have you thought about adding people to help you? Do you have a sister, friend, someone you trust that you could add to the payroll? It might help to have someone else working alongside you. Maybe you could create and they could handle all of the packaging and shipping. I know how much time packaging and shipping can take away from creating!

If you are worried about putting your shop on vacation mode, maybe try deactivating some of your listings so you're not getting so much traffic. Once you are caught up, you can reactivate them.

Just some thoughts. Hope you are able to keep from getting too overwhelmed! I understand doing it as a distraction. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks which is part of the reason I began this venture, as well! Best of luck to you.

[PotteryLodge]

@Clair

See that's the part of the pricing I always get confused about..the lengthy time. For instance once I fire my kiln I can't open the kiln for 24 hours. It reaches temp. of 2000 degrees and you can't open it until it cools down, which takes about 24 hours when you first start firing. Then after the first firing you have to glaze and back in the kiln for a second time to melt the glaze into a glass surface. So how do I incorporate those hours into my prices? I usually fit about 6-10 pieces at a time per firing.

[kidsstore]

Congrats on doing so well! Definitely put your shop on vacation mode to catch up on your orders, and also catch your breath. You don't want to get overworked and sick. I ended up putting my shop on hold for short periods 4 different times last year, and it did not hurt me at all. In fact, I beat the previous year's sales. That is the beauty of having a shop on Etsy. It is so flexible for the seller. Just leave a note that your shop is temporarily closed with a brief reason. While it is closed, do leave a message that, even though customers' can't purchase items at the moment, you will periodically be checking and responding to all messages. That way you won't lose sales from serious customers.

You can also temporarily deactivate some of the items that take more time or are less profitable until you have time for them. Once some of my items made it to the Google SEOs, my son told me to start to focus on the items that were more profitable, raise my prices a little, and limit or delete the items that my customers didn't seem interested in. I learned to listen to my customers on what items they preferred.

Do raise your prices, and be very selective on how many and in which blogs you do giveaways. At this point, you probably don't need to do them, though it can help getting your name out there. Once customers find you, they will keep coming back and the word will spread. Don't feel guilty about turning down requests for freebies or things at a large discount. This is a business, and you need to make yourself run it like a professional business. That is hard sometimes for people, but it needs to be done to be truly successful.

Also, continue to use the teams here on Etsy for advice and support. It doesn't cost anything, and many of us have been there or somewhere similar and can give great seasoned advice. Again, congrats on your success and good luck.

[RebeccasRoomUK]

There is more than one way to calculate your pricing - here is an excellent UK site http://www.thedesigntrust.co.uk/how-to-increase-my-prices-confidently-and-without-losing-clients/

I think your prices are too low - if you raise them you could be earning the same money but working fewer hours. Or have more time to follow up those blog opportunities!

I suffer from depression too (following a stroke) - be gentle with yourself!

[PotteryLodge]

That's a great article Rebecca. I'm going to re-read it more later tonight. Very informative. : )

Everyone's comments and advice are so heartfelt and appreciated. I love having a team of people I can confide in.

My main concern about hiring help is the money. I don't want to sound greedy, I just don't know what to pay someone to help out? I would need someone a few times a week for packaging and cleaning. I figured a high school student wouldn't mind a little part time job for extra money..

[Former_Member]

Tell the blogs that you are currently trying to catch up after a busy holiday season (even if that's not exactly the case) and ask them if they would consider still featuring you or whatever in a month or two or whatever.

I opened my shop in order to fund my hobby of crafting and art and put some extra change in my pocket. I've been diagnosed with depression for 13 years and am also diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, OCD, ADHD, and anxiety (social phobia and panic attacks). Disability does not pay much. Mental wards are not fun - I've been in them myself. So I totally understand what you and your sister are going through.

I wish I could get half the orders you are. And while my pieces take a week to make from start to finish, I can do several at a time so I don't factor in drying time really into how I priced my jewelry. Are you factoring in a profit margin when you come up with prices? I forgot who mentioned Target but they were right - your prices should definitely be higher than big name stores like that (not ridiculously high, but..). Then again, I've gotten more sales since RAISING my prices - twice - so who knows if that'd slow you down or speed you up.

I'll be featured in some blogs myself (not huge deal blogs but pretty well known in certain communities) and am excited about the possibility of traffic.

Be thankful that you've gotten so successful and if you want to keep being successful, definitely try to do what you can to stay that way.. but not get overwhelmed because I know how awful that can be when you have a mental illness. Go on vacation mode, ask the blogs to do a feature later when you're less stressed, and enjoy the the fact that your ceramics are in hundreds of homes.

- M

[PotteryLodge]

Already started raising my prices! Feels good : ) I'm extremely thankful for my success, because my social phobia is so severe I don't leave my house but maybe once a week (maybe). Being around a lot of people, even family, is too much for me..I'll have a panic attack and those are no fun at all to deal with.

I've already contacted my sister-in-law for helping with accounting work. Hopefully I'll hear back from her soon. It will be a little relief to have that part of the business taken care of.

[AttentionGetting]

Hi Casi

Forget about the formula for a minute in terms of your pricing.

How many products can you make in a day, working a typical 8 hour day? For example, if you can only make 10 products a day at most (and that is not including packaging them up for shipment, dealing with customers, etc.) and each product is on average $25, then the most you will ever make on a typical day (without killing yourself) is $250, less materials, less Etsy fees, less PayPal fees, etc.

If you are happy with that final number, keep doing what you are doing. But if you find you are killing yourself and still only PROFITING $100 a day for example (I am assuming this is a full time job), then you have to raise your prices because your business model isn't working for you.

Remember the economics of business, when demand goes up, prices go up. too.

Hope that helps!

[ShadeTreeNaturals]

I agree with the others what are stating to raise your prices. That is how major business control their work load. When demand gets too high, you raise your price so that you can keep up with incoming orders but still make a good wage. It's a sign that your business is growing in the right direction! :)

[PotteryLodge]

@tara. That's a good way to look at it. Though it's scary to raise prices and assume people won't buy with the price increase.

[Former_Member]

Congratulations on your success! The beauty of having your own shop is that you get to decide how big or small you want to be. The advice in this thread is wonderful. Just another voice of encouragement from me: raise your prices! It can be scary but, in your situation, it sounds like a great solution. You'll probably even make more money with a little bit less of a headache. But, of course, your health and family is more important than number of sales.

[Former_Member]

Please share your secret ;)~

[kidsstore]

Casi, you might want to contact the local high school art teacher to find a student who would love to help you and learn a lot while doing it.

If your sister-in-law isn't able to help you with your accounting, maybe a college student from the local community college might be interested at a reasonable price. You could call an employment agency and ask what the starting wage might be for someone in entry level bookkeeping. That would give you an idea of what to pay.