One door closes, another opens...

[Former_Member]

I just got laid off from my day job, and I have a lot of time on my hands.

I'd like to grow my shop, and make some sales, on that lovely no-day-job budget of mine.

Give me your tips, tricks, critiques, dream marketing strategies, and 'ellos. :)

[Former_Member]

I got laid off back in November but it was a blessing for me. I was finally able to really work on prototypes and get mine open months later. Now working on filling it.

There is tons of helpful info in the Sellers Handbook to get you started. I think click on "Sell" up there in the top left corner and you should find it.

Good for you for having a positive, go get 'em attitude! I wish you well with your shop. Hang in there.

[Former_Member]

Keep your head up and think of this as an opportunity for success. Who knows? Maybe this can be your day job from now on!

Best of luck to you!!

[HilltopPottery]

This is mike I got Laid off three months ago and it was a blessing can do my pottery sell on line and dont have to worry about running out at shows it helps to have some inventory extra I wish you all the good luck in the world this is what American dream is to work for myself

[FalconandFinch]

I got laid off two years ago, and while it didn't pay all my bills, my etsy shop money kept the power on. I devoted all of my time to figuring out how to make my shop successful. Three things I wish I had known when I started:

read up on everything. Even if you think you already know it. I thought I took great photos - after all, I was a photography teacher before the axe fell - but I did my homework and still try to improve.

Put room in your budget to renew items, and do it several times a day, not just once in the morning, like I did when I started. Experiment with renewing at different times and with different items, to figure out what gives you the most bang for your buck.

Write clever, funny listings that connect with the shopper. Not just dry, description filled fact avalanches. Although facts and details are important too.

One other thing that helped was putting a link in every listing to the shop section, or to similar items. That helped keep people from bouncing away.

Be patient, keep your hopes up. When the going gets hard, don't get sad or mad; put that energy into improving your shop.

Best of luck!

[SweetEttaRose]

I got laid off 2 years ago and haven't found another day job. I started 2 etsy shops a couple of months ago. One of my shops is doing better than the other and I'm not sure why. I have been working on 1 networking project at a time. I just started a blog and my next step is to sign up for twitter.

@FalconandFinch your advice sounds really good, I think I will follow it too!

I just wanted to say, stay positive. There are lots of us who are unemployed. : )

Good Luck!

[Former_Member]

I think that saying is true! When one door closes another door opens!

The thing that worked for me is here:
http://www.wonderthinking.com/2009/11/secret-to-etsy-sales/

From that post:
My very best tip for marketing your online shop is not sexy. It’s not a magic bullet. It’s not going to make headlines. My best advice to set your etsy sales on fire is to work your business in 6 core areas. Small gains in each area will add up. This is my secret to etsy sales success and I know it will work for you too.

The 6 core areas of your business to develop (from my hands down favorite marketing guru Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz) are:

1. Lead generation. (More people seeing your stuff.)

2. Conversion. (More people buying once they see it.)

3. Dollars per sale. (More money per purchase.)

4. Personal relationships. (More people who really like you.)

5. Personal effectiveness. (More good work done in less time.)

6. Repeats and referrals. (More stuff down the line.)

What improvements can you make in each area? Make a list. Write it down. You need to come up actionable steps for each area. These do not have to be huge, take-over-the-world tasks. What are the small, almost painless things you can do in each area?

I started making significant gains in my etsy photography shop after I wrote down this list and came up with specific, achievable actions in each area. It’s an ongoing process; I should revisit this list regularly (and schedule that in my business calendar).

More on the blog.


Wishing you the best!

:) --Tricia

[RosellaResin]

Sorry to hear you've been laid off, Mandy, but I think you really have the right attitude - another door will open. It's a great time to work on your etsy shop - there are so many free resources here and so much to learn!

I love both your art and textile jewelry and I hope it really takes off for you now that you have more time!

<3 Jessica

[Former_Member]

So sorry to hear that...keep positive and use that time to do stuff for you and explore freely.

I've always wanted to start a shop on here....and getting laid off is what gave me the time to do that. =)

Tips: read up on lots of stuff, keep building inventory in your shop, renew, and don't get too caught up here in the forums. Look into branding your shop completely everything from avatar to business cards to shop banner to packaging. Find a niche that puts you ahead of others. Don't look at prices of other sellers...sell your stuff for what you think it's worth.

Hope all goes well. For me the worst part was finding out I was laid off. After that I found out so much about myself, interests, and definitely made me stronger and made me push harder to achieve more then ever before.

Perspective is everything.

Take care and wish you the best!

[Former_Member]

I was laid off over a year ago. It was the best thing to ever happen to me. I was able to work on all the things I love to do. I have expanded my home baking business, which is doing very well, and I started a blog. Just recently I started making jewelry and selling it on Etsy. I want to get back into watercolorpainting, sewing and photography.

In essence, I get to make stuff all day long and get paid for it. It's great! I have always been an artist in some form.

My best tip is to keep your eyes and your mind open to any opportunity, no matter how small it may seem. I have had some of the best breaks from people and situations that I would have never thought would have had any significance.

Good luck to you!

[Former_Member]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post some advice and inspiration. I really enjoyed reading your responses.

I've taken a few notes and I've already got some ideas on how to update my shop.