Seeking Quotes for Seller Handbook Story: How did you get serious about your Etsy shop?

[#1]

Hi there!

Was there a moment when you looked at your shop and thought "it's time to get serious"? If so, I want to hear from you! Share your story and tips below for a chance to be quoted in an upcoming Seller Handbook article.

Some topics I'm interested in hearing about:

Stories about how your shop evolved from part time hobby to full fledged business
Changes in how you view your shop now vs. when you first started it
Tips you'd offer other sellers looking to take their shop to the next level
How your attitude and approach towards your shop has shaped your success

Feel free to share even if you're still in the process of "getting serious" about your shop. All perspectives are welcome.

Can't wait to read your responses!

Update: The Seller Handbook post is live: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2015/how-to-get-serious-about-your-etsy-shop/

[FreshRetroGallery]

My successes have come from an attitude of ambition in selling mainly family tree charts. Concentrating on using time wisely, squeezing small things into small moments is very important as an Etsy seller who also is wife, mother and full time employee outside of Etsy. Etsy’s rewards are fulfilling… hearing happy buyers lavishing compliments can bring joy to balance out dealing with highly critical and never-satisfied attitudes of others at a day job.

[Former_Member]

I started my shop making pastry stands from vintage china. About 5 months after I opened (it seemed so much longer than that), without much of a sales record, I was contacted by a buyer from Fab to do a flash sale. That meant a huge investment in inventory would be required. I thought to myself: if my (then) husband doesn't let me do this, I will never forgive him! I was a SAHM to 3 kids, subbing in the local schools and studying at night to get my teacher certification. But I was quietly determined to seize that opportunity. He agreed and that flash sale on Fab was a great learning experience and business move. It really pushed Fresh Pastry Stand along.

When I first started, I really thought of the shop as a creative outlet and way to earn some pocket money. Now I am really in the thick of a legit business. I have cash flow in and out. Rent a huge warehouse space (before I was in a spot above the carport) and have so much great stuff planned for 2015. The biggest change in how I personally view my business is that when I started, I had very modest goals. I've exceeded those goals and now realize that I will always have ideas and ambitions for the business. There is no "being satisfied."

[Former_Member]

I was serious from the start. I joined Etsy when the economy started sinking badly and just before the Big Recession exploded. Business for my tiny Web design business almost disappeared for at least one year: investing in a Web design was not a priority for anyone following the shock of the Big Recession . It became essential for me to find additional sources of work and income.

Etsy had been a fascinating and fun place to shop and I decided to jump in and take a chance with my first shop selling graphic designs. Over the years I opened 3 more shops, each one selling something different. I now have three active Etsy shops, all selling some sort of digital downloads. My goal is now to build up my retirement income.

[TheJoyofColor]

I think there were 2 critical moments i can say determined my seriousness regarding my shop and seeing it as my steady sorce of income for the future.

The first was when after a year i saw that my decorative cold clay objects weren't a hit in terms of sales , though lots of hearts love. It was frustrating because i invested lots of work in it. Deeply i knew selling on line was the best thing that can happen to artists, designer and creator who are looking for being independent and not work in the industrial world any more like i did.
I was a textile designer for many years working in a big international company
(you can read my story here https://www.etsy.com/people/TheJoyofColor?ref=owner_image_profile_leftnav#)
Instead of giving up i realized though i didn't sell a lot i learnt a lot how to get along in Etsy, a bit about marketing on line, joined team who supported me, learned about shipping, lead time etc. I took a decision i'm going to try till i make it. I introduced my watercolors and to my surprise they were starting selling real nice, For me it was a blessing i'm doing what i love doing most and people like it and buying it.
The next major step was to realize that by selling only original it would be difficult to sell a lot - here come the next phase - make it really serious and be committed - i decided to sell prints of my watercolor , I didn't want to take the prints outside , i wanted to have control and flexibility so i bought a wonderful professional printer - the best decision i made.
My shop didn't rise in a boom but i see steady growth every year and that tells me in on the right track. Now my goal is always improve and add different items to my shop like custom portrait and such and work harder on my marketing , with Etsy changes on marketing on Social net works and such.
I'm really happy i started this journey with Etsy otherwise i don't believe my art was spread all over the world.
Another word about Etsy teams - they are one of the best things Etsy have, the support and tips are so important for us working alone from our homes and studio without them it would have been a very lonely Voyage

[Former_Member]

Hi Audrey, 
Our partnership, Sustainably Grateful, was burgeoned in 2009. Our childhoods were filled with constant creation of the wild and Earth-honoring forms. We always enjoyed visual art and functional art, and set our intention to create energetically-inspired jewelry and contemporary art. Connecting with our name, Sustainably Grateful, honed our mission, as well; we create work that expresses a wide range of emotions, and at the heart of this intention is Gratitude. We are drawn to using materials and processes that are eco-conscious, reduce waste and utilize alternative energy sources. 
We began by making raw human connections and describing our artistic process and philosophy at length with interested folks at events and festivals. In this way, we were challenged to come out of the workshop and represent ourselves, while satisfying our deep craving for travel and social interaction. It has always been about work & play and finding the balance of yin & yang energy. We take it quite seriously, but the element of freedom and wonder is always cultivated. That's essential for art. 
In 2012, we opened our Etsy shop, but it took about one year for us to transition to the online format of selling. We relocated from the east coast of the US to the west coast in this time, finally settling in a home with workshop space and miraculously beautiful nature all around. The gratitude for growing roots and having a creative sanctuary deepens day by day. Acquiring a decent camera was crucial to our evolution, and a beautiful experience unto itself. We can now find the sweet spot of the gems or piece as it sings, and share that moment with a client near or far. Besides this investment, our tips include making a daily and long term to do list, and even if you do creative work outside your scheduled time, keep your client communications within your established business hours. As we grow, this keeps it all in a balanced flow. 2:We honor the process of constant evolution, each awakening brings us more in tune with our true song, as artists and beings. Blessings~ 

[DebbieDrawsFunny]

As crazy as it may sound, it was when a friend of mine told me about part time job that perfect for me. And I turned it down! It would have totally fit with my dream schedule allowing me to make money yet make it home in time before my three children got of the school bus coming home.

I knew I was at a crossroads. My business is only 2 years old but it's starting to take off and I've worked hard to get where I am and I knew that if I went for another job, I'd lose steam. Everything in my soul told me to stay on this path. And I have zero regrets about that decision.

I still really need to work on letting go of the idea of "having it all". If you're like me, a start-up that's starting to gain more momentum, you can't worry about the pile of dishes in the sink. Literally. You just have to let that mess sit sometimes. The dishes will wait. Your customer may not!

[maydaylabels]

I remember sitting in the bathtub, when I was still selling clothing but the labels were starting to take off (at this point we had maybe 2 labels listings), and realizing that we were going to expand into all these new product lines that were flowing through my head - iron ons, colored labels, name tags. I just knew, right then, that adding these different options would double or triple our volume, making the labels business able to support us financially, and I cried.

Since then it's been nothing but work :)

I think the difference between before and after that realization wasn't taking the business seriously exactly, as much as it was having faith that if I just worked and worked and worked, success was possible. I never really felt that way when I was selling clothing; a financially successful shop on Etsy seemed way out of reach then.

[ModernSwitch]

It's All In The Name:

I think one of the major changes in going from a hobby to a business was my name change. When I first signed up on Etsy in 2008, I didn't even intend to open up a shop, so my shop name was just my normal login name I used around the internet. This brought on confusion sometimes, as my shop name had nothing to do with what I was selling, and in fact was the name of a female video game character I would play online, leading people to think that was my real name, which often bothered me when I was addressed in that manner.

Sometime in 2011 Etsy offered the ability to change your shop name, and I knew I needed to find something new. I was starting to display growth in my business and the income was starting to get predictable that I knew I needed to get serious as my hobby was growing into more than a hobby. Googling my original shop name often brought up my video game accomplishments in Everquest and World of Warcraft, with nothing really related at all to my Etsy shop, and I knew that was not a good recipe for branding.

Once I had a name, suddenly everything just became more real to me. I was no longer just a hobbyist, making some spare cash here and there. I was a real business doing responsible business related things like paying taxes, and paying attention to things like brand awareness and customer service. The biggest surprise was that in the month after I changed my shop name, my income had almost tripled that of the previous month and I've experienced steady growth ever since!

I know this is something that never would have happened had I not been serious about giving my business a name related to what I sell.

[RomaMiaTradingCo]

I was serious about my Etsy shop when I first opened it; however, I didn't really realize how much there was to get started on Etsy! I thought it was just an easy page and people would just flock to my site! Well, I was wrong!

I always had a serious dream about doing this full time, now I am serious about putting the work behind it!

About 6 months ago is when I got really serious about my page. I realized that hoping and wishing people would find me wasn't working, so that's when my seriousness kicked in. I fixed up my SEO. I am still researching SEO and am still learning about how to make it stronger and better. Even know, my searches have gone up.

I started to seriously use my Pintrest and Instagram pages and am working on telling my stores stories on both.

I am now currently working on making my packaging way better and make an experience out of getting one of my packages.

Next step: working on my photography!

[AudMod · Accepted solution]

Hi all,

Thanks so much for the wonderful contributions here. I learned a lot from reading through them. I wanted to let you know the resulting post went live yesterday: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2015/how-to-get-serious-about-your-etsy-shop/

Feel free to leave your two cents and breakthrough "let's get serious" moment in the comments.