Welcome to the June issue of the newsletter! Things are heating up all over the world and our sales are starting to benefit. We apologize for missing last month's newsletter. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. There are some changes within the newsletter we hope you are excited about. First, it has been decided to skip the "Ask Me Anything" column for now. We've also rearranged the sections a little. You'll find new member and member birthday announcements at the bottom. It's likely more changes will come as we tweak the newsletter so it best benefits you! So on we go!
Welcome to our new moderators!
Jessa (Little Pearl Quilts) and Anna (Anna Virginia Fashioneering) have joined the Social Networking & Special Events Committee.
Shannon (I Heart Quotes) has joined the Welcome Committee.
You can learn more about them and the rest of the moderators by visiting Behind the Scenes post on the team blog.
Shannon (I Heart Quotes) has joined the Welcome Committee.
You can learn more about them and the rest of the moderators by visiting Behind the Scenes post on the team blog.
Special Events
By Megan (BabySwank)
The next event the EtsyMom team will be participating in will be a team sale in July in conjunction with Etsy's 4th annual Christmas in July sale. More info will be available about our participation in that event closer to the date. If you want to check out a bit about last years event & find out what Christmas in July is all about, you can follow the following links: Check it Out, How sellers can Participate, & Shop the Sale.
**Have ideas or suggestions for a team event? Want to become involved in planning Special Events for our awesome team? Send an email to etsymomteam@gmail.com with Special Events in the subject line.
EtsyMom Curator Award
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!
GRAND PRIZE
Melissa of CreativeArtbyME - making 12 treasuries
First Runner Up
Tricia of Handmade Whimzy - making 5 treasuries
Second Runner Up
Cori of Peace Baby Batiks with 2 treasuries.
We had 15 participants and 31 treasuries were made.
Congratulations ladies, and thanks for playing!
The June/July EMCA thread is posted, so check it out!
Taking Etsy to the Streets: Boutique Selling
by Rebecca from Traveling Tot Shop
You are a pro at marketing yourself on-line and on Etsy, but are you intimidated or unsure how to tap your local market? Here is a 10-step guide to bringing your Etsy business into storefronts. Please share your success stories with me at rgrady@travelingtotshop.com or on our Public Forum so we can celebrate our EtsyMoms’ successes. Have fun!
1. Peruse local publications, i.e. family magazines (often available at your local library, gyms, or doctor’s offices), shopping blogs, yellow pages.
2. Do the footwork. Visit stores you think will be a good fit for your products to see if you think our products have the same “look” as that store. This can easily be done in conjunction with other errands and trips out and about your town. Just peek in stores that look like “you”. Sometimes a store will be nothing like “you” but that might help - use your judgment.
3. If you sell at local craft shows or markets, talk to other sellers. Ask experienced sellers if there are any stores they recommend for your products. Then approach those stores.
4. Develop a written list of stores or just save business cards in a file/your smartphone; include the following info: Store name, Mailing Address, Phone Number(s), Email address, Website, ontact names you may have gained from your store visits, Hours of Operation (very helpful for planning your sales visit), Date(s) of your Visit(s) to the store. Now you have a list of stores you want to approach, what is next?
5. Dress the part, if possible! Wear something that makes you feel confident! Bring a sample of EVERY product or piece you are going to talk about. Or fabulous pictures if your products are one-of-a-kind and not portable.
6. Have a list of products and pricing. Include order quantity minimums and billing information. Discuss billing – (do you want them to pay you on the spot or will you bill them?) You can easily create a custom order in Etsy and bill them this way.
7. Be yourself! Start your visit with a quick (30 seconds) background of how great you and your products are; what is unique about you?
8. Check back with a store every quarter if they did not buy from you the first time. There
could be new owners or the shop may change their mind.
9. If they do not place an order, consider leaving a sample if you think they are on the fence and may just need to cozy up with one of your products to want to buy it.
10. Immediately following your meeting, jot down some notes about every person you met, you might find it helpful to have a separate folder for these notes depending on how
many stores you frequent or use your smartphone to keep these notes. Ex. Names of each person, short physical description if that helps you remember people, pricing you discussed, bold dates you promised product by or discussed following up by.
Congratulations! That is all it takes! Judging from the way you are selling on Etsy, you will have no problem marketing your items to local stores. And of course, it never hurts to mention the EtsyMom team if you feel so inclined. We are, after all, in this together!
Our featured Etsy seller for May is Shannon of Little Buttercup Baby.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Shannon, I'm 28 years old, and I am a mom to my 4-year-old daughter and 9-month-old son. I have been married to my wonderful husband for almost 5 years and together for 8 1/2. I have been sewing since I was about 12 years old and my mom taught me everything I know. I live in Minnesota where the weather is very unpredictable, so staying inside sewing and playing with my kids works well. :)
What do you create/offer in your Etsy shop?
I make things for babies and new mommies. I have nursing covers and organic nursing pads for new moms and I also use them myself. I just recently added crochet baby hats and blankets to my shop. I am working on some sweaters and christening gowns that will be coming soon!!
How did you get started in your line of business?
I have been sewing for a long time, about 16 years, and I could only make so many things before my sewing room was piling up with finished projects and no one to give them to. I searched online and stumbled upon Etsy and decided it would be a great way to keep my hobby going and make a little money in the process.
Describe your creative process.
My creative mind comes and goes. I try to make different things and try them out in my shop here and there. I find that I get bored making the same things over and over again so I like to have a shop with a lot of variety in it. I usually begin by making something for one of my children, and then trying it out on them. If I love it, I make more for my shop.
I have been sewing for a long time, about 16 years, and I could only make so many things before my sewing room was piling up with finished projects and no one to give them to. I searched online and stumbled upon Etsy and decided it would be a great way to keep my hobby going and make a little money in the process.
Describe your creative process.
My creative mind comes and goes. I try to make different things and try them out in my shop here and there. I find that I get bored making the same things over and over again so I like to have a shop with a lot of variety in it. I usually begin by making something for one of my children, and then trying it out on them. If I love it, I make more for my shop.
Where do you find your inspiration?
My inspiration definitely comes from my own children. I love making things for them!! They are in a way my guinea pigs. :) I love to make gifts for my friends' children, too, so all of the babies in my life inspire me to make more things for my shop and share my love with everyone who comes to visit. :) My items I make for moms came from trying to find a nursing cover that would work well for me and never finding one. I found that the nursing covers in the stores offered little coverage on the top and also weren't made very well to view your baby. So...I created my own with a lot of coverage and boning in the top so you can see your baby easily at all times. I find that if I can't find what I am looking for, I make my own.
What is your favorite item in your shop at the moment?
My favorite item in my shop right now is my Crochet Giraffe Hat! It matches the theme of my shop and I just love giraffes!
My inspiration definitely comes from my own children. I love making things for them!! They are in a way my guinea pigs. :) I love to make gifts for my friends' children, too, so all of the babies in my life inspire me to make more things for my shop and share my love with everyone who comes to visit. :) My items I make for moms came from trying to find a nursing cover that would work well for me and never finding one. I found that the nursing covers in the stores offered little coverage on the top and also weren't made very well to view your baby. So...I created my own with a lot of coverage and boning in the top so you can see your baby easily at all times. I find that if I can't find what I am looking for, I make my own.
What is your favorite item in your shop at the moment?
My favorite item in my shop right now is my Crochet Giraffe Hat! It matches the theme of my shop and I just love giraffes!
How do you promote your work?
I promote my work on my Facebook fan page, Twitter, my Blog, and an occasional email to my friends and family. I was also recently contacted by a boutique up north in Superior, WI and they now carry some of my items as well. Very exciting for me!!
What is one of your most important lessons you've learned since starting your business?
You need to make a slotted time for crafts so you have plenty of time for your family. I felt too overwhelmed when I first started my shop trying to make enough inventory to fill it, but then I felt like my family time suffered. I think if I were to do it over again I would make a bunch of items and stockpile them, and then open my shop when I had the things to list ready to go. I put too much pressure on myself to sew, sew, sew in the beginning, and I have since had a few times where I need to step away from my shop for a few days and come back refreshed with new ideas.
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
Make your inventory for your shop before you open and then list a few things each day. Don't open your shop without enough things to list, you will feel overwhelmed!! Also, be very patient. Etsy is a large website with a lot of very talented people selling beautiful items. They will find you. Just stay positive. :)
What are your other sites (Facebook, Twitter, blog, and so on)?
Blog: http://littlebuttercupbaby.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#%21/buttercupbabies
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Buttercup-Baby/121954864529629
I promote my work on my Facebook fan page, Twitter, my Blog, and an occasional email to my friends and family. I was also recently contacted by a boutique up north in Superior, WI and they now carry some of my items as well. Very exciting for me!!
What is one of your most important lessons you've learned since starting your business?
You need to make a slotted time for crafts so you have plenty of time for your family. I felt too overwhelmed when I first started my shop trying to make enough inventory to fill it, but then I felt like my family time suffered. I think if I were to do it over again I would make a bunch of items and stockpile them, and then open my shop when I had the things to list ready to go. I put too much pressure on myself to sew, sew, sew in the beginning, and I have since had a few times where I need to step away from my shop for a few days and come back refreshed with new ideas.
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
Make your inventory for your shop before you open and then list a few things each day. Don't open your shop without enough things to list, you will feel overwhelmed!! Also, be very patient. Etsy is a large website with a lot of very talented people selling beautiful items. They will find you. Just stay positive. :)
What are your other sites (Facebook, Twitter, blog, and so on)?
Blog: http://littlebuttercupbaby.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#%21/buttercupbabies
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Buttercup-Baby/121954864529629
Welcome to all of the new members who joined us in the month of June!
Send them a message, and visit their shops and blogs. Let’s show them what being an EtsyMom is all about!
WordArtStudio * niktini * MichellesShop * 3PeasPrints * CreativeArtbyME * Posypop * ShopAnnaVirginia * funkylilmonkey * littletadpoledesigns * mollycranch * kristla72 * dukecitymama * babybarista * modifiedtot * jkr1205 * Artisfreedom * RhodaDesignStudio * babysaywhat * robertson704 * CutiesTieDyeBoutique * wildgypsyheart
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you!
Due to a technical glitch, we are unable to provide the list of upcoming birthdays. We're hoping to get this straightened out ASAP! We apologize if we missed your special day!
Well, that's it for another edition of the newsletter. We hope you found it informative and fun. Big thanks for all of our contributors and readers. We love to hear your feedback, so please leave us some. You can send an email to sykin.at.etsy@gmail.com and/or allyouneeddesigns@gmail.com, or leave comments on this blog post.
Thank you for making this such an amazing team!
Heather, Missie and the rest of the Newsletter Committee