Being new to the Etsy world has my mind reeling with the possibilities. Could this turn into something big for me? How much would I love to quit my job and be crafty all the time? With not much to do at work these days, trust me ... my mind is always wandering to all of the projects I have at home that I'd love to work on.
For right now, I'm setting what I hope is a realistic goal for myself. Next year at this time, I'd really like to be at a point that I could sell my items at Cornucopia (http://www.wcofe.org/cornucopia/index.htm) , the Woman's Club of Evanston holiday craft fair.
In order to get to that point, I think I need to do a few things. I need to figure out what my store is all about. I have a diverse group of crafting interests and I think if I just made one kind of craft I'd lost interest pretty quickly. So maybe I need to come up with some kind of signature to my store ... color themes ... style themes ... something to make the store cohesive.
I also need to get my name out there and get a steady sale stream coming in. I made 3 sales in my first month, which is more than I thought I would get! I ended up selling one hat, 300 bud vases, and 2 dishcloths.
That brings me to advertising. I'd really like to get my blog out there for people to read. It gives me motivation to keep posting things and hopefully gets a lot of exposure to my store. I'm starting to get in contact with other bloggers to get either my blog or my store featured on their websites. Once I have a steady set of readers (and the time to set it up) I'm hoping to start doing contests on my blog too.
My daydreams are getting progressively bigger with each sale that I make :)
Check out my favorite blogs and stores on the left bar and don't forget to mention my blog if you're purchasing an item to receive free shipping (offer not valid on products shipped outside the United States)!!
Until next time ....
the girl behind the lama
6 comments:
I totally know what you mean. I have been meaning to write a business plan to get my ideas and plans in order. I did 2 small craft shows last year just to get a taste and this year I'm doing 3 large ones. I just blogged about my experiences at the first one last weekend if you want to check it out.
yes work hard, it pays off...sometimes lol
My first craft show, I had never sold any before then. I had a mix of things to sell and it was really rewarding to see customer's reactions. I say just do it. I have been successful ever since. To increase sales, you need to get your name out there. Good Luck.
Good luck as you find your niche! I hope you find a craft you can grow with...that allows you to keep challenging yourself. Revel in your success & don't stop promoting yourself. Whenever you are ready for a blog feature, just let me know!
Thanks for the advice everyone! I can't wait to keep moving forward with my store! It's too that "real job" gets in the way of great crafting :)
Very good! Keep at it and you will!
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