STARTING YOUR ETSY BUSINESS!

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hey everyone welcome back to the is nest in light of today International Women’s Day I thought it would be really fun to make a Q&A video over how I have gotten my wreath business started and flourishing and the steps that are taken to get where I’m at today that day it’s totally awesome by the way we have the day just for women not just moms not just spouses or those in committed relationships but women in general and basically it was a day that was started years and years and years ago all around the world to show appreciation love respect to women and their social and economic and political achievements over the years so I thought it would be really fitting today to do this Q&A just to kind of give some information and some knowledge that I’ve gained over the last few years for those of you who are wanting to go after one of your passions or possibly just help out more financially in the home and you’re not sure where to start or really where your niche is at so the first question comes from Rachel Marie xoxo what made you want to start creating wreaths and have it become your job about four years ago I became a stay-at-home mom I had a really strong background in retail and I had worked my way from basically the bottom up for a company that sold clothing so once I started staying home I was kind of like bored I like to be busy with my hands and using my mind and being creative so I had a two-year-old daughter at the time and I had tried to make her some bows and I thought okay you know I could do this this is fun a cool way to save money but I wasn’t really like into it and then one day I was shopping at a craft fair and I saw this wreath and I was like I have to have that wreath I love it it was $85 and let me tell you this was a pretty plain basic wreath and I was like you know what I’m gonna just learn how to make my own wreath I don’t want to pay $85 for a piece of decor that’s going to hang on my front door and so I learned how to make them here’s a picture of the first wreath that I ever made I ended up giving this one to my mom and I made several other like it I gave it to my mother-in-law I kept one for myself and I ended up giving my mom another one just to kind of get get the hang of it and learn like the technique of like making bunches and doing loops and tying things correctly and hiding where you tie it because that stuff all takes practice so the first time I sold one I originally made it for my door at with my last initial on and everything and I just posted it to Facebook and was like hey guys look what I made I’m kind of interested in selling these what do you think does it look nice is it something you’d hang on your door and my cousin messaged me and she was like I want that wreath so I sold it to her for a fairly cheap price I just charged her for the materials and then like maybe five bucks for the like you know the time that I spent making it and I was like oh my goodness I sold the first wreath that I like really like marketed on Facebook and so I was like I’m gonna make another one so basically the inspiration came from me wanting to be busy with my hands crafty using my mind and ways to put colors and objects together and also trying to save money and decorate my own home okay the next question comes from Sam Nabal 13 how do you decide how much to list them for and that was something that I learned kind of in the beginning that is going to be tricky the first time I went things were half off and this time they were full price and I was like man I’m not going to make much of a profit if this is their actual price so I continued to go back and look online and kind of study like when things are on sale and I learned that at Hobby Lobby the mesh and the ribbon that I was using for the this specific style of wreath is on sale for half off every other week so I decided that’s when I’ll do my shopping oh if I want to keep doing this I’m gonna have to go when it’s on sale if I want to make a good profit and still offer them at prices that are somewhat affordable so without getting too deep into the math of how I price my wreaths basically you want to add up every single individual item you know like your boxes just shipping costs and the gas that you’re spending getting back and forth to the places and then you also want to add in the time that you’re spending making it go online research what minimum wage is and what people are getting paid for different statuses within certain companies and just kind of gauge that on you know what is my time worth right now what do I want to be getting back out of this do I want a 30% profit do I want a 50% profit and you know do the math from there based on how much you’re spending and how much time you’re spending on your product next question comes from a teen kept Thomas where do you get all the personalized items you put on certain rates do you order or do you make them so for somebody wanting to make customizable things for other people it’s kind of good to research and know where to go online to buy certain things that people are requesting I use Etsy Amazon and eBay for like name plaques if someone’s wanting their last name written on something and then regular items like you know flowers and different initials and stuff like that you can find at craft stores or craft fairs for fairly low prices if you know when to go shop which is something that you’ll have to research depending on what you’re trying to sell next question comes from it’s a miracle thirteen how do you keep from getting discouraged when business is slow for those of you who are just getting started or you’re feeling a little bit scared to start because you don’t know how the business is going to go I just have to say just go for it and those times when I was feeling discouraged like it would be like a really slow period maybe I would go weeks or maybe even a month without having an order you know I would just make new product I would just get online and learn what is in style right now you can look online google it and see what colors are in style right now and I will look at that and decide okay so when I get ready to make a spring wreath my first spring wreath I need to see if I’m following in line with the colors but it’s always good to kind of access what is going on in the fashion world even when you’re doing crafts because then you’re going to kind of be on top of the game as far as color schemes go next question comes from Erin talking in how do you go about setting up an organizational system with there being so much to keep track of orders that need to be filled finances new ideas etc after maybe like two months when I realized that I was going to be able to sell these wreaths I had a spreadsheet on Excel the first column said purchases and the second column said orders so over here I would write down everything that I spent and then on this side I would write down everything that came in to me and every month I would kind of like add it up and leave the total at the bottom so that I could you know do the math and see how much did I make this month then underneath that I would keep the columns going so I did that for the first year and I believe in my first year of selling wreaths I made seven hundred dollars like that was my profit so coming from a retail background I know that you track things by year like are we doing better this year than we did last year so I did the same thing the next year and I did do better I ended up making over double the amount than what I made in my first year so that was really exciting for me having some kind of system like an Excel spreadsheet where you can track your cells is a very very very good place to start when you’re wanting to do things or when you’re wanting to organize things and this back here is all very new I used to have things clumped up on a table at the back of this room and it was just spread out all over the place now that things are more steady and I have my Etsy account everything is done online I have a business credit card that I make purchases with and I only buy business items with this credit card so I’m able to look at statements and see what I’m making versus what I’m spending and I don’t have to go in and manually use Excel anymore so one thing that has helped me so much organizationally is having my Etsy shop all of my sales and transactions are done through Etsy all of the shipping notifications and printing out of the labels everything is done through that now and that helps me immensely the next question comes from amber Leeanne Strickland and I think it kind of goes hand-in-hand with the question before this one did having a family vlog help you start your wreaths business the answer is no we started vlogging two years after I started making wreaths it definitely helped boost my business and get more followers and viewers on on my Instagram and eventually on my Etsy page I already had a relatively steady local business going on that I was doing outside my house I would sell them to people from our town or surrounding towns and we would meet up somewhere like Walmart parking lot or or I would meet them at work if they were close enough friends they would meet me at the house and it would just be kind of like a cheque or cash exchange next question comes from Emma sue 73 how do you manage your time do you set hours for yourself like a job I do set hours for myself like you would a job there are some times where I know that I need to work for four hours in one day in order to get the work done that needs to happen for that day and then the next day might be only two hours and then the day after that I might take a break and focus on laundry or housework I try to get all of my work done while my kids are napping or in bed but they are both out a really good age right now I have a five year old and a two year old where if I need to make a wreath I can do something while they’re watching a show for a little bit or get some work done while they’re playing independently next to me I also set aside a certain day of the week to go get purchases so that I’m not going multiple times throughout the week I’m just one trip and then I’m done I go every Monday and I will get whatever items are on sale for that week then the next Monday I’ll get what’s on sale for that week so typically it takes me about two to four weeks to get one order all the way ready and shipped out the next question comes from the gross mommy how do you promote your business aside from the walk so like I said earlier I was doing my business a couple years before we started vlogging and I utilized my personal Facebook and all of the local trading sites you guys have that where you’re from like I’m from Terrell so we have Terrell treasure exchange and I made sure and utilized my town and all the surrounding towns and they’re their trading sites and I would just post all of my REITs on there now eventually I moved onto Instagram and I would show different things that I was making on Instagram and now I have a Facebook page dedicated to my business so I make sure and post everything there as well as EXCI next question comes from Rose G Hart how did you get enough sales in the beginning to avoid having to pay when not sold if I felt like something wasn’t selling like if it was in my possession for longer than let’s say a month I would go down on the price usually going down on the price would get it out the door but if that didn’t work or if I made something that I felt like I didn’t really know how to price it I didn’t know what people were going to think about it I would do it like as an auction and I still do that to this day I lost an off like for instance are really decked out fall wreath that would typically be $55 and I’ll say regular regular price $55 but starting bid is only $15 so people can go in and bid and kind of like choose the price that they pay and usually you get a really good deal almost half off on on those options sometime and be confident in what you’re making if you don’t sell something the first time you make it try it again rework some of the stuff that’s on it and try it again next question comes from Christie Bennett I recently made an Etsy account with rings and tassel keychains and I was wondering how to get my Etsy shop out there for people to see I think definitely sharing something like that with your close friends and family first and asking them to share with their friends and family like making a Facebook post it says hey guys I’m really interested in this new crafty venture for my life and these are some of the things I’ve made I’ve opened up an Etsy account if you wouldn’t mind just clicking the share button to help me out a little bit I’m trying to get my name out there and really trying to kind of start something within the home and just be genuine about it just be really genuine and real like I’m really trying to start this um you know but I believe in myself and just show that you’re confident in what you’re doing and your friends and family they’re gonna do it for you they’re going to share your stuff you know and and be proud of you and try to help you out another good way to get your name out there is being a part of fundraisers and different different things that your community is doing like if you have a local craft fair go set up your stuff there even if you don’t sell a single thing a lot of people are going to see your work take your business card they just shake your hand meet them face to face it’s a really good way to get your name out there next question comes from Terry boberry I like that I like that name how much does Etsy keep of your sales Etsy keeps $9.99 a month plus for me 20 cents every time I upload a new image to sell on to Etsy they also keep anything that you do like if you purchase shipping labels through ed Z then they’ll just take that out of your sales flat rate that $9.99 a month at first to me was a little like do I really want to do this it kind of hindered me from doing Etsy for a long time because ten dollars a month for a year is 120 dollars well that’s two wreaths for me to decked out wreaths and so for me I was thinking like I’m actually like just giving away free product I don’t know but the time it has saved me organizationally and just the way that everything is laid out it’s so incredibly worth it don’t let that $9.99 a month hold you back because eventually you’re going to get your name out there you’re going to get your cells going and you going to find that it’s worth it next question comes from CLK how did you learn to start making wreaths I tried to make a couple but you can tell they’re homemade yours like so professional did you teach yourself or take classes or something actually I didn’t take any classes when I learned how to make my first wreath I watched a YouTube tutorial and I just kept practicing and practicing and practicing I would just say practice watch a youtube tutorial over what it is you want to make and just practice make a bunch of it don’t just go with the first thing you do because it probably will look like it’s your first time to make it once you’ve made it a few times you’ll see oh the first time I did it I did this and now I know to make the loops go this way or to tie the ties this way or or actually I’m better at it if I turn the wreath this way you know I mean next question comes from Katherine RM do you use the post office to send out your crafts or do you use a different kind of company for sitting my advice again is to use Etsy they offer shipping labels and you can print them from your home take them to the box and schedule pickups from your house for USPS next question comes from three soccer girl three before I start an Etsy shop do you suggest to have some things in stock or that I wait till people order and make things along the way I would not open an Etsy account with just one or two photos I would definitely say five is a good amount and 5 verse little things not 5 of the same thing you just post one or two pictures it kind of looks like you’re not really ready and you’re not really sure of what you’re selling I wouldn’t exactly know like what’s going on on this shop if I just saw two pictures but if it’s very clear like oh she clearly sells bows because she’s got several pictures of bows or she clearly sells onesies because she has ten pictures of onesies next question comes from a pod NYX are you able to make a large profit off of your wreaths I know they’re materials are not cheap plus the shipping by the way love your wreaths and your other DIYs I wouldn’t say a large profit but a considerable amount that I feel like I’m helping out financially and it’s also something that I love I love being crafty and creative and you really can’t do that because it costs a lot of money so I feel like I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to be able to make sales off of something that I’ve love doing next question comes from a B Smith Oh 207 do you make a lot of stock and hope to sell out or just make one and then make more as orders come in I definitely just make one and then as more people order I’ll remake it next question comes again from a B Smith Oh 207 how far in advance do you make / post on Etsy before a season example how far in advance do you start making fall wreaths and posting them usually in the fashion world you’re always a season ahead so in this summer time I’ll start thinking of ideas for fall and towards the end of summer I’ll start posting the fall wreaths I don’t start posting them super early in the summer but you could if you had the time and the resources sometimes that’s hard to do with crap with a crafty business because it’s not always like out on the shelves yet so usually once it starts coming on the shelves and I’m able to start looking and seeing like what is going to be in style this fall what are the color schemes for fall then I’ll start then I’ll get started purchasing things and making new items to sell for that season next question comes from Kristina Shannon how do you manage the cost from what you sell versus what you purchased do people pay ahead of time so that you can shop for materials on their specific wreaths or do you have a separate account that has money that primarily deals with purchasing materials definitely ahead of time people purchase orders through Etsy and then I will go get the supplies if I don’t already have them I’ll make them and then send them out next question comes from Bailey boo love one how did you build up so many likes on your Facebook page when I first opened the page I did a giveaway I had a one of my favorite reads that I had made and I offered it for free you just had to like the post share the post and tag a friend in the post something like that over time I’ve done other giveaways or offered special deals and a way to get the special deal is if you tag a friend or something like that so if your friends are tagging their friends and their friends are tagging their friends and so on and so on then your name is going to get out there it’s going to get shared and you just like I said earlier you have to be confident on what you’re selling and continue offering new things all the time never the same thing always new and fresh ideas for people because nobody really wants to see the same old thing over and over again this is the last question and it comes from Charlie joy was there a time when you thought it won’t work out and this not worth the investment if yes how did you fight through it well we’ve already talked about how I fight through it but I just wanted to end my Q&A on yes there have been times over the years where I feel like this isn’t going to work out but you really just can’t give in to those negative thoughts and if it’s something that you really really love then it’s not worth giving up on even if you’re not making a lot of money at it you really cannot get into something like this for the money you have to have a passion for creating an art and colors and and fashion to some extent otherwise an in-home crafts business probably won’t work for you because there are going to be times where you feel like nobody wants to buy anything this mine those times come for everyone whether you work from home whether you’re a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her kids whether you’re a mom who works 40 hours a week in the corporate world we all have those times where you feel like is this even worth it why am I doing this but the important thing is to not give up especially if it’s a passion and something that you’re doing to better your life and your family there’s a lot of pressure that’s put on us as women and so you know that doesn’t mean that our dreams and our passions are even our hobbies as small as they may be are not important and so I just kind of wanted to make this video to share with you guys how I got started and where I’ve come and and what I’m doing these days I don’t know how beneficial this was I got a little tongue-tied on some of the questions but if I confused you at all or you have any other questions ask me in the comments below I’ll be happy to keep going with the conversations and I appreciate all of you guys and your questions are reaching out I appreciate all my customers out there from Ries by Mia and I just feel very blessed this has been a blessing from God that I could not be more thankful for because I do love being crafty and I can’t afford to do it just for the heck of it so happy International Women’s Day you guys thanks for hanging out with me today next week I’m gonna have my third trimester bump date with a bear belly shot it’s awesome I’m so excited to be sharing this journey with you guys whether it’s crafts mommyhood what it’s like to be a wife all these different things we’re talking about I really appreciate you guys and I will see you next week bye you