My Etsyversary

Today is the one year anniversary of opening my Etsy shop. I didn't actually get a business license and start being serious until October, so this is more like the Dating anniversary than the Wedding anniversary, but still.. I think it's important to celebrate milestones and achievements. Plus, a lot has actually happened in one year. On this date last year I was still working for The Discovery Channel Store, although the last day was drawing near, and I was getting very emotionally exhausted by it and ready for new beginnings. Since then, my business has made a few transformations.. from online experiment to full time traveling craft show circuit to primarily web-based. I'm sure there are a lot more changes ahead of me and I'm excited and optimistic about being able to meet the challenges.

Also.. I got a treasury! It's like a special little present from the Etsy Gods. I decided to do an Autumn color theme to symbolize looking ahead to what's next.

Handmade Terrariums

I just wanted to add that I have a serious crush on these gorgeous terrariums by The Oak Leaves on Etsy. I wish her enormous success because I need her to have lots of them available at Christmas time because that's all I am asking for.

The Lost Art of Saving Money

Currently, we are in debt. After making the decision to start a business and thus become impoverished people.. we of course immediately had to make large purchases in the form of supplies and business necessities. And some Learning Experiences occurred involving craft festivals and the current economic climate tacked on extra debt. It's not massive debt, but a lack of self discipline has kept the debt gnawing at us.

But now it's time. Past time, in fact. The truth is, we want a house. We need a house. We don't have enough space and we're ready to move into the next stage of our lives..i.e. move to the country and live on a piece of land in a little house. I crave it so much that during my workout sessions I find myself fantasizing about herb gardens whilst doing lunges. I'm completely ready for this new life which will make me so happy.

So this week we started our action plan. We need to make and save enough money to pay our debt and have a small down payment for a house by Spring. That means living below our means and having great holiday sales. I'm now at the point in my life where I recognize that doing without things and simplifying my life in order to have the things which will make me exponentially happier.. i.e. run my own business, spend more time with my husband, private little house in the country, ability to travel. It's actually sort of exciting and I hope our new lifestyle sticks and we're able to do lots more with our money.

The funny thing is that in many ways we are actually living much better now. We're cooking lots of fresh foods at home, I'm working out more (stress reduction) and we've been working at getting rid of a lot of things we don't need in order to be more ready for when we do move. So our home is less cluttered and nicer to enjoy.

No More Trips to the Post Office (mostly)!!

I am so excited because my shipping scale arrived in the mail yesterday! This was the final step in avoiding trips to the post office on a daily basis. I already ordered and received my free Priority Mail boxes from USPS . Now I can print postage online and schedule pick-ups to come to my house. Yay! I used to enjoy walking to the Post Office as an excuse to get out of the house but as my business is growing I find I really could use the extra 5-6 hours a week. Plus, it's going to be horrible in the winter to try and brave the weather with all of my (hopefully) bazillion holiday orders. 

Taxes and a Wacky Squirrel

 I'm  spending the day working on my Sales and Use taxes(due 4 times a year) and entering information into new  spreadsheets my husband made for me. It's going to be completely boring.

So instead I will regale you with a tale of Cute Animals.  I am frequently jolted from sleep at sunrise by the sound of my two cats hurling themselves at the bedroom window and howling in rage and frustration at a squirrel who comes and sits in the window taunting them. If it weren't 5 a.m., it would be hilarious and adorable to see how the squirrel parades back and forth clicking and chattering at the cats. It still is a little cute... but if you were wondering...attempts at covering the window have been torn down by my cats in their enthusiasm for teaching the squirrel to mind it's manners. 

Consigning at Pink Moon

I just started consigning at Pink Moon. It's a really adorable cupcakery/gallery that sells handmade goods. My philosophy with consignment is to never accept a contract I'm not happy with, insist on good communication, and be willing to try different places and see what works. It's an experiment. 

Getting Yourself Out There

Okay, so you've come up with the most amazing Thing since sliced bread. It's better than sliced bread, even. You thoughtfully priced out your Thing, worked really hard on making it perfect, and now you are literally up to your armpits in Things because any minute people will be breaking down the door to get your Thing. So where is everyone? 

Promoting is one of the most important and most overlooked aspects of running a successful business. No one will know about your awesome Thing if you don't tell them about it. Repeatedly. I spend almost as much time promoting as creating. I spend hours looking for new places to expose people to my product. There is no secret recipe for promotion success. We all have to figure out what works best for our own business style and target customer base. But taking calculated risks and trying new things is key. 

Free Exposure

 Myspace  

Get a page on Myspace, add your etsy mini, and start searching for your target customer base, then friend them. Also a good way to update them on new product sales etc.

Facebook Business Page

You can start a Fanpage for your business without having to open a new account. People can become fans and then your Fanpage shows up on their profile too. 

GoogleBase

Describe your items on Base and they will appear in Google Search if searchers type in matching results. 

Craig's List

Free advertising, but don't put a direct link to your e-commerce site or it will be removed.

Squidoo

Build a mini-page about your product and connect it with others.

Flickr

Put photos of your product on Flickr and join photosharing grups. Don't put a link to your e-commerce site anywhere except in your profile.

Blogging

trunkt 

A juried site which is great for finding wholesale contacts.

StyleHive

A fashion site that allows you to publicly display your favorite fashion picks. Throw a few of your own creations in for good measure! 

Paid Exposure

Project Wonderful

Google Adwords

Ad Space on Websites, Online Newsletters and Catalogs which are read by your target Customer Base

Online Selling Sites

Set up shop in more than one place to gain more exposure.

Some popular handmade selling venues include:

Etsy

Dawanda

Artflock

Mintd

Promoting Locally

Look into selling via wholesale or consignment in local shops. Make sure you understand the contract and come to a fair agreement on your terms. 

Participate in festivals and community events.

Having home parties works for some people. 

Donate to Silent Auctions

Network with other small business owners in your area. Are there ways in which you can cross-promote?

I know there are thousands of other great ideas for promoting your business! Free free to add them in the comments.

Working on Vacation

My husband is off work for vacation time this week. It's really nice to spend more time together, but it's also tough because I'm *not* on vacation. Business is as usual at Damselle. Besides the usual making jewelry, updating my shop, going to the post office and promoting myself through the usual sites (by the way, one of my style picks is #1 in popularity on Stylehive right now) I also am meeting with a shop owner about doing consignment this week and working on a very high end custom piece.

It's a little hard to concentrate on work when I keep thinking of all the fun things I'd like to be doing. My husband has read 3 books so far since Sunday, waiting around for me to get done with everything so we can spend time together in the evenings.

I don't mean to complain. I knew running a business means hard work and sacrifice. I have start-up debt to pay off and it presses me like a weight. My goal is to be able to pay it all off by the end of the holiday season. And then take an inexpensive but well deserved vacation *with* my husband in January.

Back to work!

Another Custom Bridal Necklace

I'm designing another custom bridal necklace, which is fun and exciting, but also nerve wracking because it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the client is envisioning and make it happen. I frequently use my Flickr account to take photos and write explanations of the materials and the process, so that my customer can be involved and there won't be any surprises. This time I'm taking it a step further and I actually made a mock-up of the necklace. The strands of pearls are just held in the back with clamps but I think it really helps to see the design and ask the customer what they like and wish to change. Better now than once everything is strung together and finished!

Happy Independence Day!

Red White and Boom!

Columbus' official Independence Day celebration called "Red White and Boom" is today. Columbus frequently schedules it's holiday events on the wrong day, so that all the surrounding areas can have their smaller celebrations on the correct day and still attend the big Columbus event. Which is convenient, I suppose, but to me it's just not very festive. (side note... why the heck am I typing at the computer with my safety goggles on? I forgot about them!)

Anyways. So today I'm only working a half day because I'm going to see the fireworks tonight. I have to bring something delicious to share with everyone. Which is A Problem because my cooking skills aren't too hot, and there are other people attending who are Kitchen Wizards. I've decided to make Fake It Wonderful Blackberry Brownies.

Here's the recipe:
Buy Duncan Hines' Oven Ready Brownies. They're in the freezer section.
Buy Frozen Blackberries
Follow the instructions on the Brownies.
Microwave the Blackberries in a bowl for two minutes to defrost.
15 minutes into the brownies' cooking time, put the blackberries on top of the brownies and sprinkle liberally with sugar.
Let cool and enjoy! Everyone will think you're a genius.

The only problem so far is that the plastic tray the brownies are in is melting to the cookie sheet. Crap. I followed the instructions perfectly. I'm going to continue with the oven at a slightly lower temp and hope the tray will peel off the cookie sheet once it's cooled.


On a side note- Thanks bunches to LuluVillage for saying nice things about my shop in her blog!

Dawanda

I started my online shop on Dawanda today. Dawanda is an online handmade seller's community similar to Etsy but geared towards Europeans. I know Etsy has been good to me, but I'd like to have my eggs in more than one basket and find more ways to expose my product to more people. I figure if I start now, I'll know the ropes of Dawanda and be established by the Holiday Season.

On a side note... I tend to have some sort of self-confidence issue with my pricing (which I think a lot of artists struggle with) I try to choose wisely with my materials so that I can make items which are affordable to a person like myself. Which is good. *However* I also sometimes make pieces which are more difficult to make and more high end, and that's where I wrestle with myself over pricing. Like for instance this Baby's Breath Necklace. After cajoling from my husband about undervaluing myself, I listed it at $80.00. And it sold in 3 days! Lesson Learned. Hopefully.