25 Essential Handmade Business Tips | For Etsy & Beyond.
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2024
- I've been running a handmade business since 2008, and today, I'm sharing 25 essential tips that will help you to start and grow a successful handmade business - no matter where you sell, or what you sell.
💡 Download a pdf of the 25 Tips (& more freebies) here: www.createandthrive.com/start...
Want to have a thriving online handmade shop?
Over 1,200 makers have already taken my #SetUpShop course and learnt how to systematically set up a stellar online shop to sell their craft.
Wanna join in?
The next class starts September 6th, 2021 (if you see this later, I run the course 2x per year).
It's super-affordable, and suitable for beginners or those who'd like to revamp an existing shop.
CreateAndThrive.com/SetUpShop
#etsy #handmadebusiness #etsytips
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Get 40 free listings when you sign up to sell on Etsy using this link: etsy.me/3kiew52
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I'm wearing my own jewellery in this video.
All of my sterling silver jewellery is available from my own website, and on Etsy.
My Epheriell website: epheriell.com
My Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/epheriell
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Want me to critique your Etsy shop or other online shop/website?
www.createandthrive.com/cours...
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Get your FREE Etsy Resources:
Etsy Quick-Start Guide: createandthrive.com/etsyguide
Etsy SEO Cheat Sheet: createandthrive.com/etsyseo
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Join my membership community & educational hub for makers:
ThriverCircle.com
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I have a podcast for makers, too!
You can see all the Create & Thrive Podcasts here:
www.createandthrive.com/ctpodcast
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G'day!
I'm Jess Van Den - a former school teacher and science communicator - and I've wanted to make a living online since 1998. But it took me another decade to figure out how...
I started my craft business Epheriell.com as a hobby in 2008 - and in 2010 I went full-time.
I've been 100% self-employed ever since.
In 2013 I also started createandthrive.com to help other makers turn their handmade hobby into a thriving business via a blog, podcast, courses, membership community + more.
I also love learning & sharing more about health, happiness, plants, and how to be more effective as a work-from-home, full-time self-employed creative - so I have all the time I need to do all the things I love.
You can follow me on instagram:
Handmade business help: @createandthrive
Sterling silver Jewellery: @epheriell
Houseplants & garden: @plantifying
Personal feed: @jessvanden
~ Jess - Навчання та стиль
It’s wonderful that your husband is supportive! My ex-husband was not at all and I realized I had to pick my battles. As a result I ended up getting more business experience by working in a sales department and it also boosted my social security payments when I finally retired. The passion to
make things and be in businesses never left me and now in retirement I am loving the work and I have the freedom financially to pursue the work. Longevity is in my genes, so my goal is to work till at least 85 years old and longer as a hobby.
I am very glad to have a supportive partner, for sure!
I'm in the same boat; he's supportive when money is coming into the bank account, otherwise he's a freaking child.
He needs a fun hobby, but his 'hobby' is work.
Hi Jess! This is one of my favorite videos ever, and I've saved it to my playlist so I can easily find it! It's not only educational, it's relatable, and uplifting and encouraging! | love your message and the tone in which you deliver it!
Thanks so much for what you do! Tina 🥰♥️
I'm so glad you loved it, Tina!
you are so wise giving wise advice .I will watch this several times to remind me of very important points
thank you from THE WORKING CHOICE FOOT POWDER COMPANIE
Thank you for your advice! I just started my crochet business, TicaKnot and find my days working more on the logistics rather than actually crocheting lol~ so glad I found your video!
So glad it helped!
Omg!You are sooo wonderful and powerful women!I was looking to your video and almost crying becouse i swo myself in your explications.I just open a small bussiness and i am block ,unable to start and post my first product.I always found diferent reasons ,in some days I want to quit,i cry and i comeback.I think is just about give time to learn and take step by step...This is what I learned from you today.Thanks!
ps.Sorry for my english,i am not native language speaker
Thank you for this advice!
Everything you said is so important. Ty!
Lots of wonderful advices. Thank you 😊
I took notes and I am so grateful. I was happy to find a lot of what you said has been what I thought. It was like your motto "money is time and time is life" you just did that for me. I know you may never meet me, but honestly you are my saving grace and heaven sent. I hav watched many others and I give them their flowers too but you get the biggest bunch. I don't need to check any others and would love to attend your workshops. Thanks Jess! It's 02:30 and I am going to watch more of you - I am excited!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Angela! :)
Your advice is inspiring. Thanks and Best of luck to you.
You give the absolute best advice thank you so much!!!! 🙌🏾
Aww, thank you! :)
This was so helpful, thank you 🙌
Glad it was helpful!
You are lovely . Thank you thank you 😃
Jess what is your thoughts on opening a General Store on Etsy. Read on and I explained.I have a UA-cam Channel where I mostly make Gnomes. I have been selling them at Craft Shows for 6 years, and people love them, but there are a lot of people that look and say, " Omg those are so cute and then don't buy. I know not everyone is not a lover of gnomes and won't buy. I have wanted my own business selling my crafts other than craft shows for years. I have looked and did research on gnomes that sell on Etsy, and
I don't see them selling thousands and thousands of gnomes to be able to quit their full time job. Maybe I'm wrong.
I don't think by just selling gnomes is going to give me the freedom to quit my full-time job and have my own craft business. I love to create/make just about anything. I love sewing, wood working, and more. If I opened an Etsy shop I would like to have a General Store and sell more then just Gnomes. I have started working on and creating other items to sell besides gnomes.
Or would having my own website be better for me where I can sell many different products. But what E-commerce site. I do have over 10,000 UA-cam subscribers, I have a business Pinterest page, but have not became verified on Pinterest, I have that opportunity to. But still looking into that. I have signed up for your upcoming course, Set up Shop. Please let me know your thoughts.love where info you you cover everything about starting your own business. Thanks for all the great videos and info.❤
Great video i really loved it❤
you got a new subscriber btw😊
Thank you so very much for your amazingly helpful videos! I am doing everything I can To get A craft business started incorporating resin To preserve nature In jewelry and gifts. I live in the beautiful state of North Carolina. I love to hike and adore nature photography. My dream is to find a way for my business to marry my nature photography and my love of creating preserved nature products. Sooooo many ideas lol but soooo much to learn!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience of starting a business. You’re so humble and wonderful. I feel so connected with you and your wonderful persona.
Oh, thank you so much!
Thanks you for this. I love your hair btw 😍
Thanks! 😊
All great advice! I still struggle with bookkeeping, photography, and organization. I just opened a third etsy shop, so I really need to nail those down. I have gotten better, but there is still a ton of room for improvement.
You'll get there!
Thank you so very, very much for this amazingly informative video. I am new to your channel, but I have learned so much from you in the short time I have been here. 🥰
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for sharing. I tried to download the resource pack from the link in one of your other videos but was not able to. I would love to support you and get moving with my business start-up.
Hi Angela, which resource were you trying to download? Feel free to email me if you need help - Jess AT createandthrive.com
I have a Native beading business, ReeMix Beadwork. My values consist of show personality, continuing cultural art, and family life. Ive been selling mostly via Instagram and Facebook since 2018 and have been branching to doing craft fairs and wholesale. I make things when I want to and sell them but also take orders. I make anything from keychains, necklace, earrings to medallions and name plates. I’ve started being more full time with it since June 2022.
Congrats on the growth of your biz!
Thank you, Jess. just saw your video, and I have watched two so far !! I want to start a handmade hair accessory business ( not hair bows) . You tips are golden !!. I'm thinking of selling in beauty salons and places and online. I'm in the process of making samples and I make different styles.
Good luck!
Thank you for your advices!
I am planning to make a shop with LGBTQ-themed crochet accessories, and my WHY is two things: give a part of the revenue to LGBTQ asylum seekers helping charity and use as much sustainable fabric as I could and promote sustainable yarns.
I am a bit late to the party since this was posted a year ago. lol. I want to start a business of making tie dyed chemo caps for people who experience hair loss. This video is very helpful, thank you. Do you have any videos on how to source wholesale materials?
This is really great information, thank you for sharing! I have so many things figured out as someone just starting out: product, reason, market, brand, values...but my photos are terrible which I fear is killing my ability to really start gaining credibility as a business.
Photos are so important, definitely keep working on that, it will make the world of difference!
My photos are pretty lousy, as well, but you can always take new photos for Etsy listings. When you get new equipment, backgrounds, better light conditions, take some new photos and update your listings.
There is a fabulous knitter that takes atrocious videos (fuzzy, grainy, dark!) & gets so many sales for her patterns and physical products.
Keep plugging!
❤❤
Funny, a "saleable" product. What I started as my business idea was a total Etsy bust, but has a following in my local area; yet I could never make any kind of a living from it.
What was a fluke on Etsy (I threw it in the shop b/c it looked 'right'...& it sold in 10 days. Put up another and it sold in five. Made more, then got a special order, which gave me the info I needed for proper fitting, size, fibers, etc.
Most of my customers are repeat buyers - just need to triple their numbers to 'make a living', lol. But it pays for the Exotic yarns, supplies & postage.
It's funny, what sells online and what sells at markets/in shops can often be wildly different! And this can obviously change over time, too. Congrats on the orders!
@@JessVanDen Now to get a living wage on top of the costs to make (I do make some, but not a real compensation for my real time). And I know I am the highest priced in my niche on Etsy. It's just a teeny tiny niche....
@@JessVanDen Also, there are no buyers for what I make that sells on Etsy in my area. Tbh, I get a wild amount of flack and derision in my area for what I sell on Etsy, so I don't tell anyone here anymore. Rather cowardly, but if I talk about those sales, they don't buy what make for the local market. So much prejudice and bigotry!
I think another tip that a lot of people miss is making sure that legal measures are met before they start promoting/selling handmade products, such as copyright and trademark infringement and permits and licenses.
Great point, those are definitely things to get sorted when you start out!
@@JessVanDen I like the video a lot by the way 🙂
@@tyeshadurant3298 thank you!
Yes, this! Can't tell you how many ignorant people keep trying to sell Disney, etc., Some Direct copies! and say they didn't know they couldn't sell Little Mermaid items. Don't mess with the Mouse!
I get asked to recreate a pro team logo for my products a LOT. I have to gently explain (to lawyer buyers, no less!!!) that as much as I could, I cannot due to copyright. The best I can do is to use approximate team colors, which has been a sale saver, except once. And that person had to be reported to Etsy eventually, as they turned vicious to this old granny.
@@ecouturehandmades5166 I also see people using NFL logos a lot.
I love this!❤…thank you tons, Jess💖….i just stumbled upon this awesome video of yours just now & subscribed:) I’ve been an etsy handmade seller since 2018 (MegansShopCH), and a redbubble digital art seller since 2021 (Simply Megan G.). I do all of it….sweat, “blood,” & tears….for mainly just the joy of creating beautiful things❤️❤️❤️.