Black Friday is right around the corner!     This year I want to make sure you're the most prepared to take advantage of this HUGE buying event!   In this episode, I help you plan and give you some strategies so you can have an awesome Black Friday! Also, make sure to download my FREE Black Friday Playbook here.  Everything I talk about in this podcast and more is in this playbook.  You're going to love it!

Etsy Entrepreneur's Podcast

How To Get Ready For A Successful Black Friday

You're all set to open your Etsy shop and your name is taken!  What a bummer.  This happens to many sellers, especially now with the millions of shops out there.  In this episode, I want to talk about what to do if this happens and give you some additional tips to help you get through this. Getting ready to open your Etsy shop?!  Download my FREE Etsy Quickstart guide via the link below.  I want to make sure you have everything you need to open your shop successfully:  www.handmadeandbeyond.com/quickstart

Quick Question Friday: My Business or Etsy Name is Taken! Now What?

This is something that new and current Etsy sellers get scared about.   First, understand that ANY e-commerce platform can get shut down if you don’t follow the rules.  People act like Etsy is so harsh and usually say I’ll just open my own website.  Your own website has a host, usually has a third-party builder it runs off like Shopify, Square Space, etc. You don’t control those and they can shut you down as well.   All Etsy shops get shut down because they did not follow Etsy’s selling policies.  Understand that it’s HARD to get shut down and you don’t have to worry if you’re doing things on the up and up.  I know you still may worry because you hear horror stories online, but again those people weren’t following the policies lol. Let’s dive into the most common reasons shops get shut down so you can make sure you’re doing the right things with your Etsy business. Copyright/trademark infringement Selling stuff that’s not vintage, or stuff you didn’t make and/or design Selling stuff that’s not allowed on Etsy  Too many customer service cases by customers Too many bad reviews Are you getting ready to open or just opened your shop?  Snag my new Etsy quickstart guide.  Learn all the best practices to start your Etsy business off on the right foot!  Get it here:  www.handmadeandbeyond.com/quickstart

How To Avoid Getting Your Etsy Shop Suspended

Time is a valuable resource we can never get back.  In business, if you're wasting time or spending it on the wrong tasks, it can keep you from growing and meeting your goals. Let's talk about 5 of the biggest time wasters I've seen a lot of Etsy sellers fall victim to, including myself.   Etsy SEO Revealed FREE eBook - Learn and understand Etsy SEO to help you grow your business. Download it for free here: https://www.handmadeandbeyond.com/etsyseosuccess

5 Biggest Etsy Time Wasters

Refunds aren't fun, but as a business owner, we have to deal with them.  If you haven't had to deal with a requested refund yet, you can be sure it will happen eventually.   In today's quick question Friday I talk about refunds, how to prepare, and how to handle them. Let's dive in!

Quick Question Friday: Someone Wants A Refund... Now What?

 I've got a fresh, new podcast for ya! This is a topic that I don't hear talked about much so I wanted to give you some feedback on what to do with your business revenue & profits.   There's no short of opinions or strategies when it comes to money and you always have to do what's right for YOUR business.  But I at least wanted to let you know what I do and maybe give you some ideas to help you strategize.    

What To Do With Your Business Revenue & Profits

Ahh the exhilarating feeling of getting your first sale!!  It's very exciting but then you realize you don't exactly know what to do next lol.   You're not alone.  Today's quick question comes from a new seller who just got her first sale but freaked out because they weren't sure what the next steps were.   Let's talk about it, ease their mind, and get some congratulations in order.   Are you still struggling to understand Etsy SEO (search engine optimization)?  Then you need to read my Etsy SEO Revealed FREE eBook!  It's a no-nonsense guide to help you understand SEO and how to use it to grow your business. Download it for free here: https://www.handmadeandbeyond.com/etsyseosuccess

Quick Question Friday: I Got My First Etsy Sale! Oh Crap Now What?!

The simple answer is probably yes.  But it's not as complicated as you may think.  A marketing plan is more about figuring out what you're going to say, how often you're going to say it, and where you're going to say it.   Marketing gives you the chance to reach out to your fans and audience.  It's your chance to give your business and brand a voice.   In this episode, I talk about marketing and some of the common mistakes I see when it comes to marketing your business. Etsy SEO Revealed FREE eBook - Learn and understand Etsy SEO to help you grow your business. Download it for free here: https://www.handmadeandbeyond.com/etsyseosuccess

Do You Need A Marketing Plan For Your Handmade Business?

It's Friday and that means I have another quick question for ya! I often get this question.  Usually, when thinking about or getting ready to start an Etsy business there are a few main areas to consider.  In this episode, I dive into this topic so you can start off on the right foot when you open up your Etsy shop.    Are you still struggling to understand Etsy SEO (search engine optimization)?  Then you need to read my Etsy SEO Revealed FREE eBook!  It's a no-nonsense guide to help you understand SEO and how to use it to grow your business. Download it for free here: https://www.handmadeandbeyond.com/etsyseosuccess

What Are The First Steps To Starting An Etsy Business?

I'm super excited to bring this new podcast to you!  I recently had a really good conversation with Jess Van Den who is a fellow Etsy seller and handmade coach.   She's been selling jewelry on Etsy since 2008!  She's an OG of the Etsy world and is extremely knowledgeable about running an online handmade business.  She has also been a handmade coach for the last 8 years, sharing her extensive knowledge to help other handmade sellers with their businesses.   We talk about her journey from school teacher to full-time handmade seller.  This story alone is unique and inspiring... We talk about some of her struggles along the way and how she built her business.   We also dive into mindset, success tips, photography tips, and many struggles that she encounters with her students.  There are tons of gold nuggets in this interview!  You don't want to miss this awesome episode!  I really enjoyed talking to Jess and know you'll get a lot out of this podcast. You can find more about Jess below: Her coaching website:  https://www.createandthrive.com Her Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/jessvanden Her podcast:  https://www.createandthrive.com/ctpodcast

Etsy Success & Mindset Tips With Jess Van Den Of Create & Thrive

It's time for another quick question Friday episode to help you with your Etsy biz!  Today's question is whether is all about free shipping vs paid shipping and how to handle the pricing.  Are you still struggling to understand Etsy SEO (search engine optimization)?  Then you need to read my Etsy SEO Revealed FREE eBook!  It's a no-nonsense guide to help you understand SEO and how to use it to grow your business. Download it for free here: https://www.handmadeandbeyond.com/etsyseosuccess

Quick Question Friday: Etsy Free Shipping VS Paid Shipping

This is something I’m battling with a lot now in my business since I have grown so much.  I am very type A and controlling when it comes to every aspect of my business so it’s hard to give someone else that responsibility.   Technology has made it much easier to outsource now more than ever.  Here are a couple of common questions and tips I get on outsourcing. When should you start to outsource?  Either you get too big and can’t do everything yourself (a good problem to have) or you want to focus on the big picture to grow and the menial tasks are slowing you down.   What should you outsource?  I look at outsourcing as a very big picture.  I think many small business owners think of outsourcing “business stuff” when if you look at what you’re doing, a lot of your time is probably being spent on non-business stuff preventing you from working on your business which is preventing growth.  There's a lot of time spent on housework, chores, cooking, driving, etc.  Start there first. Then, look at your entire business and what tasks you routinely do.  What are the $10 hour jobs that someone else can do?  What is your special sauce/skill that makes the biggest impact in your business that’s a $100 an hour job?  For example, if you do all the designing of your product, that’s something that you’re going to continue to do and probably don’t want to outsource.  But do you really need to package your stuff to ship?  Do you need to be the one to run or post on social media if you are only really interested in designing/creating? How to outsource?  Like I said before technology has made this much easier.  After you figure out what you’re going to outsource or have a plan for what you want to outsource in the future.  Use the resources out there to your advantage to outsource.  Here are a few: For chores/housework, etc.  Thumbtack is a great app to hire trustworthy people based on reviews.  I’ve used this app dozens of times with no issues.   For one and done tasks use www.fiverr.com.   Things like creating a logo, creating photo mock-ups, etc.  Usually paid for each project.   For more long-term tasks and projects www.upwork.com is good.  This is stuff like someone to run your social media or copywriter to do your email marketing, etc.  Usually paid by the hour or project. Need additional help, resources, and support to grow your Etsy & handmade business?  Check out www.handmadeandbeyond.com  

Do You Need To Outsource Some Help In Your Business?

It's time for another quick question Friday episode to help you with your Etsy biz!  Today's question is whether it's best to use multiple listing variations or put up separate Etsy listings for each variation.  Great question!  Listen to hear my response.   Do you need more help understanding Etsy SEO (search engine optimization)?  Check out my free eBook, Etsy SEO Revealed.  Learn all about SEO and the best practices to get you more traffic and sales in your shop.  Get it here:  https://www.handmadeandbeyond.com/etsyseosuccess

Quick Question Friday: What's Better? Variations VS. More Etsy Listings

What’s going on LL here and welcome back to the podcast.  Today I am talking about math lol.  But this is good math I promise.  Simple math when it comes to your business can make goals seem more obtainable and really take some of the pressure off.  Let’s dive into today’s show… Remember in school when you took geometry or algebra and you wondered how the heck that would help you in the real world… maybe you were stupid like me and took pre-calculus and stats as well..  Well, you were right.. most of that math is useless practically.  But I find myself using a ton of basic math to help me set goals and run my business.  I am honestly obsessed with it.  Breaking things down into bite sizes pieces just takes a lot of stress away.   Most people make the mistake of looking at the whole piece of the pie when starting an online business but you really have to work backward.  You don’t show an entire pizza in your mouth all at once do you?  Hopefully not.  You take one bite at a time.  But too often I see people try to show the entire business pizza in their mouths lol. Goal salary?  Maybe start with what you’re making now or made.  Avg USA income is 50k year.  Let’s use that. Also, keep in mind that with taxes you don’t take home 50k a year.  It’s probably more like 35K.   Goal 50k a year That’s $4166 a month $1,923 bi-weekly $961 a week $137 a day - what’s nice is with an online business you can make money every day, not just Monday-Friday  Now $137 is much better to think about and tackle than 50k! Now relate this to what you sell.  Say your average product costs or average sale per customer is $25. This is 5.48 sales per day on average to meet your goal of $137.  Remember you only need to average this because some days you’ll do more and some days you’ll do less.   Maybe you’re doing 1 sale a day now.  4-5 more sales a day isn’t that far of a stretch. So set your salary or revenue goal and work backward.  That’s what you need to strive for and pay attention to.   Then from there, you can focus on what drives daily sales.  Working on your shop, SEO improvement, more products, marketing, etc.  But those are things you can add to your workflow and work on improving over time.   So if you are not making an average of 1 sale a day make that your goal first.  Maybe you’re doing that, then maybe set your goal at 5, then 10, etc.  Wherever you want to get to, take steps to get there.  Don’t start out at 10 because it doesn’t work like that and you’ll just disappoint and demotivate yourself.     I have a brand new free training out called, "How to become a top 1% full-time, Etsy seller:  The top 7 things the best Etsy shops focus on to be successful."  Click here to watch the training today and start gearing up your shop for the success you deserve!

Math Can Help You Reach Your Handmade & Etsy Business Goals

I can’t believe I’m talking about the holidays again!  Last year was ummm special.  Many challenges with covid and logistics in general.  But it did teach us one thing as business owners.  To be prepared and think outside the box.  I always say this...  Entrepreneurs, meaning small business owners, that’s you… are problem solvers.  Throwing up your hands and giving up is not an option or at least something I don’t condone!   As of this recording, we have 4 months until Christmas, 3 months until Thanksgiving/black Friday/cyber Monday, 2 months until Halloween.  Holiday prep starts now! Yikes Let's talk about some things you can do to ensure you have a smooth and successful holiday season.   Are you still struggling to get momentum in your Etsy business?  Do you now know what direction to take?  Do you feel alone in your journey? Then the Handmade & Beyond Community is for you!  Live coaching, a help forum, and the Etsy Success Roadmap will help get you on track and keep you there.   Test it out for 30 days FREE!  This is the real deal.  Try it and see:  https://www.handmadeandbeyond.com/hbfreetrial

5 Ways To Prepare Your Etsy & Handmade Business For A Successful Holiday Season

I help other people start, build and grow their Etsy business so that they can make extra money pursuing their passion. I am a real seller that makes their entire living on Etsy. I teach others how to do the same.

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Etsy Entrepreneur's Podcast

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