I’ve been wanting to write up a little post about how my brand new Etsy shop is doing, but it is doing SO WELL that I can’t seem to keep my envelope sets in there to show you all! Crazy! Good crazy, of course. Makes me wonder if I should have done this a long time ago!

For those of you who are new to online commerce, Etsy is “the place to buy and sell all things handmade”. It is an incredible source of inspiration, filled with unique, personalized and handmade gifts for yourself or someone you kinda like. I’ve purchased funky fabric, jewelry, a camera strap and sewing patterns from Etsy, plus I’ve received gifts of handmade buttons and a personalized charm that were purchased on Etsy. You could get lost there for hours and hours, just browsing the shops and enjoying the eye candy. The best part: your purchase supports artists and mom-preneurs. Love that!

As you may know, I set up a shop to sell my handmade cash envelope sets. So far, I have sold seventeen sets!! AMAZING! I’ve had a couple of learning moments, as you might expect, but I think I have most of the kinks worked out. I didn’t anticipate selling so many, so quickly! These babies take a while to make and then I have to take the time to photograph them, edit photos and list them in my shop. Plus there is the customizing of labels and shipping it out! My boys are a little tired of going to the post office, so I’ll have to schedule that when they are at school. I’m totally willing to do all of these things, because every set I sell gets us that much closer to being able to pay off my student loans this year! Wahoo!

I had thought about setting up an Etsy shop in the past, but I didn’t really know where to start. Yes, I am typically the type who likes to jump into things without researching it to death first, but I knew enough about Etsy to know that I needed to be prepared. Thankfully, a few months back I had purchased Tip Junkie’s e-book called Mom-preneur Blog and Etsy Guide. When I purchased it, I figured that it would be useful to me as a blogger and as a mom-preneur with my little boutique over at The Digichick. Perhaps I could learn a couple of new things to promote my business.

In the 37 page e-book, Laurie (Tip Junkie) compiled a huge list of questions and answers by Mom-preneurs who sell their handmade wares in several different venues: Etsy, website, facebook/craft fairs/etc, and their blogs. It includes information on branding, websites, advertising, quality photos, customer service and more.

My favorite Questions that people answered were:

• “Say you just uploaded a new product online. What would you do next to get the word out?”
• “What is your favorite way to promote your business?”
• “If you have an Etsy shop, how do you use the site to promote yourself?”
• “What types of giveaways have the most participation on your blog?”
• and LOTS more!

VERY valuable information, and a fun read, too! The ladies who took part are all mom-preneurs selling their handmade items or promoting their blog to earn additional income. I love that!

What the book did for me is that it got me thinking and brainstorming about how I could improve my businesses and get the word out about what I have to offer. I’m always watching other successful bloggers or digital designers, etc, to see how they are running their businesses and to see if I could incorporate what they are doing into my own brand. Some ideas I keep and some I toss, but they all get my mind whirling, and that is the most important thing. (Gotta get those synapses firing!!)

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Tip Junkie’s Mom-preneur Blog and Etsy Guide to any of you who are wanting to brainstorm about starting your own business or growing the one you already have. I’m giving it a second read today, now that I’ve opened up an Etsy shop, and I’m excited to see what pops out at me today!

One thing I learned in the book (well, okay, I already knew it!) was how important word-of-mouth advertising is. So, my faithful blog readers, will you do me a favor? Will you tell others about my customized cash envelopes in my Etsy shop? I’d love you forever!!

Your turn! Do you love Etsy? Do you have a favorite shop? Do you sell in an online store of some sort? Link us up in the comments so that we can continue to buy handmade!

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