Is it? Is it ever ok to copy from someone else? The answer is NO!
You will find in “How to Start Your Craft Business Online” books and/or on sites, direction that will state “see what successful crafters are doing and do that.” I’ve even said it here. And if I haven’t, I will at some point. When you are getting started building your craft business online, the best way to learn what works is to see what others are doing that is working for them.
BUT, and this is a biggie, Read More→
On the Etsy forums today, one post pointed back to a 2008 blog article that quoted Etsy CEO Rob Kalin commenting that from the quarter of a million sellers on Etsy, only about 50 of them are truly making a full-time living.
That number is two years old, but there is no doubt that the majority of Etsy sellers couldn’t survive on what they make on Etsy. I know that is true for me.
To truly make a living doing what you love, especially if it’s of a handmade nature, it is vitally important to have more than one outlet for your craft.
And those outlets should be online and offline. Craft markets, fairs, consignment, galleries, Etsy, Artfire, eBay even. The more places you can promote your products online and offline, Read More→
If you read anything about marketing, social networking or doing business online or on land, you’ve heard that customers who come back to you again and again are your bread and butter.
If you haven’t heard that yet, you’re hearing it now.
When you gain a new customer, you want to create a relationship with that person that will have them trying to figure out what they can buy from you next.
Sure, new customers are fun. It’s flattering when someone new gushes over your latest quilt/bracelet/journal. But it requires work to get those customers into your shop and to get them to click on the “buy” button.
Check the Etsy forums on any given day and you will see crafters lamenting that sales are slow or non-existent.
What do you do when sales slow down? Read More→
