Date joined etsy - 1/30/09
Sales to date - 476
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Kevin and originally from New England. I am married to a wonderful & beautiful California girl and have two Madagascan hissing cockroaches as pets, Carl and Carla. Yes, not your traditional pets. I live in what I believe is the most beautiful city in the world, San Francisco, that has great food, culture and natural & architectural inspiration all around. I am a biologist with a background in conservation and ant ecology.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
My average day starts out very early with a cup of Blue Bottle coffee (my favorite) and relaxing on the couch replying to emails and reading all the news headlines of the day. Then I move to my workshop and start attacking a “to do” list I made the night before. I typically spend about 12+ hours a day working on my business. I absolutely love what I do and very thankful for that!
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I was never a very good illustrator or writer growing up and focused my creativity and curiosity on exploring the world around me, which was the wooded lot next to my home. It was here that I built creative homes for insects and other animals I found. I also had a very large train set where I played with miniatures and models, definitely an influence on what I do now. And yes, I was (and am) a total dork!
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
I have been selling my framed insect displays for over 8 years and never sold anything online until this year. My friend told me about ETSY and I thought it was the perfect place to start. I have purchased many insect displays online in the past and none of them were made really well, so I figured I had a better product than anyone else and ETSY was the place to do it.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
I believe it was about 3 weeks before I made my first sale. I finally realized it was about posting at least once a day so people will find you, and that has helped sales. Just think of that 20-cent posting fee as a virtual billboard of your products and set a little budget for yourself, it will pay off in the end.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Favorite foods: Deep dish pizza, sushi, peanut butter ice cream, Thai Food, burritos
TV: Don’t’ have time to watch anything but if I do it will be PBS.
Music: Ryan Adams, Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket, Gotye, singer/songwriters.
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, etc.
I love craft and experimenting with different forms and techniques. I am willing to try anything and right now I am learning to work with resin for a new product that will be coming out soon.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Well, I have to say the single most important thing is to take good photographs. If you don’t know how, learn online as there are lots of sites dedicated to this. Second, post at least once a day if not more. Once you build up a fan base, I would utilize facebook and twitter to make it more personal for people. I am all new to this myself but the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ErinTyner
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Maryjanesattic (my wife loves this shop)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/doodlebirdie
-By New Years Eve 2011 I'd like to have _____ amount of sales.
I would love to double my sales
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Have a successful etsy shop and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
