Date joined etsy - 2/5/06
Sales to date - 469
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets,favorite ice cream flavor, etc.
My name is Stacey Gordon and my husband & I live in Phoenix, AZ with our awesome 6-year-old son & 5 awesome cats and one awesome litter robot. I have the great pleasure of working at a Waldorf school in the afternoons, keeping my mornings open for crafting.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
The first thing I notice in the morning is my sweet boy waking me up with a kiss & saying "bye mom, I'll see you later!" This is my greatest joy in the day. a) I have so much happiness in getting a kiss from my son & b) I get to sleep in because I work from home in the mornings. I get up and check the internet for a little while. Then I either sit down with my friend, Hulu & make some finger puppets, go to work at my sewing machine, plan workshops, or package orders. I usually eat some lunch & then head out to the Waldorf school where I assist in an after-school program. I come home and have a meal with my family, check the internet again, spend some time with my family again and then stay up far too late, being terribly unproductive. My house recently flooded, so lately my mornings are dedicated to cleaning and remodeling, but I'm excited to see my new workspace once it's sparkling and new.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I think what I remember most about my childhood creativity is pretending. I can remember sitting in my backyard as a tiny thing & playing with rocks & dirt clods, pretending they were people. I had them jumping into a puddle of acid (water) until they disappeared, so maybe we can see where my love of twisted things began.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
For me, Etsy was (and still is) a way for me to share my art with a huge audience. Even if they don't buy it, it's like a little online art gallery. People from so many countries have experienced whatever silliness I've put out there & for the most part they've enjoyed it. That makes me happy. I think if dignitaries had puppets on their hands at least once a day, this world would be a better place.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
About 3 months, but things didn't pick up for probably 7 months.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Ethiopian anything
Creme brulee
French toast
Homemade sweet pickles
Canned baby hot dogs
Thanks to Hulu.com:
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Parks & Recreation
Community
The Colbert Report
Arrested Development
They Might Be Giants
Fatigo
Joanna Newsom
Dry River Yacht Club
World Class Thugs
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, etc.
I'd love to take voice or piano lessons...those both make me happy. Oh and I'd love to learn to play the violin. I definitely want to be more musical.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
-First things first: figure out who your target audience is, where they go, & what their spending habits are. If you're spending all of your money advertising on religious websites and you make things that are edgy and inappropriate for daytime TV, then you're likely wasting your time and money.
-Avoid the etsy chat rooms for promoting and sales. Chatting for unwinding is okay, but your time working is better spent elsewhere.
-Pay for advertising. Even if you can only afford $10 or $15/month. Work it into your prices and it will pay off. When spending money on advertising, give it time. The more someone sees your ad, the more they'll retain the information. The average person needs to see something 7 times before they remember it, and sometimes double that before they act upon it, so stick with it.
-The Etsy forums can be helpful, but there's a lot of information, misinformation, and non-information to weed through. Spend time reading marketing blogs, books, and magazines to store up some helpful tips for small businesses. Then modify it to your income level and start-up status.
-If you twitter, facebook, blog, flickr, and need to save time--and you should save time--sign up for a free account with www.postling.com. It allows you to update everything from one swanky portal. It even allows you to set up updates in advance. If you have several ideas for blogs & are on a roll for writing and don't want to sit next to your computer all day, you can load them all at once and schedule them to post at different times.
-Make new things all of the time. When people come back to your shop, they want to see new products. Not recycled ones. If they keep seeing the same ol', same ol', they'll stop returning. Give your customers a reason to return. Eye candy is always a good reason.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
3 shops of the day:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/oktak mmm handbags
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TimelessVixenVintage mmm fancy things
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtMind mmm delicious simplicity that moves you to giggle & think
Definitely visit my favorites for really amazing artists (favorite shops, not items, I want to buy those--stay away!)
-By New Years Eve 2011 I hope my number of sold items is ______.
500. It was my goal in 2008 & 2009. I have only 31 left to go, and this year it feels within reach. But honestly, right now I'll be happy if my new views and hearts steadily increase. That's a huge indicator for me that my work is being seen and liked. Sales are fabulous, but in a recession, all I can really ask for is that art be enjoyed. Seeing art is delicious cake and owning art is the icing on top.
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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 :)
