Date joined etsy - 9/28/06
Sales to date - 3340
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Nakisha, but I do business under the name BlueDogRose as well. I live in Seattle, WA with a menagerie of rescued animals; currently four dogs, two cats and two goldfish. I am not big on ice cream, but on rare occasion I'd say Coffee heath bar crunch is my favorite.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
I get up and take care of my animals. Then I get into my studio (a converted bedroom in my house), check emails, manage orders, do some website work for a site I run called
FineWoodArtists.com. Most mornings are spent on the computer, but if I get that done, I work on art. Painting, sculpting, jewelry,whatever project I am excited about at the moment. In the afternoon, the dogs demand a walk, then in the evenings I take care of shipping and sometimes manage to watch some tv or a movie before I fall asleep. It's not unusual for me to spend 10 hours or more a day in my studio.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
My earliest memory is drawing, and have boxes upon boxes of notebooks full of drawings. I have always made things, I am just hardwired that way, but my other interests are quite varied. Natural history and archeology, science fiction, gardening, and of course animals.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
A friend talked me into it (experimetal.etsy.com), to tell the truth I wasn't that interested at first, I didn't "get" Etsy. But once I started selling, I began to see the potential. Everything grew exponentially from there. I had over 15 years experience in retail and wholesale of crafts as well as web design before selling on Etsy, so I drew on a lot of that experience in growing my business.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
It was 2 or 3 days. I'll never forget the thrill.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
This varies too much for me to list, but my current favorite food is portabello mushroom ravioli in butter and garlic, I love most Brit coms like Black Books and Spaced and Modest Mouse is never too far from my CD player.
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
I think lampworking would be fun, I would also love to play the piano or accordion.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Work on your shop first, before you promote. Have great images, descriptions, policies, bio, and a clear vision of what your shop IS. Once you have that, selling your work is much easier. Next it's important to make connections and build relationships. It's important to always be positive about your work, and respect the work of others. It's also good to try different things and see what gets you the most views and sales, what works for one shop may not work for another. Make sure you have Google analytics set up so you can see where your customers come from, it's a great tool.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
There are SO many, I can't list just three ... my favorites are public, so do check them out. http://www.etsy.com/people/bluedogrose/favorites
-One year from now, I hope my number of sold items is
*I don't want to jinx it* :)
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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 :)
