Date joined etsy- 5/27/07
Sales to date - 398
Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Brian Gubicza. I live with my wife, Jen in Beverly,MA on Boston's North Shore. My Current favorite Ice Cream Flavor is Snickers.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
Most mornings are spent packaging/mailing orders.
I do my illustration work during the day, and in the evening hours I trace and cut animals for my
wife's plush business. We try to take a nice long walk every evening to escape our computers.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I was very creative as a child. My dream was to be a cartoonist.
Most days I drew and constructed things with which to play.
I even once built a rudimentary soap box racer out of an old picnic table and some lawn mower wheels. It was great on steep hills.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
I had had some success selling my work in a few art shows, and decided to offer my work to a much larger audience.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
If I remember correctly, It took (1) week to sell an item.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Foods
Earl Grey Tea
Corned Beef Reuben (on rye)
Pad Thai
Chocolate Cake!
TV Shows
X-Files
Poirot
Bones
Fawlty Towers
Rocko's Modern Life
Music
John Williams
Bernard Herrmann
David Arnold
Danny Elfman
Hans Zimmer
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
I compose music and enjoy cooking, but I would really love to make more of
a study of both.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Exposure.
If you have a product people will enjoy seeing and buying.
Show it to them. Research your target audience and attend fairs
Offering your work for consignment /wholesale, (in shops that you respect) is a great way to expand the size of your audience.
Create a free series of well-made tutorials; or discuss your process. Get everyone interested!
Don't take a lack of sales personally. There are slow times (especially summer). Use that time for work and research.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Zooguu
http://www.etsy.com/shop/reneenault
http://www.etsy.com/shop/chromalab
-One year from now, I hope...
to be making art and living happily with my wife.
--Have an etsy shop with over 300 sales and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
