Date joined etsy- 12/11/09
Sales to date - 590
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Jamie and I live in London, Ontario, Canada with my fiance and our 3 dogs and a turtle. I'm finishing up a bachelors degree in psychology, have studied fine arts, and have a degree in animal care. Autumn is my favorite time for the year and I'm slightly obsessed with all things Halloween. My health is something that needs a lot of attention because I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and Fibromyalgia. Being able to work from home on a flexible schedule really helps me take care of my health.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
My days are different than many people because I'm almost never up during the day except for craft shows!
-My "day" starts around 6pm
-I get up, feed the dogs, and have something to eat with Drew
-We talk about what I did the night before, and how his day went. We then walk the dogs, or watch some prime time TV.
-Around 11pm, Drew heads off to bed I get to work packing orders. After all orders are packed, I restock anything that has sold if the supplies are on hand.
-If I'm having a bad day (health wise), I soak in the tub for about an hour and then work on the computer checking emails, updating my social networks, reading up on industry news, and ordering supplies.
-If I'm having a good day, I skip the soak in the tub and work on building up stock for a couple hours before working on the computer. I may also take pictures in the studio before jumping online if I have a pile of un-photographed items piling up.
-I finish my day when Drew heads off to work early in the morning. I feed the dogs, check my email one last time, and then crawl into bed.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I worked with clay and paper a lot. I've always loved sculpture and paper goods. I have a paper goods shop on etsy (that's how things on Etsy started for me) but since opening my bath & body shop on etsy I've had to scale back on the number of pop up cards I make because I simply don't have time. Instead, I list cards if I ever find a spare moment and fill the shop with cute rings.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
As I mentioned above, I started a different shop before BattysBath.etsy.com called ShesBattyDesigns.etsy.com and I started SBD because I really loved the idea of sharing my creations with other people. I can only give so many creations to my friends and family before they have to start giving them to other people haha.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
My first sale in my soap show came the first day I officially opened the doors and started listing! This didn't happen by sheer luck though! I did a lot of work up prep before I started to list and I got a lot of experience "learning the ropes" with my first etsy shop which helped me know how to pull off a successful launch.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Foods: cereal, cheese cake, donuts, smoothies, blueberries
TV Shows: lost, SVU, without a trace, cold case, and just about every reality show!
Bands: cyndi lauper, sugar land, miranda lambert, dixie chicks, the wreckers
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
I've tried pretty much every craft medium there is but I'd really like to get good at knitting and guitar. If I had to put everything on how and just focus on learning ONE thing for a month, I would definitely either knitting or guitar :)
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
I would suggest getting in the etsy forums first! There's tons of information there - it's like a GOLD mine! Plus, you might find some threads that interest you that you can post on. Remember, every post in the forums makes a link back to your shop and helps the Etsy community get to know you better. Be yourself, be helpful, and give back as much as you get :)
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
bestuffies.etsy.com
weezi.etsy.com
HatBoxStudio.etsy.com
-One year from now, I hope...
To have increased my etsy sales and have grown my business online to the point where I can reduce the amount of craft shows I need to do. Right now I have a craft show, home party, or other selling event happening EVERY weekend. This really takes a hit on my health and I often spent the first few days of the week recovering, which in turn, decreases the amount of time I have to restock, market, develop new products, and work online. My goal is to only have to do 1 to 2 events per month and be able to be able to pick and choose the events I REALLY enjoy doing (like the Bizarre Bazaar in Toronto, ON and our once a month "Beehives, Bubbles & Bows" event at Weezi in London, ON).
--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 :)
