Me and Matilda – Quit Your Day Job Etsy Style

The Quit Your Day Job series found on Etsy’s blog is a must read.  Reading about the success of other Etsy sellers can be inspiring and motivating. Here is the latest installment.  Quit Your Day Job: MeandMatilda

Here are a few excerpts from the article.

How did you originally get into the business of making things?
On some level I’ve always made things. When I was little it was furniture for my dollhouse made from cardboard, empty thread spools and scraps of fabric. In my teenage years I “designed” clothing with crude drawings that I begged my grandmother to interpret into actual wearable clothing. I watched my mother (who still claims she cannot sew from a pattern) create amazing period costumes for my high school theatrical pursuits and my older sister, who can make just about anything. I grew up in a household of women where making was an important part of life.

What are your best marketing tips?

• Take good pictures. This is a process that I am constantly tweaking because I am not a photographer. I knew my ability to take great pictures was limited by my simple point-and-shoot camera, so I tried to at least take interesting pictures with a clear representation of my product. It was a great thrill to wake up one morning and find one of my pictures on a national wedding magazine’s blog!
• Listing regularly on Etsy is always a good idea. I try to keep it fresh and add new items often.
• Blogs have been a great support to my business. I’ve been blessed to have my neckties and bowties featured in several blogs and magazines.
• Join a team. I joined the Etsykids Team, the Etsymom Team and the CAST. I am so busy it is hard to participate as actively as I once did, but I do try to tag correctly and make Treasuries featuring other team members whenever possible.

Check out Etsy Blog HERE for the entire Quit Your Day Job Article.