My Etsy Story : mukibubb
01. Sep, 2011 
3 Comments
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1. Tell us your Etsy story.. how you got started in your craft and how you started selling on Etsy.
My mom is a quilter and my dad’s a photographer. I grew up in the 1970′s Sacramento art scene living a very tactile, visual childhood. The term “maker” is huge now, and it sums up who I’ve always been. Developing a motif and coaxing personality out of fabric are very personal activities for me – I love to sew.
I learned about Etsy in early ’06 but didn’t sign up until later that year. I had to take a hiatus last year and am having fun recharging my shop and learning all the new tools. I’ve been writing about it at ThingsAreLovely.com. The community is just as helpful and vibrant as it was when I left it!
2. What have you learned about business since you launched your Etsy shop?
The most important lesson I learned was also the most difficult – that business is business. It was a shocker to realize that all the great feedback I received on my designs didn’t automatically translate into sales. I learned quickly to rely on myself for marketing and built many systems into my daily routine to make sure my art and business thrived equally.
3. Tell us one piece of advice for new sellers.
The advice I always offer first is “Go with your gut.” There are hundreds of helpful books, blogs, sellers and gurus out there with the number one answer to Etsy selling. You’ll never read it all and you shouldn’t. Take in the information that comes to you, but ultimately your gut will tell you if a certain path is right for your business. Having an artistic nature means you’re probably very intuitive – lean on your intuition.
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I love advice! thanks for sharing. we all can help each other and learn from each other. etsy is such a great community!
I particularly like the last bit of advice, it’s so easy to get caught up in the flood of advice out there, some of it conflicting. It’s easy to become blocked, not knowing what to do or who to listen to, you can forget to listen to your own instincts. Thanks for the great advice!
You are welcome! Thanks for your interest. Etsy is a wonderful community and there is always something interesting being shared. I certainly learn something everyday!