The Art of Doing Nothing....

I hate to admit this in writing, but I am a procrastinator. For most people a small bit of this won’t hurt anything. For me, it can influence the difference between whether any work gets done in a day or not. Time management is fortunately a skill even an old dog can learn, but taking the initiative to do it, well that is another thing….

Today, I’m committing to better time management in my creative life and this is how I plan to do it… (There, I’ve said it; it’s on paper for the world to see)

1.) I plan to take care of the most urgent tasks of the day first. Example: mailing packages from my Etsy shop sales. This way, urgent tasks won’t be weighing on my mind for the rest of the day. Time management has a lot to do with setting priorities. Completing a task can be quite powerful if you take what is known about forward momentum and put it to use.

2.) I will break down large projects into smaller, more manageable ones. This will help me work on large projects a little bit at a time without feeling overwhelmed or stressed. If I work on different elements of the task on different days, I will stay more interested in it.

3.) I will overcome inertia that binds me. The longer I put off a project, the hard it is to get moving. Inactivity becomes the norm and nothing gets done. Even if I take baby steps it’s at least a start in the right direction.

4.) I will give myself rewards! Giving myself something to look forward to after I’ve completed the “to do” list will give me a good reason to finish the task.

Wish me luck and scold me if you see me wasting time!

Cheers!

Lori

Yikes! My Etsy Shop is not ready….

Mr Yikes

FACT: There are fewer days to shop for holiday gifts this year.

Wait…fewer days…..How can this be?

 

Well, it turns out that Thanksgiving is extraordinarily late this year (11/28). Typically holiday shopping begins the following day on Black Friday, so there are only 26 days between then and Christmas. This is the shortest number of days between the two holidays since 2002!

 

Many Etsy shops have already considered this and are trying to respond accordingly with their holiday marketing and online presence.  It's going to be a very competitive shopping season, and I’m not ready… So now is the time to prepare for increased site traffic and shipping.

 

Seven steps to help get my Etsy shop on track:

1. Look Back: did you have any top sellers last holiday season or maybe something new that is selling now? Start planning ahead to make/create/prepare these items in particular.



One of my Top Selling items in my Etsy shop.

 

2. Take Inventory: of your stock, supplies, & time. Make lists of what you've got & what you need and go shopping now.

 

3. Clean Sweep: While taking inventory & planning which supplies need to be purchased...clean out your work bench and photo area for better efficiency. Store extra supplies and create a more streamlined creative space.  Cleaning the workbench always gets me inspired to work on new projects.

 

4. Fill Your Shop: Begin increasing your actual inventory now. You’ll have more to sell in the shortened shopping season.

 

5. Save the Date: Consider having an open house to show off (and sell) your designs to friends, family, neighbors, and whoever else shows up!

 

6. Post, Tweet, Pin…: Plan on making at least one social marketing broadcast each day. Get started now: write, revise, post, & get noticed.

 

7. Wrap, Label, and Send: Think now about packaging options for the holidays- in addition to your normal mailers, boxes, ribbon, etc. what do you needed for holiday wrapping?  I always put a pretty Christmas ribbon on my holiday jewelry boxes.

 

I need to get moving on these steps without delay, this is not the time to keep calm.

 The Madagascar movie tune "I like to Move It, Move It" keeps playing in my head.

I like to move it, move it...You got to move it, move it....

 

 

 

Atlanta Artists and Crafters - New Meetup

Clipboards used for Jewelry Display

While chatting with some fellow Etsy sellers, we were discussing how much we all love creating our art, but we all need to focus some of our time on selling it. I found a new Meetup group in Atlanta called "Art Biz in the 'Burbs"; the sponsor will focus on creative ways to advertise and market our creations through digital, social, and traditional media. Additionally, we will discuss galleries, gift shops, shows, art walks, and exhibitions. Together, we hope to expand our visibility and increase our understanding of the ever-changing art market.

If you are in the Atlanta, GA area and would like to join the group, I've included the link to the Meetup site below.  The first meeting is on Monday March 18 in northeast Cobb. 

http://www.meetup.com/Art-Biz-in-the-Burbs/ 

9 Excuses Preventing You from Becoming a Successful Etsy Seller



Start Your Own Etsy Store - Image by Schugirl08



Be honest. How often do you interfere with yourself?

Today or really any day, you know you have tasks you’d like to finish because they’d positively impact your Etsy business, and then there are the tasks you actually do. You trick yourself into thinking that keeping up with Pinterest, following others on Facebook, and reading the latest blog posts is “working on your Etsy shop”. You do know better, but some part of you believes that having an understanding of all things “Etsy” will better position you when the time is right. When that time comes, you’ll be the absolute front-runner of the handmade world, because you’re so well studied… But that day doesn’t come.

Something is holding you back from great success on Etsy, and you can’t quite put your finger on it. So instead of moving past it and taking action, you make an excuse. You justify your reasons for not moving forward.

 What follows are 9 of the most common excuses you might tell yourself.



Take a risk!



 

1.) You can’t afford to take a risk right now.

If not now, then when?

This excuse is fear of the unknown.

The reality is that you can’t afford not to take a risk right now.

Putting on the breaks doesn’t just inhibit your creativity…it prevents people from ever making a purchase from you. Just go for it, take the risk!

2.) You don’t know where to begin.

Just take it step-by-step.

Think about it, every great seller on Etsy probably thought “I don’t know where to begin.”

Before you know it you’ll be a pro and will hardly remember how nerve-wracking these first steps were.

I found this article a big help when I was starting my Shop: 

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/the-quick-start-guide-to-selling-on-etsy/



You don't have to be.



3.) You’re not that good or creative enough.

Don’t sell yourself short!

Not everyone needs to be über creative.

Yes, there are extremely talented artists on Etsy, but there are also regular folks with very successful shops selling craft supplies, and vintage items. Some of the top sellers in the jewelry category (my category), simply hang a pretty pendant from a single chain; not tremendously creative but exactly what their buyers were looking for.

4.) You don’t know what your passion is; you can’t think of a niche.

Understandable. Not everyone is there, yet.

However if you want to do something, but just can’t figure out what, go to the bookstore and see what section you gravitate towards. Spend some time browsing through the magazine racks; if there wasn’t a market, there wouldn’t be a magazine.

Do some soul searching to determine what you’ll forever be passionate about.



There's a buyer for everything!



5.) Nobody will buy.

If people will buy the “Pet Rock” they will buy what you’re selling.

You just have to figure out how to market yourself.

Good photos of your merchandise and detailed descriptions are a good start, but you also need to work at getting your items noticed. You’re probably already using facebook and pinterest; create your own promotions using the tools available to you.

I found this article on marketing interesting: 

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2010/how-to-effectively-use-social-media-to-market-your-business/

6.) You can’t be successful until you have _______.

Money, studio, tools, website, expensive camera, stock pile, or any other number of other factors.

Make every attempt to acquire the bare essentials quickly.

Plot out your steps and create milestones to acquire additional resources.

Missions and objectives do wonders for progress.

7.) It’s too hard keeping all the balls in the air.

Anything worth doing is hard.

When was the last time “easy” had a huge payoff for you?

“You are in the middle of your day today, and you’re caught up in the sandstorm of thoughts, feelings, to-dos, meetings, readings, and communications of this day.

Pause. Breathe. Let all of that fade.

Now focus on doing one thing, right now.”

~Leo Babauta

8.) You can’t commit right now.

Fair enough, we all have a lot on our plates.

But when can you commit?

Don’t use this excuse to push something aside, if you don’t want to invest the time.

If it’s genuinely interesting, look at your calendar and ask “when can I commit?” and put yourself on a productive path.

And if you don’t want to do it, be honest and admit you’re not interested. Close your shop.

People will always respect honesty over being strung along waiting for your new items.

9.) You don’t have time.

Seriously? You just had time to read my blog post. You have time.

In fact, you have all the time, resources, and knowledge required to be a great Etsy seller.

Being great, no, being excellent is a choice.

It’s a choice to never stop. It’s a choice to view yourself as limitless. It’s a choice to stop at nothing until everyone knows your name and shop.

Without a doubt, you’ll encounter many obstacles on your journey. That’s a given.

So what are you waiting for?

Go.

Be great.

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Handmade for the Holidays

This holiday season I’m trying to give handmade items as much as possible.  I believe that a handmade gift expresses so much more than something pulled off the end-cap display of a mega store. Hopefully the gift recipient will realize that I care enough about them to seek out something as individual as they are.

Even if you aren’t the crafty type, you can still gift fabulous handmade products this holiday season.  I love looking through the handmade shops on Etsy.  It is absolutely unbelievable the amount of beautifully crafted one-of-a-kind gifts that are available. I can find almost anything on Etsy and the items are delivered right to the front door. No black Friday shopping for me!

Many of my gifts this year will be handmade jewelry that I created, but I’ll need a few other items too. I put together a list of great Etsy shops for you to check out- just a teeny tiny sample of what is offered.

 1.  Taylor Crafts Engraved

 2.  Peg and Awl

 3.  Sherris Photographs and Crochet

 4.  Babies Bugs and Bees

 5.  Pole Star

 6.  LuLu Bug Jewelry

 7.  Ceci Capen Clay Studio

 8.  Jen’z Art Bazaar

 9.  Wooden Toys NW

Also, when you shop handmade, you are supporting the future, family, confidence, mind, body and soul of that artist. It creates an amazing relationship between 2 people: the buyer and seller. You are not just a customer; you become a supporter, a fan, a collector of their art.

Etsy, the place for all things handmade...Cheers!

I care about you…

I believe giving handmade is truly the core of gift-giving. When you give a friend or loved one a gift, you are really saying "I care about you." A handmade gift expresses so much more than something pulled off the end-cap display of a mega store. You are telling the gift recipient that you cared enough about them to seek out something as individual as they are.

Beyond the evident economic benefits of supporting independent artists, buying and giving handmade is a loving act. You are also supporting the future, family, confidence, mind, body and soul of that artist. It creates an amazing relationship between 2 people: the buyer and seller. You are not just a customer; you become a supporter, a fan, a collector of art.

I feel that I’m also getting a gift with each handmade purchase: knowing I have helped someone get one step closer to their dream. Supporting each other is after all the most rewarding gift we can give!

Please consider something handmade when gift giving. Etsy is a wonderful place to find all things handmade.

Here are some of my favorite handmade items on Etsy today….

Bracelet - http://www.etsy.com/listing/109185087/urban-warrior-tribal-gypsy-bangle-stack

Felt Mouse - http://www.etsy.com/listing/78242673/mouse-needle-felting-kit-without-needles

Tea Pot - http://www.etsy.com/listing/99149409/tiny-ceramic-teapot-blue-green-yixing

CHEERS!

Lori in Atlanta

Pssst, Small Business Owner, Do you shop local?

Shopping locally has become more and more popular as consumers strive to support local businesses and farmer markets. Shopping locally is a powerful way to attract shop-local oriented consumers and give them a more compelling reason to visit you. It also lets small businesses support each other directly, and can help build new relationships for marketing.

Etsy buyers can do this by utilizing the “Shop Local” feature on the home page. “Shop Local” shows the 100 most recently updated shops for a specific location. You can search for artists in your country, your state or even your own zip code. Who knows, you may find that a talented artist lives right down the street from you.

 Shopping local has other great benefits:

• the environmental impact is reduced
• you’ve reinvested money in your own community
• you’ve supported a local small business owner
• chances are you will receive great customer service
• reduced shipping cost (I love to save money!)

If you have an Etsy shop, check your profile and make sure your “Location” is not blank. Buyers like knowing where as well as who they are purchasing from. Your location helps personalize your shop and you will show up in “Shop Local” searches for your geographic area.

If you are not familiar with this type of Etsy search – take a peek at ‘Shop Local’ on the Etsy homepage.

Below I’ve listed some of my favorites from our location: Atlanta, GA

http://www.etsy.com/listing/94835731/elmo-and-cookie-monster-sesame-street

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74556150/organically-grown-buy-local-custom-100

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92716537/handmade-rice-bowls-ceramic-pottery-pair

Just a few of my Altanta Favorites! Cheers!

Social Marketing: Facebook, Twitter, or Blog?

Are you still pondering whether or not social media matters for your Etsy business? According to a recent social media survey (by BlogHer, the women’s blog network) roughly 68% of the 79 million adult women in the United States who use the Internet participate in social media at the very least weekly.

Interesting Finding #1: Tweet Less....Women use social networks like Facebook more than anything else, with blogs their second choice. Forums and discussion boards come next, with Twitter bringing up the rear (remember this if you’re tempted to think Twitter is THE be all and end all of your Etsy marketing).

Women’s weekly internet participation by activity:

Social Networks (Facebook, My Space, etc.): 75%

All Blog Activity (Read and Write): 55%
Forums or Message Boards: 40%

Status Updating (Twitter): 16%

If you were looking solely at raw numbers above, you’d conclude the most important place to market your Etsy products is Facebook, right? Well … not necessarily.

Interesting Finding #2: Blogs Have the Most Influence on Purchasing…

It’s not just about how much time is spent in an activity; it’s what is accomplished in that activity. Do updating friends and family with the latest baby picture or recipe play into their purchasing habits? Probably not.

The survey found that women who read and post to blogs are the most actively engaged. They spend the most time online. Over 80% also participate in social networks like Facebook, and over one third of bloggers also participate in Twitter. But more to the point, those who blog are more likely to be tech savvy, on the leading edge of trends, and invest time searching for new products online. Those who participate in social networking sites like Facebook are motivated to spend time there more as a matter of staying in touch with family and friends.

The way I interpret this: you get the maximum reach in sheer numbers from social networks like Facebook, but you achieve the most influence from blogs.

Interesting Finding #3: Women Look to Blogs for Information…

The research showed that women are more likely to go to social networks like Facebook for beauty, entertainment, and dating advice. But for the majority of other categories, including product reviews and product gift ideas, they look to blogs.

Depending on the nature of your Etsy business, focus on Facebook or MySpace may be worth it — if, for instance, you are in the entertainment business. But for most things, such as if you are selling craft supplies or selling home décor items, blogs could give the best return on time invested.



Take a Deep Breath...



This weekend I received an emergency call from a good friend and fellow Etsy seller. She told me that she had received a message from a very unhappy buyer. The buyer was unhappy with the size of the earrings they had received. My friend makes lovely items with quality materials; I was surprised to hear the news.

The buyer had complained that the size in the pictures did not match the actual item. Oh no…this is a common problem jewelry sellers have when using the Macro camera setting to get sharp close-up details. I told my friend the only solution I know to solve the dilemma; place a common item (like a coin or your hand) in at least one of the photos too to give the buyer a sense of scale. Here is a great example of establishing scale in your photos:

“This will help in the future, but what about my angry customer?” she asked with a sigh. Here’s the advice I gave her……

1. Take a deep breath - it’s not the end of the world. Step away from the computer for 30 minutes and think about how to handle this situation rationally. Try not to answer the complaint emotionally, write your email response cautiously and thoughtfully. If you don’t consider how it will sound to your customer, you could be doing damage control later. Email can be tricky! Tone and inflection are not present in email. Your written response may be misinterpreted as combative or unhelpful if you are not careful with your reply.

2. Realize that you both want the same thing. Buyer and seller want the same end result; a happy, pleasant, and speedy transaction. Usually an unhappy buyer simply wants to feel like you are willing to work with them. So extend the olive branch and let them know that you truly want to help them and are willing to work toward a solution.

3. Put the ball in their court- Ask the customer what they would like for you to do to resolve the situation. Chances are, they have already have an idea of what they think is a fair solution. If there is anything you can do to make sure the customer walks away satisfied, do it. I’m not telling you to give away your shop, just try to come to a fair agreement.

4. Don’t beat your customer over the head with your return policy – Upset customers don’t want to listen to you quoting back your policy to justify why you can’t help them. Let them know your personal guidelines so they know what to expect from here on out. Sure, it’s important to have policies in place, but you can’t view every single situation in black-and-white terms. Be reasonable, and be flexible.

5. Know that you can’t please everyone. You may run into a “difficult to deal with” person. It happens to all of us, there’s no reason to beat yourself up about it. Just do the best you can, keep your cool, think things through, and offer them a fair deal. Hold your head up knowing that you did the best you could to resolve the issue.

I remember reading a phrase that said "Customer service is not a department, it’s an attitude". Apart from these tips above, you need the right attitude and frame of mind for handling tricky situations. Don't run away from them; just try to handle them with care. Here’s hoping that you will never need to use these tips. Cheers!

"Home" Business say no more.....

Most Esty shop owners can’t afford separate studio space so they set up their work space at home.  It might be a dedicated space just for crafting, or it could be the kitchen table.  Working from the kitchen table doesn’t mean your work isn’t marvelous!   Don’t tell people you run a “home” business. Although 53% of small businesses are home based, many people still think of home businesses as unprofessional. Think of it this way: if you rented studio space at 33 West Main St. for your design business, you wouldn’t tell people you were in a “West Main Street” business. So, why say you are in a home business. Home is just the location of your work space. It’s the business – the product you provide – that’s important.  When people ask about my small business I simply say that I’m a jewelry designer and hand them one of my business cards... Enough said…