So you’re thinking about starting an Etsy shop. When I started Oh, Hello almost three years ago I honestly didn’t put much thought into it. I opened shop on a Saturday and learned as time went along with a lot of mistakes along the way. There are five things I wish I considered before starting, and you should too before opening shop. Plus I’ve created a handy little worksheet you can work through to really hash out all these ideas. I cover all these points in today’s video if you fancy a watch.
Above all else, I wish I had given myself a budget to take this new business seriously. So ask yourself, what things do you need to put your best foot forward to get started?
Definitely if you’re considering opening a sticker shop, consider what sets your shop apart from the other shops out there already. Do you design all your own artwork? What is it about your shop that would make people want to shop there over another shop? This will really help you have a clear idea of your identity moving forward.
Another incredibly important aspect I basically just winged was choosing a name. Pick a name that’s available on all social media sites, but that’s also easy to spell correctly. Also pick a name that can grow with your business. Sure it seems easy to just pick your nickname or combine something about your family pet and your favorite color. But if your business starts to take off, you don’t want your name to seem silly like The Purple Corgi. At second thought, that’s a great name and I call dibs (lol).
Figuring out goals and benchmarks is also something I wished I would have done starting out, and I recommend it for anyone considering owning a shop. Where do you see your company in six months? A year? Figuring out these things in advance can help guide you during the first months of your shop, dictate how much time and energy you need to put into the business, and it’ll help you take the entire venture more seriously.
The final thing you really should consider before opening shop is pricing. Take a look at what other shops in your field price their items at. Take into consideration the cost of goods and the time it takes to make your items and really think about how much you should charge for your work. More often than not beginning shops pay themselves so much less than minimum wage for their work just to try and be competitive. It’s not worth it if you’re working yourself to death.
Opening an Etsy shop is an incredibly exciting thing, but it’s important to consider these 5 things to make sure you’re getting the most out of the experience. Don’t forget to download a copy of the worksheet to answer all of these questions for yourself!
It wasn’t all that long ago that the planning community was itty bitty. Now it’s exploded into this huge, wonderful thing, but it’s definitely a lot harder to be noticed in such a big crowd. Lucky for me I had a growing business and an established blog to help propel me along, but if you’re just getting started it can seem like a lot to wade through. So if you’re trying to stand out in a crowd full of planner people, here are a few of my tips and tricks.
Cultivate your own style. People are constantly looking for new ways of planning or to find something different than what they’re doing. Whether it’s stamping or putting stickers into an uncommon planner, find something to set your planning ways apart from everyone else. And then share those ways. Post regularly about what you’re doing so people will stumble upon you more often.
The best way to cultivate your own style is to ignore everyone. The planner community is super big on sharing, I get it. I’m sharing right now and do it regularly on my YouTube channel. But if you’re serious about trying to figure out your own style and start to make headway in the community, you can’t be constantly watching what other people are doing. It’s so easy to get caught up in trends that way and to try and shape your planning to fit someone else’s style. The best thing I did was unfollow a lot of the planner people I constantly found myself trying to keep up with. It’ll do wonders for your personal planning style and you’ll be a lot happier without all that self-imposed competition.
One of the most important things to help you stand out in the planning crowd is to take good photos. Even if they’re just for Instagram, make sure your photos are well lit. No one likes a dark photo. Use natural light from a window during the day to get your photos nice and bright. Plus take a bunch of photos at once so you’ll have them to post or use for blogging when it gets too dark.
If you really want to start gaining more traction in the planner world, be consistent beyond belief. Give yourself a schedule and stick to it. Even if you’re just trying to gain a larger audience on Instagram, post regularly. No one is interested in following someone who posts once every two weeks randomly and then disappears again.
With so much noise in the planner community it’s easy to feel like your voice isn’t being heard or that no one cares about what you’re doing. But don’t give up. Try some of these tips and keep planning away. Because at the end of the day you plan because you love it, and other people will see that too.
Regardless of the time of year my skin is always ridiculously dry. Snake skin has nothing on me. So I’ve been on quite the hunt to find a good, hydrating skin care routine that doesn’t clog my pores or cause me to break out. derma e has created just the thing.
One thing I love about derma e is how they don’t mess around with names. The hydrating serum does just what it says on the packaging, which is also really high quality as well. What’s most impressive about this serum is how light it is. It’s one of the thinnest serums I’ve ever used, yet provides a ton hydration to my skin. It blends in quickly without a greasy residue and also doesn’t have that weird silicone feeling a lot of serums have. Plus it’s 100% vegan which makes me feel all sorts of fancy.
It’s crazy how light this formula is. I’ve been using it for months and still can’t get over it.
It’s like consistency makes it perfect for my summer routine and I’m super curious to see how it stacks up to the cold winter months of even drier skin. So far it’s done wonders at increasing moisture throughout the day as I usually find my skin getting drier at night. I find myself using the Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask a lot less thanks to this. That mask is super thick and it’s nice to give my skin a break from the strong products with something a lot gentler.
If you’re in the market for a new serum and are part of the dry skin club, definitely give this one a check out. Skincare is a very personal thing, but with any luck this product can help someone else too!
I have to admit, I didn’t get it. I just couldn’t understand the robe lifestyle. So when the new Erin Condren Kimono landed on my doorstep a few days ago, I side-eyed it a bit. Classic Kayla. Always so skeptical of change and something new. Like with most things, I was oh so wrong.
Everything about this robe is perfect. The pattern is downright gorgeous, the material is buttery soft, and the weight of the fabric isn’t too heavy for all-year wear. Plus it’s a really nice length. I’ve tried a robe or two in the past and find them just too short for wearing them around the house if there are guests over. I rather avoid any potential embarrassing interactions.
The biggest perk for me? The pockets. What is it about women’s clothing that makes them believe that I don’t need a pocket? It’s perfect to slip my phone in so I can veg around the house in pure comfort. I’m wearing a size Medium in the photos and I love how lightweight and flow-y it feels.
This would be a fantastic gift for a bride-to-be, for the wedding party, or for a mother-in-law. I already have a few hard-to-shop-for people in mind that this robe would do just the trick.
Now $50 does feel a bit pricey for a robe, but I’m a firm believer in never shopping with Erin Condren without a discount or coupon in hand. You can save $10 off your first purchase if you just have to have this now, but I say wait it out until there’s a deal or a good sale. Now excuse me while I continue to putz around lookin’ comfortably stylish.
