There are so many factors that come into play when trying to figure out – what can I do to make my Etsy business successful? There is TONS of information out there to help you grow your business online, but sometimes too much information is not good. Whether it is inaccurate, not actually tried and tested, or just plain overwhelming. I have come up the 5 biggest things I’ve done or used to actually help my business. Why take my advice? Well, I have spent over 7 years growing and testing different strategies to grow my business to eventually making over $1.5 million in counting just on the Etsy platform. I know a thing or two about sales, so let me let you in on a few secrets. 

1. Treating the business like a business. From day one, I knew if I didn’t put everything I had into the business, it wouldn’t grow. If you are still working another job you don’t love while also running your biz, set up a plan or a goal to finally quit your 9-5 to really take the plunge to grow your business. It may sound scary to put a limit on such a big life decision, but you will have no choice but to make your business succeed once you put it all on the line. You’ll want to have money set aside of course before you make any rash decisions, but it’s always a good idea to lean into something HARD and to put all your effort into your business if this is truly what you want. 

2. Investing in others. Like they always say to moms caring for children, “it takes a village”. This saying rings true when building your business. Hire professionals to do the tasks you are not good at. Yes, it is cheaper to do everything yourself. However, it is faster and a much higher quality result if you spend the money on hiring a professional on whatever tasks you do not excel in. This will save you precious time you can use to work on the tasks you are really good at, and save your sanity. There are sites like upwork.com or fiverr.com where you can hire people to do just about anything for a low-cost. Time = money when building your business. 

3. Pinterest. Pinterest is where I got my first taste of some of my products going viral and still years later, those pins are still viewed, re-pinned and saved like crazy. Pinterest is the best place to start marketing your products as it has less competition than Instagram, and it is a place where people go to get ideas on things they want now or in the future. A viral post on Facebook or Instagram can maybe last a day to a few weeks. A viral pin on Pinterest can last YEARS, yes.. YEARS. I am proof to that, and I still reap the rewards from pins I posted 5 or 6 years ago. 

4. Photography. Your products are only as good as your photos. No matter how unique, how beautiful, how well–priced, or well-made your product is, people will not value it if the photos are not up to par. Sure, maybe you’ll make a few sales, but to get your product sold over and over again you need great photography. If you want to pay your loans off, pay for a yearly fancy vacation or vacations (plural!) for your family, or be able to never worry about money again… you need to up your product photography game. Whether that be investing in a new camera, photo editing software, scheduling a photoshoot with a local photographer, or sending out your products to get photographed. If you plan to resell your products over and over again, the photos will live on your shop for many years. These photos represent your brand and speak to who you are as a business. They are the difference between turning an interested visitor into a loyal customer. In the beginning, I worked with a friend who was just starting her photography business and did a free photoshoot for my new jewelry. I also borrowed a friend’s high-end camera to shoot the collection myself and edited the photos with free software. I have also sent my jewelry off to a professional to do a shoot to save myself time and stress from planning an entire photoshoot. There are so many options nowadays to get great photos. Your products deserve it!

5. Mindset.  This one is honestly the biggest factor that has played into my success and the most important for really anything I do in life. You may have heard the terms, “positive mindset”, or “money mindset” before. There are tons of books out there to expand your horizons on these topics. My favorites are “You Are A Badass At Making Money” by Jen Sincero and “Get Rich, Lucky Bitch: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First Class Life” by Denise Duffield-Thomas. Studying these ideals and putting them into practice through my business has yielded amazing results. Getting your mindset in check gives you not just confidence in your business, but it gives you power and control. You are in control of your own destiny, success, and ultimately your business. With the right mindset, you can do anything you put out there. I truly believe that. 

I hope these 5 tips have given you some excitement to apply at least one of these tips to your business today. It was really difficult for me to narrow down all the things that have helped me grow my business to the $1.5 million business it is today. If you want to learn more, check out my brand new mini-course!

Cheers!

Ashley