This is what my brain has been telling me for the last three or four days. Ever since I posted the clearance section of my jewelry shop, hoping that what is there would finally sell. It hasn't, and even though I just created the section on the 20th or 21st of September, my mind is telling me that no one wants this jewelry, it is junk, and just get rid of the shop and be done with it.
Unfortunately, since this particular nagging does not want to leave, I am wondering if it isn't time to just pack it in and forget trying to have my own business. I know, I know, I shouldn't give up or quit. But...it's been almost 3 years. It will be 3 years in December that I've been trying to make a go of this.
Of course, I get the same advice from everyone I ask about it on Etsy - keep digging, work on my photos, advertise more. Buy more slots in showcases, buy the new search ads, buy Google AdWords ads, become an advertiser on Facebook. Use Project Wonderful. Buy ad space on BlogAds. Try purchasing ad space on other blogs. Been there, done that, no sales. I'm tired of getting the same old advice that does *not* work. I'm tired of being told my pictures aren't good enough when I see shops with *worse* pictures that are selling items like mad. I'm tired of spending money I *do not* have to advertise my shop.
I'm just...tired. The entire time I was in Colorado at the beginning of the year my shops were on vacation mode. The sad thing? I didn't think about them once until I got home. I didn't care that I didn't have sales, I didn't care that no one could see or buy my products, I just didn't care. Now that I'm home? I worry constantly - am I going to get a sale today? Am I going to have to relist items that I can't afford to relist? Am I going to have to spend more money on advertisement that gets me absolutely nothing?
So now I am wondering - should I give in to my mind and just give up already? Or should I keep plugging away at it, go through the Etsy Holiday Boot Camp and see if sales increase? If they don't increase should I pack it in then? Or should I keep going even beyond the holiday rush and see what happens?
I have no idea what I want to do - but I do know this - my best friend, who owns Baby Bratz Designs, seems to have a better grip on this business thing than I do - and she's not willing to give up yet. Maybe I shouldn't be either.
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Sunday, October 10, 2010
What’s With All The Purple?
Recently I had an e-mail in which the sender asked me why I have so much purple. My site at Webs.com is based around a light shade of purple. This blog has a dark shade of purple as it’s “far back” background. I have used purple rimmed graphics both here and at my Etsy shop, and my Artfire shop (which I need to set my color scheme again now that I am a Pro member again) is done in purples.
The answer is simply that purple is my favorite color. However, that is not to say that I see too many purple beads that I am particularly fond of. I tend more towards turquoise, amethyst (yes, I know, that IS purple LOL), carnelian (gorgeous for autumn items), and the seemingly un-ending rainbow of colors that Crystallized Swarovski Elements beads are available in.
But I do use a lot of purple in my crochet items. Right now I’m doing the Bernat Mystery Crochet-Along and using a dark purple instead of the lavender. I’m making another afghan that I’m doing in purples, blues, and greens, and let me tell you, it’s shaping up to be a gorgeous blanket. I can’t wait for it to be finished! But that one isn’t for sale – that one is mine! :D
I do want to show you my latest bracelet though – it’s perfect for autumn!
Please excuse the obvious mess around it – this isn’t intended to be a “sales” photo for Etsy – I just wanted to be able to show the bracelet off! :D
And with that, I am off to settle down for bed – 7:30 comes quickly and I have church in the morning! :)
The answer is simply that purple is my favorite color. However, that is not to say that I see too many purple beads that I am particularly fond of. I tend more towards turquoise, amethyst (yes, I know, that IS purple LOL), carnelian (gorgeous for autumn items), and the seemingly un-ending rainbow of colors that Crystallized Swarovski Elements beads are available in.
But I do use a lot of purple in my crochet items. Right now I’m doing the Bernat Mystery Crochet-Along and using a dark purple instead of the lavender. I’m making another afghan that I’m doing in purples, blues, and greens, and let me tell you, it’s shaping up to be a gorgeous blanket. I can’t wait for it to be finished! But that one isn’t for sale – that one is mine! :D
I do want to show you my latest bracelet though – it’s perfect for autumn!
Please excuse the obvious mess around it – this isn’t intended to be a “sales” photo for Etsy – I just wanted to be able to show the bracelet off! :D
And with that, I am off to settle down for bed – 7:30 comes quickly and I have church in the morning! :)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Taking the Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Pledge!!!!
I, Eternal Stardust Designs, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
In Business....
Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that I actually am legally a business now. My city doesn't require me to have a business license, the county said that although I could spend $10-$12 each month to "register my business name" it didn't really matter because it didn't give me exclusive rights to the name, and the state gave me my sales tax ID without a bit of problem!
But I am a business now, and I keep having to remember that I need to keep track of what I do with my business. For example - keeping receipts for beads, keeping receipts for eBay fees, Etsy fees, etc. It can be really challenging. Obviously I am keeping these receipts for tax purposes, and to be honest, I may actually have to go to a tax preparation service at least this first year to be certain I am doing my taxes correctly. :D But I digress. LOL Remembering to keep my receipts is sometimes a big challenge because my first instinct is to simply shove the receipt in my purse and move along.
This is especially true when I am at the post office, Walmart (where I buy my shipping materials), Hobby Lobby, & Michaels. Yes, I do buy beads from Hobby Lobby & Michaels. LOL Those receipts get stuffed into my purse and often forgotten about. If I don't think about it, I'll toss them in the trash and never think about it. :/
When I order things online it is easier to keep track and since I always use my PayPal account to pay for those things, it makes it very easy to keep track because PayPal keeps track of it.
I do have a couple of tips for keeping track of business related purchases. If you have a PayPal account, use it to pay for supplies, eBay/Etsy fees, etc wherever possible. The records kept by PayPal can help you to remember where and when you spent money on your business!
Another thing, and this may sound funny, but get a PayPal debit card! If you have brick and mortar stores you purchase supplies from, postage to purchase from the post office, etc, PayPal also tracks purchases made with the debit card! So you have a record of it still! Obviously you still have to keep the receipt to use for tax purposes, but it can help if you happen to need to enter an amount in your preferred bookkeeping method and don't have the receipt right there with you at the moment.
Keep a box of some sort to toss your receipts in! I use a box that my Bible came in, a friend of mine uses a shoe box, and I have yet another friend who uses one of those little coupon file books to store hers in. Whatever you use, make sure you have one and try to remember to put your receipts in it!
Another thing you can do to help you get your stuff together for tax season is to use a service like Outright.com. Outright.com lets you keep your books - track expenses and income. They also partner with Shoeboxed.com which allows you to keep your receipts online. Both are great tools to use - I haven't started using Shoeboxed.com yet, but I do plan on doing so soon! Shoeboxed.com offers a free account where you "do it yourself" as far as scanning and storing your receipts there, as well as paid plans that allow you to send them your business cards and/or receipts and have them scan them for you. There are different levels and all accounts start with a 30-day free trial of the paid version of the service.
Being in business can be a headache, but it is something that I definitely like. I'll post more posts giving my little tips and tricks for what works for me when I find things that work well for me. :)
But I am a business now, and I keep having to remember that I need to keep track of what I do with my business. For example - keeping receipts for beads, keeping receipts for eBay fees, Etsy fees, etc. It can be really challenging. Obviously I am keeping these receipts for tax purposes, and to be honest, I may actually have to go to a tax preparation service at least this first year to be certain I am doing my taxes correctly. :D But I digress. LOL Remembering to keep my receipts is sometimes a big challenge because my first instinct is to simply shove the receipt in my purse and move along.
This is especially true when I am at the post office, Walmart (where I buy my shipping materials), Hobby Lobby, & Michaels. Yes, I do buy beads from Hobby Lobby & Michaels. LOL Those receipts get stuffed into my purse and often forgotten about. If I don't think about it, I'll toss them in the trash and never think about it. :/
When I order things online it is easier to keep track and since I always use my PayPal account to pay for those things, it makes it very easy to keep track because PayPal keeps track of it.
I do have a couple of tips for keeping track of business related purchases. If you have a PayPal account, use it to pay for supplies, eBay/Etsy fees, etc wherever possible. The records kept by PayPal can help you to remember where and when you spent money on your business!
Another thing, and this may sound funny, but get a PayPal debit card! If you have brick and mortar stores you purchase supplies from, postage to purchase from the post office, etc, PayPal also tracks purchases made with the debit card! So you have a record of it still! Obviously you still have to keep the receipt to use for tax purposes, but it can help if you happen to need to enter an amount in your preferred bookkeeping method and don't have the receipt right there with you at the moment.
Keep a box of some sort to toss your receipts in! I use a box that my Bible came in, a friend of mine uses a shoe box, and I have yet another friend who uses one of those little coupon file books to store hers in. Whatever you use, make sure you have one and try to remember to put your receipts in it!
Another thing you can do to help you get your stuff together for tax season is to use a service like Outright.com. Outright.com lets you keep your books - track expenses and income. They also partner with Shoeboxed.com which allows you to keep your receipts online. Both are great tools to use - I haven't started using Shoeboxed.com yet, but I do plan on doing so soon! Shoeboxed.com offers a free account where you "do it yourself" as far as scanning and storing your receipts there, as well as paid plans that allow you to send them your business cards and/or receipts and have them scan them for you. There are different levels and all accounts start with a 30-day free trial of the paid version of the service.
Being in business can be a headache, but it is something that I definitely like. I'll post more posts giving my little tips and tricks for what works for me when I find things that work well for me. :)
I ♥ Etsy
One of the biggest things I have noticed lately is that there are a lot of people on the forums at Etsy who are complaining about things. They complain they are not being found in the search engines (mostly Google), they complain they are not being featured on the front page. They complain that they don't get any answers why they aren't doing well.
A lot of sellers on the forums seem to want Etsy to promote their shops for them. To me this is being lazy. I mean, yes, it's nice to be featured on the front page of Etsy. I am not going to say it isn't. But I have noticed more than once that, well, people on the forums tend to want Etsy to do everything for them.
Etsy was created to make it easy for people to start their own business selling the items they make in their studios, kitchens, living rooms, etc. They were not created to promote those shops for their shop owners. If I am going to run a business, I need to be not only making the products that I am selling, but I also need to be marketing and promoting my products and my shop.
I have several ways of doing so. I use Facebook & Twitter. I use MySpace. I talk about my products, my inspirations, etc. I host giveaways on my blog and I post links about that on my social networks. I use deviantArt to show of photos of my work. I use what tools I have available to me to promote my shop.
When I send out a package, I enclose a few of my business cards. I use return address labels with my business name on them. Each item that is sent has a business card inside the packaging for the item. That is how I promote my jewelry. I make sure that the buyer knows where it came from, and I give them an opportunity to also tell others about it.
I love Etsy. I have no plans to leave Etsy. Sure I get frustrated, but then I realize that it is my own lack of promotion that is keeping me from reaching my full potential, not something that is wrong with Etsy. More sellers should take a step back, take a deep breath, and see the same thing.
A lot of sellers on the forums seem to want Etsy to promote their shops for them. To me this is being lazy. I mean, yes, it's nice to be featured on the front page of Etsy. I am not going to say it isn't. But I have noticed more than once that, well, people on the forums tend to want Etsy to do everything for them.
Etsy was created to make it easy for people to start their own business selling the items they make in their studios, kitchens, living rooms, etc. They were not created to promote those shops for their shop owners. If I am going to run a business, I need to be not only making the products that I am selling, but I also need to be marketing and promoting my products and my shop.
I have several ways of doing so. I use Facebook & Twitter. I use MySpace. I talk about my products, my inspirations, etc. I host giveaways on my blog and I post links about that on my social networks. I use deviantArt to show of photos of my work. I use what tools I have available to me to promote my shop.
When I send out a package, I enclose a few of my business cards. I use return address labels with my business name on them. Each item that is sent has a business card inside the packaging for the item. That is how I promote my jewelry. I make sure that the buyer knows where it came from, and I give them an opportunity to also tell others about it.
I love Etsy. I have no plans to leave Etsy. Sure I get frustrated, but then I realize that it is my own lack of promotion that is keeping me from reaching my full potential, not something that is wrong with Etsy. More sellers should take a step back, take a deep breath, and see the same thing.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Big Things Coming
Well, I finally got the information I needed and I filled out the necessary forms in order to receive my Iowa State Sales tax permit. Now when I sell items whether it be through Etsy or if I sell at a craft show/fair, I will need to collect Iowa State Sales Tax.
Iowa is a flat-rate state, so I set up my PayPal account to automatically charge the sales tax on the items if the package is being shipped to Iowa. Fun times. :D Plus I upgraded my PayPal to a business account so as to make sure that credit card statements show some form of Eternal Stardust Designs on them when they're viewed after making a purchase.
And finally, I ordered my business cards. Although Etsy has a partnership with MOO, I used VistaPrint to order my cards instead - 250 FREE business cards (shipping & handling was the only cost) - plus I can get a few other items for nothing but shipping if I want to. I'm not sure where I'm going to hand out my business cards other than putting them in the packages when I send out orders, but we'll see. I do know I'm going to make sure to carry some with me all the time!
Iowa is a flat-rate state, so I set up my PayPal account to automatically charge the sales tax on the items if the package is being shipped to Iowa. Fun times. :D Plus I upgraded my PayPal to a business account so as to make sure that credit card statements show some form of Eternal Stardust Designs on them when they're viewed after making a purchase.
And finally, I ordered my business cards. Although Etsy has a partnership with MOO, I used VistaPrint to order my cards instead - 250 FREE business cards (shipping & handling was the only cost) - plus I can get a few other items for nothing but shipping if I want to. I'm not sure where I'm going to hand out my business cards other than putting them in the packages when I send out orders, but we'll see. I do know I'm going to make sure to carry some with me all the time!
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