Episode Summary: How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy

Title: Ep 202 | Fast Success on Etsy with Embroidery — with Emily Bowser
Host: Lizzie Smiley
Guest: Emily Bowser (Magyl)
Date: October 9, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores how Emily Bowser, founder of Magyl (a San Diego-based embroidery and vintage-inspired clothing brand), achieved rapid success on Etsy. The conversation dives deep into Emily’s entrepreneurial journey, strategy for sustainable growth, the practicalities of running a handmade embroidery business, and her insights for aspiring Etsy sellers seeking to scale, delegate, and stand out — with a major focus on her handmade, customizable sweatshirts. Lizzie and Emily also discuss the changing landscape of Etsy with the rise of AI and why high-quality, handmade products offer resilience and long-term opportunity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emily’s Background and Approach to Entrepreneurship

(08:23–10:52, 13:39–18:32)

Emily’s entrepreneurship started young, selling homemade stationary and newsletters as a child.
She studied fashion design at Cornell and worked as a women’s apparel designer at Anthropologie before earning an MBA and moving into marketing.
Initial attempts on Etsy post-college were humble: “I think I sold, like, one thing, and then I let it go.” (10:52, Emily)
Past failures and mistakes provided valuable lessons. Emily emphasizes learning and continual improvement:
“As long as you're learning from the mistakes and you don't make that same one, then you're better off and you'll be better for the next one.” (12:25, Emily)
She gradually evolved Magyl, starting with women’s wear and customizations, then narrowing focus to embroidered and stitched-letter sweatshirts.

2. Managing Growth: Multiple Shops, Delegation, and Full-time Work

(13:39–21:27)

Emily runs two Etsy shops (adults & kids), a Shopify site, a Faire wholesale store—on top of a corporate job and three kids.
Shops were split to better target marketing and audiences (children’s items vs. adults’).
On still working full-time:
“All along I've kind of been doing them on the side basically because I had a high bar...That's been very hard to reach from my Etsy that can match my corporate. So...I've just been very strategic about building foundations.” (16:14, Emily)
Emily is working toward full-time entrepreneurship, but doing so only once the business is stable.
She stresses the importance of hiring and delegating, using part-time local assistants for production, packing, and embroidery:
“I have my own kind of separate studio...and then I also have some local sewing support.” (17:44, Emily)
On letting go and delegating:
“I've been really working on trying to get out of the maker mindset where everything has to be done by me…There's no really other option than getting help and delegating things.” (18:48, Emily)
Retaining good assistants by paying them above minimum wage is seen as both ethical and strategic:
“If you want quality employees who do their best work, you have to pay them well.” (20:42, Emily)

3. Product Evolution & Calculated Risks

(22:39–27:43)

Emily’s fashion background helped inform her niche, but her journey involved iteration:
- Started with women’s wear, realized pricing/complexity was unsustainable.
- Pivoted to more scalable, personalized, vintage-inspired sweatshirts.
Big leap: investing in a $12,000 embroidery machine with zero embroidery experience.
“It was a big leap of faith...I was assuming I'll be able to sell things with this...With my sales I think I…completely paid it off, like, three months later or something like that.” (24:19–24:56, Emily)
Learning curve was tackled by breaking down the process into incremental, solvable questions.

4. Customization & Workflow Tools

(29:22–33:56)

Emily uses embroidery-specific software to manage text placements, curves, and shirt sizing for custom orders.
Unlocking workflow efficiencies: Notion, a project management tool, centralizes tracking of orders from various platforms, batch production, outsourcing, and purchasing supplies.
- “If you have a shop with a ton of personalization details...that is a lifesaver.” (32:29, Emily)
Unlike many, Emily doesn’t rely heavily on Etsy SEO tools—her differentiation is product quality and brand identity.

5. Listings, SEO, and Algorithm Tactics

(33:56–39:20)

Emily only has a handful of true “products,” with variations and colorways systematically handled—leaning on fewer, but higher-margin, in-demand products.
She doesn’t obsess over SEO: "I definitely don't...kill myself over SEO.” (37:07, Emily)
Letting winning listings ride, using sales and Etsy ads to jumpstart new listings when needed:
“Running a sale...and then paid ads. Because if you can pay for the ad to at least get you seen and you have the sale running...it can then even when you turn that off, if you can get the boost initially from there, it can kind of keep you, keep you there.” (38:17, Emily)
Advice: Avoid making unnecessary changes to high-performing listings—duplicate instead for seasonal tests.

6. Photography and Brand Presentation

(39:43–50:45)

Emily’s photos are signature: blending vintage, professional, and approachable vibes.
Early days: used faux wood backdrops, carefully studied catalog and Pinterest references to fold/display garments, snapped every possible combination.
Investment in a professional photo shoot for versatility and longevity (models for adults/kids, classic styles).
- “I am not shy about making investments in my business, if it's a thing that I feel confident in, I will do it.” (41:41, Emily)
Flat lay photos outperform model images on Etsy currently—likely because details are clearer.
All photos shot with a DSLR camera, lightly edited in Lightroom for crispness; videos (such as detail pans) are done on iPhone.
For those starting out: Emily describes how to DIY photo shoots or outsource to remote photographers by shipping products.

7. Diversification: Shopify and Faire Wholesale

(51:41–57:56)

Expanding beyond Etsy—Shopify is the brand hub; Faire enables wholesale scale.
- “Within my own Shopify store...I'm...working with a graphic designer, brand strategist...doing some more influencer partnerships to help drive traffic there.” (52:31, Emily)
Faire, launched less than a year ago, brought $30–$40k in wholesale sales (“the margins are lower but you get high ticket orders”).
Emily leverages a virtual assistant for operational support and stresses the necessity of teamwork to scale:
“Even to get to where I am now...I don't do it alone and I couldn't have done it alone.” (55:12, Emily)
Recommends Emily Grey as a resource for learning wholesale and Faire: “She had like a limited podcast where it was like every episode was teaching about...wholesaling...” (56:19, Emily)

8. Customer Service & Customer Experience

(62:44–67:26)

Emily answers most customer messages herself (unless order details are missing).
Empathy and communication are her customer service cornerstones:
“Respond when someone...sends you a message, respond quickly, be friendly, be helpful, show you're a real person. Like all those things...people value...a lot.” (63:27, Emily)
Enhanced unboxing experience: branded tissue, custom stickers, thank you/review cards with discount codes.
Cross-promotion: Each order includes a card with a QR code directing to the other shop (kids/adults) to capitalize on existing happy customers.
Raising the question: is it better to direct customers back to Etsy or to Shopify for repurchase? Emily has stuck with Etsy so far, but strategizes based on data and customer journey.

9. Mindset: Iteration, Risk, and the Future of Handmade

(58:03–61:01, 61:01–62:44, 66:35–68:35)

Emily champions resilience and learning from failure:
“The key is just like, keep going...as long as you're improving on something that didn't work, you have to get better. It will get better.” (58:03, Emily)
Lizzie and Emily emphasize calculated risk, gradual transition to full-time, leveraging credit, delegating, and iterating as key strategies.
Lizzie predicts a renaissance for handmade goods as AI/automation saturate digital product markets: “If we can create experiences for people...something handmade...that's how we stay relevant.” (33:56, Lizzie)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Starting Small, Learning, and Scaling:
“It seems like it's overnight when I feel, like, on my side...trudging through the mud in a lot of ways.” (09:51, Emily)
On Delegation & Retaining Help:
“If you want quality employees who do their best work, you have to, you have to pay them well.” (20:42, Emily)
On Calculated Risk:
“I put it on a credit card. I don't recommend that for everyone, but that's what I did. And then, like, was able [to pay] with my sales...I completely paid it off, like, three months later.” (24:31, Emily)
On Letting Listings Ride:
“My one adult sweatshirt that’s...my best seller is...I think...the lifetime sales I've had on that is like $50,000 from like one listing. So I’m not gonna mess with that.” (35:55, Emily)
On Brand Building and Future-Proofing:
“The more that AI continues to take over the workspace...If we can create...a beautiful handmade product, something like that, that’s how we can stay relevant. So someone like you is so perfectly positioned for what’s coming.” (33:56, Lizzie)
On Customer Service:
“People really value...and it’s not even like you have to go that far above and beyond and people value it.” (63:27, Emily)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[08:23] Emily’s background, shop evolution
[13:39] Running multiple shops, full-time work, delegation
[17:44] Studio, assistant roles, production delegation
[22:39] Using her strengths, product pivots, $12K investment
[29:50] How custom embroidery orders are managed
[31:14] Tracking orders/production via Notion
[33:45] SKU management, Etsy algorithm explained
[35:55] SEO approach, letting bestsellers ride
[41:29] Photography strategy — flat lay vs. model, camera choice
[51:41] Diversifying to Shopify and Faire, wholesale pros/cons
[62:44] Customer messaging, packing experience, cross-promotion

Flow & Tone

The conversation is encouraging, candid, and strategy-focused, with actionable wisdom from two seasoned entrepreneurs who keep it real about the hard work and smart risks behind “overnight success.” Both Lizzie and Emily adopt a generous, transparent tone—rooting for listeners to learn not just what works, but why and how to adapt those principles for their own Etsy journeys.

Summary Takeaways

High-quality handmade products supported by strong branding and product photography remain resilient in the Etsy ecosystem, even as digital products become easier to replicate with AI.
Sustainable Etsy success is built on strategic risk-taking, relentless iteration, smart delegation, and an unwavering focus on customer experience.
Diversification across platforms (Etsy, Shopify, Faire) can de-risk and scale revenue, but only works with disciplined organization and a support system.
For makers: it’s okay for the growth journey to be slow, and it’s wise to lay foundations (including staying at a “day job”) until the business can fully support you.
Invest in your team and your presentation—the quality of people and visuals directly drives repeat business and word-of-mouth.
Maintain the human touch: authenticity, kindness, and experience matter deeply to buyers, especially as marketplaces grow more automated and crowded.

For more details and links referenced in the show, check the episode’s show notes at howtosellyourstuff.com.

Episode Summary: How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy

Title: Ep 202 | Fast Success on Etsy with Embroidery — with Emily Bowser
Host: Lizzie Smiley
Guest: Emily Bowser (Magyl)
Date: October 9, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emily’s Background and Approach to Entrepreneurship

(08:23–10:52, 13:39–18:32)

Emily’s entrepreneurship started young, selling homemade stationary and newsletters as a child.
She studied fashion design at Cornell and worked as a women’s apparel designer at Anthropologie before earning an MBA and moving into marketing.
Initial attempts on Etsy post-college were humble: “I think I sold, like, one thing, and then I let it go.” (10:52, Emily)
Past failures and mistakes provided valuable lessons. Emily emphasizes learning and continual improvement:
“As long as you're learning from the mistakes and you don't make that same one, then you're better off and you'll be better for the next one.” (12:25, Emily)
She gradually evolved Magyl, starting with women’s wear and customizations, then narrowing focus to embroidered and stitched-letter sweatshirts.

2. Managing Growth: Multiple Shops, Delegation, and Full-time Work

(13:39–21:27)

Emily runs two Etsy shops (adults & kids), a Shopify site, a Faire wholesale store—on top of a corporate job and three kids.
Shops were split to better target marketing and audiences (children’s items vs. adults’).
On still working full-time:
“All along I've kind of been doing them on the side basically because I had a high bar...That's been very hard to reach from my Etsy that can match my corporate. So...I've just been very strategic about building foundations.” (16:14, Emily)
Emily is working toward full-time entrepreneurship, but doing so only once the business is stable.
She stresses the importance of hiring and delegating, using part-time local assistants for production, packing, and embroidery:
“I have my own kind of separate studio...and then I also have some local sewing support.” (17:44, Emily)
On letting go and delegating:
“I've been really working on trying to get out of the maker mindset where everything has to be done by me…There's no really other option than getting help and delegating things.” (18:48, Emily)
Retaining good assistants by paying them above minimum wage is seen as both ethical and strategic:
“If you want quality employees who do their best work, you have to pay them well.” (20:42, Emily)

3. Product Evolution & Calculated Risks

(22:39–27:43)

Emily’s fashion background helped inform her niche, but her journey involved iteration:
- Started with women’s wear, realized pricing/complexity was unsustainable.
- Pivoted to more scalable, personalized, vintage-inspired sweatshirts.
Big leap: investing in a $12,000 embroidery machine with zero embroidery experience.
“It was a big leap of faith...I was assuming I'll be able to sell things with this...With my sales I think I…completely paid it off, like, three months later or something like that.” (24:19–24:56, Emily)
Learning curve was tackled by breaking down the process into incremental, solvable questions.

4. Customization & Workflow Tools

(29:22–33:56)

Emily uses embroidery-specific software to manage text placements, curves, and shirt sizing for custom orders.
Unlocking workflow efficiencies: Notion, a project management tool, centralizes tracking of orders from various platforms, batch production, outsourcing, and purchasing supplies.
- “If you have a shop with a ton of personalization details...that is a lifesaver.” (32:29, Emily)
Unlike many, Emily doesn’t rely heavily on Etsy SEO tools—her differentiation is product quality and brand identity.

5. Listings, SEO, and Algorithm Tactics

(33:56–39:20)

Emily only has a handful of true “products,” with variations and colorways systematically handled—leaning on fewer, but higher-margin, in-demand products.
She doesn’t obsess over SEO: "I definitely don't...kill myself over SEO.” (37:07, Emily)
Letting winning listings ride, using sales and Etsy ads to jumpstart new listings when needed:
“Running a sale...and then paid ads. Because if you can pay for the ad to at least get you seen and you have the sale running...it can then even when you turn that off, if you can get the boost initially from there, it can kind of keep you, keep you there.” (38:17, Emily)
Advice: Avoid making unnecessary changes to high-performing listings—duplicate instead for seasonal tests.

6. Photography and Brand Presentation

(39:43–50:45)

Emily’s photos are signature: blending vintage, professional, and approachable vibes.
Early days: used faux wood backdrops, carefully studied catalog and Pinterest references to fold/display garments, snapped every possible combination.
Investment in a professional photo shoot for versatility and longevity (models for adults/kids, classic styles).
- “I am not shy about making investments in my business, if it's a thing that I feel confident in, I will do it.” (41:41, Emily)
Flat lay photos outperform model images on Etsy currently—likely because details are clearer.
All photos shot with a DSLR camera, lightly edited in Lightroom for crispness; videos (such as detail pans) are done on iPhone.
For those starting out: Emily describes how to DIY photo shoots or outsource to remote photographers by shipping products.

7. Diversification: Shopify and Faire Wholesale

(51:41–57:56)

Expanding beyond Etsy—Shopify is the brand hub; Faire enables wholesale scale.
- “Within my own Shopify store...I'm...working with a graphic designer, brand strategist...doing some more influencer partnerships to help drive traffic there.” (52:31, Emily)
Faire, launched less than a year ago, brought $30–$40k in wholesale sales (“the margins are lower but you get high ticket orders”).
Emily leverages a virtual assistant for operational support and stresses the necessity of teamwork to scale:
“Even to get to where I am now...I don't do it alone and I couldn't have done it alone.” (55:12, Emily)
Recommends Emily Grey as a resource for learning wholesale and Faire: “She had like a limited podcast where it was like every episode was teaching about...wholesaling...” (56:19, Emily)

8. Customer Service & Customer Experience

(62:44–67:26)

Emily answers most customer messages herself (unless order details are missing).
Empathy and communication are her customer service cornerstones:
“Respond when someone...sends you a message, respond quickly, be friendly, be helpful, show you're a real person. Like all those things...people value...a lot.” (63:27, Emily)
Enhanced unboxing experience: branded tissue, custom stickers, thank you/review cards with discount codes.
Cross-promotion: Each order includes a card with a QR code directing to the other shop (kids/adults) to capitalize on existing happy customers.
Raising the question: is it better to direct customers back to Etsy or to Shopify for repurchase? Emily has stuck with Etsy so far, but strategizes based on data and customer journey.

9. Mindset: Iteration, Risk, and the Future of Handmade

(58:03–61:01, 61:01–62:44, 66:35–68:35)

Emily champions resilience and learning from failure:
“The key is just like, keep going...as long as you're improving on something that didn't work, you have to get better. It will get better.” (58:03, Emily)
Lizzie and Emily emphasize calculated risk, gradual transition to full-time, leveraging credit, delegating, and iterating as key strategies.
Lizzie predicts a renaissance for handmade goods as AI/automation saturate digital product markets: “If we can create experiences for people...something handmade...that's how we stay relevant.” (33:56, Lizzie)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Starting Small, Learning, and Scaling:
“It seems like it's overnight when I feel, like, on my side...trudging through the mud in a lot of ways.” (09:51, Emily)
On Delegation & Retaining Help:
“If you want quality employees who do their best work, you have to, you have to pay them well.” (20:42, Emily)
On Calculated Risk:
“I put it on a credit card. I don't recommend that for everyone, but that's what I did. And then, like, was able [to pay] with my sales...I completely paid it off, like, three months later.” (24:31, Emily)
On Letting Listings Ride:
“My one adult sweatshirt that’s...my best seller is...I think...the lifetime sales I've had on that is like $50,000 from like one listing. So I’m not gonna mess with that.” (35:55, Emily)
On Brand Building and Future-Proofing:
“The more that AI continues to take over the workspace...If we can create...a beautiful handmade product, something like that, that’s how we can stay relevant. So someone like you is so perfectly positioned for what’s coming.” (33:56, Lizzie)
On Customer Service:
“People really value...and it’s not even like you have to go that far above and beyond and people value it.” (63:27, Emily)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[08:23] Emily’s background, shop evolution
[13:39] Running multiple shops, full-time work, delegation
[17:44] Studio, assistant roles, production delegation
[22:39] Using her strengths, product pivots, $12K investment
[29:50] How custom embroidery orders are managed
[31:14] Tracking orders/production via Notion
[33:45] SKU management, Etsy algorithm explained
[35:55] SEO approach, letting bestsellers ride
[41:29] Photography strategy — flat lay vs. model, camera choice
[51:41] Diversifying to Shopify and Faire, wholesale pros/cons
[62:44] Customer messaging, packing experience, cross-promotion

Flow & Tone

Summary Takeaways

High-quality handmade products supported by strong branding and product photography remain resilient in the Etsy ecosystem, even as digital products become easier to replicate with AI.
Sustainable Etsy success is built on strategic risk-taking, relentless iteration, smart delegation, and an unwavering focus on customer experience.
Diversification across platforms (Etsy, Shopify, Faire) can de-risk and scale revenue, but only works with disciplined organization and a support system.
For makers: it’s okay for the growth journey to be slow, and it’s wise to lay foundations (including staying at a “day job”) until the business can fully support you.
Invest in your team and your presentation—the quality of people and visuals directly drives repeat business and word-of-mouth.
Maintain the human touch: authenticity, kindness, and experience matter deeply to buyers, especially as marketplaces grow more automated and crowded.

For more details and links referenced in the show, check the episode’s show notes at howtosellyourstuff.com.

wavePod

Ep 202 | Fast Success on Etsy with Embroidery -with Emily Bowser

Powered by Wave AI

Summary

Episode Summary: How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy

Main Theme & Purpose

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emily’s Background and Approach to Entrepreneurship

2. Managing Growth: Multiple Shops, Delegation, and Full-time Work

3. Product Evolution & Calculated Risks

4. Customization & Workflow Tools

5. Listings, SEO, and Algorithm Tactics

6. Photography and Brand Presentation

7. Diversification: Shopify and Faire Wholesale

8. Customer Service & Customer Experience

9. Mindset: Iteration, Risk, and the Future of Handmade

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Flow & Tone

Summary Takeaways

Summary

Episode Summary: How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy

Main Theme & Purpose

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emily’s Background and Approach to Entrepreneurship

2. Managing Growth: Multiple Shops, Delegation, and Full-time Work

3. Product Evolution & Calculated Risks

4. Customization & Workflow Tools

5. Listings, SEO, and Algorithm Tactics

6. Photography and Brand Presentation

7. Diversification: Shopify and Faire Wholesale

8. Customer Service & Customer Experience

9. Mindset: Iteration, Risk, and the Future of Handmade

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Flow & Tone

Summary Takeaways