← How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
Ep 209 | She made $725k in under 3 years with Giftable POD– with EcommEmily
00:56:48
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- [00:01]
A
Hey, my name is Lizzie Smiley and I absolutely love helping people connect with their calling and all the tools they need to kick roadblocks and excuses right out the door so they can cultivate the life they dream about. If you want to launch, grow, pivot or scale your Etsy shop, or you've always wanted to develop the mindset and skills to run your own business, then I'm your girl. I've had that entrepreneurial spirit going strong since my very first lemonade stand. And now I'm a work at home mama with multiple online companies and a full time Etsy shop. All while being present with my kids for the everyday chaos and most important milestones. On this podcast, we'll talk about all things business, mindset, Etsy, creativity, dazzling our customers, and so much more. There's plenty of room at this table for you, so scooch on in and let's go. I'm holding nothing back. Welcome to how to sell your stuff on Etsy. I'm so glad you're here.
- [00:58]
B
Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. We have made the great journey from, from Wisconsin back to Texas. We just missed the first snow and now I'm back in 90 degree heat. But I am back in my studio and feeling much happier about what is happening when I'm here on set. Really excited to be back in front of the mic for the first show back in Texas and this was like the perfect way to kick it off. Like, what a spectacular conversation. I'm so, so glad that you hit play on this one. Probably the title caught your attention because Emily is a rock star and, and anytime I get a chance to talk to her and how she did this so quickly and efficiently. Wow. So right now if you are listening to this between, you know, the day it airs November 27 and Monday December 1, there is a massive Black Friday sale happening for everything pretty much that I offer. You're gonna wanna go to that link in the show notes to take a look at that. If there's anything you've had your eye on, I have some really good deals going. And then also if you love what Emily has to say today, she there also, Gold City Ventures is running a 50% off sale of the Gift Lab, which is her print on demand course, which teaches you as a newbie how to build a print on demand shop that's not apparel focused but gift focused, which that is literally how she blew up and blew up so fast. So I want to make sure and say that up front. And Clay, she, you don't get to the very end when she's talking about that deal. But 50% off is the best deal of the year and it's an insane course. So look at all those resources. Let me tell you about Emily and then let's get her, let's get her on here. So Emily started selling on Etsy in January of 2020. New. She's still new and now has over $19,000 in sales in her two shops. Former educator turned entrepreneur, she loves supporting new Etsy sellers on their journey to passive income with both print on demand and digital products. A mom to two girls and wife to her who's your husband, you can often find her doing all the things, all of the Florida things with her family, Disney, the beach and more. Emily is a self proclaimed reality TV enthusiast and can typically be found with a cup of coffee in hand while watching Bravo. Oh my gosh, she's the absolute coolest. I, I love her so much and I love this. Let's, let's just get her on. Let's no more of me talking. Let's welcome Emily to the podcast.
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A
Yay, Emily.
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B
Hi. Welcome back to the podcast.
- [03:12]
C
Thanks for having me. Lizzie, I'm so excited to be back.
- [03:15]
B
I've missed you and I'm so excited. Like the last time we talked, you blew my mind with. Okay, let's just start with how freaking amazingly humble and real and genuine you are, which we know is a rare thing. So like, thank you for that. You're amazing. Also, your results are completely insane. Like you just, you inspire me so much. Like, I just hope you know you are out there like blowing all of our minds in the best possible way. So I'm so excited. Let's do this again.
- [03:43]
A
Yay.
- [03:44]
C
Thank you so much. That's such, so sweet. That's like such a great way to start the day too. So thank you.
- [03:49]
B
Yeah, you can't, you have to, you have to get a warm fuzzy from, from Lizzie to start this off. That's definitely where we have to start. But I kind of want to like come out guns a blazing a little bit because I can't help myself. And I just literally want to just start with like your best secrets for new sellers. And the reason I want you to do this is because literally by the title of the podcast, you made insane money fast. And that's not normal. And I know that you're going to talk about it in a way that is very honest and that like sets proper expectations but also gives people so much hope and inspiration. So like crazy successful print on demand business what are your best tips for beginners to like, start off strong?
- [04:26]
C
Yeah, I love this question because my first gut reaction to this is there's literally no secret, right? Like, I think a lot of times we are hopeful that there is like this loophole or this workaround magic that is like the key to getting, you know, sales on Etsy, especially with Print on Demand and in a good way, in a positive way. I want to say there's is no like magic secret out there. And what I think is so important and where I see new sellers as now I've worked with hundreds of new sellers, is the people who are really consistent and focused and just willing to grind it out are the ones that I see come out on the other side of it, start to get those sales, start to get those daily sales, those kinds of things. So I think first and foremost a lot of it is being really willing to be bad at something. Like, I was awful, my designs were terrible. Like I look back at some of those beginning designs and they were so bad. But now, and even back then, I could value that that was the path to getting better was to be willing to be bad at it and just put it out there. And I always tell people, you know, what's the worst thing that could happen, right? The worst thing that could happen is someone doesn't see your listing. Like, okay. And I could think of much worse consequences, like if you were investing in a business or having to buy tons of inventory. But with Print on Demand you can just test things and try things and just try to get better. And really being willing to do that is first and foremost, I think the most important thing. Just being willing to accept that this might not happen overnight. This is going to take time and it's going to take a lot of repetition and, and a lot of practice. And so that's kind of first and foremost. Now, digging into like the juicier secrets, I think if you've listened to our first podcast or you've seen any of my content, you know, I'm a big proponent selling non apparel products. And what's interesting though is I'm not a T shirt hater by any means. I do think like I have students that sell T shirts and they, they make sales even as a new shop. So I definitely think there is still so much room and so much opportunity in pretty much any market across Etsy with Print on Demand. However, what I have found is that when students are selling these more giftable items, these products that are things that people can give to one another, where you're not having to worry about sizing or material or any of that stuff. And it's just like a very small, special, meaningful product that they can gift. Then there's a lot of room there. And I see a lot of new sellers being super successful in that space. And one thing I want to point out too is I have been loving Etsy's commercials recently because they are literally telling us, come to Etsy to buy gifts. And that is their whole marketing approach right now as a platform. And so I'm like, well, yes, I will sell gifts, because that's what Etsy is like trying to push the platform as, because they want it to be a place where people can go buy something unique and meaningful that you can't go buy down the street at a, you know, a brand store or whatever. So I think this is a really great opportunity. And there are a lot of, I would say, gift products with print on demand, where there's not as much competition as there would be for something like T shirts or some of those other big products. So, you know, I would say it's definitely the mindset piece, the consistency, the being willing to stick through the quiet, the zero sales, the zero view days, and keep going when you're not feeling that reward. And then also I would recommend if you're trying to figure out what products to sell or you're brand new at this, like, looking at these giftable products, something like journals or candles or tote bags or things along those lines that people are coming to Etsy and looking for something unique and giftable like that.
- [08:30]
B
Oh, my gosh. I, like, I could go down so many, so many different rabbit holes. Talk to me about, like, price points on those things, like how. Yeah, how are you figuring out pricing? And is there. Is there? I think maybe that's an objection I sometimes hear is like, I think those things are amazing. But, like, what are, what are profit margins and how can you price it and how do you kind of go about that?
- [08:51]
C
Yes. So typically my minimum profit margin that I aim for is 30%. So. Yeah, so 30%. And on something, you know, people are often surprised. Like the hardcover journals that I really love, and I talk about them all the time because I just love them so much. And those you could even get sometimes 45, 50% on products like that. So there's definitely a wide range. And. And I often get this pushback too, about pricing. Like, oh, well, other competitors are selling their products so much lower. And what I always tell people is if someone sees something that they really want or that is unique or speaks to them or someone in their life that they love or they work with or whoever it might be, they're willing to spend a little bit more to get that product. And I think that's something to always keep in mind, is, like, don't shortchange yourself. Like, you can make 30% margins or higher easy in print on demand. And part of that comes with just learning, like, what do customers want? Like, how to create those products that there's demand for. And I think those are the things that you learn, you practice, and you figure it out. But in terms of profit margins, no, absolutely. Like, my margins are typically 30% and higher for all the products that I sell.
- [10:10]
B
It's really interesting. Like, I spent some time in print on demand, and I had some bestsellers, but I would never call it my strongest expertise. You know, I love talking to you. I love talking to Heather. I love talking to Cassie. I love talking to Jenny. Those are, like, my. Y' all are my print on demand queens. It's really interesting because in the handmade space, pricing strategies got to be a little bit different. And yes, you still, like, you're selling something unique so you can build your own profit margin. But I think print on demand just allows for a little more flexibility. And so I love hearing the strategic approach to that. I think people get really discouraged when they see the dropshippers selling it, like, basically at cost. And it's just like, why? And I'm just like, well, right, yeah. So I love that you're saying that. I think something you do really, really well is teach and understand how to. How to create something that has a really strong emotional connection for the shopper. I mean, like, can we touch on that a little bit? Because I think what I see, like, when I'm doing shop audits, I do a lot for print on Demand, even though it's not my, like, favorite thing. What I'm seeing, Emily, is that the designs just aren't there. And I try to say it in the nicest way possible, but 99% of the time, it's the designs. And I'm just. And I can. I like going back to their. You know, they'll have 50, and they're like, well, like, going back to the first page and being like, okay, you've made progress from your first, like, five to 10 listings to where you're at today. But when I show your most recent listing, you know, let's say it's doing one of those. Doing, like, the really chunky knit trend that we're seeing right now or the latch hook. And I go and I show it against like the best sellers. I'm like, the, the level of understanding of your design and what's going to really resonate with that customer versus these best sellers. I try to show them. Like, I don't want to be like you suc, but I want to be like, we need your designs to be stronger. So like, I don't know, talk to me about that and how, because I agree with you. Like, people think, oh, if I stink, how am I going to get. Like, how is just doing it over and over again badly going to get better? And I'm like, no, it really works. So like, take that one. I don't even know what I just asked you, but take it from there.
- [12:05]
C
I love it. No, no, no, it's perfect. First thing I would say is this is why I love the products that I teach about most often. So I have a course called the Gift Lab and we touch on five teach on like my top five favorite gift print on demand products. And one of the things that I talk about when it comes to these products is you can do incredibly simple designs. And what I mean by that is like words only some of my best selling designs are literally five words on a product in black text, right? And so I learned pretty quickly that I was not a trend queen. Like, I was not going to be someone who could like master the trends and could put them on these T shirts and look really beautiful. Like, that was just not my mo. I knew I was self aware enough. And I would say that's another tip. It's just stepping back to be self aware of doing that, learning that self auditing that you talked about, how students come to you, but learning to do that yourself, pulling up a bestseller and pulling up your design and really giving yourself some, you know, some honest feedback. And I learned relatively quickly that doing those trendy shirts, doing bachelorette shirts, doing teacher shirts, like I was never going to master that. But what I could do is I could find these unique pockets of people, right? People who love to quilt, people who like to travel, moms who like to play mahjong or whatever, you know, all these different audiences and find these really uniquely specific people and put words together that spoke to them. And what I found is a, is a winning recipe because in those different groups, when you're looking to send a gift to someone or buy a gift for someone, you're not necessarily looking for this like trend inspired T shirt, but you're looking for something like a candle that has something that makes them laugh. That something only somebody who's involved in that hobby, in that career, in that community is going to understand. My I just did a video on YouTube about this that my first Q4 my bestselling niche was coworker gifts. So like corporate and a lot of it was like corporate lingo. I took phrases that I had said so many times like in my jobs, things that we would laugh about and I put them on different products and people ate them right up. And it was just something I knew and I thought was funny and I had experience with it and I could see there was demand there for it and it kind of took off in that way. So I think if you are having a hard time with designing, been there, done that. Like I am certainly not the expert but there's a path to making sales on Etsy with print on demand in other ways. You don't necessarily have to go that path of doing these trend focused T shirts or sweatshirts or things like that. We can find different ways to connect. So a lot of my students are making their first sales on journals where it's like very simple, just clean designs with like a few words and maybe a small graphic. And we talk all about how simple cells, like simple truly cells and yes, there is a learning curve to spacing and how to structure your design and all of that is going to be a learned skill. But when you're doing it in a really simple way, you can pick up on it. I think much quicker is what I found than having to do all these, you know, really graphic design designs.
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B
I love talking about like the designs that are just text that absolutely.
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C
Yeah.
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B
And I, you know it's interesting there's even a learning curve on like what fonts to use. But if you can get that right. And I think, I think canva helps with that a little bit. And I've literally googled before like what are 2025 hottest Canva fonts for sure. And it saves me, it saves me every time when we talk about like fast track people who are wanting because I don't know, my heart's really going out right now to people. I mean I know the government's open again but people just lost thousands dollars in income. They are looking for like is there any chance that they could make some extra money for Christmas? Is there? I think also AI is making a lot of people wonder like I better shore myself up with a side hustle and things like that. And while I am like you And I think that, I personally think that people should approach Etsy with curiosity and playfulness rather than desperation and urgency.
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C
Yes.
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B
You know what I'm saying? So like I always say, okay, if you're desperate, I want you to go drive for Uber eat, Uber eats, or start an in home daycare, babysit, something like that to help with your urgent needs so that you can then get back to that headspace that's more high vibe, you know, that can then, that can then create. I do like to speak though to what are some of the things that make this happen faster? And so I'd love because, because you did that and you had to kind of pivot quickly. You like changed from the shirts and things like that that weren't working the apparel into the giftable items. I'd love to know like what some of those tips are and maybe specifically Emily, as I'm thinking about it, like when you were going at it aggressively, how many listings were you getting up in a day? Like, what's even like, you know, a goal to throw a dart at?
- [17:13]
C
Yeah, so when I started, I think my first year, so my goal was I had a tracker on our kitchen, on the refrigerator, we had like a magnet board. And my goal was two listings a day typically was my goal. What I always like to tell people though is like two listings can look very different depending what you're doing. I learned really quickly that having design templates, so something that you could, let's say you have an ornament design and you're just kind of changing the graphic on it, you know, maybe you're doing like baby ornaments and you're changing it to different, like woodland creatures or something. You know, being able to have that efficiency is very important because if you're starting from scratch every single time that you're sitting down to design, it's going to take forever. And so I learned rather quickly because I didn't have a lot of time. I was working a full time job, I had two young kids and you know, we have a lot going on. My youngest daughter was really a baby at the time. And so I had these pockets of time that I could work in. And what I did was I studied shops that were doing really well with print on demand. And I would spend time just here and there, like what are they doing that's working for them? And it was never about copying, but it was more about figuring out what is that strategy that they're using. And I remember coming across a mug shop and all they sold were mugs. So Number one, I took that, there were a few shops and I realized all they were selling was one product, and they were really an expert at that one product. And so that was one thing I learned. The second thing I learned is a lot of times they were using the same exact design, but they were replacing the words in it or they were replacing the graphic in it. And they were just kind of like, you know, trying different things like that. And those were two big lessons that I learned. And it's a lot of what I teach today, too, which is like, start with one product and become a wizard at it. Right? Like, you should understand how to list that product up and down, left and right. You should understand what's trending. You should understand the competitors that are selling those products. And a lot of times, when you find these younger shops that are successful on Etsy, they have really kind of honed in on one or two maybe product types that are really kind of their bread and butter. And I'm not saying that you should pick one product and stick with it forever. Forever doesn't mean you can't pivot. But there's a lot to learn when it comes to listing a product. You have to figure out mockups, you have to figure out keywords, you have to understand the market and what people want in that product. So I always take the example. One of the spaces that I really, I actually don't sell a lot in, but I have learned a lot about it, which is candles. In the nursing niche, if you become a candle expert, a wizard, and you really are focused, let's say, on the career space, you're going to pick up on these kind of trends. So what I've learned, for example, in the nurse niche for candles is humorous, funny. Candles sell like, you're rarely going to see many candles in the nurse niche that are, like, sentimental or like, you know, super warm and fuzzy. They're all like, really funny, laugh out loud kind of gifts that people are clearly giving to, like, their co workers or, you know, people in their life that are nurses. And if you don't take the time to dig into these spaces and really learn them, you're leaving a lot on the table. And then you're doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a little bit of that, and then you end up really not getting anywhere. And so that's one thing I harp on a lot in my community. And we're doing a Black Friday challenge right now. And one of the things I'm encouraging them to do is for one week at a time, pick one product, pick one kind of overarching niche. And I want you just to like, focus there for seven days because. And what they're finding is how much more they're getting done by having that focus rather than trying to do all these different things that they're seeing. And so I know I'm rambling at this point about a lot of you.
- [21:22]
B
I'm like hanging on every word. Please continue.
- [21:26]
C
But I think that's like so important. And it's not something I'm not going to say I'm an expert at it by any means, but it is something I've learned how to do better. Like, I tell my students all the time, I have squirrel brain, like, nobody's business. Like, I'm like, oh, let me do this, oh, let me do that. But I'm also almost three years into this. I know kind of what I'm looking for and how to do it. But early on in those beginning days, the people that I'm seeing really have the success, are focusing and becoming like a master of a product, really nailing a niche and like understanding what those unique customers want. And I always tell them, ring the sponge dry. Like, if you are focused on nurse candles, like, don't just do a couple and then move on. Like, what else is. There's so much to dig into in that space. You've got different types of nurses. You've got nurse graduation, you've got nurse retirement gifts. You've got, sorry, I'm like banging things out. You've got nurse retirement gifts. You've got like, you know, thank you gifts for nurses. Like, there's so many different avenues. And so sometimes I think if you just stay put, you're able to really see all the opportunity there rather than kind of doing one thing and then moving, moving forward.
- [22:39]
A
Are you a print on demand or digital product Etsy seller who's tight on time or still learning all of the Etsy secrets? I totally remember the days of having no idea what product to create next before I learned how to make those informed decisions. So I can really identify with where you're at. I know how stressful and frustrating it can be to just create listing after listing and see little to no results. You wonder what you're doing wrong and just you just want someone to tell you what to create that's actually going to sell. Where are those opportunities? So let me give you a leg up with my weekly trends and opportunities report. You just join my membership and every Monday, I'm going To send you an email with a list of exactly what is trending right now, with a video tutorial showing you how I found those trends and how to apply them in your shop. We're taking guesswork and time, extensive time off of your table. I'm also going to send you five print on demand and digital product opportunities that are growing in demand right now, helping new shops make sales and still have very low saturation in the marketplace. So your tight schedule, your newbie status doesn't have to hold you back anymore. I'm going to help you earn while you learn. You can grab my free demo to start and see an example of what the weekly trends and opportunities email looks like right from the show Notes. See what you're gonna get and I will see you on the inside soon.
- [23:55]
B
I know the gift lab is so full of information. It's got like, everything everyone could want. Would you be willing to just give us a little teaser on if someone, like, let's say someone wanted to go after that one? What would be some steps they could take to do that kind of research? You know, like, I'm just imagining the new person being like, okay, all right, that's fine, I'll pick something. And maybe it's not something they know necessarily. You know, right now the Christian niche is absolutely exploding. And some people are like, I really want to design for it. I have some ideas, but I don't necessarily know the nomenclature. You know, I'm not part of that community. I will say sometimes it's helpful to pick something you are already passionate about and understand a little bit. But I know plenty of people, like I know atheists, wicked Wiccan people who are really good at the Christian niche because they've taken the time to research it. There's no reason you can't master anything. Where can people start? Like, just a little few teasers on how people can start that kind of research?
- [24:44]
C
For sure. Yes. So in the gift lab course, we definitely talk through kind of that research process, figuring out where the demand is. Because I find like going back to what we were talking about earlier, students who come forward looking for shop audits or I haven't gotten sales yet. I find a lot of times it's one of two things. One is the designs as we talked about, and the second one is understanding where the demand is and understanding what customers actually want, what is it that they're looking for, and getting really specific with that. So we have a. A couple things. So one thing in the gift lab course we offer is the micro Niche workbook, which is one of my favorite tools that I've ever put together. It's a Google sheet and it really walks you through this formula of getting specific with your audience. So a general nurse T shirt is probably going to be hard to sell sometimes unless you're doing trends, unless you're doing all these things. However, if we boil it down to who are we targeting? It's a nurse, what's the occasion, A graduation, what's the product? It's a candle. Like, we really walk you through how to think about finding a specific customer for that. And I think that is one of the first kind of hurdles to get over as an Etsy seller is really getting specific. Again, another example is it's going to be hard to stand out with a mom T shirt. But if we're looking at a softball mom gift, that's going to be a little bit different. There's not as much competition. It's a very specific person. So that we really do a lot of teaching around that. And then that also then leads to kind of the research part. So Ever be is is my go to research tool. So that's what I often use. It's what we use in the course. It's what I teach about in the gift lab community too. And I love Ever be. It's just been a great tool because what I have found, and this is a little controversial and I did, I did a video on this is I'm actually not a fan fan of keyword scores. And I know some people are going to be like, what? And I just find that it limits your potential so much because I find so many new sellers are like, well, you know, this tool told me that there's no demand for this or whatever the case might be, or it had, you know, a red score or whatever score it is. And it's like, yeah, but if you go onto Etsy and you search that there's like a bestseller or like there's a product that sold 10 in the last 24 hours, like there is demand for that. But. And so I think it's all about kind of getting specific with your audience going into Etsy, figuring out what's actively selling and not necessarily relying on just, you know, a keyword score to tell you if something is a good idea or not. And that's one thing I really have to like, unteach for a lot of people is because I get a lot of, well, what keyword score should I be looking for? And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. Let's let's change the order in which we're doing this. So I have to do a lot of like, let's bring it back. No, we're going to start here. And I think we can get the best information by going directly into Etsy, doing those searches, using the Ever Be tool to really see easily what's selling and, you know, where is that demand at and then taking those breadcrumbs and starting to design from it. So there's a lot, you know, in the course that we talk about when it comes. Demand is such an important part.
- [28:04]
B
Something I'm critical.
- [28:06]
C
It's critical. And the research, I'm a research nerd. I know we've kind of like nerded out about that kind of thing. And I think one thing I found a lot of passion for is getting people to think differently about how they're using their keyword tools and not letting it limit. You know, some of my best sellers, if you looked on any tool and looked up like the main keywords, you would say, I would never design for that. But they're a bestseller. So like, obviously there's demand for it. So I think it's learning how to read between the lines. And that all takes practice. Like that doesn't happen overnight. But I just encourage everyone to go to Etsy, look directly. They give us a lot of information on there and we talk about that a lot in the course and in the community. And that's something I feel like I'm teaching a lot, which I think is really important.
- [28:55]
B
I'm going to throw out like a little, a little fleck of gold here for people listening. So I'm with you. I actually don't really look much at keyword score scores. I do look at when I'm setting up my SEO. I, I have like a certain strategy I like to look at for like how much demand there is for a particular word. Yeah. Like how many searches and then its ratio to how much competition there is to it.
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C
Yeah.
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B
But when I'm trying to figure out demand, you guys, if you're, if you're multitasking, come back because I'm about to tell you a secret. What I really like to do is, and this is when I'm deciding what to create next, I look for best. I filter by Bestseller Badge and then I use Ever Be as well or Profit Tree. They both have a great tool for this. And I look for a new listing that shows it's just a few months old that is also a bestseller. And if there's One or several of those. I know that if that new shot new. If that new listing can rank, my new listing can rank for it. That's like the. And then even better if it's also a new shop, which you can tell by looking at how many reviews that they have.
- [29:52]
C
Yes.
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B
So somebody just got. Someone just had a light bulb go out. But, like, I think that's so much more important than a keyword score is. I want to know what's new and what's flying off the shelves.
- [30:01]
C
Honestly, you just nailed like in a nutshell, exactly how. Yes, exactly how I did that. And with ever BE or Profit Tree, either one, like with their analytics, you can sort by shop age. And I'm always telling people, look for shops that are less than a year old. Look for those that have those bestseller badges or now Etsy is giving us a lot of that information. Like, you know, the demand. You know, two people have bought this in the last 24 hours. Ten people have bought this in the last twenty four hours. And those things are so helpful. But I agree, like, if I see a listing, I have been on coaching calls and we'll be doing like live research and I'll find a listing that's like a month old. And none of the tools have even updated that their sales number. But it has the bestseller badge and it has like 20 in cart. And I'm like, guys, this is. And it's a shop that's six months old. I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is. This is it. Like, this is what you're looking for. And that is truly. I mean, I do think that is a huge, huge key. And I think again, to bring it back, it's not to ever copy. It's not to ever say like, oh, I'm gonna take their sales or anything like that. But it's to prove there's demand for this and there's room at the table. Right. Those people have a new shop. By Etsy standards, they, you know, are relatively young to the space. They're making sales in this space. So surely then there should likely be room for me to have a piece of the pie as well. So I think it's just thinking about it from that perspective in terms of the competition level. If a brand new or newer shop is making sales in that space, then that's like good news for me because that means, okay, there isn't like, there aren't these shop. These mega seller shops that are dominating this market. There's.
- [31:46]
B
Exactly.
- [31:47]
C
Yeah, exactly.
- [31:48]
B
Yeah. Okay. I can't tell you what a warm fuzzy it is for me to know that we do that the same way. That's just like, okay, we're doing a good job. Because what's funny is like, we haven't learned from the same places or people. And I always say there are so many right ways to do it. Like, there are very few wrong ways to do it. I think people get. I wish I could just like hug every single listener who worries about like, oh, I hope I'm doing this right. And to be like, are you creating new listings all the time? You're doing it right? You know what I mean? Like, there's just. Oh, I, I think people worry so much about it and it. I hope that that's helped a little bit. I know we spent a lot of the last time we talked sharing your story, but I honestly, I could hear, I could hear it over and over again. And I feel like you just started dropping more like hints about what, how it's gone down for you. Can we just talk about it for a few minutes? Like the really early days. I want to hear about your first year. Wasn't it over 100? It was $173,000 in year one for you?
- [32:38]
C
Yes.
- [32:39]
B
Can you just like give us the story? What happened?
- [32:42]
C
Yeah. So I started my shop January 1st as a new Year's resolution. Super corny. Super corny. So it's actually a really easy Etsy anniversary date because I literally remember sitting here on New Year's Day being like, okay, we are doing this. Like, I am going to commit to figuring out how to do this. And I like set up my shop, set up my Printify account, did all of that stuff. And I really started in T shirts because on YouTube and other places, obviously, I think a lot of us start in that apparel space for a lot of good reasons. And there is a lot of opportunity out there. And I will say I think one thing I did well early on is I learned the importance of narrowing down your audience. So I remember talking to like my sister in law and some other people and being like, oh, do you know anyone who buys on Etsy? Just kind of talking to people around me. To be honest, I probably told a total of five people, like one of which being my husband, one being my mom. Like it was all family that knew I was doing this. And honestly a lot of people still don't even know I do this. Like it's kind of this. I just, you know, it's happening. So I remember texting her and she is a speech therapist and she was like, oh, we speech therapists buy tons of stuff on Etsy. And I was like, oh, great idea. So I started digging into some research, and that's kind of where I started. It was just a jumping off point. I knew I needed to practice, I knew I need to figure out. But my first sales were in the speech therapist niche, which was great. I really figured out, like, okay, I need to make sure I'm like, specific. Like, you know, I don't just want to do like this broad, like, educator shirt or this broad teacher shirt. Like, I need to make sure I'm focusing on, like, specific roles or grades or themes or whatever that is. So I do feel like I picked up on that a lot. One thing that I always tell people that was really important that those first few months for me is that I watched a lot of YouTube for sure, but I also was actively doing it while I was watching it. And I think that is so important is just to kind of put one foot in front of the other and just keep trying. And so I did that for a while. And then I think it was about April. So that was January, and then into April. I had made some sales here and there. I did have one shirt really take off, and it was in. At that point, I had kind of pivoted to a few different things. It was in the political circle space, and it was something that kind of took off and that was great. I was like, oh, I'm kind of like figuring this out. But I didn't find that a lot of my shirts were selling. It was just like, you know, a good steady few. And one day I was doing research and I had stumbled across candles, and I was like, oh, this is. These kind of seem easy to design. I wasn't seeing a ton of competition for them at that time. And, you know, all of that. And so I listened to did a couple that day. Just really just trying to figure out the mock ups, just trying to figure out the pricing. Just, you know, practice run. I was just kind of getting them out there. And that night I got a notification and one of them sold the same day. And I was like, I'm sorry, what just happened? And I remember, like, looking at my husband and being like, I literally just listed this this morning and this sold. And I honestly was like a total, Like, I wasn't even trying. It was seriously just to get, like a idea of how to list these. So that was kind of my first sign that, oh, holy cow, there's some demand here. And I really started focusing a Lot of my energy more into candles and journals was another one that I really focused on. Dabbled in mugs a little bit throughout the year. But then I started getting quite a few sales around end of the school year. Got a couple bestsellers around then. And then it really just kind of kept going. And in Q4, it was insane. Like, I never anticipated, I think Black Friday I had like 125 sales, which at that point in one day. And I was like, still brand new to this. So I was like, what is happening? I remember just almost feeling really overwhelmed. And I know that number isn't as high as a lot of the other big sellers, but for me in that moment, I was just like, oh my God, what is going on? And it was all these gift products because obviously for the holidays everyone was shopping. And that really solidified for me throughout that whole year. That that was my focus. That was where my design skills really were. It was being self aware enough to know, like, again, I am not a T shirt designer and that is okay. And I have fully accept that wholeheartedly. Like, do I still dabble here and there? I do have a few things that I'll do here and there, but I'm not a T shirt designer. But what I can do is I can connect with people with words. I know how to research, I know how to figure out who these audiences are and create those kind of unique products for them. And that is where I found really my lane. And I think it's all about finding your lane. Like, you're not supposed to be good at everything and you're not supposed to be the best dog bowl designer and you're not supposed to be the best T shirt designer and you're not supposed to be the best banner designer. You know, those are all very different skills. And I think it's all about figuring out, like, where are your skills best suited and just taking it one step at a time and kind of figuring that out in the process. And it's gonna be messy and that's okay. But I think I was willing to really be messy that year and figure it out. And then that Q4, I in October, November, December, I made more in those three months than I had the rest of the year. And that was mind blowing for me. And then went into year two and I just kept kind of building from there. So yeah, that's a little bit about kind of that first year and how all of that happened.
- [38:28]
B
See, and you're. What's amazing too is so you work with Gold City Ventures, you're doing a ton of work for them. You've written, you've made this incredible print on demand course, you're managing account community and you're still running your Etsy shop, you're still getting listings up, right? So you're approaching three years. Where's your, where is, are you like, where are your earnings at now?
- [38:47]
C
Yes. So I just recently crossed $725,000 in revenue, which is like, can I just pinch you?
- [38:54]
B
Because.
- [38:55]
C
Yes, please do. And it's so funny though, you know, it's funny. Like I don't set revenue goals. I don't. And anyone who I've coached knows because I get, they know I, they're always like Emily says, control what you can control. And it's like, yes. So I always focus on control what I can control. Which, what I can control is putting out like high quality listings, doing my research, you know, being, having good customer service, like all of those things. And I actually don't even, I rarely even look at my revenue, like my total revenue. And so the other day I just happened to do it for whatever reason and I was like, oh my gosh, like I didn't even know. So I'm more like, so in the weeds because I'm, I am, I'm still actively an Etsy seller and, and Print on Demand and Etsy are, you know, I was telling you before, it's like our number one income stream and I love it. Like I really enjoy it. For me, it's a lot of fun. And so on a day to day, I'm like doing the normal stuff. I'm processing orders, I'm putting out new designs, I'm answering customer messages and then I'm in my community and coaching and doing all of that. And it's just a lot of fun. Like I really enjoy it. So I don't really set revenue goals because I find that's so out of our control. Right? Like we can set goals for the things we can do, but I can't control if someone pulls out their credit card. Like, I can't control if they're gonna, what the algorithm's gonna do. So for me, I just try to stay focused on those things and I find I get less frustrated that way or I get less worried that way when I'm just focusing on like my daily actions.
- [40:31]
B
I don't even know, girl, you're, you're just such an anomaly. And you know, the best part is you're so like unassuming about it. You're like, yeah, like I Didn't even really, like, set a goal. I just, I just put up listings and they're really simple and they just. Yeah, it's just $725,000. You're so nonchalant. Like in the best way though, in like this like sweet innocence. Oh, I just love it. But I, but it leaves me completely speechless and I'm just like, I have all these other questions I want to ask and I need another 3i hours of your time. Oh my gosh. Okay, so let me ask you this. Do you ever. Do you run a Black Friday promo in your shop?
- [41:06]
C
I do opt in to Etsy Cyber Week sales event. So Etsy runs that sale where you can opt in with them and run a certain discount on your listings. So I always opt into that. I think it's a great option because Etsy will promote shops that are part of that Black Friday, that Cyber Week sales event that they're running. And that's really it. I usually keep it pretty, pretty simple. And that's like my main focus is I'll just opt into that and then kind of keep doing what I'm doing.
- [41:34]
B
So you otherwise don't run sales in your shop. Okay, I love that. Oh, you do run sales.
- [41:38]
C
I do run sales. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But for Black Friday and for like this whole season, I'll just usually opt into that Etsy event.
- [41:46]
B
Okay. No, I think that's so easy. Just like click the button. I mean, obviously you've already prepared by making sure you had a 30% profit margin. So you know you're going to be in good shape. Like, people need to make sure if, if their pricing's all over the place, they need to double check that. But otherwise that button click is so easy. The other thing, this is so funny. I don't even know. I'm just, I feel like people are sitting here thinking this, that first Black Friday when you had the a hundred and something sales out of nowhere. I. Okay, I would have been excited, but I would have been terrified personally. Because if people are like listening, they're not as familiar with Print on demand. You connect your Etsy shop with like Printify or the Print on Demand company and the customer pays Etsy, but then the order goes through Printify and they bill you like on your card and then you get the money from Etsy later. So like, have you ever run into those snags where you weren't expecting so many sales and it like exceeded whatever you wanted to be? Do you know what I'm saying? Like, I don't want to say it, like, in a bad way, but, like, yeah, I know that my first credit card would have been maxed out, the first one I was using for print on demand. So have you. How do you manage that kind of thing?
- [42:47]
C
Yes, that did happen. That. That's a. That's a great thing. Now you're, like, jogging my memory and I'm like, oh, yeah, I forgot how that happened.
- [42:54]
B
I want people to hear there's, like, a way through. Like, it's okay.
- [42:56]
C
Like, here's a way through. I have my Etsy payments. And at that point, I had gotten to where I get, like, a daily payout. So I was making, like, a daily payment on my credit card.
- [43:07]
B
Wow.
- [43:08]
C
Yes. Because at that point, because I was starting to get so many sales, I, like, had to take yesterday's sales and, like, estimate. Okay, like, here's what I spent on my credit card yesterday. Let me pay that. So I was doing a lot of that. I had the previous year been dabbling and selling on Amazon with other things.
- [43:25]
B
Wow.
- [43:25]
C
I did have two business credit cards. And so what I did was I kind of would go back and forth, but it was really only during that one week where it was that high. Outside of that, it's not been a problem. And then after that period, after I went through that, and I was like, oh, I gotta figure this out for next year. I do have a different Capital One card that doesn't have necessarily, like, a limit, but it builds and it's a business credit card. So there are a lot of options out there, all that, to say there's a way, way through. It just takes some kind of, like, strategizing if you weren't prepared for that. But that is something to be aware of, was something that I had some preparation for, but I was not quite expecting, like, that level of number of orders that day.
- [44:16]
A
Are you brand new to Etsy, about to get started, or struggling a bit to find your groove? What I'm about to say is just for you, okay? I can completely relate to where you're at because I think I can help you achieve success faster. When I first started my Etsy shop, it was not one of those success stories that we hear on, you know, on the big YouTube channels, even on this podcast where I just had crazy success and it took off right away.
- [44:36]
B
Right.
- [44:37]
A
I all but failed for my first six months, just like a lot of new sellers. And so it's very relatable. And the issue for me was I didn't understand demand, for one. I didn't understand SEO, I was way too broad in my search terms and I didn't know how to position my.
- [44:52]
B
Product so that customers just couldn't help.
- [44:54]
A
But click add to cart. And so once I learned those things, I went from making about $25 a month in sales to $6,000 a month and up. And in the holidays, I would even have $13,000 a month like at my shop's peak. And the thing about me, if you've been here for a minute, you already know this. I'm a terrible gatekeeper, okay?
- [45:11]
B
When I figure something out, when I.
- [45:12]
A
Crack a code, when I get excited, I cannot help but tell everybody who wants to listen. It's like either my my best asset or my toxic trade.
- [45:19]
B
I can't decide.
- [45:20]
A
But I put everything that you need to know to fill that beginner knowledge gap into a low ticket just under three course that I have called Six Figure Secrets to getting started on Etsy. In it, I'm teaching you how to find what's in demand for your niche, how to find and use trends, how to start your shop. If you're worried about that part, SEO strategy to find the micro niches where the opportunity is, how to understand the Etsy algorithm and a ton more. The whole thing is bite sized videos. Not long form, just small bite sized videos. Zero fluff and to the point. You could get the course today, go through the less than three hours over the next couple days, launch your shop this weekend and have sales coming in as soon as Sunday. So let's get you the few missing pieces of the Etsy success puzzle, those little tweaks you need to make so you can start making the sales that you deserve. Because I have never been more convinced that there is room at this table on Etsy for everyone. And the opportunity is so ripe right now. I am in the, in the numbers in the data every day and my mind just keeps excited, expanding on the possibilities. Okay, so as a special treat, use the code save50 to save $50 on the six figure secrets course today. That's $50 off with a coupon. Save 50 and by all means DM me or shoot me an email when those sales start popping because I want to celebrate with you.
- [46:40]
B
That's like so. So if you're listening, like here's the thing. Printify, everything still goes through Etsy. Fine. So your customer never knows that you're like a duck, like calm and collected on the surface and paddling like hockey sticks underneath. So you can then go into Printify and like make changes and, and Now, I don't know. I recently got an email and I haven't even looked into it where Etsy is now allowing, like instant payouts.
- [47:01]
C
Yes.
- [47:02]
B
For some. So, like, that kind of changes it too.
- [47:05]
C
Yes, yes. That could also help too, if you can do those instant payouts. But I agree. I think the, the key is that your customer never has to know any of this. Right?
- [47:13]
B
Yeah.
- [47:14]
C
And there were moments, of course, course, where you're like, it's a blessing to get that many orders, but it's also like when you're a newbie like me, you're like, oh my gosh, you know, you're, you're a little bit nervous. And honestly, like, at that point, good and bad, I was so busy that I honestly didn't even have time to like, stop and worry about anything. It was kind of like, okay, I gotta work all day and then I have my two kids and then it's like, go time. I gotta like, you know, get to processing these orders and, you know, answering customer messages. Messages and doing all of that. But again, your customers never have to know any of that. And it's all about kind of maintaining that composure, just being responsive. Being kind. I think being kind in your messaging to crowds customers goes such a long way. Like, yes, I've had people that have been upset. Every business owner has. But it's all about, like, how you respond and how you handle it that I think is really important.
- [48:08]
B
Literally, like, we could do a three hour. I know.
- [48:11]
C
This is so fun.
- [48:13]
B
Well, and I love that you're so willing to kind of get into the weeds with me. Like the things that I know people are thinking but don't usually get covered even in long form because it's just so many, there's so many little things. I just like love having these little rabbit trail conversations. But here's the good news. Like you, I know how Cody and Julie are and I know how you are. And everything you guys put out is so high quality. I need to say, like, I partner with so many people and I only partner with great people that I trust. You guys are like spectacular. Like, the quality of what you provide, the responsibility you take for, like, helping your students, for just staying on top of everything. I honestly did not know about the gift lab until Cody emailed me the other day. And this Black Friday sale is completely stupid. Emily. Like, this is a really, really good deal for people. I know that when people are walking away from this conversation with questions, they're gonna, they would be able to get them in there if they really wanted to dig into it and go deeper with you. Talk to us about the resources you have to help Etsy sellers getting started or trying to figure out why things aren't working, just navigating that whole process. What do you, how are you guys helping them?
- [49:16]
C
Yeah, that's such a good question. So the Gift Lab was really built out of this idea that there is a lane for people who, like me, maybe don't want to sell T shirts on Etsy or have maybe tried selling T shirts and are looking for a different and alternative path to sales on Etsy. And so as I mentioned earlier, we focus on five key products directly within the course which are candles, ornaments, hardcover, journals, tote bags and mugs. And those are kind of like the five key products. And what's great is in the course we provide design templates like Canva template links that you can start from for each of those products. Walk through how to do everything from open your shop to the research for demand part that we spoke about to designing to personalizing. You know, personalization is a big piece of the giftable market on Etsy and so we have a whole module on how to personalize and what that looks like. So the course really is kind of like the A to Z manual of how to sell print on demand and then how specifically to approach these kind of gift focused products. Like how do you write your SEO for these kind of products? Like how do you target your audience in this way? So the content course, the Gift lab course is going to really walk you through all of that. And I know I mentioned earlier, the Micro niche workbook is the other resource that comes with the course which I love because it really helps you practice identifying a specific customer, a specific occasion, like really being able to identify who is this product for. And it gives you hundreds of ideas. Like it generates so so many ideas within the workspace workbook itself. So it's probably one of my favorite things I've ever put together just because it almost mirrors like what's going on in my head when I'm doing this. And it puts it on paper so you can easily kind of follow it to generate ideas for your own shop. So the Gift Lab course is going to walk you through all of that. And then additionally we have the community which we've talked a little bit about, which is a monthly, it's a membership and it's hosted on school. And there every week I'm live on Tuesdays for a coach coaching call with everyone. And then I also record those and post Those for anyone who can attend. And some of my favorite things we do in there every month I am posting a lot of coaches will do like a trend report every month and I do an evergreen report. So talking about these giftable products and what are we seeing that's selling year round, what kind of design styles, what kind of niches or customers or ideas and giving keywords, giving design templates that go with it and all sorts of things. And then everything else from. I do a trend Tuesday every week, so I'm posting a different trend that's really hot on Etsy at the moment. I do design audits, listing audits, SEO audits, all these different things that, that you know are going to help just kind of fill in the gaps and provide that extra support. Because the course is amazing and it's super comprehensive. But you always are going to have to questions.
- [52:18]
B
Yeah.
- [52:18]
C
And there's always things that pop up along the way. And so the community has really evolved into this super positive, supportive place for just cheering each other on but also getting your questions answered and extra resources. So there's just a lot of. We're having a lot of fun in there and it's been like such a good time. I. I'm loving working with the students in that group.
- [52:39]
B
And what is the normal cost of the gift lab?
- [52:41]
C
So the normal cost of the gift lab is 297 and that is for the course itself.
- [52:48]
B
And then what's the Black Friday special on the dates if you. I don't have them in front of me.
- [52:51]
C
Yeah. So the Black Friday special is going to be 50 off. So that is going to be 147 and that is going to be. Actually, I don't think I have. I have the date somewhere. We're going to be running the gift lab Black Friday sale from November 27 to December 1 and for those dates only, the course will be on sale for one for 47.
- [53:14]
B
That is incredible. And then you're. You do a lot. I always see your Instagram post. And you're on YouTube now, right? Do you want to tell us your handle so we can go look you up?
- [53:24]
C
Yeah, my Instagram handle is Ecom Emily E C O M M Emily. And then on YouTube it's the same. So I just started YouTube a couple months ago and it's been really fun because now I can just share more. When it comes to like teaching about this. I don't feel as constrained, you know, to like a reel or a post on Instagram. I'm able to really kind of Walk through the process and the details. So definitely go find me over on YouTube. And having a lot of fun there too.
- [53:53]
B
I'm excited. I actually. I didn't know you were on YouTube. I gotta go check it out. Yeah. See what kind of stuff you're doing. That's amazing. I've been going harder on YouTube this year as well, and it's like, it's been so good for, like, the coaching side. Like, I feel like I'm meeting so many, like, new people, really learning, like, where people are struggling. I think sometimes on other social media platforms, it's harder to get as much feedback as you get on YouTube. Do you see that too?
- [54:16]
C
Yes, I would say it's interesting. Good and bad, I think. YouTube, yeah, you get a lot of feedback, which is great. Instagram, it's. It's fun. I feel like I've built, like, a little community there. And so I have, you know, that being able to message with. With people or answer questions there is really nice. But YouTube.
- [54:33]
A
Yeah.
- [54:33]
C
I feel like I'm reaching a broader audience and I do think a lot of those of us who are learning how to sell on Etsy or starting to sell on Etsy, YouTube is where you go.
- [54:43]
B
Right.
- [54:43]
C
And so I wanted to meet people where they were going to get information or get tips and just provide a different approach and. Yeah, just kind of my own unique teaching on there, I guess.
- [54:58]
B
No, you bet. Because you have a teaching background, right?
- [55:01]
C
Yeah. So I worked in education for about four years. Fifteen years. Yeah.
- [55:04]
B
Yeah, it shows it. Yeah. There's no denying that about you, my love. Thank you so much for doing this. Thank you for just such a fun conversation. I. My dopamine is so high right now. I just really, really enjoyed it. Really enjoyed it. So thank you for sharing so much. I'm really excited for people to jump on the gift lab, whether they're able to. Whether they're listening now or a year from now, like that. If I could just convince people in print, on demand to not kill themselves in apparel when they first get started. Like, I just think your approach is really brilliant and it sets people up for so much success.
- [55:35]
C
Thank you. Yeah, it's been. It's been great to help people get, you know, their first sales or their daily sales. And it's working. And it's working now. In 2025, it'll work in 2026. You know, I think, yes, it's definitely where I think a lot of people are. Are moving in this direction also.
- [55:51]
B
I'm excited for you guys. There's so much for you to dive into. Thank you for hanging out with us y'. All. I hope you had as much fun as you. We did like just scooched on in together and geeking out. Go follow Emily. She's the best. She's the cat's pajamas. And until next week, go make something awesome. I love you guys.
- [56:07]
A
And that's a wrap on this episode of how to sell your stuff on Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to howtosellyourstuff.com where you'll find podcast show notes, all the links from today's episode, the blog courses, coaching, and more. If this episode was helpful to you, awesome. The greatest compliment I can receive from you is a rate, review and subscribe on this podcast. Not only will it allow us to connect again on a future episode, it lets me know I'm providing you with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank.
- [56:44]
C
You for your support.
- [56:45]
A
Have a great day and see you next time.