Ep 212 | How leaning into Data changed everything -with Trista Pagel

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
Episode: 212 | How leaning into Data changed everything - with Trista Pagel
Host: Lizzie Smiley
Guest: Trista Pagel
Date: December 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode is a deep dive into the journey of Trista Pagel and her family, who went from side hustles and ministry work to building a thriving Etsy shop in just four months. The main theme centers on how “leaning into data”—using research-driven, database decisions and tools like Profit Tree and Everbee—enabled Trista’s rapid Etsy growth, profitability, and resilience. Lizzie and Trista discuss practical strategies, mindset shifts, and actionable tips for Etsy newcomers or anyone ready to scale their handmade or digital business.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Trista’s Story: From Hardship to New Beginnings

• Background: Trista and her husband John are Midwesterners with five boys, homeschooling and formerly in full-time ministry. After leaving ministry, they faced severe financial hardship, with job inexperience and major family set-backs.

  • Memorable Moment: Trista recalls her debit card being declined with a negative balance, motivating her new Etsy journey.
    [04:08] Trista: "I will never forget the day I checked out at our grocery store and my debit card declined... there was negative 400 in that account."

• Side Hustle Roots: Trista had sold crafts since 2017 through farmers markets, fairs, and even Shopify. She found the most fulfillment in handmade goods and embraced family entrepreneurship.

• Transition to Etsy: After a successful local farmers market run (including products by their twin sons), Trista realized selling to friends/family wasn’t sustainable and searched for ways to scale—discovering Lizzie’s podcast. [10:29] Trista: “I remember as the farmer’s market came to a close, I literally googled, ‘Lizzie, how do I sell things on Etsy?’”

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The Early Etsy Approach: Data-Driven Decisions

• Research Before Listing: Rather than listing products based on personal preference, Trista used research tools (Profit Tree, Everbee) and Lizzie’s podcast to assess what was already selling well on Etsy.

  • Example: She found that “tallow” products, not just generic skincare, were in high demand, so focused listings there. [11:10] Trista: "I just knew if I want this to work, I need to lay aside what I know and what I like making and focus on what the research shows sells well for now."

• Multiple Listing Types: Trista embraced a mix—handmade, print-on-demand, and some digital—rather than getting hyper-niched from day one. [13:11] Lizzie: "You just gave people a lot of freedom who are sitting there like, I can't decide..."

• Shop Growth Strategy: Launched with around 10 research-backed products, then added new listings almost daily in the first three months.

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Leveraging Trends and “Trend Combining”

• Tracking & Applying Trends: Trista credits Lizzie’s podcast for trend-spotting (e.g., “coquette bows”), even when the trend was unfamiliar to her. [15:27] Trista: “When I jumped onto your podcast, you were talking about coquette bows...I have five boys, so I don’t have any bows in my house.”

• Trend Combining: Trista’s first sell-out item was a quilted coquette bow blanket—a fusion of two hot trends which brought immediate sales across Etsy, fairs, and storefronts. [19:18] Lizzie: “When you did those blankets, you actually did something called trend combining...that’s where the sweet spot is.”
  [21:35] Trista: “I’m at, I’m over 300 [sales]..."

• Rapid Growth: In four months, Trista surpassed 300 mostly handmade sales—a life-changing result.

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SEO, Listing Titles, and Understanding Demand

• Keyword Strategies: Using research, Trista learned to title listings not just by what they are but by the need they fill (e.g., “custom gifts for boys” instead of “fishing pole”). [22:55] Trista: “What I learned...you don’t necessarily need to describe the product. You more need to describe the need that the product is filling.”

• Lizzie’s Hybrid Approach: Lizzie suggests a mix: clearly state what the product is (for clarity in search) and use purpose-driven keywords.

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Mindset Shifts and Overcoming Challenges

• Embracing a New Mindset:
  Trista highlights the importance of seeing Etsy as “a financial playground” where pricing shouldn’t be limited by your own budget—the right audience will pay for quality and uniqueness. [31:36] Trista: “Etsy is a financial playground...what is my reality of a budget is not necessarily someone else’s.”

  • Example: Raising advent calendar prices led to even more sales.

• Facing Imposter Syndrome:
  Trista and Lizzie discuss feeling “anyone could do this” and the importance of recognizing the value, expertise, and customization handmade sellers provide. [29:05] Trista: “I can sometimes have imposter syndrome...Why would someone pay me to do this?...because it takes time to figure all of that out." [30:43] Lizzie: "Haters gonna hate. And I'm just going to keep going because there's plenty of people like me who aren't going to take the time to make something handmade..."

• Learning New Skills and Tools:
  Trista dove into learning laser engraving, admitting to mistakes and the steep technical curve as both challenging and necessary for success.

• Working Through Hardship:
  Building the shop required sacrifices—time, lifestyle shifts, and initial low profits (thanks to early discounts/running sales), but delivered great reward and growth. [45:50] Trista: “There were things in other areas...we said no to when we needed to so we could get orders fulfilled...We ran sales...if the customer said, ‘can you do this,’ we said yes.”

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Actionable Tips & Takeaways for New Sellers

• Research Before Creating:
  Use data-backed tools (like Profit Tree, Everbee) to validate product ideas—don’t just create what you feel like and hope for sales. [35:14] Trista: "Accept this idea of database research decisions. It has changed everything for us."

• Adopt Growth Mindset:
  Focus on “what if it works so well that we can’t keep up?” instead of “what if it fails?” [35:36] Trista: "Try asking the other question. What if this, it works so well that we have to figure out how to keep up with all of this."

• Persistence & Iteration:
  Lizzie notes that the key is to keep going and iterate—no one starts perfect, and repeated attempts lead to progress. [39:14] Lizzie: "If you do not give up, you literally cannot fail...do a thousand [designs] and then we'll be approached."

• Etsy as a Positive Platform:
  Trista’s experience with Etsy fees and support has been positive—she encourages others not to be discouraged by misconceptions.

• Let Etsy Guide Scaling:
  Trista uses Etsy’s data (bestsellers) to decide what to scale or try on other platforms (e.g., bringing products to Faire).

• Meaningful Rewards:
  Beyond sales, handmade work enables truly meaningful, personalized products for customers—examples include turning a century-old family farm’s walnut tree into cherished gifts. [42:07] Trista: "They shipped the wood to me and said, we don't care what you make, just make gifts out of this...that's priceless."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Shifting from Hobby to Business:
  [10:13] Trista: "If I treat our hobby like a hobby, it will pay us like a hobby. If I invest in it like the business we want it to be, then it can pay us like a business."

• On Handcrafted Resilience:
  [13:05] Trista: "I just cannot get away from working with my hands. I just can't do it."

• On Trend Combining:
  [19:18] Lizzie: "You took coquette and you trend combined it with...the quilted grand millennial look. That’s where the sweet spot is."

• On Pricing & Value:
  [31:36] Trista: "Etsy is a financial playground...don't box yourself in. Try different price categories."

• On Mindset for Success:
  [35:36] Trista: “We just made the decision to ask the question of if the opposite problem happened...What if this is so fruitful, we can't keep up on orders?”

• On the Power of Iteration:
  [39:14] Lizzie: “People might want to look at me and be like, your results Lizzie, you're so lucky. You have not catch all the tears, my friend...I fail left and right...But I know I will get there because I am going to iterate and iterate."

• On Strategy over Luck:
  [41:11] Trista: "[With Etsy] there's Rhyme and there's reason and there's strategy and there's lots of help. And Lizzie, you're a great example of that."

• On Customer Meaning:
  [42:07] Trista: "[My customer] shipped the wood to me and said...make gifts out of this. And this is going to be our parents' memory of the farm. I mean, that's priceless."

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Important Timestamps

• [00:58] Introduction of Trista, preview of her story and focus on data
• [05:13] Trista’s family background and entrepreneurial journey
• [10:29] Discovery of Lizzie’s podcast, shift to data-driven product decision making
• [12:33] Strategic product selection process for Etsy launch
• [15:27] Adopting trends (e.g. coquette bows), “trend combining,” and first big sales
• [22:55] Deep dive on keyword research, titling, and product positioning
• [27:13] Biggest learning curves, embracing new tech (laser engraver)
• [31:36] Letting go of limiting beliefs about pricing—Etsy as a “financial playground”
• [35:14] Top actionable advice for brand new Etsy sellers
• [39:14] Iteration, persistence, and normalizing the “messy middle”
• [41:11] Etsy is not luck; there are real strategies for success
• [42:07] Most rewarding, meaningful custom order story
• [45:50] Real talk on what’s “hard” about Etsy growth (sacrifice, low early profits, learning new systems)
• [48:36] Vision for the future: scaling, employing others, and giving back

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Where to Find Trista

• Instagram: @pagelansons
• Facebook: Pagel and Sons

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a powerful testament to the impact of data-driven strategies and unwavering perseverance in Etsy business building. From starting at zero to surpassing 300 sales in four months—without prior retail or marketing experience—Trista’s story proves that actionable research, product-market fit, and the right mindset can change everything. Whether you're just starting, pivoting, or scaling on Etsy, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom, encouragement, and real-life proof that “everything is figureoutable.”

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Memorable Closing:
[52:43] Lizzie: “Please just don't give up. When you're in the messy middle, you've got to just push through.”

Transcript

[A]

Hey, my name is Lizzie Smiley and.

[B]

I absolutely love helping people connect with.

[A]

Their calling and all the tools they need to kick roadblocks and excuses right out the door so they can cultivate.

[C]

The life they dream about.

[B]

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.

[A]

There's plenty of room at this table.

[B]

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.

[C]

Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. I'm so excited to bring you another success story right out of our community, literally. Trista has been DMing me on Instagram the past four months since she started her Etsy Shop with just like screenshots of her results and like hitting the next milestone. They have really gotten off to the races quickly and I'm so excited for their success. And sometimes it's just the absolute best to hear from someone who's in those early trenches. Like sometimes these episodes for you guys are the ones that click the most because you're so much closer to that same spot. So I'm expecting the doors to blow off of this one and you to learn so much. Trist is going to talk a lot about leaning in to data, using data to know what to create. So making database decisions on the listings that you create, understanding like what your conversion rates are and knowing what your numbers are. And she's going to talk about one of my very favorite tools. It's called Profit Tree. And I especially want you to know about Profit Tree. If you are new to Etsy, you're just getting started, or if maybe you're not having results yet. Because what it is is it is an app, like a third party tool that integrates with your Etsy Shop. And then whenever you go to look at like your competition on Etsy, you go to look at listings, you can actually see how much money they're making, how old the listing is, how many favorites they have, how much traffic they're getting and that information can really help you determine what you should create next. So you can go and create what you feel like. And there's a time and a place for that. But sometimes those listings don't. Well, it's even better if you can establish demand first. It's one of the main things I'm always teaching you guys is to lean into this data. So Profit Tree is especially good for new people, A because it's user friendly, but B because the price point is crazy. A lot of the other tools require a monthly payment, like a monthly subscription that can get kind of pricey. But Profit Tree right now has a special deal where there's a one time fee so you can get lifetime access to this tool that's going to be telling you all the data about your competition and just pay one fee of $67. So I have a special link for that that I'm going to link in the show Notes. I provide a YouTube tutorial of where I show you how to use it. Because if you're anything like me, trying to figure out how to use something new takes too much time and energy. I'd rather someone just take 10 minutes and show me. So I've got all of that for you. I want you to check that out. Especially if you are new. It's really going to help and you're going to hear all about Trista's story and how this tool specifically really, really helped. Let me tell you about her and then we're just going to bring her onto the podcast. Okay? She said, hello, I am Trista Pagel and along with my husband John, we are proud Midwesterners. We currently live in Iowa. We have five little boys who are our pride and joy. I homeschool the boys personally. I've been selling handmade crafts since 2017. Growing up, my questions wasn't why, it was how specifically how do you make that? Over the years I've done pretty much every single side hustle imaginable. You name it, I've tinkered in it. And I've always, always, always come to find my way back to handmade products together. We've been in full time vocational ministry our entire marriage. Over the past several years we were introduced to this idea of owning a family business. We started asking questions like what if we had a family business that supported the ministry instead of the ministry supporting our family? Eventually, our time in ministry came to a close and we found ourselves completely unemployable. We had no work experience, no resume. We had no idea how to make money. We're a big family and we live in an expensive city. My husband finally got a job working insurance at the bottom of the totem pole. Our family vehicle died. Our furnace system needed to be replaced. My husband had two back to back surgeries. And I will never forget the day I checked it out at our grocery store and my debit card declined. When I called the bank, they informed me that there was negative 400 in that account. And that brings me to our Etsy story. My gosh, I'm getting all choked up. So sorry, you guys. This is why I do. What I do is stories like Trista's. It's absolutely amazing and she's done incredible things and I'm really excited to put the spotlight on her. But more than anything, I want you to know that this can be you too. And I'm so sorry. I just really want to help you get there. So please help me welcome the lovely Trista to the podcast. Welcome to the podcast.

[A]

Hello.

[D]

Thank you for having me.

[C]

I'm so excited we were able to make this happen and I'm so excited about your results.

[D]

I know, it is so fun.

[C]

I literally want to kind of cut you loose, just like, you know, with some guardrails. Let's just like lay it out there. Tell us what you sell and how it's going, like your journey, how it's been.

[D]

Okay, so our journey. Is it okay if I back up a little bit?

[C]

Okay, so.

[D]

Yep. So I'm Trista. My husband and I, John, we have five little boys. They're our pride and joy. We live in the Midwest. I homeschool the boys and we have been in full time vocational ministry since before we were even married. And but because we've been in full time ministry, I've always wanted to make a little extra. And any side hustle you can name, I have tinkered in it and I have always, always come back to handmade. So I've been making and selling handicrafts since 2017. Pretty much every platform you can think of. I've tried it. Craft fairs, farmers markets, storefronts. Shopify. My happy place tends to be farmers markets. A few years ago, my husband was introduced to the goodness behind the idea of owning a family business. And we started asking a question. What if we had a family business that supported the ministry instead of the ministry having to support our family? So over the years, we've just explored this concept of a family business. We really had no idea what that would even look like for us. But fast Forward. We took a break from ministry and found ourselves completely unemployable. We had no job experiences outside of ministry. Neither of us had a resume. And my husband eventually did get a job, but, you know, he was starting over at the bottom of the totem pole. And we're a large family. We live in a somewhat expensive part of the state. And then add to that, our family vehicle died. We had to replace our furnace. We had back to back surgeries, and things were just tight. They were tight. And so that brought us to Etsy. Right before Etsy, we did a great farmer's market all summer long in Grimes, Iowa. And this summer, although I've been doing farmers markets a long time, this summer our boys joined us. So like I said, we have five boys and two of them are twins, and they're 10. And the twins this summer launched their own bread business. So one twin made challah bread, which is a traditional braided bread. Thank you, Covid. We learned that my husband gained a love for that during COVID and then our son took it over, and then his twin wanted to jump in on the action, so his twin brother started making handmade wood bread tools. Okay. So they started joining me at the farmer's market, and it completely took over our life, really. They would have customers lined up waiting for them at 8am and they would sell out within the hour. And so as the farmer's market drew to a close, we wanted to keep the momentum going. And so that's when we formed Pagolin Sons. And we like to say that we're family mercantile and we curate handmade goods that help families feast, rest, and worship together. So we want to make beautiful handmade gifts for families that help build memories. I remember I finally got it through my head that if I treat our hobby like a hobby, it will pay us like a hobby. If I invest in it like the business we want it to be, then it can pay us like a business that we want it to be. But I can't build a business off of my friends and family, so I needed to start finding other customers and the right customers. And so I remember as the farmer's market came to a close, I literally googled Lizzie. How do I sell things on Etsy? And of course, it brought me to your podcast, and I started binging your podcast. And I mean, I've told you this several times, but I've basically done everything you said. And it has worked. I mean, it has. It has worked awesome for us. So that's how we came to Etsy.

[C]

Okay, how long ago did you launch the Etsy shop?

[D]

So it was just four months ago.

[C]

Okay, so kind of late? No. Was it summer? Summer?

[D]

Yep. Yep. The farmer's market was wrapping up in August and we launched our shop and I started listening to your podcast.

[C]

That is so recent. So how many listings did you put up in the very beginning?

[D]

Ooh, I'm not sure.

[C]

Did you come out of the gates with lots of products or did you come out of the gates with just. You tried one or two.

[D]

So from your podcast, I was introduced to the concept of data based research decisions.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

So I got Everbee and Profit Tree and I started doing research on the front end. And basically when I launched this shop, I knew that we needed to get out of our sticky spot financially and we need to gain traction quickly. And so from using Ever being Profit Tree, we launched products that we knew were already selling well on Etsy. And so I'll give an example of that. I've for a long time made natural skin care products at the farmer's market. Well, what I learned from Ever be was that Tallow was selling the best on Etsy. So I didn't make anything else except Tallow. And I just knew if, if I want this to work, I need to lay aside what I know and what I like making and I need to focus on what the research is showing sells well for now. And so that's what I did. So we, we probably picked 10 products that we felt pretty confident could get traction quickly, which they did. And then in those first three months, I worked pretty hard to add a listing at least every day.

[C]

Okay. Wow. And handmade. Wow.

[D]

Well, of course, from your podcast, you know, I learned about print on demand and that was new to me and I tried a lot of that and some of them have stuck and done well. And I've kept those in my shop. But like I said, I just, I'm growing up. My question wasn't why, it was how, how do you make that? How can I make that? So I just cannot get away from working with my hands. I just can't do it.

[C]

So.

[D]

So I'm mostly still handmade, but some print on demand and some digital too.

[C]

You just gave people a lot of freedom who are sitting there like, I can't decide. And you know, it's a lot of Etsy coaches and they're not wrong. They say niche down. And I agree with that on per listing. Not necessarily like when someone's trying to figure out what's going to work for them if they get too hyper specific or they just sell what they feel like selling. A lot of times it's very slow beginnings. So I love. There's a few things you. There's so many things you've done that I love. I love that you're like, okay, I really like handmade. That's my jam. P.S. that's going to be amazing for you. Even in the next few years when AI is so prevalent handmade and people who create an experience are going to stand the test of time. So good job. I love that you said, okay, we love this kind of farmer's market, farmhouse kind of, kind of niche or category I would even call it. Let me, but let me do some research to find out what in that category people are buying on Etsy. This is what happens is that when you're at a craft show or a farmer's market, people are emotionally influenced by what they see as they walk by. And it's a very different buying experience. So you could have proof of concept somewhere like that where they walk by and they're like, I see smell bread, or I see beautiful challah or whatever it is that draws them in. If they're not on Etsy, it's a very different story if they're not actually typing it into the search bar.

[D]

Yep.

[C]

They're, they're not walking by. There's no walk by. It's a search engine. And that's where I think sometimes, like someone right now is like having that oh moment where they're like, oh, my gosh. And so you, Trista, you went and you did the research first with the tools and you just said, what's what in this, in this category, what's already selling that I can leverage? So, yeah, and you didn't, you didn't box yourself in to say, okay, I can only sell handmade wood products. You said, I'm going to try, I'm going to try this, this handmade wood product because it's in demand. I'm going to try some tallow because it's in demand. I'm going to try some print on demand because some people might like shirts. And I'm going to try some digital products. But I'm not sure if you're maybe doing homeschool, other things that could be related. I love how much freedom you've given yourself. So from that, Trista, tell us how it's going. What kinds of results are you getting four months in, having taken that approach?

[D]

Yep. So I began learning from your podcast about trend setting, and when I jumped on to your podcast, you were talking about coquette bows. I couldn't even spell the word coquette. Like I didn't know what you were talking about. And I would have never thought of coquette bows. I have five boys, so I don't have any bows in my house, but I just took it. Everything you were sharing about the trends. And it's funny because, so my dad, he does some things with our business too. That's one of the bonuses you can get of a family business is if it's multi generational. So as much as we can involve my parents and our kids, we do. So my dad has joined us a little bit and I remember just verbally vomiting to him all this excitement. I was learning from your podcast, especially with the trends and the coquette bow. So my dad and I are at his house and we're putting coquette bows on everything on our design software. And I remember thinking, oh, I've got it. I'm gonna put a coquette bow on a cow and we're going to become millionaires. Well, of course, you know, what happened is I pull up Etsy and there's cows with bows everywhere. So. So I didn't give up. But a few weeks later, a big box store came out with this really cute quilted coquette bow fabric. And I took a risk and I bought them out of the fabric and I sewed blankets, and they were the first item to sell out on my Etsy shop. They were the first item to sell out in my storefront. They were the first item to sell out in at my craft fairs. So it was like a ding, ding, ding moment. Like, this is. This is what Lizzie's been talking about, is this is the trend. Find a way that you can incorporate it into what you're either already doing or what fits with your business and do that. And so, so what you're saying about, you know, you don't have to completely give up everything that you like, you know, like I said, our. The heartbeat behind Pagolan Sons is curating handmade gifts that bring families together, especially around the table and especially around Sabbath or our family calls Shabbat because we, we love Shabbat. That's. So Shabbat challah bread is the traditional Shabbat bread. So that's the heartbeat of our business. But with Etsy, I have the freedom, like you said, to play and experiment. And like you said, it's a search engine, so people aren't necessarily thinking, I'm looking for a company that sells gifts for family Sabbath So I'm going to go to this shop page. You know, they're just. They're coming to my shop because a specific search engine brought them to a listing. But I have been able to take advantage of that. So, you know, when you think of, like, family togetherness, you think of cozying up on the couch with a blanket. Well, that's where the coquette bow blanket comes in. I could have sewed any blanket, but I picked what was trending, and it. It worked. It sold out. And. And then I went crazy with the coquette bows I made. You know, any. I made candles that looked like the bow. I made flower jars that look like the bow, and it got a little out of hand.

[C]

But.

[D]

But it was fun. It was fun.

[C]

I don't know if you even realize this. You probably do, but someone listening doesn't know this yet. When you did those blankets, you actually did something called trend combining. Yes. Because, yeah, she's all excited. She trist knows. So for those of you listening, coquette by itself really emerged about two years ago and independently peaked in, I'd say, 2024. And what I mean by peaked is that you could just take a bow by itself and put it on a sweatshirt, for example, and that would make the sweatshirt sell well over time. These trends, if they're going to stand the test of time, they tend to evolve and mature. And so now you can't really go just put a bow on a sweatshirt and make it sell. But if you combine it with something else that's in on trend, the bow makes it more likely to sell. So in Trista's case, not only. I mean, first of all, making blankets to sell on Etsy is a commitment in and of itself. So those are. Those are more in demand, and there's not as much competition. People don't want to spend the hours and then get paid what people will pay for a blanket.

[D]

Mm.

[C]

But the quilted look is extremely hot. That became huge part of the grand millennial trend in 2025. So what happened was you took coquette and you trend combined it with. With the quilted grand millennial look. And I am not surprised that those sold out immediately, because that was super, super, super hot this year. You literally. You brought two things together, and, guys, that's where the sweet spot is. You can do it well, because sometimes we do it wrong. We're like, okay. Like, for example, you're like, okay, I know cows. Like, for example, Highland cows. Super on trend. I'm going to put a bow on a Highland cow. You're technically trend combining. That one's not going to work so much because it's just saturated. That. Yeah, the Etsy isn't saturated. That design is saturated. Just like the bow by itself. Now another thing that can happen sometimes with trend combining is people get a little too weird with it. Sometimes weird works. But for example, like, like, for example, if you're trying to trend combine, I'm trying to think of something you could do a coquette bow with maybe like, maybe like a demonic looking creature. Like you're doing like a devil character with a bow that's probably not going to blow up. It's a little too. It does. Is it, is it sarcastic? Yes. So maybe there's some few people, but there's not going to be the demand for it. You've got to pay attention to what works together and that's what you did so well. So how many sales are you at now?

[D]

I'm at, I'm over 300. And, and I will say when you get going and you get momentum, the temptation is always going to be I could be doing more, I could be making more and I have shiny object syndrome. I always want to learn to make something new. But I, I remind myself constantly, if someone would have told me four months ago that I would make over 300 sales by the end of this year, I would have laughed. And so I'm just so thankful, I mean, so, so thankful for everything I've learned and the experience and the fun I've had trying new things.

[C]

300 sales in handmade is life changing income. You know, for me, 300 sales in digital products that sell for $1.97. I mean like, yeah, it's a milestone, but it's not necessarily life changing. Whereas you start talking about handmade goods that have a higher profit margin, it's just a bigger deal. So congratulations, Trista. You guys. I'm so excited for the whole, for the family.

[D]

Oh, thank you, thank you.

[C]

I'm like, what do I want to go. Do you want to talk about, do you want to talk about your research process? Because it sounds like you've really leaned into the data to using the tools and so I think maybe hearing that from someone earlier in the game than me might just really be helpful for people.

[D]

Okay. So when I got Everbee, I took a significant amount of time to wrap my head around it. Same with Profit Tree. And I just played with it for a long time and would put some of my keywords in it and see what would pull up. I'm trying to Think of what would be a good example. So one word that is great to start off with is custom. Just type custom and then let it show you what it comes up with in Everb, in Ever Be or probably profit tree too. And so something I noticed that kept coming up was custom gifts for boys or men. And so I said, okay, so we're onto something here. And there were lots of searches for custom gifts for boys. Now this was really helpful because what I didn't understand at that point is when you title a listing on Etsy, you don't necessarily need to describe the product. You more need to describe the need that the product is filling. So one of the things that we do is custom engraved fishing poles because we have five boys and we're a fishing family and we love to fish. Before I listened to your podcast I would have titled it Fishing Pole. Well, that's not going to bring the audience to my listing. You might think it will, but it's not. But from learning from Everbee and from Lizzie's podcast, I titled it the Purpose. It's serving. It's a gift for boys. It can be a retirement gift, you know, a fishing club gift. And so a title that describes the purpose it's serving will get your audience you want rather than describing the product in the title.

[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 going to get and I will see you on the inside soon.

[C]

Okay, so I, I would typically. That's really interesting. And now I kind of want to go back and look at your shop. I typically would recommend a hybrid of that. Okay.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

You want that customer experience to be really solid. Like when they're looking at it in the search results, they know exactly what they're looking at. So there's the search aspect of someone's typing into the search bar exactly what they want, and then they find your listing because it lines up with it perfectly. But also when they're looking at the search results, especially if they're on the phone seeing a little thing and they're kind of like, you know, what is that? But they can see on the title, custom fishing pole, or better yet, engraved fishing pole for boys kind of a thing. So I love. I. But I, I think you've really hit on an important point that people don't think about. This is actually one of the things that really helped my sign shop grow was when I started learning this piece and I started not just making signs, but like, I, I like, really leaned into kitchen signs, bedroom signs, as opposed. You know what I'm saying? Like, so you're really, you, you've really, like, you've got people's wheels turning because this is how you can end up with a lot of keywords and have multiple listings for the same thing that just feature different keywords. That's where it gets really, really interesting.

[D]

Yep.

[C]

So tell me, I guess, gosh, there's so many things. What do you think has been like the biggest learning curve for you so far with Etsy?

[D]

So, of course Lizzie started talking about engraving. So the next day I went and got a laser engraver because I, you know, Lizzie said to do it. So I did it. And so I found a great laser engraver and that took everything to a whole new level for us. I mean, even some of our products that we were starting to get a lot of competition on. The fact that we could now engrave them and custom engrave them was really exciting and like I said, took it opened up a door of possibilities. But figuring out the laser engraver has been hard for me. What I, I have learned the expensive lesson to practice, practice, practice before you engrave on the final product.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

So I've had to redo a Lot of things, because I didn't. I just got fast and I didn't practice over and over again before I did the final one.

[C]

Usually the engraver will come with samples too, that you can kind of play with. So whenever we're gonna. We still haven't really found our, like, knock out of the park product for Robbie to do with our engraver. But anytime we try something new, we get. We get like samples of the material. So, for example, if I was, you know, fishing poles, I'm going to try it on the same type of wood. Not just like whatever or metal or whatever it is. You want to try it on the exact same thing. Because you need to figure out, like, what the. And I PS Me. This is me talking from what Robbie tells me, because if you think I've even switched that thing on or tried for a millisecond, I have not. Trista, you're a better woman than I am, but you've got to figure out, like, how deep does it need to engrave? Like, what are the different component, you know, do you need a jig to hold it in place? Like, what are the different things that you need for that particular type of product? Okay, so tech, so the ingredients.

[D]

That is so true. And I think it's in those moments. I don't know about you, Lizzie, but I can sometimes have imposter syndrome. Like, some of the things I make, as much as I love to make them, I tend to think, well, anyone could do this. Why? Why would someone pay me to do this? Well, it's exactly what you just said. It takes time to figure all of that out. And money of trial and error. And that's why people are willing to pay someone else to do it.

[C]

You're bringing up memories. I'm almost a little triggered when I was selling signs. I know it's going to be funny. This is fodder for the podcast. It's perfect, Trista. Okay. We were at the only market that we ever did, so, you know, I had to make. So usually I did signs to order. I had to make so many in advance of like $5 or whatever. Yeah, this. This girl was walking by with her mom girl. She was probably at like 18 or so, and she looks at. Towards my. My sign set up and she's just like, I could make those. And I. I totally had that minute of just like. But then. And you know, but then I was like, but she didn't. And I'll just laugh all the way to the bank, you know, like, not in like a nasty way, but in like a well, you know, I'm just like not gonna let that get me down. And I even had a really good friend at the time who was just like, I'm just so baffled that people will give you money for these when they could go to Hobby lobby and get them cheaper. And I'm like, I thought we were friends. But okay, like literally these are hand painted and hand, like it's a whole. That's like saying you could go to Ikea to get a table or you could buy one from an Amish craftsman. Like, you can't even compare the two things. But here's the bottom line. Haters gonna hate.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

And I'm just going to keep going because there's plenty of people like me who aren't going to take the time to make something handmade. They would love to buy something handmade, especially as a gift, but they are not going to take the time to learn something new. A, either because they're not inclined in that way, B, because they need it quickly for a gift, C, because they just like to support small business. Like there's, there's plenty of things. I'm not going to go buy hand knitted socks that someone else did. I'm going to knit them because I love it. But you know what I am going to do? Buy challah bread from a young man who is baking it because there is no way I'm baking challah bread at home. Do you know what I mean? Like, we all have to just remember that all people are different people and not everyone is your customer. Do you think everyone likes this podcast? No. I have some major hate out there. But those of you who are here, you're here for a reason. You resonate with me and you resonate with what I communicate. It's the same thing for your Etsy shops. It's the exact same thing. You've got to find your people.

[D]

Yes, that's so true. Learning, engraving, kind of getting over imposter syndrome. But then another thing for me that I've had to learn to navigate, which I, I hope you some Midwesterner listeners that can appreciate this, is I've had to accept the fact that Etsy is a financial playground. And so what, what is my reality of a budget is not necessarily someone else's reality of a budget. One of my goals for 2026 is to add some more high end handmade products, which is scary for me because it's probably going to be things that I wouldn't or couldn't pay for. But I have to get over myself. And Etsy gives me the freedom to realize. But there's people that do want to and they can pay for these custom handmade gifts that are a little bit higher budget. There was one, we did a custom engraved advent calendar this season and it went really well. It went so well I had to turn my sales off of it and increase the price. And I increased it to the point where I was like, no one is going to spend this amount of money on it. And I kept getting more orders.

[C]

I was gonna say I would buy one right now.

[D]

I kept getting more orders. So that's a perfect example of Etsy is a financial playground. Don't box yourself in. Try different price categories.

[C]

You know, I never would have thought to tell people that. Trista, I'm so glad you said that. I tend to have a pretty expansive mindset about that. But you're right. I bet, I bet 20, 30% of the people listening don't necessarily. And they're just like, who? No one's going to pay for that. That's too. Like, it's not worth that. Like, oh, yes, we will pay for it. Like if it's beautiful and you position it well. And sometimes people will pay for something more expensive because they're like, oh, this is going to be better quality. They actually associate. This is going to be better. I want this because it's expensive. Let me probe into that a little more. What is a price point that makes you kind of go, ugh, like, that's too high.

[D]

Ooh, that's too high. You mean for my specific products?

[C]

No, like when you're thinking, when you're thinking about this specifically, like where, where did I start to get a little uncomfortable?

[D]

Yeah. So on Etsy, I don't think I've personally, personally ever bought anything even close to three figures. $100 on Etsy.

[C]

Wow. Okay.

[D]

So I, I would love to. To come out with a product that's more closer to hitting $100. And not just anything. I mean something meaningful that fits a need for my customers that would really bless them. So I'm going to put time into it for sure.

[C]

Another thing you could do to be getting more of those, that's. It's basically your order value is what you're looking at. And to get your order value up, you could do bundles. If you're not doing that already. Like some of the things we were talking about even before we were recording other products that you could do, you could start bundling things together and it's gonna get you close to that $100 mark, you could do, like, for $97 kind of a thing.

[D]

Yep, that's true. I do need to start playing around with that also.

[C]

That's so great in the handmade space when you have adjacent things that are for, like, literally for the same niche or for the same category. Mm. Why don't we talk for a few minutes about tips for new sellers? You know, you're. You're still pretty fresh out of the gates. You're having great results. You've already shared so much value. If you're thinking, like, there's someone listening who hasn't even started yet, or they're just getting started, what are. What are some tips that you would leave for them?

[D]

Accept this idea of database research decisions. It has changed everything for us. Do the research on the front end before you make a decision on what you're going to make and sell mindset. So going into launching our Etsy shop, there was always the temptation to ask, what if this doesn't work? What if this fails? What if we lose everything? And when we launched our shop, we just made the decision to ask the question of if the opposite problem happened. So we would always ask ourselves, what if this is so fruitful, we can't keep up on orders? And guess where we're at right now? We can't keep up on orders. I mean, as I'm recording this podcast, I actually have orders that I need to get out and get done. And we're just so thankful for that. And I think it easily. We easily could have had the opposite problem if we had asked the other question of, what if this fails? What if this doesn't work? So try asking the other question. What if this? It works so well that we have to figure out how to keep up with all of this.

[C]

I love that I am learning more and more as I go along through business and reach new levels and hit new goals that. I know we say this and it sounds like a line, but very seriously, if you do not give up, you literally cannot fail. I know that sounds like, maybe even cliche, but I am learning this like. Like, literally right now. My daughter and I, she really, really loves, like, technology. And part of me wants to just hide her away from it, and part of me is like, no, be. Be involved in the conversation or else she's gonna go have it with someone else. Like, instead, teach her how to do it respectfully, teach her how to do it safely. Teach her how to have the right discernment. You know what I'm saying? It's this whole tug of wars. Mom, I know you're nodding. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

So we started a pet influencer account because I really think she's very entrepreneurial like me. I think she'll have her own business. We've always said like, you know what my goal for her since she was born is she is going to. She's going to have a six figure business of her own by the time she's 15.

[D]

I love it.

[C]

But we all know there's. You got to go through the school of hard knocks. You know, people might want to look at me and be like, your results Lizzie, you're so lucky. I'm like, you have not catch all the tears, my friend.

[A]

Like, yeah, you don't even like, not.

[C]

In like a nasty way. But I have gone through it for 15 plus years genuinely to get here and I'm just like, we gotta start her now. So we start. The long story short is we started this new TikTok Instagram account creating pet content because we're animal lovers. We have a lot of pets. Did you see it? The star of the show is our new hedgehog named and we call her Wanda when she's being sassy. But so I'm having to start over again. Zero followers, zero anything. And if I and and just posting several times a day and not being precious about it's got to be perfect and not being. Not even sweating it. And you wouldn't guys, you wouldn't believe the stuff that does well is the stuff you never expect. It's so annoying. Honestly. You not the stuff you put all the time into. My. I had this really click in as I've watched myself iterate through different businesses. I know this will be a six figure business. I don't sit here and say oh maybe we can make this work. I don't know. Now it may not be a six figure business creating the exact content we're creating right now. It may not be pecan might not end up being the star of the show. It might be the cat that has literally developed a crush about her. It might be the livestock guardian dog. I may have it all wrong, but I will stick with it and keep creating and just throwing stuff out there. Not worrying about what anyone thinks, not worrying about just doing it, just doing it, just doing it. And it will succeed. And I hope somebody hears that and they actually believe it for the first time that people don't just say that from the place of success. I'm trying new things all the time and I fail left and right.

[D]

Yep. Yeah.

[C]

But I know I will get there because I am going to iterate and iterate. And some people come to Etsy and they're just like, oh, this doesn't work. And I'm like, you have 20 listings up and you're a terrible designer because you've only done 20 designs. Do a thousand and then we'll be approached. And I have had students who have done a thousand. They're still not quite there yet, but they're better and they can look back and they can see the progress. Like, it's. Anyway, I've you. So something about you, Trista, gets me on rants in the best possible way. I am in love with you. But, yeah, you've got thoughts from that. Say it, please take it.

[D]

Yes. When I started handmade in 2017, a mentor told me, what you start with isn't what you'll be doing 10 years. And at the time I was like, what are you talking about? I only make jewelry. Like, that's all I'm ever going to make. Well, fast forward, and if you looked at my Etsy shop, you're like, where's the jewelry? You know, I'm not. That's not. That's not what I'm doing. And so it's so true. And another thing I was going to say to advice to new sellers. My experience with Etsy has been very positive. The fees are not horrible. The fees are very reasonable. I. I've done almost every single platform and let me tell you, the Etsy fees, they could charge more if they really wanted to, and I think they're super reasonable. And I think Etsy is a great platform. Etsy has been so much. I mean this in the best way. My experience of getting 300 sales in four months has been so much harder than I thought it was going to be, but so much more rewarding. I used to think of Etsy like I thought of the Rubik's Cube, which I thought, you just flip it and flip it and flip it and then maybe someday you learn how to solve it. Until my kids told me, hey, mom, did you know there's actually an algorithm to the Rubik's Cube? And if you can learn the algorithm, then you can learn how to solve the Rubik's Cube. I thought it was all chance. Well, I thought Etsy was all chance. I thought you just put a listing up and. And you just wait and wait and wait and hope that you gain traction. And that's not true. There's Rhyme and there's reason and there's strategy and there's lots of help. And Lizzie, you're a great example of that. And I, you know, I knew when we open our Etsy shop, okay, I'm, I'm actually going to do this, I'm going to do this the Etsy way, not my way. And I'm going to find someone who knows the Etsy way and I'm gonna do everything they say, like I told you, Lizzy. And so it, it has been hard. I mean, we just knew, okay, this is a season where we're, we're putting in the work and we've totally seen the results and it's been such a blessing. But like I said, so much more rewarding. And I think handmade, I mean, I'm biased, but I think it gives opportunity for those rewards a little bit more than maybe the other categories. And a great example of this is I had a midwestern family whose parents were having to move out of their family century old farm into a nursing home. So it was a big, it was a big year for the family. So they had a walnut tree at their parents century farm cut down and they, they shipped the wood to me and they said, we don't care what you make, just make gifts out of this. And this is going to be our parents memory of the farm. I mean, that's priceless, you know, to have that opportunity to make something like that, that's a once in a lifetime opportunity. So it's been so much more rewarding than I could have ever dreamed of.

[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, you know, on the big YouTube channels, even on this podcast where I just had crazy success and it took off right away, right? 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 product so that customers just couldn't help 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 months, 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? When I figure something out, when I crack a cool 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 trait. I can't decide. But I put everything that you need to know to fill that beginner knowledge gap into a low ticket, just under three hours beginner 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, so ripe right now. I am in the, in the numbers in the data every day and my mind just keeps 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.

[C]

Can I ask, because some people are possibly getting in their heads about it. When you say it's been really hard, can you give us some examples of what has been really hard? I think that the. I think we make it seem less scary when we actually.

[D]

Good point. So Lizzie, I think I got this from you about you really want to. Your first goal is to work towards the first 100 sales. Okay. So I'm, I'm mostly handmade, so I knew, okay when I start getting those orders in, I have deadlines I need to meet. So you know, there were things in other areas of our life that we you know, we said no to when we needed to so that we could get orders fulfilled until we hit that first 100 sales. And we ran sales when we first launched our shop. I can't remember if you, if you recommend that or not, Lizzie.

[C]

I just don't recommend running a sale every single day because it's an FTC violation. There's a lot of shops, especially in print on demand, that do that. They run a constant sale. They recycle every 24 hours. Otherwise I'm a huge fan of sales. Just don't. Well, especially in the beginning, I think it's okay to take a little bit of a loss. We're talking about business. Most businesses don't start turning a profit for three years. So Etsy's were really lucky. But yeah, I'm all about running a sale.

[D]

Yep. If the customer said, can you do this? We said yes. Like Lizzie said, everything is figureoutable. And so there were some custom designs that I was like, okay. But I said yes and I figured it out and I stuck to my shipping dates. You know, like I said, I ran sales. So we didn't make the full 100% profit that it was that it's valued at, but we did what it took to get those first 100 sales.

[C]

So what I'm hearing is personal sacrifice. It kind of changed your lifestyle a little bit and you guys all had to make some adjustments. That was one thing that was challenging. Yes. And I to want probe you about that, that's personal. And then the second thing was making less than you deserve. Like kind of almost a. It's a bit of a push on you because you're working really hard, you're churning out a lot, but you're not feeling the reward yet. In those early days. Is that a fair summary? Yeah.

[D]

And I think for me, even more so than than all that I just said was being willing to learn a new way. I, as a handmade person, I'd never done research and then made something because of what the research was telling me. So that shift in my approach, that was hard. I'm not good with technology, so figuring out ever be in profit tree, that was hard. But I did it. I mean I put in the work and, and I figured it out also. Disclaimer. And Lizzie knows this. I don't have everything figured out. My shop has a long, long ways to go. I have a lot of work I need to I can do on my shop, which I'm excited about doing.

[C]

Where do you see yourself and your now? I mean now that we've blown the lid off of this a year from now. What are you dreaming? What is the family talking about? Where is this going from here?

[D]

So, a couple things. The first thing is we're so grateful if I had to close my shop tomorrow. We're so grateful it has served its purpose and I always want to keep gratitude at the forefront. I love the Etsy platform. It's a fulfilled need. In this season, if we kept going and we dreamed super big, which I'm all about dreaming super big, I think we would love if our sales grew to the point where we could actually provide employment to another family in need. Because we've been that family that needed extra money. I mean, we've been that family that door dashed together over meal times because given plasma and we've needed the extra. And so if we could grow our business on Etsy to the point where we could actually offer meaningful employment to someone else, we just think that would be so cool. And I will say that we have scaled. So, Lizzie, I don't know if I mentioned this to you, but we did take our best seller on our Etsy shop and we put it on fair.

[C]

What?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

I had no idea or I missed that somewhere. I'm sorry. I'm so excited to hear that.

[D]

No, that's okay. And so we have started scaling on other platforms and we let Etsy tell us the feedback we get from our Etsy shop, we let it tell us what we choose to try and put on other platforms and it is gone. Like I said, it's gone so well that we probably need help now. Send help.

[C]

Oh, my gosh, Trista, it's been four months.

[D]

I know.

[C]

You're going to have to come back if you're willing to talk to me again. We're going to have to do an Update in like 6 months or so.

[D]

Yeah, we'll see. We'll see what happens. The last thing I mean, so I put the products on my shop that I knew would get traction and I'd love to develop now the heart of our business, which is handmade goods that bring the family together around the table, especially around Sabbath. So I have a few products in mind that I would love to make and launch in 2026.

[C]

I cannot even. This is. This is. It's. I'm so excited. You know what I mean? Like, we don't get to hear every single day the story of the person who just started and saw it work. And really, it's not like you're coming with, like a professional marketing Background. You haven't run a retail. Like, you're. You don't have a. This is.

[A]

Nope.

[C]

I love the blessing that's on it where people are going to want to talk to you. I'm just telling you right now, where are the best places for them to find you and connect?

[D]

So I told Lizzie, I am pretty bad at keeping up with my social media. I'm on my social media. I just don't put out much, but you can connect with me there. So I'm on Facebook and Instagram and it's Pagel and Sons. So Pagel is our last name. P A G E L. Pagel and Sons. That's the name for both our Facebook and our Instagram. And I would. I would love to connect with anyone.

[C]

You're. I think you're going to make some amazing friends out of this. And so I will make sure and link those for you guys down below in the show. Notes. Trista, thank you so much. Like, thank you for being willing to share it all. Thank you for everything you've imparted to us today. Thank you for, like, sending me feedback, like, letting me know how it's going. Like, I really look forward to your DMs. You always make my day on a funny note. Like, thank you for listening to me. See, it actually works. I literally tell you guys exactly what to do. I literally hold nothing back. But, you know, I can get imposter syndrome, too, you know, and so when I actually get to hear from you. No, I literally did what you said and it worked. And I'm like, yeah, I know, right? Yes, exactly. So thank you so much for that, too. That was a personal gift.

[D]

Yes, absolutely. I mean, I just appreciate you so much and are grateful for everything you put out.

[C]

Lizzy, we have to keep in touch. There's more to come. There's so much more to talk about. You guys, thank you so much for hanging out with us today, for listening to Trista's story. I hope you'll go follow her and connect, but mostly I hope you feel really inspired. I hope that you have some just like, I guess some hope for yourself, some vision for the future. Everything is figureoutable. I am not blowing smoke. I just. Please just don't give up. When you're in the messy middle, you've got to just push through. So we'll get Trista back here, but until next week, you guys go make something awesome. Love y'. All.

[B]

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 with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Have a great day and see you next time.