hello! i'm bonnie and going home to roost is where i like to spread some love and share my inspirations. grab a cup of tea and make yourself cozy and welcome, we look forward to getting to know you!
have questions or want to find out more about roosting? read more here!
{3.8.10 - 3.15.10}
try buying rechargeable batteries. you'll save money since one rechargeable battery can replace around 1000 single-use batteries. americans throw away about 179,000 tons of toxic batteries every year.
well, it’s that time of year again. time for indie businesses to shed tears over tax forms and grow a few grey hairs. though many of you may decide to hire a professional to do your taxes, after doing a little homework you may be able to do them yourself, in true diy style. our previous shop help post on separating your finances is a good place to start, do you remember it?
though we may start out on etsy to fuel a hobby, the reality is, as soon as you sell your first item, you’ve become a business. it’s important to stay organized and file correctly. to help, etsy has partnered with booking business outright.com to try to make filing taxes for indie businesses a little simpler.
if you’re in the u.s. and are selling on etsy, you must file a schedule c with your income taxes (unless you’ve incorporated). if you would like to read more on if you qualify as a hobby or a business, outright has a great article called, “business or hobby?“.
the truth is, no matter how much money you make (even if it’s just a little!) you’re still a business. outright.com simplifies tax forms and hosts everything online which makes the headache of taxes a little less ‘taxing’. from providing a mileage calculator to deduct your expenses to help with filing for your consultants or contractors, outright is worth any indie owner looking in to.
rather than list them here, i’m going to send you over to etsy to read outright’s top ten tax tips. it’s helpful and informative and definitely worthy of a read.
next i’m going to send you over to jjm finance’s forum post about filing taxes. he provides links to answers on just about every possible tax question you could have. it’s a great one-stop place to find all the relevant info you may be looking for. from which forms to fill out to help with deductables to how to contact the irs, it’s got just about everything.
honestly, this articles was difficult to write. as finance and accounting were not my best subjects i would love to hear from you who have success with doing your own taxes. any experts out there?
today we’re going to talk about maintaining success, (or achieving it!) and some small measures that are easily-forgettable, that really do make a difference!
the importance of connecting can really never be overstated. networking both online and offline can easily provide the biggest boost of traffic and sales to your shop. nothing spreads faster than word of mouth!
small measures:
* make it known that you welcome convos and make it a point to convo others that you like- even if it’s just to say hello!
* make a habit of tweeting, facebooking and hearting your favorite shops and items.
* participate in the forums and curate treasuries.
* be personable in your convos and in your profile, let us get to know you!
ever feel like the lights are on but nobody is home? make a point to keep your shop up to date and be pro-active with everything that goes on there. one thing that makes etsy so different is the how ‘at home’ buyers feel. it’s a place where you can really get to know other like-minded people, find support and build real relationships- make sure you don’t miss out!
small measures:
* make sure that your profile, shipping policies are up to date.
* make a point to reply to convos as quickly as possible.
* send an immediate thank you to any buyers and let them know you got their order and when it’s suppose to ship.
* maintain relevant info (i.e. vacation, sales, and important announcements) up to date in your shop announcement.
are you tired of hearing about photography yet? the most important thing you can do to get recognized, increase sells and get face time on blogs and etsy’s homepage is have incredible photos.
small measures:
* create a ‘theme’ and general feel to your shop. this way, you can make your buyer feel like they just walked in to a real brick and mortar.
* always use natural light and simple backgrounds.
* take a class, e-class or read a book on simple photography skills.
we talked a while back about broadening our horizons, and today we’re going to talk about how to put all those creative thoughts into action, and luanch a new product line!
back in january of 2008, etsy published this article about launching a new line, let’s dive into it, ok? one of the easiest ways to freshen up your shop (and you routine) is by introducing a new product line. if you get tired of the same ol’ same ol’ or just have an idea that you really want to put out there, i encourage you to go for it!
maybe the easiest way to launch a new line and keep cohesion with your shop is to categorize your shop sections smartly. try to visit your shop from an outsider’s perspective, can you find what you’re looking for via the sections? if you offer candles, paintings and jewelry- it’s probably not the best idea to categorize by price. i would rather be able to look for what specific item i want like ‘candles’. if you’ve got tons of items you could break it down even further by using ‘candles – $5-$15′ and ‘candles $15-$30′, see what i mean?
if you only offer photographs, then it might be a good idea to categorize by the price, or maybe the size. it just depends on the makeup of your shop and how you think most people will prefer to browse. if you struggle viewing your own shop like a consumer, grab someone else to do it for you, or better yet, leave us a comment and we’ll give you feedback!
if you know using your sections will help consumers navigate your shop, make them standout! by using **characters**, CApItaL lEtTeRS and S P A C E S, you can really bring your customer’s attention to them.
introducing something new or just changing things up once in a while will keep your customers intrigued and coming back to see what’s new. you could offer a totally new concept or even old items in new colors or packages, but something new is always exciting for your consumers.
when you’re thinking of a new line, try to vary your price points. it’s nice to have a tiered system, so as to offer something for everyone’s price range. if you only offer high end items or say everything in your shop is the same price, you’ll attract more customers if you give them some price options.
finally, make sure to spread the word when you launch something new! blogs (like me!) always love giving new lines coverage. and, if you’ve been everywhere in the blogosphere already, a new line will keep you a relevant topic for blogs to write about. just send us a note about your line and your launching date!
let’s talk finances! tax season is just around the corner, so i thought it time to start easing into to the money mindset. we’ll start simple though, don’t worry!
this article about business growth by amandadailyworth outlines the reasons why you should carefully separate you personal finances from you business finances. as i did, i’m sure many of you started your etsy shop as a hobby, as a way to ‘get your toes’ wet and see how things went. however, soon the sales start rolling in and you are now in need of a website, business cards, more supplies, and maybe you’re even some advertising around the web.
a simple, free and very important step to take is to open your own business bank account. this way, you won’t be dealing with a tangled account of not really knowing what money is going where, let alone where it came from. when it comes to tax season, it can take days to filter through one account, trying to separate it into your personal and business expenses.
sharing one account for your personal and business expenses will not only make taxes difficult, but will also make proving your income difficult. when you’re revenue goes into the family account and your using a personal credit card for your business expenses, you can see how quickly confusing it can get. and, if you’re planning on buying a new home or getting a loan from your bank- it is essential to be able to prove your income.
you should know that it’s time to open a separate account when you start to loose track of how much money is going in or out. when your budgeting gets overwhelming and you start to loose track of your receivables. you need to run reports to see your expenses vs. your income but you can’t because the data is all mixed together. before you get to this very frustrating and time consuming point- consider opening your own account.
ready to get started? first visit your bank and open a free business checking account. get a separate credit or debit card to use for only business-related expenses. and, i think it’s a good idea to keep your paypal account separate as well. if you don’t know how to do the bookkeeping yourself, consider hiring an accountant to manage it. having monthly profit-&-loss statements at your fingertips is invaluable. the first step in having a successful shop is understanding your finances and which areas are performing well.
speaking of finances, daily worth is a free daily personal finance email for women. they deliver practical tips, empowering ideas and the occasional kick in the pants! you can sign up here, and also peruse their website for a number of great articles regarding finance.
have you ever noticed that you can download your sales data, right from etsy? go to ‘your etsy’ then ’sold (orders)’ then scroll down to the bottom to find where you can easily download all of your sales data to help ease the task of managing your finances.
finally, have you heard of mint.com? it’s a free website to help you manage your money. you can divide all of your expenses into categories, budget your money, find savings, and start to understand your finances better.
what is your advice? do you have any tricks or suggestions on how to better manage your finances? please share with us in the comment section!
we talked about our blog’s new year’s resolutions- but it’s time to also consider our etsy shop’s resolutions. have you had time to reflect upon last year? did you meet your goals? are you happy with what your shop accomplished? what are your goals for 2010? all of this brings up many thoughts, goals, pride, disappointment and maybe some confusion too.
this post could go any number of ways. we could probably talk all year about what we wanted to accomplish and what our last year’s performance means. but, i recently ran across this article about stretching your boundaries. it took me by surprise how ‘into it’ i was and how i didn’t know how i had never thought of that. it’s so easy to get caught up in your shop and the particular line you’re offering. but, today, i want us to step outside of our shop and take a peek- from the outside looking in!
yoola talks about how many etsy sellers have successful designs in terms of high views, many hearts, appearance in treasuries and even front pages, but somehow…low sales. she then tackles the reason why this may be the case, and how to go about broadening your horizon. she came up with 3 assumptions on why she may be having low sales. 1. people may love the picture and visual impact- and the factor of ‘usability’ of the image (i.e. looks great on the homepage or a blog). 2. people may just love what the product represents. 3. people may be interested in the item and how it was made.
your shop’s assumptions may be the same or different, but after you decide on them- you can gather options for more directions your shop could take. yoola came up with these: 1. she could develop a line of prints, greeting cards, or postcards using her photos. 2. she could develop more items that would resemble the original, but would be more affordable. 3. she could write tutorials on how to make her item.
she decided to start with number 2 and created similar, less expensive items to go along with the more expensive items. creating a series of price points helps reach as many consumers as possible. the next step she considered was #3. there are many pros and cons to publishing you method or design (read them here). but, after much debate, she decided to not only post tutorials on how she made her items, but also sell a pdf pattern on how to make them. her pdf patterns led to seling kits- and gave an option to all those do-it-yourselfers out there. i super love the idea of making kits for your item- i’ve often thought that it’s a slight disadvantage to be marketing to a craft-savvy audience, because many items people can just make themselves. offering a kit is an easy way to supply the materials for them, and still make a sale.
can you take a moment to realize the potential of your shop, your line or even just one of your products? reaching many layers of the potential consumer will increase your ‘buy-ability’. so, it’s time to re-think your shop and it’s possibilities.
this article on broadening your target audience points out the importance of tiered product lines. the article is definitely worthy of a full read- but to sum it up: offering items as gifts and at a target audience allows you to broaden your audience. think ongoing celebrations like anniversaries, birthdays, wedding and baby showers. seasonal lines that go with the weather or specific holidays like christmas and valentines day gives your audience an easy shop to go to for gift giving occasions.
finally, this article, outlines how to go about offering a new line in your shop! a new line for the new year- catchy, huh?
so. i know this was a lengthy article, but hopefully it helped get us thinking. what do you think about ways to broaden your horizons? i’m thinking of pdf patterns and kits- would you be interested in making your own pillow or tea towel? let’s talk about it in the comment section- i’ll meet you there!
making a banner for your etsy shop can be a bit of an overwhelming task at first- but after this post (hopefully!) you’ll be able to make one with ease! before we get to the nitty gritty- let me show you some of my favorite banners first.
katy daisy does a great job here with the wheatfield by setting the tone for her shop. her banner coordinates with the shop and gives you a sneak peek of what’s to come!
lorasea intrigues the viewer with this banner. not giving too much information but just enough to get you curious and clicking for more!
rust belt threads gives you bold and bright- and it certainly catches the eye.
lost and fawned’s banner is straightforward and simple. simplicity in itself can sometimes be the most intriguing- leaving you wanting more.
be happy now gives you insight into their shop and what you can expect. a great way to show off your best work and let the people know what’s coming!
finding a photo or scanning one in and then cropping it to fit (760 x 100 pixels) can be an easy way to get the look you want- without much hassle. {shop :: photographic artwork}
the house of hearts did a wonderful job with their fun banner. banner’s that change with the season and/or annoucnes a sale you have is eye catching, fun and a wonderful marketing technique.
simply taking a picture and then cropping it to size can be a useful, easy, and fun way to get exactly what you’re looking for in a banner. {shop :: miniature rhino}
no matter how you get your banner- it can be an important step in setting up you shop. your avatar is just as important as well- because it’s seen on every page of your shop as well in the forums, workshops and the like. your banner is also shown on your facebook page if you use the my etsy facebook application.
here’s a quick tutorial that you can use to make an easy (and free) shop banner- as well as an avatar!
aviary - web-based photo editing with lots of fun tools
gimp – free image editor, alternative to photoshop
last but not least! if you still don’t feel comfortable creating your own- do a simple search for ‘etsy shop banners‘ on etsy to find tons of designers that will make one for you!
hope this helps! please share any advice or extra links you have in the comments!
one of the first things you do when you set up a new shop is outline you policies- shipping being one of the most important ones. today we’re going to talk about shipping- and if you haven’t written your policies yet, etsy’s seller handbook has a great section on seller how-to’s for shipping that will help you get started!
etsy released this article recently- that has tons of great info in it- i’m summarizing it here for you plus adding a few of my favorite shipping features! customer service is of the upmost importance on etsy. good communication along with clear policies, prompt shipping and thoughtful packaging will do wonders for getting you off on the right foot. to begin- here are some general shipping guidlines for the following countries:
depending on the service you use, you may have to calculate your weights. us first class mail uses weights to ship, while priority mail depends on the type of envelop you use. having a measuring tape and a shipping scale like this one makes your job of shipping (and correctly calculating the cost of shipping) a breeze! once you know the weight of you package (and possibly the dimensions) you can use the following calculators to accurately calculate the rate.
the holiday hustle and bustle can make shipping deadlines a bit stressful. use these shipping deadlines provided by your postal service to make sure your items will arrive on time. this would also be great to refer your customers to!
etsy just announced that as of november 2009, 30% of all etsy transactions are across borders- how exciting! but, if you haven’t shipped much internationally before- it can be a bit of a learning curve. here’s a few quick guides:
if you find yourself constantly going to the post office to fill out customs forms, make sure to check out endicia.com. endicia allows you to print shipping labels online- along with their customs forms! printing all your information and printing at home makes shipping internationally so much easier.
personally, customs forms tend to get a little tedious for me, but if your shipping overseas you’ll have to include one. make sure not to mark your package as a ‘gift’- if it’s an item that you sold. filling out customs forms appropriately will help prevent your packaged from getting held up in customs. although international shipping goes smoothly most of the time, make sure your customers know that you cannot be responsible for items held up in customs. it’s just nearly impossible to track a package once it leaves your country.
your customer should also be aware that they are responsible for any additional fees charged by customs- let them know by adding it to your policies page.
etsy provides this great information about customs forms:
In the U.S. you’ll need a green CN 22 customs form which you can pick up at the post office or order for free from USPS.com.
In Canada, refer to this link on the Canada Post website. Terrain adds, “For U.S. and International Xpresspost and Expedited parcel services, fill out the ‘Customs Declaration’ section of the shipping label. For U.S. Small Packet/Light Packet, CN22 Customs Label (white for SP, green for LP).”
PeculiarForest notes that for UK sellers, “Customs forms will need to be filled out at the post office if parcels are being sent outside of the European Union.” Memake notes that you may also download a PDF form from the Royal Mail website here.
Australians need the green forms available from your post office for free.
for your customers that use paypal to purchase their items, printing shipping labels can be a breeze! as long as you can calculate the weight of your item, you can print your labels right at home, then just drop them off at the post office or have them picked up (below). even if your customer didn’t use paypal, you can still print their labels by creating them yourself using their multi order shipping tool- you can read more about that here. there are also a few forum’s that can be very helpful when considering shipping w/ paypal: ‘how to ship with paypal‘ and ‘do you prefer paypal shipping’.
finally, when your shipping out even a few times a week- running back and forth to the post office can get tiring. there are a number of ways that you can let your mail carrier come to you! thus, shipping your items without ever leaving the house (imagine that!). here are the options for usps pickup: usps pickup options and a forum that helps explains it: click ‘n ship, paypal, package pick-up.
no homework! i think there are plenty of links above to keep you busy! what’s been your experience?
so what is this whole thing about twitter? did you twit or did you tweet? would you like to retweet that please?
twitter can be a little confusing- but today i hope to show you how easy it is! we’ll start as if you’ve never even heard of it- then move on to if you should do it, why and how it could help your shop!
here’s a good definition (from sharpened) “twitter is a service that allows people to stay connected with each other by answering the basic question, “what are you doing?” once you sign up for a twitter account, you can post your own updates, or “tweets,” using a computer or cell phone. You can also view the updates posted by other users you are following. since each tweet is limited to 140 characters or less, the updates must be short and sweet. however, you may twitter as often as you want, meaning there is no limit on how much information you can share.”
if you’re ready to get started, it’s easy. just go to twitter.com and click the ‘join now’ button. you’ll fill in your name, username, email and password and then be granted a twitter account! then, all you have to do is start tweeting- i.e. tell us what you’re doing in 140 characters or less! even if you’re only thinking about it for the future- you may want to go ahead and get your account. with over 25 million tweets a day- twitter is growing fast- so you want to snatch up your username while it’s still available!
next, you’ll want to update your profile. epheriell designs says that filling in your profile is vital. have a nice avatar, upload a unique background image, and fill in where you are. use all the characters in your description to tell people about yourself. here’s epheriell’s description: “i blog about handmade style, indie design, craft resources; i make contemporary silver/metal jewellery; i love reading scifi; i am a tea addict!”. try to outline who you are and what you do- and make it personal.
the next step is to get some followers! twitter will allow you to import e-mail lists, contacts from instant messaging services, and you can find your friends on their search engine. the best way to build a list of interesting people is to go to the twitter search engine at search.twitter.com and plug in your interests. this will then spit tons of people back out at you that you can choose to follow. twitter will also give you some suggestions for people to follow. if you start following people, chances are, they will follow you back. once you start following someone, their updates (tweets) will appear in your twitter feed- and vice versa.
here are some simple rules to keep in mind. twitter often and tweet things of value. yes, you should tweet when you list a new item or have an exciting blog post- but people will generally get annoyed if you tweet only for self promotion. so, throw in some personal stuff too- twit pics, and discussion about your design process etc. people are interested in getting to know you- not just about when you list a new item. if you’re including a url- it may be helpful to shorten it by using tiny url- that way you can squeeze it all in to those 140 characters!
is this all making sense? still don’t know why you should be tweeting? for etsy shop users- tweeting about a new product will increases that product’s number of views. you should tweet about your latest and greatest items (don’t forget your url!), and you can easily offer special promotions to your shop via twitter (by providing a discount code), as well as promote any sales you may already have at your shop.
susans heehan posted about her ‘10 days to 2000 followers’ goal on her blog (you can get the quick outline of here) and shares that it has been very beneficial to her. for going home to roost, about 10% of my traffic here and to my etsy shop come from my twitter and facebook fan page (combined). linking them together will save you time and make sure that everyone is always updated!
hello! i'm bonnie and going home to roost is where i like to spread some love and share my inspirations. grab a cup of tea and make yourself cozy and welcome, we look forward to getting to know you!
we talked about our blog’s new year’s resolutions- but it’s time to also consider our etsy shop’s resolutions. have you had time to reflect upon last year? did you meet your goals? are you happy with what your shop accomplished? what are your goals for 2010? all of this brings up many thoughts, goals, pride, disappointment and maybe some confusion too.
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