Introduction

I started my Etsy business in 2017 and have shipped over 4000 clay beads around the world.

An intro about how I started the business.

The story of how I started my business is something you should hear. It’s a journey that took me from a low point to a high point, and it’s not just about the money. It’s about what happens when we find our passions, have faith in them and then work hard towards doing what we love.

When I was 18 years old, I was stuck in a job that made me miserable every day. Every morning when I woke up, all I could think about was how much longer until my shift ended so that I could get out of there and go home! But one night while lying awake in bed, an idea came into my head: “You know what would be awesome? Making beads!” That thought stayed with me for months…until one day while browsing Etsy (the online marketplace where people sell handmade goods), something clicked: “Why don’t YOU try selling your own beads?” And so that’s exactly what happened – within 6 months of starting this venture on Etsy (an eCommerce website) as a hobbyist bead maker – my sales had grown from $0 per month to over $4000 per month!

Here are some fun facts about how this business got off the ground:

How I made the beads.

The beads are made by hand, using a sewing machine and thread, as well as beads and a needle. The plastic clay is mixed with glue (hence the name “shisha” clay) then hand sculpted into various shapes before being baked at low heat to harden them. Once they’re dry, they’re painted with acrylic paint and added to a necklace or bracelet!

How I got my first sale.

At the beginning of my Etsy business, I had no idea what the future held. I was just starting out and had no idea if anyone would ever buy my shisha clay beads. The first sale came as a big surprise, so let me tell you how it happened:

It all started when one of my friends bought some shisha beads from me. She posted about them on Instagram and tagged me in her post. Within a few hours of that being posted, another friend commented on it saying she wanted to buy a pair too! So she ordered from me as well! Then another friend saw this post and commented on it saying “I want some too!!” And she ordered more beads from me as well! So in total: three customers who all followed each other’s posts found out about us through a mutual friend’s Instagram account (this was before we had our own page). They all placed orders within 24 hours of each other!

What being on vacation taught me about my Etsy business.

I’ve been running my Etsy store for over a year now. I do it because I love making beads and it’s a great way to bring in some extra money. I’ve learned a few things about being an Etsy seller, and so far everything has gone pretty well for me.

I love that I can make money doing something fun (beading), but maybe more importantly, I love that there are no rules or restrictions on how much money you can make on Etsy (or anywhere else). You don’t need to be the best at something to be successful at it! Success is really just about hard work and consistency–the same things that are required of any other job or business venture.

If you want more success with your Etsy store or any other kind of side hustle, here are some tips: Remember that your time is valuable! Don’t waste hours upon hours on social media sites when they could be spent actually making sales/customers/etc., whatever success looks like for you. But also remember not all customers will come from social media; sometimes people stumble onto your shop by accident or via word-of-mouth recommendations from friends who discovered one of your products through Instagram (like my friend Jen). Also remember not all successes look alike; one person might buy 2 items each month whereas another person might buy only 1 item…it’s going to vary depending upon what kinds of products we’re talking about here.”

How I took advantage of Etsy search by making better tags and titles for my products.

There are many ways to increase your product exposure on Etsy. One of the most important things you can do is optimize the search function by adding clear and specific tags and titles.

Some key things to consider:

• Include the product type and material in your tags, such as metal clay or silver clay beads or glass beads.
• Use keywords that buyers would use when searching for a particular item (for example, if you sell sterling silver wire, use “sterling” in your tag).
• Use both singular and plural forms of words (e.g., earrings vs ears).
• In general, create unique tags for each item so that people can find them easily (don’t just add “jewelry” as a tag).

How I used Pinterest to grow my traffic by over 20% in a year.

Pinterest is a great place to find new customers and connect with existing ones. It’s especially useful if you have a product that is hard to find or unique. If that’s the case, then Pinterest can help you reach people who already know they want it!

I started my first pinterest account in 2013 and used it exclusively as an online store for my Henna jewelry business. I would pin one of my designs each day and hope someone found it! I also created boards for each product category so that people could browse by style. This helped me grow my following from nothing to over 2,000 followers in just 3 months!

Selling on Etsy requires good marketing chops, but it can be done!

Etsy is a marketplace for handmade and vintage items. It’s like the Amazon of handmade and vintage items, but with the added benefit of giving you access to a community of like-minded individuals that love making things.

It’s important to realize how Etsy search works so you can make sure your products show up in relevant searches. Etsy has two main methods for searching: keyword searches and browse categories. Keyword searches are common terms people who are looking to buy something will use in their search term, while browse categories require browsing through different product types until you find what you’re looking for.

The best way to ensure your Etsy shop shows up when someone does an Etsy search is by making sure your item title includes at least one keyword from their list of relevant keywords or themes that match your product type (for example: “shisha clay beads”). You can also use tags (which show up as links next to product titles) as long as they include keywords from their list; however, it’s best practice not to have more than three tags per listing because having too many tags may make it seem like a spammy listing! You should also make sure all photos contain some sort of descriptive text so potential buyers know exactly what they’re getting!

Conclusion

All my tips are gathered from the daily experiences of running a small shop. You can read more about my journey and our bead collection over at Beads of Paradise.