I stand here to tell you that Etsy's a tool that I think is a fabulous tool, but I think of it no differently than a tool such as the other tools we use online such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest. It's not the answer; it's not the end-all, be-all of a successful creative business, but it is a valuable tool that we can all utilize. So it's easy to get caught up in that hangout. It's easy to get caught up in that relationship. Remember that Etsy is not the CEO of your business. They are not in charge of your business; you are. And a lot of times when we list online, and we're expecting those sales, we ask ourselves, "How do I get found on Etsy? "How do I get more sales on Etsy?" And the real truth is that Etsy is just a tool. That's all your responsibility. That's all your job as the creative business owner that you wanna become, is taking ownership of it. So it's a tool, nothing more, nothing less. And that's how we're gonna treat it here today. I wanna show you how to use Etsy to yo...

ur advantage. And I think just my history with it helps me give a realistic approach; a very practical approach. That's why I'm the best person to talk about how to build an Etsy storefront and use it to your advantage. So if you have an Etsy shop, or you're in the dreaming stages of an Etsy shop, or you're in the planning stages of an Etsy shop these classes were designed to help you take the guesswork out of building a business on Etsy. And I've created it as a learning curve to help you create your own sold-out success. The last time I was on Creative Live I taught a class called Copyrighting for Crafters. And one of our favorite creatives, I know for a fact she's known in the industry. Her name's Kelly Jane, Kelly Jane Creative. I'm hoping she's watching today. After the class she said, "I have my feet up, "I'm in my office, I'm having meals delivered today, "so I don't miss a beat of your Creative Live Class." And I loved it, and I loved the scene of her getting her meals delivered. And I wanna tell everybody that at home as well. This is going to be jam-packed. I'm here to give you actionable takeaways. We're gonna be talking a very specific language. We're talking our own language the entire time. So it's Etsy all day long for three days. And it's going to be directly for you and your needs. So get your meals delivered, kick your feet up, and be here with me. Now Lisa, the one question came over the online audience and I wanted to ask you. I know you touched upon it a little bit. But just for a little bit more specificity. Nala Cabala asks, "Is it advisable or not "to have shops on Etsy as well as "one or two other platforms for the same products?" That's a great question. I think that when you're starting out, all of your efforts should be focused on one platform. And the reason that you wanna do that is because starting out online and listing your products in a lot of different places can really take a lot of time. And if your efforts are too dispersed you're not gonna get any results from one specific platform. So over time it's a good idea to sort of back off Etsy and look at other options, but in this case when you're starting a business online, start it in one place and focus everything there. Because when you have multiple storefronts, what happens is you end up sending some customers here, some customers there. You can't track the success. You don't have all of the data together. And it's best to really hone your efforts into one area and focus there. That's a great question because a lot of people in the beginning get caught up about all the places that they need to be because they think that all of those places have something to do with sales. But really, you need to be in one place, and you need to be in one place well. And the reason being is that now you can focus all of your efforts on growing that one place. It sounds like social media in that way 'cause I think a lot of people think they need to be on every social media platform, but sometimes it's better if they concentrate on one in the beginning and then expand if they have that one down. Absolutely, and that's something we're gonna touch on as well, yes, absolutely. I wanted to ask the studio audience also, how many of you have Etsy shops, and how long have you been on Etsy with your shops. Anybody wanna jump in? I'll jump in I guess. I do have an Etsy shop, it's called Oodle Badoodle. And I've technically been open for four years. So, there you go. Yeah, and your shop is fabulous too. If you are on Etsy, let's hear about it; please Cara. Yeah, I have an Etsy shop it's called Boho Berry. And I make Bohemian-like wrap bracelets, mala necklaces for meditation and things along those lines. Yes, it's fabulous. Yes, please Erica. I do have an Etsy shop, it's called Thread & Wanderlust. I've been open since October 2015, and I hand sew little accessory pouches, clutches and key chains. That's fabulous, I can't wait to check that out. Please. Yeah, I have a shop, it's called Crafter Day. And I do home decor, like different types of hangings and tapestries and that sort of thing. And I've been open for four years, but I've been doing it full-time for the past year. I've checked out your shop, it's amazing. Crafter Day, yes, go check that out it's awesome. Please. I have an Etsy shop it's E-Set Design. And I opened up my shop in 2012, but I didn't do anything with it until like the last year and a half. And then I have Boho Island chic jewelry. Great, thank you so much, I can't wait to check that out. Alright, okay. Thank you so much, thanks for sharing; that's exciting. I love that we're all here for the same reasons, and we're all gonna be working on Etsy. We have also some answers from the online audience Lisa. So Red Scorpio says, "I've been on Etsy since 2008." And Daisy Chain Oddities says, "I'll start my Etsy shop in July of this year." And Molly O. says that she has two shops on Etsy. So a lot of people also inn the online audience who are joining who are active at Etsy and really interested in what you have to say. That's fabulous. Yeah, and I love when people have two shops because that's what I call multi-faceted business. So I myself go through the same thing. Because we're creative we often have a lot of different interests. I would suggest that as you're working through the course and all of the different materials we're gonna cover over the next two days, that you separate your shops into two different categories. That you work on them differently. I'm gonna give you some checklists and some things you can go over. Don't do both at the same time. Put them in their own notebooks. Put them in their own notes. Because it gets confusing if you take all of your products and you clump them into one big bundle. So that's great, that's fabulous. Okay, so the other thing we're going to do today is we're gonna address all of the common questions that people are asking, such as what should I be working on. When I'm working on my business, what should I be focusing my business hours on? I know that's a big question, I get it all the time. Where do I need to focus my time and efforts, and what am I doing wrong? I think if there's one question I get more than any other, it's what am I doing wrong? So we're not only gonna be talking about all that, we're gonna be talking about the psychology that goes along with an Etsy storefront, the movement of your buyers, the different layers and all the different things they're thinking, and how to give them the very best impression, while we go. There is no two ways about it, Etsy is an overcrowded market. It's incredibly overcrowded. And I'm gonna show you why that's a good thing as we work together. When I started in 2010 there were approximately 400,000 active sellers. That might sound like a lot, but it wasn't for a website like Etsy, and the views that they were getting. So if I would list a new item, in Etsy at the time I would get 30-60 views within the first hour because at the time Etsy had a scrolling homepage. It showed you every new listing that came up. And that's amazing that you can get views just by listing a product. But that is no longer the case. Etsy veterans that I've talked to, who have been on longer than reported so many more views. They would list it and get hundreds of views within the first hour of listing it. And we all know that's not the case. Today, with over a million active sellers, new listings will go virtually unseen. And I don't know about you, but I've listed things that sit there with zero views, nobody's looking, and nobody does look until I take that product and I go start marketing it myself. Many creatives come to Etsy as the answer for a successful creative business. And that's absolutely normal. I think it's absolutely normal to see other sellers thriving on Etsy and think that Etsy is the reason that that happened. But it's not the case. When we see it as a tool, like any tool that we would use, we begin to understand what it's there for. We begin to utilize it to our advantage. So it's just like buying a garden shovel, and then expecting a garden to grow. No, of course we know that we need to take that tool and actually use it to grow a garden, and there's a lot of work that goes in and around it. So contrary to popular belief, a saturated market is a very good thing. It means there's high demand for your product. And so that's the other thing that is disheartening for me. I talk to a lot of creatives that say, when I'm gonna go into jewelry, but there are so many other jewelers out there. No, there's room for you, there's space enough. Because there are a lot of people selling jewelry it means that there's a high demand for it. There must be customers out there buying. And I'm gonna show you how to use Etsy's popularity to your advantage, and it all starts right here.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials

How To Beat The Overcrowded Market Guide

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Build a Storefront That Sells by Lisa Jacobs

Ideal Customer Workbook by Lisa Jacobs

Your Best Year Wall Planner

Market Your Etsy® Shop by Lisa Jacobs

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Lisa Jacobs

Lisa Jacobs is a marketing consultant for creative entrepreneurs. Her expertise comes from her own success in turning $100 of supplies into thousands of sales and a top-earning Etsy® storefront.

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topics covered in this class

Business Etsy

Ratings and Reviews

kathleenc

The course was really practical and organized very well. Each day built on the previous day and had solid, actionable recommendations. I am just starting my Etsy shop and feel like I have a plan for moving forward with some confidence. Lisa is charming and very real and her enthusiasm for supporting businesses is engaging and very encouraging. She wants us to be part of the tribe and I appreciate that! Thanks Lisa and everyone at Creative Live for more great "Mini B-school" lessons that I can use for my online business.

TheRecycledLibrary

Thank you thank you thank you! I have been going about the "daily scramble" for years - with ups and downs along the way and this course has been a true eye opener for me. The message of consistency and brand cohesion as well as deep respect for my customers will surely stay with me and help my business continue to grow. No matter what stage you are at in your creative business, Lisa has something great to teach! Highly recommended!

Kaitlynd B Zimmer

Lisa has so much personal energy and friendly personality its hard not to fall in love with her! Her extensive experience in the industry from ground up growth was a pleasure to relive through her hilarious trial and error comments. Overall what I came away with was taking action is the only way to grow and learn what works for each individual Etsy shop. And to make those actions pay off get your self out of your comfort zone! The section on SEOs was a huge eye opener! Thank you Tim for shining the light on areas I has not even aware existed before. I feel I now have the tools to build the strong and engaging Etsy shop that can become the success I dream of. Thank you! Kaitlynd B Zimmer

2,000+ classes ranging from fundamentals to advanced techniques.

Etsy is a Tool For Your Business

Etsy is a Tool For Your Business

Lesson Info

4. Etsy is a Tool For Your Business

Lessons

Introduction to Workshop

The Anatomy of a First Impression

The Truth About Online Business