Hi, I am Naomi, owner of Pine + Party Co. I operate a successful etsy shop specializing in custom party decorations. I have been asked lots of questions since starting my shop two years ago and thought I could share my experience with you all. Here are my tips for starting and running a (modestly) successful etsy shop. 
Getting Started
When I first started my business, I never imagined I would even make one sale. Honestly! I am not being modest! Having a successful Etsy shop seemed like a myth. It was something everyone dreams about but nobody actually knows anyone who is successful. Amiright?!
My very first sale that wasn’t to a friend was a request for a 24” tall holographic banner. TWO feet tall! I didn’t know how I could do it, or if it would turn out ok, and I had not discovered where to purchase my supplies at a decent price but I wanted that sale. I made zero dollars on it after supplies and shipping but getting that sale was my only priority.
For most of the first year, I made all the mistakes. I paid too much to ship, spent way too much on supplies, and worked long hours with no profit. I gave away a lot of product in exchange for photography. I sent products to friends and family just to give me something to create and add to my shop. I hustled! But it didn’t feel like hustling because I loved every second of it. I love doing it and being able to create things.
Finding Success
The first thing I made after getting a Cricut was a Chugga Chugga Two Two cake topper for my son’s second birthday. We had just moved to Idaho two months prior so we were not going to have a party or anything, but I still wanted it to be special. I also made a train-themed photo banner which, even now, I am still proud of. It’s my favorite item in my shop. I’ve made some improvements to both items since then and they are two of my best sellers. Since opening in June 2019, I have sold about 125 train-themed items.
My bestseller, by far, is my 3-REX themed topper that I designed for my son’s third birthday. I’ve sold about 200 3-Rex themed items since June 2020! It turned out this dinosaur-themed cake topper was a huge hit and I now have almost 20 versions of it on my shop. Each topper is named after the child whose family requested the custom colors for them.
I designed the Little Pumpkin theme for a dear friend, Janie. Her pregnancy was three months behind mine and we both had little girls. Janie is in Illinois and since I absolutely couldn’t attend her baby shower due to distance, COVID-19, and my own pregnancy, I worked hard to do something memorable and special for her. In the 11th hour of my pregnancy, and days before my scheduled C-section, I rushed to finish my decorations for her. I made cupcake toppers, a cake topper, buffet table tents, a ‘Little Bumpkin” pregnancy photo banner, a banner, and pumpkin garland. Once I reopened my shop after giving birth, the product was immediately selling. I loved her baby shower theme so much and I wanted so badly to be there. How perfect are these decorations? I mean, c’mon.
By this point, I think you can see I have gained some confidence and momentum with my product but I can assure you not everything is a hit. Some items I haven’t sold any of. I can’t seem to design an original unicorn or mermaid topper and many other designs just haven’t taken off like these have. But that brings me to my advice for success.
My Advice
Do what makes you happy but make sure the market isn’t already saturated with it. If you make cake toppers, find your niche. Some creators specialize in shaker toppers and interactive features while many others focus on beautiful paper flowers. Neither of those techniques is my strong suit but I absolutely love layering my toppers for a cool 3D effect. If you love working with vinyl, make sure you can offer something original.There are millions of sellers right now putting vinyl on tumbler cups. If you love working with yarn, maybe your best bet is to create original patterns and sell both the patterns and the product. Whatever medium you enjoy working with (be it clay, paint, paper, vinyl, yarn, fabric, metal, glass, enamel pins, etc.) focus on one element that sets you apart from everyone else.
Design things that you are passionate about. If you love what you’ve made and wouldn’t change a thing, others will love it too. Every successful item in my shop is an item I was passionate about making just right because it was designed for my loved ones. Not everything I design is successful and every time I assemble my items I am wondering if there is something I can change to make it better.
What I have learned is that people want original content plus consistently new content. This means you should try to have an Instagram, a Pinterest, a dedicated facebook page, TikTok, and all the other socials I don’t even know about.
Surround yourself with those equally, if not more, passionate than yourself. Follow like-minded accounts on social media because you’ll get insider tips and tricks from the experts themselves. I admire the creations of so many crafters and it has helped me insurmountably to have the support of my crafting community. After my house fire, many crafters came together to support me and help get me back up and running. This show of support was more meaningful to me than any review I could get. It’s like an actor getting a SAG award. The SAG awards are voted on by their peers and I felt like the support of my crafting community to help me get started again was such an honor.
Find support or SUPPORT YOURSELF. I probably would have never bought myself a Cricut but my husband supported my passion and gave me the outlet I needed to create my visions. He believed in what I could do. He helps me brainstorm ideas for designs, packaging, and marketing plans. He talks about my little craft shop to anyone who will listen. The neighbors, daycare workers, cashiers, his doctors… LOL. He is my biggest advocate. If you don’t have this kind of support, SUPPORT YOURSELF. Advocate for you. I wish I knew to do this a long time ago. I wish I was taught to go hard for the things I wanted.
In Short (or long…)
- Offer consistent original content.
- Be creative and keep tweaking the product until it gets noticed. Highlight what makes your product unique.
- Advocate for yourself. Market your product. Brag about it!
- Keep up with your social accounts. Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook are your best strategies for getting noticed.
- Work on your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Think of SEO like hashtags. For example, for my train topper, I used the tags: Chugga Chugga Two, 2nd Birthday, Train Theme Party, Custom Party Decor. I also utilize erank.com for SEO suggestions.
- Brand yourself and cross-check your company name with Instagram and other social accounts to ensure it isn’t already taken. I partnered with Idaho Postcard Co to help with my logo.
- Update your listings. I notice that the more I update them, the more they get noticed. Add new pictures, tweak your descriptions, and change up your tags if you notice something has stopped selling.
- I also recommend Etsy Ads. I find that it bumps my sales plus I’ve noticed my advertised items sell at the same time so it makes it easier for me to make them in bulk.
- Join facebook groups that may be interested in your product. For me, I joined party decor groups and when I have a batch of new content I share it in those groups. I don’t know if anyone ever really buys anything but I think it prompts them to visit my etsy shop. And more shop visits means your items are getting attention and Etsy will (at least, I believe) push your listings to the front pages. I believe more shop visits will get you more visibility through Etsy.
Lastly, I want to share that I offer FREE Bassinet NICU banners to any baby in the NICU. You can pick the theme and colors, just share the details with me along with the baby’s name.
Plus, for a 15% discount, visit Pine + Party Co and use code: EIMBLOG plus code: SHIPFREE if you want to arrange a pick up or drop off. #supportlocal
Read about another mom/business owner’s tips and tricks here!
