Handmade & Beyond Podcast

Many sellers ignore their shop sections! Sure they're not as important as your actual listings, but shop sections still add value for your customers.  Not only that, it helps with the all mighty Etsy SEO (search engine optimization), which dictates traffic/sales.   Today I am going to give you 5 tips to help you with your shop sections so you can optimize your shop. Don't forget to download the fr...

Today's episode is about the not so popular elephant in the room, Etsy's fee increase...  I get it, higher fees take money out of small business owner's pockets.  The first reaction is often a negative one.  Since I'm a glass half full person, I want to give you some perspective about this fee increase and also give you 5 ways you can mitigate the increase. I talk about the free Etsy fee calculato...

Isn't this the question of all questions?  Most Etsy sellers at one time or another have wondered if ads were a good way to add revenue to their business... The real answer is it depends and there are a lot of variables at play.  But I can tell you that there are some best practices to follow in order to at least have a chance at running profitable ads.  In today's episode, I dive into some succes...

Everyone is searching for the elusive golden goose in today's age of limitless opportunity. We chase shiny objects, we chase influencers, we chase squirrels... lol.  The sad reality is most of that doesn't lead us anywhere.   When in fact what most business owners should be chasing is the OLD tried and true way of increasing sales, which is email marketing.  In today's episode, I talk about 3 reas...

Many new and even veteran Etsy sellers talk about the dreaded Etsy shop suspension.. duh duh duh... I know it's scary.  But if you know the #1 reason shops get suspended and how to make sure you don't fall into this category you shouldn't be scared. Today's episode talks about how to avoid getting your shop suspended so you can live a carefree and happy Etsy life. Are you a new seller who needs mo...

I know you probably have income goals in your business.  Maybe you want to make a few extra hundred dollars each month.  Maybe you dream BIG and want to hit that $100k mark.   When I started I never dreamed that would be possible.  But then over time, I started to think it was possible and that became my ultimate goal.   Looking back at my early days and the years it took for me to get to consecut...

Maybe you're not getting the traction you want on Etsy or maybe you just want to boost your revenue.  Either way, you may have thought about dabbling in some new sales channels. In today's episode, I go over 5 sales channels that could be beneficial for you to try.  I also talk about the main pros and cons of each.   Are you a newer Etsy seller and are struggling to get the results you need with y...

Usually in your business saying yes and taking tons of action will get you to the next level.  However, this episode is all about saying no to the extra junk that may come your way during your business journey.  This may be spam messages, third party tools, new products outside of your niche, or any other of the many shiny objects out there fighting for your attention. This episode will help you d...

What the heck is a customer avatar and why is it important? You're in luck.  I talk about this and more in this episode.  Knowing your ideal customer can help you market better, align your brand better, get more sales, and give customers more of what they want.   All of this can give you more out of your business so you can worry less.   Of course, I have a handy free guide that goes with this epi...

Welcome to episode 100!   W ow, it's hard to believe.  Thanks for all the support, kind words, and encouragement along the way.    I appreciate my listeners and if I can impact your business or life in just a small way then it's worth it.    This time of year is all about goals… Which honestly makes me cringe.    Why?    Most people never meet or come close to hitting their goals because there is...

The dreaded lost package... If you're in the e-commerce game long enough this will inevitably happen to you.  The post office will lose a package.  Luckily, for me it doesn't happen that often.  But when it does and depending on how you handle it, you could have a customer service nightmare on your hands. Today I want to talk about how I handle lost package issues so it could help you if it happen...

It's safe to say I've been in the Etsy "game" for quite a while now.  8 years to be exact... In that time I've learned a bunch.  Mostly from many mistakes.. lol.   When looking back at all I have done and learned over the years it got me thinking about what I would do now if I started a brand new Etsy business?  What are the main things I would focus on to ensure I had the best chance of success?...

If you've started an Etsy business of course your main focus is making sales.  This is the best way to gauge success.  Sales equal winning.   However, winning is usually a lot harder than most sellers realize.  It may lead you to believe your products aren't good enough or Etsy doesn't work.  What it really comes down to is a combination of factors that you can control and if done correctly can in...

Apps today have so many features.  With all the bells and whistles it can be easy to miss some.  Etsy is no different.  There are tons of features with new ones coming out all the time.   Today I want to point out 3 Etsy features that maybe you don't know about but should.  These could help your business in several different ways.  I dive in and talk about Alt Text, Search Analytics, and Explore i...

New sellers often consider what they're going to sell, their shop name, their branding, etc.  But it's common for them to miss other supplies, equipment, and materials that will be necessary to run their business effectively and efficiently.  Let's dive in and talk about this laundry list of goodies that will help you run your Etsy business better!

In today's episode, I go over some of the most important key terms related to your business and their meaning.   I'll be talking about: 1 - Visits 2 - Views 3 - Conversion %  4 - Clicks 5 - ROAS  6 - YOY  7 - Traffic 8 - Revenue 9 - Profit 10 - SEO Are you new or just opened an Etsy shop?  Get my free PDF download Etsy Quickstart Guide.  The perfect guide for those looking to start or who just sta...

Are Etsy ads a magic lever to automatically increase your revenue? I'd say no.  When deciding to run Etsy ads you should make sure to have your shop in order and a good understanding of Etsy best practices before starting an ad campaign.  Not doing this could actually hurt your shop rather than help it.  In today's episode, I talk about this and more to help you decide when it's a good time to adv...

It's no secret that I love Alura.  They have a truckload of really cool features to help you with your Etsy business.  They have SEO tools, shop analyzer tools, follow-up tools, and much more.   In today's episode, I am going to touch on 3 of my favorite tools that Alura has and how I use them for my own business.   Click on the link below to check out Alura and all its amazing features to help yo...

Happy Friday! I wanted to do an episode on adding text to your product photos because I've been getting this question a lot.  It seems there's a lot of confusion on whether you should do this or not and if doing it will hurt your business. Let's dive in and talk about it!

Most of your customers will be first-time buyers from your shop and may even be first-time Etsy buyers as well.  With all those new buyers, it's vital to make and leave a great first impression.   That's why I want to help you by giving you 5 great ways to level up your customer's first-time buying experience.  These are easy to do, but often get overlooked by sellers. Repeat buyers are an importa...

It's time for a brand new segment, "What Would LL Do (WWLLD)."  This is where I talk about popular topics relating to your handmade/Etsy business and talk about what I would do in that scenario.   I've come across a bunch of common and uncommon issues in my 20+ years of selling online.  It's my hope to share some insight with you so you can have the ammo to tackle issues when they come up.   Today...

Let's face it, product photos are tough.  If you sell online I'm sure you know what I mean.  You may have the perfect product, but if your photos are terrible no one will click on your listing which means no one will buy.  I've been in your shoes.  Even after selling online for over 20 years, I am still not a photography expert.  This is why I wanted to talk to someone who is, Imelda from  www.sun...

What's up, everyone!?   I wanted to do a new podcast on some of the coolest Etsy tips to save you time and help performance.   In today's episode, I talk about copying listings, the sell on Etsy app, saving messages, sending coupon codes, and mailing presets. Let's dive in! Don't forget to download my FREE Black Friday Playbook  here .  Get everything you need to plan and run a successful Black Fr...

The holidays are coming up on us really soon... It's hard to believe.  With that being said, I wanted to talk about a question I always get around the holidays.  Should you leave holiday stuff up year-round?  Depending on your niche you may want to leave them up or take them down.  However, I think there are benefits to taking them down.   Let's dive into today's episode and I'll explain.   Don't...

Black Friday is right around the corner!     This year I want to make sure you're the most prepared to take advantage of this HUGE buying event!   In this episode, I help you plan and give you some strategies so you can have an awesome Black Friday! Also, make sure to download my FREE Black Friday Playbook  here .  Everything I talk about in this podcast and more is in this playbook.  You're going...