The Create & Thrive Podcast

Today I’m going to share 6 ways you can find and refine keywords for your Etsy shop listings! Getting the right keywords is a CRUCIAL part of achieving success in Etsy search – so it’s something you really need to understand. Three tools I recommend: 💡 Sale Samurai (aff link) :  – get 20% off with the code: jessvanden (make sure it’s all in lowercase!) &#x1f4a...

What is a keyword? Where do they go in your Etsy listings? And how do you brainstorm keywords for your listings? These are the questions I’m going to answer today in Etsy Keywords 101! Getting the right keywords is a CRUCIAL part of achieving success in Etsy search – so it’s something you really need to understand. UPCOMING LIVE WORKSHOP: How to Discover your Ideal Keywords &#821...

Ron Miller spent 20 years as a graphic designer, and today he’s sharing the fundamentals of design with us. I met Ron when he joined my   Set Up Shop   course earlier this year, and he had a lot of great wisdom to share. As makers who DIY pretty much all aspects of our businesses, there are so many things we need to learn – and creating our branding is one of them. Even if you use awes...

One post on Pinterest can drive traffic to your Etsy shop for years! If you’re an Etsy seller who’s new to Pinterest, or not sure of best practice in 2022, today I’m going to share my top tips to help you market your Etsy shop on Pinterest! Also! If you find Pinterest overwhelming; you don’t know where to start; or you’ve fallen off the wagon (i.e. out of the habit of...

A definitive explanation of EVERYTHING that affects your search ranking in Etsy search, in the hope that it will help you increase your traffic! I’ll break down exactly what influences where your products rank in the Etsy search algorithm, including things like: ☑️ Your titles, tags, attributes and categories ☑️ Query matching and ranking ☑️ Listing...

Cassandra Pons knew she wanted to design and make clothes from when she was a teenager upcycling vintage clothes.   After studying fashion design, she started her business – Lazy Girl Lingerie – in 2016. After years of dedicated work building her brand, she was able to go full-time in 2021! Her focus is on diversity and inclusive sizing, and – being a handmade business – sh...

This week, many Etsy sellers are boycotting to protest the transaction fee increase that began on the 11th of April (and a few other things, too). In this episode, I go through the demands of the petition that kicked off the boycott, and share my thoughts on each demand in the petition. You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube! Watch...

For anyone curious about how to successfully grow a handmade business with Instagram, don’t miss this episode! My guest today is Yulia Anderson, who is a modern embroidery artist who turned her creative passion into a 6 figure online business and built a 169k IG following in less than 3 years. She’s also a long-time listener of the Create & Thrive Podcast, and I’m so excited...

You’re not alone, and it happens to everyone!  No matter how awesome you are, and how hard you try, eventually, one of your customers will have a complaint. Maybe it’s your fault… and maybe it’s not. No matter what, you have to deal with it, and ideally, turn that customer from an unhappy one into a satisfied one (though, this isn’t always possible). Today, I’m...

Have you ever considered selling printables on Etsy or elsewhere online? Today’s interviewee has done just that. She created a printables business on Etsy that has developed into a profitable side hustle. Julie   Berninger  is currently a work-at-home Mom who left her corporate tech job in July because it was too much with the pandemic. In the last year, she moved 3,000 miles to be closer to...

How do you REALLY make a living from selling handmade goods online? One crucial step for most makers is to start making reproducible products, rather than everything in your shop being one of a kind. In fact, it’s REALLY hard to make a profit from selling OOAK items. Why? I’ll explain in today’s video. I’ll also share how I’ve made over $65k from just ONE of my produc...

Today I interview my student, podcast listener and long time member of the Thriver Circle (my membership community for makers) Clare Smythson. Clare has been running her successful glass painting business – Ornately Lanterns – since 2001, though she only ventured into online selling via her Etsy shop in 2015, and has since set up on Amazon Handmade and her own website. Today we discuss...

I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2008 – yes, 13 years as I record this episode!  Today, I’m sharing 6 lessons I’ve learnt during this time. Understanding these 6 things will help you in your online handmade business journey, and to understand what Etsy was, vs. what Etsy is today – and how it’s changed over time. You can listen to this podcast below, or on your f...

If you have NO idea how to use Instagram reels to promote your handmade business, or you just want to learn more about them, don’t miss this episode! I’m chatting with Kar Brulhart, who teaches entrepreneurs, creators, startups and influencers how to plan strategic content to convert followers into loyal customers, create genuine community, and navigate the often-changing world of algo...

I’ve got a 2-part Etsy episode for you today! First – So you want to take a break from your Etsy shop over Christmas and New Year, but you don’t want to lose momentum (and possibly search ranking) by putting your shop in Vacation Mode. Or maybe you just want to keep some dollars rolling in! Today I explain how I do exactly this every year by having a ‘Making Break’. I...

Today I talk to LL Divens – who has a similar story to mine! He began his Etsy store as a side hustle in 2014 while working full time in a corporate job. He’s been a handmade biz coach since 2019, and also has a podcast – Handmade & Beyond (you can listen to my interview on his show – look for the link in the shownotes below). Today we chat about what it takes to succee...

Are you really ready to start that business or side hustle? Have you taken the time to think through questions like… is this really going to give you the lifestyle you want? How much money can you realistically make? Do you have the knowledge/skills to make this happen? Today I’ve got 20 questions for you to consider BEFORE you start your dream business venture. And if you’ve alr...

If you use Pinterest (or want to) do NOT miss this episode! Today, I’m talking with Kate Ahl, and she shares ALL the things you need to know to use Pinterest to market your handmade business in 2021 and beyond! The founder of Simple Pin Media,  Kate   Ahl  has been helping businesses discover, learn and master Pinterest marketing for over 7 years. She combines the data learned from working w...

Do you struggle with pricing your handmade goods? Trust me – you are NOT alone. Pricing is one of the hardest parts of starting and running a handmade business – and if you’re selling on Etsy, even more so, if you’re comparing your prices directly to other people selling similar things. Goodness knows my pricing was atrocious when I started! SO many makers (if not all) dras...

Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Jenn Johnston – a long-term listener of the Create & Thrive Podcast, who has grown her business slowly to the point where she’s been able to go full-time! Jenn took the slow and steady approach to business success, working more and more on her biz, and slowly reducing her hours in her day job over a number of years, before taking the leap...

Do you need a mailing list for your handmade business?   Honestly, they work better for some types of businesses than others, and today, I’ll outline 5 reasons why you might like to consider setting up an email marketing strategy for your business. You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube! Watch on YouTube… Support the sho...

So this is a follow-up after my last interview with Amanda, where she shares her PHENOMENALLY successful Etsy shop launch! When we recorded this, she’d actually done 2 product releases, and they both went super-well. We talk about setting up shop, how to handle it when things don’t go to plan (like selling the same product twice – eep!), making mistakes, Instagram, pricing, confi...

If you haven’t yet launched your Etsy or other handmade shop online, or you’ve launched but nothing seems to be happening… this is for you. Today I outline 5 things you need to get sorted before you can expect to successfully sell your craft online. You can listen to this podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on youtube! Do you want to learn how t...

They’ve done it again! Dropped a bomb on the Etsy community. Reminds me of when they released ODR.. remember that? (P.S. It’s gone now…) Should you worry about the new Star Seller system? Are you ever going to be eligible? In this video I’m going to break down what it is, how it works, and a whooooole bunch of issues that it has at this point in time. Get your FREE Etsy Res...

How do your customers know whether your business is for them? Your branding, of course! This instantly tells folks if your work is going to fit their lifestyle and aesthetics, and if it resonates with them, you’re more likely to capture and keep their interest. But how do you develop a beautiful brand that captures your ideal customer? Today I speak with Kelly McElroy, a graphic designer who...