Mompreneur Series: Set Up Your Very Own Etsy Shop

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Welcome to the Mompreneur Series which is all about showing you ways to start being your own boss and work from home.

This series is for the mom who has dreamed about starting her own business so she can work at home and be around for her kids. 

Basically, if you never want maternity leave to end, keep reading.

Not sure working at home is for you?

It makes sense if you want to:

✿ Add to your family income.
✿ Skip a long commute.
✿ Make your own hours.
✿ Have something creative to do every day.
✿ Spend more time with your family.

Sound good? Great!

In this post, we are going to cover how to set up your very own Etsy shop!

I’m pretty excited about this work from home opportunity because the sky is the limit basically.

So, let’s dig in, mama!

Did you miss a post?

Post #1: Mompreneur Series: Become a Virtual Assistant 

Post #2: Mompreneur Series: Become a Freelance Writer 

Post #3: Mompreneur Series: Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant 

Post #4: Mompreneur Series: Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant

Post #5: Mompreneur Series: Legitimate Work from Home Jobs

Work From Home Mom: Set Up Your Own Etsy Shop

Do you love making crafts?

Do you label yourself as creative?

Do you knit?

Love creating printables?

If you answered yes to any one of those questions, setting up your very own Etsy shop might be the perfect way to get your own business up and running.

I assume most people have heard about Etsy but, in case you haven’t, the platform is known to sell one of a kind and vintage pieces. 

Basically, it caters to people who don’t want stuff from box stores – you know the stuff everyone has. 

You list your handmade products for sale and Etsy connects you to an audience who is looking for that one of a kind item.

Need an example?

Say you love to make earrings and bracelets or maybe you love printables and are quite skilled at creating unique prints that people would love – Etsy is the platform you can use to get in front of buyers who want your uncommon products.

Etsy is basically a craft fair online, so to speak.

So, what does it take to set up your very own Etsy shop?

RELATED READ: The Top Profitable Home Based Business Ideas

Things to Keep in Mind While Setting Up Your Etsy Shop

Since the goal is to get your creative juices flowing and help you become a mompreneur, here is a quick start action plan you can use starting TODAY to get your own Etsy shop going. 

STEP #1 

What are your product ideas?

Spend some time outlining what products you love to create.

Jot them down and note how long it takes you to make them. 

People also love collections so if you have similar items you can lump them together as a package or start a line of products. 

For example, you could offer your handmade mittens with a matching hat.

Or, you could offer your collection of motivation printables at an affordable price.

The possibilities are endless if you love creating things.

Get 3 product ideas and figure out which one makes sense for you to use in your Etsy shop.

STEP #2

Set up a budget for materials and shipping costs. 

How much will it cost for you to produce your product? 

How much will shipping be? 

Etsy charges $0.20 per item when you add a new listing or renew an older one. 

They also charge 5% per transaction.

These are all business expenses to take into consideration when setting up your own Etsy shop.

(Read more about Etsy fees here).

The goal here is to make money so you need to understand how much it costs you to produce one product so that you can price your items correctly.

BONUS TIP: Don’t forget to take the cost of your labor into account when determining your sale price. Your time is important!

STEP #3

If you don’t have products ready to go, spend the time it takes to get a few varieties made.

Perhaps you could even time yourself.

Why do that?

Because when you make your first Etsy shop listing you can honestly let buyers know how long it will take for them to receive their one of a kind item!

Once you get the ball rolling, you can hire help so that you can produce things faster.

BONUS TIP: Don’t forget to factor in the cost of your hired help in your product price.

STEP #4

Take high-quality photos of your products. 

This is probably one of the most important steps to the success of an Etsy shop and, yet, it can be overlooked.

Humans are visual creatures and since they’re making a purchase online it’s imperative you present your products well.

Invest in things that can help you take great product photos.

What would you need to get started? 

Here’s a shopping list:

A good camera – if you have an iPhone start with that! You’d be amazed at the beautiful photos your phone can take.

A tripod – your hand isn’t steady so a tripod will be important – here’s an inexpensive one for your phone.

Good lighting – there are various lighting options you can use, check them out here.

White Background drop – you can buy professional ones or you can grab white craft paper and clips for a DIY and budget-friendly option.

Here’s a good option for a white background and lighting in one.

STEP #5

Set goals for your shop. 

There’s a lot of different opinions about using goals for success but in my experience they’re important.

So, choose one big goal and several small goals to get your own Etsy shop up and running. 

Maybe you’d like to sell one piece a  week and build from there.

The first big goal might be getting everything set up and getting inventory in place.

Your biggest goal is to just get started.

STEP #6 

Brainstorm your Etsy shop name.

Basically, the name you’re choosing will be your business name. 

You name your shop that name but you can also expand and start your own website so it’s important to choose wisely. 

I have some great tips for choosing the right name in my post How to Find Mom Blog Name Ideas – while it’s not geared to creating Etsy shop names, the methods are the same for finding the perfect name.

That wraps up the 6-step quick-start action plan for setting up your very own Etsy shop.

Get those tasks done and you are well on your way to becoming the mompreneur you envision.

Now let’s take a look at how to actually sell your items on Etsy.

How to Sell on Etsy for Beginners

It’s fine to get your items listed on Etsy but how do you make sure they’re found by people who want them?

Like many other platforms, when someone is looking to buy something they enter in keywords. 

You want your products found for keywords that describe your items.

How? 

By mastering Etsy SEO. 

First, make sure the description for your Etsy shop uses targeted keywords that you want your shop found for.

You should also:

✔Name your product image files with a keyword phrase that people are searching for.
✔Take high-quality images.
✔Write keyword-rich product descriptions.

If you want to take a fast action approach to get your Etsy shop started right, check out this course – it’s the best one I’ve seen on Etsy SEO specifically. 

If you really want to ramp up your efforts check out this course to help build a solid Etsy shop that sells thousands (just keep in mind that it’ll take time but the course will be your guide and shorten the learning curve).

The Pros and Cons of Selling On Etsy

Here are some pros and cons of selling on Etsy:

PROS:

✔Etsy is a well-known name that people trust.
✔Etsy has discounted rates on shipping that are better than the post office.
✔Setting up an Etsy shop is relatively easy.
✔Etsy is an easy option instead of building your own e-commerce website.
✔Access to a community of sellers for engaged support.

CONS:

✔Like anything new, there is a learning curve. (Invest in these courses to speed up the process).
✔Etsy doesn’t do any marketing. You’ll need to do your own (Use this course for help).
✔There will be some work involved to get your product to the top of the page but don’t let that deter you! (Anything that’s meaningful takes time). 

 

That wraps up our sneak peek into setting up your very own Etsy shop so you can pursue becoming a mompreneur and work from home. 

I hope you’re as excited as I am about the opportunity Etsy can give you. 

Remember, having your own Etsy shop is perfect if you consider yourself a creative person with a side of entrepreneur!

Like any new venture, there will be some start-up costs and learning to do, but it’ll be worth the investment once you’re running your own business and designing your mom life.

Taking small steps every day toward your goals will bring you to the success you’re looking for.

Have you been thinking about opening an Etsy shop?

What holds you back?

What are your thoughts?

In case you missed an earlier post:

Post #1: Mompreneur Series: Become a Virtual Assistant 

Post #2: Mompreneur Series: Become a Freelance Writer 

Post #3: Mompreneur Series: Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant 

Post #4: Mompreneur Series: Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant

Post #5: Mompreneur Series: Legitimate Work from Home Jobs