I've worked with over 400 Etsy sellers since launching my signature course - The Handmade Bosses Success Academy, and it's taught me a thing or two.

In this blog, I'm going to share the 5 things I've learned from working with 400+ Etsy sellers, and the biggest mistakes that they make on Etsy.

ONE: THEY DON'T TEST

Many of the Etsy sellers that I've worked with do not test out their idea or do market research prior to selling on Etsy. 

Instead, it usually goes like this:
1. They think: "I can make a thing!"
2. A loved one says: "why don't you sell it on Etsy?"
3. They open up an Etsy shop, not really knowing how it works or what it is.
4. They do not do prior research, and expect to make sales BUT nothing happens
5. They don't get any sales, and then start to search the internet for 'how to make sales on Etsy'

If this is sounding familiar to you, I can bet your bottom dollar that it's because you've done no research on your product, and you've not tested it out.

But, don't worry! You're not alone, and it's a trap MANY of us fall into. The good news is that you can learn about Etsy, and you can have a successful shop on the platform. 

In fact, I've created a '30 Days To A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan' to get you started on the right foot. You can download the workbook here: https://www.handmadebosses.com/30days

TWO: THINKING YOU'RE NOT MAKING SALES BECAUSE OF YOUR PRODUCT

Too many Etsy sellers think that they're not making sales because of their product, when it could be a number of other things instead. 

Instead, you start to say things like "my product is bad, I'm not getting any sales, I'm going to give up, Etsy is bad"

Many Etsy sellers blame the platform or themselves for the lack of sales, when really, they just need to LEARN how to use it properly. Remember, you didn't know how to drive or make the perfect roast potato's straight away, you had to LEARN.

So what could be the problem instead?

• It could be that you haven't nailed who your target market are yet.
• It could be that your branding isn't consistent enough yet.
• Or it could be the way that you're offering your product is just not resonating with your customer yet.

Now it may be one of those points above that is the problem for you, or it could be all 3. But, note how all 3 of those suggestions above ended with 'yet'. This is because you can improve or change this, you've just got to learn how to.

THREE: THE COMFORT ZONE CALLS YOU BACK

Your comfort zone poses a bigger problem than you might think. 

So many Etsy sellers want to learn more about SEO secrets, know how to get more people into your Etsy shop, want to learn how to get more sales, want to learn about marketing. But, the problem is, sooner or later, your comfort zone will bing you back in.

Your comfort zone is where the nice things happen. Nice things like:

• Posting once a week on social media
• Renewing your expired listing rather than optimising it first
• Making new products that YOU like to make rather than what your target market wants

When we try things outside of our comfort zone, it can go wrong because it's new to us. Then you immediately want to go back into your comfort zone, and think "I'm just going to do what I know how to, because that's safe for me".

This mindset is a BIG NO, NO. If you work with me, you'll know I like to help you push your boundaries and get you out of your comfort zone.

That doesn't mean I'm going to get all of the introverts to do a weekly Facebook live Q&A session, but I just want you to expand your comfort zone so that those tasks outside of your comfort zone become normal things to do.

Remember, we are not born knowing how to run a business well, we have to learn and invest money into learning in order to be successful. 

BOSS! Do you want to make more sales on Etsy? Then you need to increase your conversion rate! DON'T PANIC! I'm going to explain exactly how to do that in my FREE 90 minute masterclass - The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate 🙌🏻

Click the button below and save your seat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sign me up!

 

FOUR: THE 'SHOULDS'

It can be very overwhelming when we're starting out, and you can quickly get bogged down by the 'shoulds'. 

Loved ones or coaches are great at saying we SHOULD be doing this, or that in our business, and I'm sure you've had experience of this before. It looks something like this:

• You should have 100 products
• You should be driving more traffic
• You should NOT change your titles and tags
• You shouldn't copy your listings.

When you hear all of these shoulds, it's easy to forget WHY you're in business in the first place.

When you start to run a business, or go self employed, or work from home, not only are you taking control of your financial future which is fantastic thing and an immense journey of self discovery, but your start to discover people in your life who don't have your best interests at heart.

It's so important to connect with the reason WHY you started that business, and listen to your gut feeling.

I'm a handmade business coach, and if one thing that I teach or say doesn't resonate with you that is FINE. I'm not going to be should'ing you into doing something you don't want to do. Instead, I'll give you my experience, and the mistakes that I've made so you don't make them in your business. 

We need to get rid of the shoulds, and connect with your why you started your business in the first place.

It affects income more than you think it will, and if you're sat there thinking "yeah Steph it's mindset, it's not going to make me money". No it really honestly is.

If you don't part with your shoulds, you will be held back and you wont reach your full potential. 

All 400 shops I've worked with could very easily be 6 figure shops. They have the ability and capability to be able to reach those heights, but they don't because they're held back by all of these shoulds.

 

FIVE: SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME

Shiny object syndrome is for those who get distracted in business. I am so guilty of this myself!

You know you should be:

• marketing
• driving more traffic
• increasing your conversion rate
• tidying up your Etsy shop
• sorting your brand out

But, instead you think "oooo I'm going to start making wallets or add shoes, or start to make soap, or start to make other things and everything is ok because I'm distracting myself from the real problem"

Shiny Object Syndrome is a real problem especially for new business owners, and it's important to realise when you're doing it, and stop yourself.

Ask yourself 'is this going to help me move forward in my business, or am I suffering from SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome)?' If it's the latter, you need to go back to what is going to move you forward and towards your goals in your business. 
 

So there we have the top 5 biggest mistakes that Etsy sellers make.

If you have all 5 of the above mistakes together, you'll never reach 6 figures. You may not want to reach 6 figures, you may just want to make an extra £1000 a month with your shop which is fine, but you're never going to get there if you keep getting held back by these 5 things. 

if you are looking for a community that is going to call you out on your BS (in a nice way!), then you need to join my Facebook group. You'll get the low down and speak to other 6 figure handmade business owners, go and join that group HERE

And if you'd like to watch me chat about this blog post on YouTube, then you can watch it HERE

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Don't forget to check out more blog posts from Handmade Bosses, and follow us on social media!

> Instagram is where you need to be for top tips, and behind the scenes sneak peeks into how I run my 6 figure business.

> Join THE most supportive Etsy Facebook group there ever was, and connect with motivated, like-minded people.

> We're still very new to Twitter, but we'd love it if you you could join us over there while we learn the ropes.

> YouTube is the place to be for hundreds of super informative videos, packed full of actionable advice. 

> If you're ready to increase your conversion rate on Etsy (NEWS FLASH! This is key to increasing your sales!), then check out my FREE 90 minute masterclass - The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> If you plan to launch (or relaunch) an Etsy shop, then Boss, you need a roadmap! I've created one that will ensure your Etsy store is set up to make those sales in no time. Download the '30 Days To A Kick Butt Etsy Shop Launch Plan' here.