Remember that song?
There are many enterprises in this world, but in the world of handmade, nothing could be truer. Some folks shear the sheep, spin the wool, and knit the sweater! Talk about coming from the heart!
Timothy Adam has published an interesting list on Handmadeology
Find the TOP 1,000 HANDMADE SELLERS at ETSY here These are all sellers who are making it on Etsy, making a difference in their artistic communities, and doing it the handmade way.
How can this list help you? You might not even be a seller at Etsy. You might have your own stand-alone, or be at another venue. Maybe you don't sell online at all.
Or even if you DO sell at Etsy, how can taking time to wade through this list and perusing the links help **you** to realize your dream of making enough to support yourself via your art---so you can quit your day job?
EASY. Hey, it's working for THEM! Chances are great that you'll see a common thread...and you'll make it work for YOU.
These are indeed, rough times.
Sometimes, it seems everyone is trying the handmade field. There's a ton of repurposing going on, some good, some not so good. You see great work, and then....great work priced too cheaply. You also see alot of the same thing over and over, the same components used in similar ways, again and again. And, sadly, there really is a bit too much blatant copying.
On top of that, while handmade enthusiasts may expect to pay more for handmade than an imported item, they are still looking for a deal. How can you compete with folks who price their work at cost, as hobbyists? How can you make things that will really sell, are still quality.... and don't break the bank?
How can you really compete in such a large handmade marketplace?
I have some ideas about that! Wanna pull up a chair?
1. KNOW THE TRENDS.
Don't sit in your workspace, day in and day out, simply amusing yourself, making the things YOU like to make. It's about what your customer wants...and what's going on out there BEYOND your cubicle. There's something new all the time. Do you know what's new and trending?
CASE IN POINT: For years, I've had people beg me to bring this or that thing into stock at B'sue Boutiques. Realisticly, I can't carry everything in the world, I am a very small business.
But.... if it's a component that we can stock again and is practical to stock, then it's important for me to take into account what people want, even if I personally see no great use for the item. Hey....they might be doing me a favor! This could be a new trend I've simply missed! So, I'd better LISTEN.
And if a lot of people are asking for the item...sheesh. Maybe I've missed the boat entirely!
When I was making my line in the 90's, and reps were selling it, I HAD to listen to keep them showing my line. If they wanted more cat jewelry, then I needed to make more cat jewelry. If they wanted more teacher jewelry, then we were buying schoolhouse charms galore. What about hair ornaments for hairdressers? Okey dokey. Let's try that. What about a charm bracelet for tea drinkers? Sure, I think I can pull that off.
IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU...if you want this to work. It's about the CUSTOMER, and what the customer wants.
2. CUSTOMER SERVICE.
People complain to me daily about bitter experiences buying online. I have my own bitter experiences, to tell you the truth!
So...how accessible are you to your customers? I know of a number of well-known artist-run companies who have private label lines that are sold wholesale. The products are great, but one thing that dismays me is that you will NEVER get that artist/business owner on the phone. The larger that private label line grows, the more impersonal it gets. Sigh.
I'll be honest: it does take a lot out of you to develop, grow and keep a business going. Just the same, it really makes me feel loyal to a supplier where I'll call and the owner will speak to me, remember me, and doesn't always hand me off to a helper. I've even had outright phone calls from the presidents of some big supply companies just to thank me for my business at the end of a year, and I'm really such a little fish to them. But THEY took time to call ME.
Don't you think that willingness to be accessible is part of the reason why some are so successful? Maybe, even a little part of why after many years, they are still in business?
So...let me ask YOU: Do *you* respond as quickly as possible to emails? How do you handle problems? What if someone is disgruntled? Are you able to accept blame when you need to, even accept blame that is no fault of your own? Can you apologize when an error is made, or do you just summarily fix it, without any hearts and flowers? How willing are you to try and please your customer and make them happy again?
Do you find yourself arguing with your customers?
CASE IN POINT: Time was, I needed some real lessons in people-pleasing. I'm not a hostess by nature....for me, it been a learned skill, based on some good advice, honest counsel, and constant observation.
Once upon a time, I had a very large Ebay business. Ebay makes or breaks sellers; in my case it was 14 years of selling, 10 of which were misery. That's not tales out of school, that's just how it was....for me. Ebay selling is not for the faint of heart and in my chosen profession--jewelry supply and handmade--Ebay selling seemed to attract a lot of folks who didn't read, who were really difficult.....even grossly unkind. Yeah...mean people.
(and let me just say very quickly! I DID meet a LOT of great people. Some may be reading this and met me at Ebay--you know who you are, and I'm grateful for the Ebay experience because without it---I wouldn't know you).
If only everyone was like the wonderful people I met at Ebay. Sadly, as time went out, fewer and fewer were.
I had to learn to try and turn situations around. I HAD to learn to look at things from the customer's standpoint, measure my words even if they did not, and be willing to take it on the chin to save my reputation when necessary. EGAD, did I hate the feedback system at Ebay...but! it was a TEACHER.
One day, my Ebay account representative told me that one of her daily jobs was to remind power-sellers how hard they had worked for their feedback ratings, and how much their business meant to their family's income. Were they truly willing to throw all that away on a customer who was upset? Did it feel THAT GOOD to be unkind in return, thus destroying a business relationship?
It's not that there aren't times you have to stick to your policies and stand your ground....but you have to learn to never rail at the customer or argue with them. If at ALL possible, wouldn't it be better for YOU to try and please that person?
If you want to make it in the handmade marketplace....it's all about your **customer**. That's how you will achieve **your** goals.
3. CULTIVATING RETURN CUSTOMERSHIP.
Handmade is NOT about "take the money and run". That thing there that they've plunked down good moola to buy is something YOU have made with your own two hands. It's a piece of your heart.
Think of it: yes....you just sold a piece of your heart.
So....now your customer is caretaker of a little piece of your heart.
Don't you want to do something to help them to feel special when it arrives? Maybe you should gift wrap the item. How are your packing and shipping skills? Have you done all you can to be sure the item doesn't arrive broken?
Also: what can you do to get that customer to come back? How about a little lagniappe....a little freebie? Do you have a store newsletter? Encourage them to sign up for it, and don't let that newsletter just be a big sell job. Let them get to know YOU a little bit, offer some perks, share.
If you are able to do custom work, be open minded about it. In the business of handmade, if you take custom orders, it's a great way to keep them coming back.
If you are at Etsy and you can do special reserves, etc, go for it. People love that. I didn't set my Etsy up that way, it's a backroom for B'sue Boutiques
When I started at Etsy, my biggest eye-opener was that some Etsians feel that all sellers should do reserves and make special lots or break packages for any who inquire.....even if they know you have the item for sale at another venue, such as a stand-alone where you don't pay commission. Hmmmm.
IF YOU CAN DO THAT: it is **very** cool. If you cannot (and we cannot) is there perhaps something else you can do to make people smile and come back, making up for the fact that you just aren't able to break packages and do special reserve listings?
At Etsy, we have a permanent 10% off discount on orders 50.00 and up (code 10OFF), and our US shipping is free/included. All orders get a little goody bag, too. B'sue Boutiques keeps stock at Etsy fresh by adding new stuff almost every day....and there are always a few loss-leaders sprinkled in for savvy shoppers to jump in, and just have fun.
At our website, we have a big Sale Bin where everything is 20-50% percent off. I throw some of the GOOD STUFF in there all the time, some til sold through, some for a few days. If we don't make so much on those items, it made some people happy and it kept it fresh and fun. YEP.....add new stuff OFTEN, and have a little sale when you can. THEY WILL LOVE IT!
B'sue Boutiques at Etsy
If you simply take the money and run, you've lost a vital connection that means longevity in this business. Putting the customer ahead of yourself in any *possible* way, and always rendering your A game in the customer service part of your business, is never a bad idea.
4. COPYISTS: WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN I GET RIPPED OFF?
Okay. Let's take a deep breath on that one:
Ask yourself first, regarding getting ripped off..... could what's being 'copied' be the logical use of the product you used to make your design?
For example: we sell a 5x2.5mm piece of filigree; I believe we sell it in pretty much all the plating shades we run. Very popular:

Most people who see this piece, think one way: this should be bent and manipulated, and made into a cuff.
So.... a lot of people have done that. They aren't copying each other; it's the logical use of the product.
Where they make it different, is what they personally DO to it.
People decoupage charms, they stamp clay, they paint on brass, they torch fire copper gears, they paint and patina brass findings. Nothing new. Been done a long time. Do you do those things? Do you consider others who do so, copyists, because you do it?
I hardly think so.
If someone rips off your design---or you think they have!** maybe** it's time for you to get a few steps ahead of the crowd and come up with something else. How many of that piece did you really WANT to reproduce? It's so important to always keep moving, creatively. Don't be afraid to show your work. Share with your community.
WHAT GOES ROUND, COMES ROUND. Be the best you can be, and stop worrying about who is looking over your shoulder. Don't let your artistic insecurities get the better of you. It creates a bad vibe around you, and your work.
5. THE BEST WAY TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS......and DRIVE YOUR COMPETITION NUTS! is...
Make your customers love you.
Give until it hurts.
Say yes to everything you possibly can. Don't say yes to things completely outside your comfort zone, beyond your talent and capabilities. Be modest as an artist: if you truly can't, freely admit it. BUT: where it is possible to say yes, try to say yes as much as you can.
If you are able to share a technique with a fellow artist or offer some really savvy advice, please do it! But, you should do it in a humble, gentle way.......... rather than look down your nose at a neophyte.
Don't be jealous of others' successes. They have worked hard, too.
Don't disrespect your competition. They've been banging their heads as well---maybe longer than you have. Develop an attitude of respect, and always have integrity in your work and your business ethics. Worry about what's in front of you, and what YOU can do to make people smile, and let other people worry about what they are doing.
And be sure to SMILE, yourself.
YES, it's NOT about you, it's about the CUSTOMER! if you want this to work. Let it come from your heart!
May you all enjoy success in what you do, and joy in doing it, this year--and for many years to come.