How My Etsy Shop Surpassed 600+ Orders In One Year
This is a follow up story for With Love From T To You. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published over 3 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
My name is Theresa and I am the owner of the Etsy shop WithLoveFromTtoYou and the blog theresahealey.com. On my Etsy, I sell handmade Holiday and seasonal items, Harry Potter-inspired gifts, bookmarks, earrings, and custom gifts. On my blog, theresahealey.com I share allergy-friendly recipes, DIYs, and travel content.
I started my Etsy because as a young child I loved making and selling art, so starting my own online shop was the perfect hobby for me. My blog began as an idea to share allergy-friendly recipes with others, due to my own struggles with food allergies, but quickly took off and has grown into something I never thought possible! I am so blessed by both of these and cannot wait to continue with these businesses in the future.
I started both my Etsy and blog in 2016 and 5 years have grown to become a full-time job. My blog receives around 500 weekly views and brings in a revenue of around $3,000 a month. On my Etsy, I sell around 40-50 new orders a month and make about $150-$250 a week.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to! Has the business been growing?
Since last writing on the Starter Story, my businesses have changed a lot. First, my blog name has changed from diylifestyle.co to theresahealey.com and has also received a complete makeover. I changed its name because for a while now I’ve wanted my blog name to reflect me, hence why it’s now called my name!
As for my Etsy, in 1 year my Etsy has grown and surpassed over 600 orders. This was a goal of mine for a while and I am so grateful for all the support I have received from it. I work so hard on my blog and Etsy to provide my followers with content and new items that they will love and want to share. My Etsy has received over 140 five-star reviews and is recognized as a top place to shop for gifts by Etsy. I ship all these orders on time and provide the best customer service I can to my buyers. For my blog, I try to post regularly and post relevant content that relates to the season and what’s trending.
With the holidays here, I am offering new items on my Etsy and tons of Holiday content on my blog to help you and your family prepare for the jolliest time of year. My Etsy is a top place to shop for all your handmade and custom gifting desires and my blog is the perfect site to find new gluten-free and vegan recipes as well as helpful cooking and hosting hacks!
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the last year is to take a break. Both my blog and Etsy have grown immensely and at times I’ve been overwhelmed, especially as a full-time college student. So breaks are a must. For 2 weeks over the summer I put a brief hold on my Etsy and blog and didn’t even go onto social media. It’s important to take a break because something that you started as a fun hobby can quickly become something you don’t like. Even if it’s just for a few days, take some time to relax and regroup, then when you come back you will be fresh and renewed.
If you don’t see your site getting the views you want right away, that’s okay, don’t get frustrated.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
My 5-year plan for my Etsy and blog is to just be consistent with my posting and shipping and provide the best content I can to my followers/customers. My goal is to keep my 5-star rating on my Etsy and to expand my blog to work with more food companies and fellow bloggers. I would ideally like to have 5 more partnerships before the end of the year as well as 2-3 new sponsored posts from food companies before 2022.
On my Etsy, I am introducing a new line of bookmarks and earrings for the winter season which will be launching very soon. I have also just added free shipping for orders totaling over $35! I am also running sales every month so be sure to look out for them so you can snag some of your favorite goodies at a discounted price!
On my blog for the Holiday season, I will be partaking in blogmas, which is blogging every day of December up till Christmas, so 25 days! I will also be hosting giveaways for the Holiday season as well as sharing lots of content to help you prepare for Christmas and Thanksgiving! In addition, I have teamed up with several fellow bloggers and companies to create content for the Holidays as well as for early January/ February! So, be sure to follow my blog theresahealey.com by clicking the subscribe button in the menu! You don’t want to miss any of these awesome posts and giveaways.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
My biggest advice to entrepreneurs who are struggling is to not give up. Give it a few months of an “all in” work approach. Here are some of my favorite tips that will help you.
- Did you share your new content/ products on social media? Sharing your new content to social media will greatly improve your views/buys. Use hashtags and short sentences to give a brief description of what your new content is and then provide a direct link to it.
- Have you posted at least 3 times this week? Posting consistently is a MUST! If you’re not regularly sharing new content to your feed then people will not be seeing your content and become familiar with it. For a new time blogger, I recommend a minimum of 2 times a week.
- Is your site user-friendly? Does your site take a while to load? If you answered yes to this then this can be a major problem. The longer your site takes the load, the more likely people are to click off it and try a different website. Fast loading times = happy customers!
- Share relatable content. If your content isn’t receiving good reviews or views then maybe you need to reevaluate and try something different. It’s a lot of trial and error, especially in the beginning so don’t get frustrated by this part.
- Google fellow bloggers/crafters, see what’s trending online, and read books on the best way to market your items. All this will help you succeed.
- Give it time. The first few months will be the hardest. You’re still getting into the hang of how to post or ship your items, market, write posts…. and it can be a lot. So, take your time. If you don’t see your site getting the views you want right away, that’s okay, don’t get frustrated.
These are a few of my favorite tips I have created that I hope will help you succeed as an entrepreneur!
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
Currently, I am not looking to hire for my business but I am looking for feedback. I appreciate constructive criticism/feedback on what you think may improve my site, new items you’d like to see on my Etsy, and anything else you want to share. Feel free to email me at [email protected] or through the contact form on my blog theresahealey.com, located in the menu section.
Where can we go to learn more?
- To learn more about my blog
- To visit my Etsy to shop handmade gifts
- You can also follow me on Instagram @gluten.free.t and @withlovefromttoyou
- Or like my Facebook page @tchealey
For a complete list of all discount codes I have from food companies, links to my other socials-like Pinterest and my mailing list, as well as free food shopping list downloads, plus more, visit the link here.
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below! Thanks for reading.
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
