Say What?!?!?!

This may come as a big surprise to some people.  It is not something I've openly talked to about, because frankly, until I was sure, I felt it would be bad business to talk about.
Many of you who have been loyal fans to LilacAve know the story.  I started LilacAve after I left my career in Fashion Merchandising, to be with my son who was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism.  For a brief 7 months I did return back to my corporate life, only for us to start a whirlwind 2yrs, where we moved to Hawaii (7 months) to Georgia (16 months), and back to Virginia. During that 2yrs I put everything I had into LilacAve.  My ultimate dream was to make the business into my income.
While pursuing this "dream", our family made a lot of sacrifices financially, and we tried to concentrate our lives on doing things, and not material things.  We tried to really concentrate on what we REALLY need versus what we wanted.  It was almost like a recovery from the fast paced, buy everything we need, and don't need world before the economy crashed.
At the beginning of this year, I felt like we really had "made it".  I was earning some pretty big increases over previous years, and as exciting as that was....it was also exhausting. If you saw my blog back in June (My Reality of Owning a Micro Business), you saw that I was starting to question some things about owning my own business as an income.  What about vacation, what about 401k and retirement, what about growth plateaus?  I was starting to worry about the feasibility of maintaining the perks....working in my PJ's, being home for my kids after school, freedom with my schedule, and still growing to the point that I could pay for my kids college and retire one day.
Then summer came.  Summer Business is like a Texas Summer.  Usually it doesn't rain much.....but this year it was a full out DROUGHT!  My business came crashing to a screeching halt.  And not just slow for summer.......even slower (30-50% down from previous summers). It was heart breaking.  It was exhausting.
Back in about mid August, a series of events and random conversations, led me to start applying for jobs in my old career path.  As I kept interviewing and talking about merchandising theory, balancing inventories, and managing financial plans based on sales, I got excited. I remembered the passion I thought was dead.  The idea of co-workers, a steady income and vacation days, started to feel like a great big hug.
This Monday I got a job offer. I was more giddy and stress free than I've been in quite some time. And the more I thought about what this means for LilacAve, the more I thought, maybe it is time to let her go.

Say What?!?!?!?!

Here's the plan. It will NOT be right away.  I have too much made candles, lotion bars, and lip balms to just close up shop.  And at the moment I am at 1899 Etsy sales.  I propose I will stay open until 2000 sales. 
After that, my Etsy shop will close but my facebook business page will live on. I am hoping after a hiatus, I will start to yearn to make candles, and fabulous spa like products again.  I will want to be adventurous and smell new things, make new things.  I'll miss old things (like Blueberry Cobbler and Wood Wicks).  I will start to make things, and post them for sale via my Facebook page. 

I leave this blog post, thanking my customers for your encouragement, your praise, and being my "work" for over 3yrs.  However, I'm not leaving our friendship, it is just going to evolve.

Much Love,
Deb

P.S. To help me get to my goal and to Thank You..... any time between now and the closing use THANKYOU coupon code and save 25%.
**you cannot use 2 coupon codes coinciding**

This vs That session 2, with MCF

We had a great response to the 1st blog post of this versus that.  I wanted to do another one, again with my folks from Military Circle of Friends.
This vs That is to showcase, that you don't always have to go with the best known names to get the best stuff, sometime handmade is just a better value and a better quality, as well as more unique.

Caramel Pecan Bark from Godiva is $25 for 12oz

Chocolate Pecan Pie from Nicole's Handmade Treats 1lb (16oz) for $18

Personally, I think Nicole's looks better.  I would also bet hers is more fresh, and her customer service more personalized.



Gem Flower Hairclip from Gymboree $6

Pink and White Kanzashi Flower Clip from Hold It $7

I don't think this felt clip from Gymboree holds a candle to this well made, and more substantial hair clip from Hold It. Plus the Hold It shop has countless colored and patterned options.

Brooks Brothers Womens Handkerchief (2) $25

Monogramed Handkerchief from Elegant Monograms is $17

If you are going to use a handkerchief for your big day, or if you just love the old time elegance of it....you are not doing it right, if it isn't beautifully monogrammed, and have a delicate lace edge, like this one from Elegant Monograms. She does a fabulous job of offering a wide variety of monograms and embroidery, to get you the exact sentiment and aura you need for this beautiful accessory.

Jennifer Harruff makes me a Dress

I am 33. Yep. And when I was a tween and a teen, the cool places to shop were Contempo and Wet Seal. My mother hated these places. Loud music and higher prices than JCPenney, where we almost always shopped, since my father worked for the company and we got a discount.
I remember vividly once while shopping for school, it was when the baby doll dresses with tees underneath were the BIG thing (Can we say soooo 90210, people).  I begged my mother to go into Wet Seal and there was a sundress I fell in love with for $49.99.  My mother did not want to buy it (yes Mom, I still remember it to this day). 
Why do I mention this????  Well let's think about that, it was likely 20yrs ago.  I'm much larger than I was then (so more material), and I love things much more unique than what I did back then. And ummmm, I just got a STEAL!
My friend, Jennifer Harruff, just made me a custom dress. All for $48.50 SHIPPED (pricing will vary).  I got to pick the fabrics, and she is making it based on my measurements.  It is something made ESPECIALLY for me.....for a mere $48.50.  

As per last nights blog post of this vs that, all I have to say is handmade rocks, and you usually are going to get something better made, with better service (than Wet Seal for sure), and perfect for you! Look at some handmade options, support a small business owner, BEFORE you go out to the mass market.  You'd be surprised at the value, the charm, and the quality craftsmanship and service that people of our generation have forgotten about to get mass market and convenience that we have been taught is the "fun" and "stylish" way to go from commercialism.  

As a sidenote, Jennifer Harruff is also a member of the Military Circle of Friends Team on Facebook. Check us out to see Lilac Ave, Jennifer Harruff, and many more talented artisans.

Where the 'Magic' Happens

Sounds like an episode of 'Cribs', right?!? Well I'm not an aging rock star and this ain't that type of magic!  This is where I turn coconut oils, beeswax, and soy wax, along with many other things to create the fabulous items of LilacAve.
We finally moved back into our house on Lilac Ave back in mid July.  I had set up shop "sorta" in our smallest room, but last night my daughter decided she wanted the smaller cozier room, and I could have the bigger room.  This room will double as a guest room when we have people, so it does have a full sized bed in it....which I think will likely serve as a dog bed for my assistant, Bear. But the rest of the 12' by 14' room is mine.
What actually worked out well, is I tried to use every excess piece of furniture and repurposing it versus buying bookshelves and 'new' things.  As a military family, we move all the time, and it seems in the past we've always needed to buy and sell things to work in whatever new space we have.  This time not only were finances a constraint, but I was tired of being wasteful. So I thought I would share some of the ways this space was repurposed.

• The green folding rack was originally bought as an easy fold and go display for craft shows.  In its off season I used it for its intended use as a plant stand. Here it works great at holding my fragrance oils, microwave and soy wax.  I *would have* likely bought a microwave cart for this.  So using this plant stand instead actually saved me $50-150

• This white bookcase we have used for actually several moves.  It was a black color, but I love it in this white color.  It will be holding all my finished product. Saved me $75-100 (granted this wasn't a repurpose, just a reuse).
• The table is actually my utility table for craft shows.  Underneath it is all my packing materials, and on top will be my actual work space for setting candles, soaps, etc.
• Here is a sewing station.  The white cabinet we inherited from our renters.  They left this over the toilet cabinet in our master bath.  Instead of ditching it to the curb, I thought I could use it for extra storage.  I am thinking during Craft show season, I will have my husband saw off the legs, and I will use it as a table top display.  This saved me $50. Right now it holds my boxes I use for tarts, tealights, and soaps. The folding table was also painted white from black.  I bought it from TJ Maxx about 4 yrs ago, and let me tell you, there is nothing as versatile as a large folding table.  It has been everything from a TV stand, craft table display, computer desk and more.

• Inside the closet I have little closetmaid shelves that were bought for a craft show set up that didn't work so well.  They've also been used for toy bin storage for my kids, and closet organizers.  Right now they are working fantastic as my glass storage.  I sure am glad we lugged these around and even kept them when we were not using them.  They are $15/ea, so these 4 would've costed $60-$80 brand new.

So the good news is, the less money I spend on my office, the more money I can spend bringing new products to you! 
And even though this room was originally supposed to be my daughter's....I'm kind of diggin her 'Cozumel' Teal choice for the walls....I feel so exotic in there!

Lessons Learned from Summer 2011

I need to make a mental note to look back at this post, come April/May of 2012.  I know that summer is not yet over.  School starts up here 6 weeks from today.  We have been on summer break for 10 weeks now.  So I think I've experienced enough to reflect on some lessons learned in business, life, and summers as a work at home Mom.

1. Business is not fractionally slower, it is DEAD.  I had mistakenly thought, that summer sales would be 33%, maybe 50% less than my sales tend so far for 2011.  This was NOT the case.  I found it is not a % less.  There seems to be a glass ceiling.  For instance, let's say my average sales in 2010 were $500/mo, and in summer went to $330. My business instincts were preparing for, if average sales were $1500/mo, that they would become $1000/mo.  When in reality....they were still $330 (numbers not exact, just explaining a point). So next year, instead of completely stressing out about it, and instead of having multiple failure sales and promos, just ride the wave...accept it will be slow and just "Let it Be".
2. See above.....so instead, the kids are home, let's have FUN!  At the beginning of summer, I had been freaking out hoping I could get the kids into camps, so I could work and keep the momentum going with the business. I pushed camp. Although my son enjoyed Lego Camp ($205), and my daughter loved Horse Camp ($245), they were both stressful.  The driving back and forth, the jealousy's, the MONEY.  Worse yet was me trying to pay for a Mon, Wed, Fri morning daycamp (Mom's day out type thing).  Sounded good, but at $90/week for just 9hrs, and no sales coming in, it was STRESSFUL.  It ended up costing me more than $90/wk, since the registration was $170 (all numbers are for both kids together, so $45/wk and $85/ea registration).  This daycamp lasted 3 weeks before I realized we couldn't afford it, and the kids were not enjoying it.  So in total we spent $890 to camp-ify summer.  And it could've been spent better. How???
3. DO Buy all the memberships you can get your hands on! We bought a membership to the waterpark at Little Creek.  It was $125 for the 3 of us, but would've been $15 a visit to go.  The kids love it there, and it is a fairly relaxing 2hrs whenever we go. We got a membership to the Virginia Aquarium for $150...this one is great for days we need to stay indoors BUT get out of the house. We haven't gotten the chance to buy a membership for the Virginia Zoo yet, but it is $75 for military families.  Also movies on base at Little Creek are $2/person. So with the $890 spent on camps for a total of 5 weeks, we could have gotten A waterpark, aquarium, zoo, and over 5 trips to the movies for just $500 (not to mention the beach is FREE)!!! We can also enjoy our YMCA membership during summer, kids using the interactive zone while I work out and just a swim in their pool...at $88/mo it is a bit...but even adding that in to the $500, we still come out cheaper than the camps.  Plus YMCA offers a free parents night out for members. And since we don't need to worry about business too much (see #1) then we could just sit back and enjoy. The kids will only be kids once!

At the Virginia Aquarium

YMCA Mt. Trashmore

Little Creek Water Park

Beach on Dam Neck military base

5 Tips for Opening an Etsy Shop

Want to open an Etsy shop? Here are 5 tips to get you started. Etsians.....I'd love you to comment on any more tips you have!

#1. At least 30 items, but the more the better. I'm currently at 207, but when the bath line comes out, that may double. Think of it like if you walked into a store, would just a few items likely have exactly what you are looking for? What about if there was a whole table? A whole store?
Keep in mind this is not Ebay, where there is a ton of traffic and easy to sell, at cheap prices.
Having listings is MORE than just on an item of interest, get into your shop, and buy something totally different.

#2. List and/or renew regularly. By regularly, I mean daily. So when you are about to open, if you have 10 items to list, you may want to list 5 right away, and then list 1 item a day after that. Again, it puts you to the top of the search and gives a doorway to your shop.

#3. Photos are SUPER important. Remember you are selling a buying experience, not just the item. Etsy tends to like light colored backgrounds.Taking pictures in a place in your home that gets natural light, on a partly coudy day, is what works best for my camera. Some people need it really sunny, others need to actually go outside, some use a light box. With your camera turn the micro on (the flower sign), flash off, and take the photo. Use photo editing software and mess with the contrast and brightness until you feel it looks fresh. It doesn't cost money to use all 5 of the pics in your listing, so use them all if you like (closeups, side view, art photo).
I don't recommend a dark background, white, bright, or colored is best. Think of what you are selling, and the feel of your shop. Set the stage for that "feel".

#4. Have a facebook or twitter page for your business. Invite your friends and ask them to invite their friends. You can use it as a free prmotional tool when you list something new, want to have a sale, or whatever.


#5. When you can, product branding can help (i.e. avatars, logos, banner), you can still sell without it, but it does set the stage for your shop.

Why Buy Handmade?

to see details about this embroidery stitch or learn more about the movie Handmade Nation, click image.

I have been crafting for "business" for almost 3yrs now. I think I am so far entrenched in Handmade, Etsy, and small businesses that I think EVERYONE sees it like I do. Then I have to stop and remind myself, that not everyone knows what Etsy is, not everyone sees the modern version of handmade. So here are my thoughts.

I'm not saying I never shop at Walmart (although it does make my skin crawl) or that I don't love Target and other mass marketers. there is definitely things there that are not available from online handmade artists (Legos); And I know they rely on the dollars of patrons as well, but there is a huge differences.

#1. As a seller, I know this, and from all the sellers I am friends with, I know this....a sale can make our day. If you decided to go to Walmart and buy a purse, or a hat, or a candle...it probably is just a drop in the bucket. In ways it really would make no difference. There are many many sellers on Etsy (and other handmade venues) that when you buy an item in their shop, they jump up and down, they smile, they scream and shout, they tell all their friends "I MADE A SALE". We celebrate when we hit 100 sales, we celebrate at 500, 600, 1000. Every sale is appreciated. When I buy from a fellow handmade, small business entrepreneur, I'm not just getting an awesome, unique, well crafted item...I get the inner satisfaction of knowing that my buy brought happiness to the seller, and made a difference in their life. And I am not the only one...check out why this blogger loves buying handmade...especially LilacAve ;) http://www.differentshadesofgreen.com/2011/06/things-i-love-lilac-ave.html

BTW, this is not just for online handmade businesses.  Shop Local!!!  We want to support them.

#2. Customer Service. I mean really, these days, even in these hard times, I find decent customer service is hard to find. No one wants to thank you (if they do,l it is a not so sincere, monotone, scripted "Thank you, have a nice day"). Small businesses are obsessed with their businesses and making them work. Their thanks is a sincere "THANK YOU for choosing ME!". Usually their appreciation is shown in little touches of great customer service, like courteous replies, apologies when things go wrong, and the motivation to fix it, little gifts, handwritten notes, careful packaging.

Etsy versus My Own .com

Recently, I had 2 polls on this blog.  One of them pertained to my website www.LilacAve.com. In that poll, about 30% of those answering said they feel more comfortable shopping on Etsy.  I had a hunch this was true. After chatting with a friend of mine, she said maybe I should point out some things, so folks feel more comfortable.

You may wonder why, as fabulous as Etsy is, a shop would want to branch out to their own .com.  Well there are several answers. 

1. Would it surprise you to know, around 9-11% of the sales, at LilacAve go to etsy?  Now don't get me wrong.  I love Etsy and the service they give me is worthwhile, I could never complain about the exposure and traffic they've helped me get....they are why LilacAve is here!  But if I were able to make the same sales through my site, that number would be more like 1-2%.  Granted this is ignorant to paypal or Google checkout fees, which are unavoidable.  I would like to think if there were less fees that money could be reinvested into more products, more research, better promotions, and marketing better.
2. For me, a big reason why I was gung ho, is remember 1000 markets? If not, here is the cliff notes. 1000 Markets was a handmade shopping site, like Etsy, but it was juried.  I think it was a Monday they announced they had sold it, and by Friday the site no longer existed, as it was bought by Bonanza, which is not a handmade site. What is to say one day Etsy is not sold to Ebay?  What if it changes, and drastically affecting my business?  I need to not have all my eggs in one basket. And I don't see Zibbet, Artfire, or any of the zillion others being an advantageous fall back to Etsy. 
3. Control is another biggie.  I know this is true for many of us, starting our own .coms. If you don't know...on Etsy you are limited to 10 categories, and each item can only be in 1 category.  So for instance my "Tart of the Month" listing is under 'Special Listings'...I cannot also put it under 'Tarts'. Or recently I was asked if I could set up my shop by scent.  Not only would I be limited by the 10 categories...but I could not have a Bath Salt under both Categories, 'Bath Salt' and 'Lavender' for instance. Having your own .com can allow you to do these things.  This does not even begin to get into, the control over the look and feel in entirety of your own webpage.

Now here are the things, that I'm thinkin', are why you have the comfort level with Etsy.

1. I think you may feel like Etsy will provide you buyer protection. This is actually not true.  If you have an issue with a seller, Etsy will not step in.  However, if you paid with Paypal...they will! Paypal would also step in if you need protection while buying from a .com and paying with paypal.  So no worries there! 
2. On Etsy you can see the sales number and Feedback. I get this one...I do!  I know I do not have a ticker on my site showing my sales. However, some food for thought may be....websites are not cheap.  I recently spent $200 to get mine set up the way I wanted, and much more if you consider the time I put into it, and the monthly fee.  I wouldn't do this if I wasn't serious about my business. Also websites like Amazon.com, Overstock.com and others don't have sales tickers, yet there is not a physical place to walk into to complain if things go wrong. Small Handmade businesses may not have the mass merchant allure in protection...but I know so many of these sellers, and we are just struggling to get our footing as small businesses.  We want to grow, we want to stand on our own 2 feet one day. And of all the ones I know, we care more about great customer service than these big guys do!  It's personal pride in our work! Not to mention I know a couple folks that actually sell better on their .com than Etsy, so their Etsy numbers are actually deceiving.

Are there other things that hold you back? 
I'm not trying to sway you from buying on Etsy.  I love Etsy, I buy on Etsy all the time. All I'm saying is if you've ever bought from a seller or are a fan on their Facebook page...consider checking out their .com next time around. Take the leap!

Here are some sites of people I know are on Etsy, but also have their own .com:
Lilac Ave
www.LilacAve.com
www.LilacAve.etsy.com
Two Seaside Babes
www.TwoSeasideBabes.com
www.TwoSeasideBabes.etsy.com
DB Designs Jewelry
www.dbdesignsjewelry.com
www.dbdesigned.etsy.com
Geek Details
www.geekdetails.com

My Reality of owning a Micro Business (Small Business)

Lilac Ave was born nearly 3yrs ago. At the time, I needed something for me, beyond Navy wife, mother, housekeeper, cook, financial planner, etc. It was also obvious with all our moves, having a self contained job could be beneficial. It would be a dream to make an income out of LilacAve.

Well here we are almost 3yrs later, and LilacAve has exceeded my expectations, and continues to grow. It is exciting and still brings on the happy dances when sales are good. However, the other side of the coin is exhaustion and hard work. However, I suppose this fits into the "hurts so good" category...because I love being busy. I cannot explain the pride you have from building a business, LITERALLY by hand.
LilacAve was born when we lived on Lilac Ave in Virginia. We returned to Virginia just a few weeks ago. I still have lots of friends in the Hampton Roads area....and many ask "Will you return to your old job?". I usually respond that I cannot imagine leaving my business, I have to see how the story ends.
However, I thought the following thought processes could be interesting for those looking to have their own blossoming business, or for people curious about what goes into a handmade business. It comes to mind because I have thought about...."Would I want to return to a corporate environment again?". These questions came to mind, after I've established I am a business, and now what? What's the outlook not just next year, but in 10yrs, 20yrs.

So here it goes, from my point of view...the good, the bad, the ugly:
The great stuff!!

• I LOVE being able to be creative. And I don't just mean, making things pretty. I mean molding a business. Needing to think of how to keep the bar going up, to add new things, to keep the momentum going. And guess what??? I can try any, all, some, none of my ideas. They don't need approval, they don't have to succeed.
• I love having a flexible schedule. I can meet a friend for lunch, volunteer to chaperone a kids field trip, take them to the Doctor, and no one to worry about being mad, if I need to call in sick if my kid is sick. I remember honestly asking myself when I worked in an office, "Is he/shesick 'enough'?"...and then the guilt of asking myself that question would kick in.
• I get to work in my pajamas. 'Nuff said.

The not so good.

• I work EVERY single day. Granted this is my choice. There are some days I work more than others. However there is not one day, I am not answering emails, promoting, working on orders, etc. I can say, I probably work more hours than I did working full time, and there is no paid vacation. It is hard work.
• I miss having co-workers. It was always nice to have daily adult conversation at lunch every day, friendships, and of course someone to help when the workload is heavy. Luckily, I may have some volunteers soon that can help me with some aspects of my business during super busy times (bring it on holiday, we'll be ready....bring it on!!!!!)
• I do miss having a steady paycheck, no matter what. Yes, sometimes business exceeds my goal; but it is definitely not a consistent thing. Some weeks can be slammed, and others not. Sometimes I can change absolutely nothing in how I'm doing business, and there are no sales....even though I am promoting, even if i have a sale, even if I am giving away stuff. There is just no real control over how much or how little business, I get. All you can do is do what you can, and hope there is a follow through.
• No matching 401K at LilacAve. Luckily, our medical is covered by my husbands military career. However, I wonder, if this business becomes my forever job....how long will I be doing it? Will I still be doing it 20yrs from now? 30yrs? When can I retire? Will i be contributing retirement pay for my husband and I? I can honestly say, all this was taken care of by my corporate career.

soybeans dreaming....weird that they don't dream of being a soy candle?!

I don't say this because I in any way, don't want to have my own business. I LOVE it. I love it like it is part of me. It IS part of me! I just say it, as there are things to think about. Truths about having a long term business, and the questions and thoughts that it may trigger.
I'm fully commited to figuring out some answers to the cons, but well knowing as business progresses, more questions will arise....but I plan to have the fortitude to surpass.

Etsy Lessons for a Newbie (REVISED)

I wrote this over a year ago. I know that there was a good response to it, and thought I would update it and repost...just in case there are any new Etsians, trying to get their start.
First of all what is an Etsian? Etsian (et-c-ann): 1) an artisan (crafter) who has located the handmade site Etsy, and has grown obsessed with it. 2) an artisan (crafter) who has become intwined in a community of artisans (crafters) on www.etsy.com. 3) an artisan (crafter) who may at times get frustrated with getting their shop or business noticed on www.etsy.com .

Well, I started my first etsy shop, BubbaRye, on Etsy Feb 19th, 2008 (although my stats says earlier, this is when I became active). That shop closed in 2009 with 272 sales.

On July 11th, 2008, I officially opened my second shop Lilac Ave, which now has 370 sales. It was 100 times easier to get Lilac Ave up and running, knowing what I learned from opening the Bubba and Rye shop.

I am not claiming to be an expert, or an Etsy hot seller, but I do ok, and there are things I have found that worked. Here are those tips:

1. Your photos are so hugely important!!!!

I went to the critique section in the forums many times over and kept being told my photos were too dark. I tried EVERYTHING!!!! Finally these things ended up being the key for me:

- use the macro setting on your camera if your items are smaller It is the tulip shaped button on your camera.

- take your photos in natural light or in a light box. I do not mean in direct full sun, this will make a glare, and huge shadows. Try different places around your house until you find your sweet spot. However a light box can do wonders, and I recommend that for jewelry photos. Instructions to make one are available through and online search.

- If you don't have Adobe photoshop for photo editing, Picasa is a god send! Go to google and search for picasa. It is a free photo editing program by google and can make a fantastic difference. Maker sure to crop, and give "I'm feeling lucky" a whirl. You'll see a major difference.

2. Scream it from the rooftops!

Send out a Grand Opening email to everyone you know! Most will be very supportive, and even if they don't buy from you, they can talk about you to other people. Even their sheer knowledge that Etsy exists, can be a help. There is not a person, place, animal, rock, that I haven't talked to about Etsy. You'll find as the obsession grows this is a very easy task, and someone may tell you to shut it at some point.

I also make sure EVERY site I go onto has my shop in my signature, and EVERY email that goes out. You'd be surprised how many people click.

3. Be part of the Etsy Community.

Go to www.etsy.com , then go to community, and there are our forums, where so many questions can be answered and info by experienced sellers read. There is also a teams section. There may be a team for you. I am part of the Etsy Homefront Team, which is for military spouses. Not only are these teams a great support, but also help you attack promotion as a team, rather than by yourself. Together you can create treasuries to get noticed. Alot of times you team will help promote you too. This helps a lot since they may have a totally differnet pool of people to promote to.

4. Get your product seen.

This is best done by listing or renewing daily. This helps get your items to the top of the search category and getting new eyes on your product daily. I see it as an invitation to your shop. Having a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account, can also help you gear attention to new listings, sales, etc.

You also want to study your views and hearts. The most awesome tool is Majaba...Mah-who-ba? www.majaba.org (aka as Craftcult). It is a website to help you track views on items, to see how much your views increased after promoting.

In addition, there is also Google analytics. Look at "web analytics" on the left hand side of your shop page.

It's important to use these to see what is working. Is that ad you put on a website bringing in traffic. Did someone blog about you, and that is bringing traffic? Is your SEO bringing in views from google searches. Is renewing and promoting giving you a view bump?

As a sidenote...you can go to http://www.socialmention.com/ to see if anyone has blogged or talked about your shop in a social network.

Also if at some point you decide to promote via sale, try Saturday Night Specials...also known as SNS. This is a group of Etsians that promote in the promo section. Imagine 20-100 people all promoting the same promo thread. It is a good way to kind of have strength in number to help people find your sale. Here is info on SNS:

You can find the Frequently Asked Questions here

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6305201

And you can read more info in the Storque http://etsy.com/storque/section/thisHandmadeLife/article/etsy-community-projects-saturday-night-specials/1112/

5. The more the merrier.

In both shops business increased after I had more than 30 items in the shop. Even better after 50 items. Even better after 100 items! Why? Because your customers have choices. They feel like they are shopping and are sure about their purchase when they check out. I know this sounds unimportant, but it really does matter, it somehow gives the perception of established, professional business. Imagine if you walked into a boutique and there were 10 items for sale, how likely are you to buy, versus if you had 100 choices?

6. Get in touch Locally!

See if there are any craft shows in the area. Any shops that sell consignment or wholesale. Maybe even get a group of friends and their friends together for a home show. It's worth a try. Some of these work well and some don't, but no matter what, you are meeting people, learning, and making local connections.

I used to not heed this so much. But I was lucky enough to really get out there last year, and found that local business can attribute to 30% of my business. That's worth a try, isn't it?

All this info is for you to take in and digest, and spit back out the right formula for your shop. These are the things that have helped me, and will hopefully help in your Etsy business as well.