How KBMarkers got started
Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?
KB Markers X-ray Markers was started by Kellie and Brooke, a daughter and mother team. Our family-owned small business was started because there is a need for more personalized x-ray markers in the radiologic technology field. Technologists use these x-ray markers to label their x-ray images.
Kellie, working in a level one trauma center as a Certified Radiologic Technologist and CT Technologist, gave us the opportunity to show off our custom-made x-ray markers. Patients and co-workers noticed the impressive style and really enjoyed it. These conversations are what helped us decide to create a business to share our creative work with the world.
We design all our x-ray markers. They are hand made for each customer using the best products we can find. Many of our design ideas were a collaboration of design ideas from other rad techs and friends. As creatives, this business is a good outlet for our artistic energy to flow.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
One of our favorite items listed in our shop is the custom photo x-ray markers. These are unique because the customer can send us their personal pictures, which are then embedded in the x-ray markers. We receive photos of babies, puppies, and farm animals. We love learning the different stories behind each of these photos and what makes them so special for the buyer.
Another one of our favorites has to be our BB X-Ray Markers. These have a special place in our hearts as they took 2 years to design and create. Popular among rad tech students and radiology departments, the translucent blue and red colors add a beautiful twist to your standard x-ray markers.
Getting sales on Etsy
How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?
We would say that our first sales were within a day or two of opening our shop due to the support of my co-workers at the hospital. Everyone was excited to receive their own personalized x-ray markers! Having many traveling rad techs in our radiology department made spreading the news about our creative x-ray marker business effortless. Since then, we've begun to advertise on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Etsy’s SEO and advertising have helped a great deal with the exposure of our business on the internet.
Managing KBMarkers
How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?
In the beginning, it was basically the two of us who ran the business on a daily basis. It was in our business plan to grow, and fortunately for us, we have an engineer in our family. Brooke’s husband is Geoff. His input made our dream of having a positional BB x-ray marker as part of our line possible. In the last several years, with the addition of our BB x-ray markers, our business expanded to the point that we needed additional help. Geoff is currently a substantial part of our team, continuing to work with us on one of our best sellers.
We also use some tools and apps to help us run our business. such as,
Quickbooks Online, bookkeeping and invoicing large orders. We also find this service very helpful at tax time.
Canva is an online graphic design tool for creating social media posts, videos, logos, and more.
Adobe Photoshop is very helpful when we need to edit photos sent to us from our customers as well as edit our photos for advertising.
Our shipping labels are created right through Etsy’s integrated system. We carefully package each order personally using eco-friendly compostable envelopes.
The future of KBMarkers
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
We would like to get to a place in our business where we can have more free time. This would mean adding employees to help with production, shipping, and customer service.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Pay attention to your customers and listen to their feedback. Some feedback can seem negative and listen to their feedback. Some feedback can seem negative, but this is your opportunity to learn and grow. One way would be to respond to unsatisfactory reviews and let the customer know that you care. You are there to help resolve any issues they may have with your products or services.
Take advantage of some of Etsy’s promotions, such as free shipping over $35.00. This can entice customers to purchase more from your shop.
KBMarkers
Custom made X-Ray Markers with Personality
