Etsy Seller Interview with Leah of mamucatstationery

How mamucatstationery 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?

My name is Leah, and I am the owner of Mamu Cat Stationery. I create cute, handmade stickers and stationery for my customers to celebrate their everyday. I design everything myself and take great pride in creating the best quality stationery. Whether it’s in their journal, planner, or crafts, I hope my stickers will cheer them on through their journeys!

I originally opened my shop in 2016 to sell my original watercolor art and drawings. It was more of a hobby, and I didn’t think of turning it into a business. I wasn’t making many sales. But due to school and health issues, I decided to close my shop.

After graduating from school, I was still having health struggles. It was hard for me to stay connected with the people in my life due to my restrictions. So I took up letter-writing and making cards. I had amassed a little collection of stationery for myself over the years, and I finally started to put it to use. I really enjoyed creating collages with stickers and tape.

After a little search on the internet to see if I could find ideas and inspiration, I found the loveliest and most welcoming Happy Mail community. I had my new-found love of decorating envelopes and papers for my friends, and it felt like I was creating art and gifts just for them. I stumbled across a video in all my happy mail musings, and something new was introduced—journaling! I could put my collage skills to the test for just myself in a journal. And I could write about whatever I wanted with it! I could draw, I could paint, I could just write—I could go crazy with my journal. It was a way to put my thoughts and feelings onto paper in a creative way without committing to a full-on painting like previously. Whatever I put on the page was a part of me and who I am. I started a blog, then a YouTube channel, but then I finally found my little corner of the internet on Instagram. I met so many amazing people and friends.

Because of my health issues, I had pretty much stopped drawing and painting for a while. I wanted to get back into what I had stopped. I thought, "Why not make your own stickers?" And I did just that. I started sketching and drawing, which then led to painting... And tada! I made my first sticker sheet! There was, of course, a lot of learning and failing. But I made some sticker sheets that I was satisfied with. Seeing that there was a market for sticker sheets from small artists, I decided to rebrand my shop and reopen.

To this day, I am still designing and making my own stickers to sell! I learned to draw digitally and much prefer that now. I have my "tiny factory" set up in my basement, which includes my computer, printer, and cutting machine. I find creating my own sticker sheets in-house very rewarding, and it gives me such a thrill! Some items I cannot produce at the quality I want or without the proper equipment, so washi tapes, memo pads, and waterproof stickers are outsourced. I was contacted by my manufacturers, or they were friends recommendations.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

My Celestial Sky washi tapes are my favorites. I am very proud of how the designs turned out. There were a few hiccups, but they turned out great in the end! I worked on that collection for a while, and a lot of inspiration came from my childhood. They are very special to me because of that. My Celestial Sky tapes are one of my best-selling washi tapes! I think it’s because a lot of people really love space and sky themes. But the design colors are unique, the drawing is soft and cute, and there are also foil accents!

My second favorite would be my fruit sticker sheets. Fruits are so versatile for any journal spread or planner! I sell mine individually and in bundles, so you can get plenty of stickers to use. These are also one of my bestsellers. What I have heard most from my customers is that they love the selection of fruits. Most sticker sheets have a mix on one sheet, or there are no sticker designs at all for some fruits. I think they really love the availability. And there will be more added to my fruit collection very soon! ;-)

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?

I had built a little community for myself on Instagram. They were very excited and supportive of my shop's rebranding and reopening. Once I officially opened my Etsy shop, I had a friend who placed her first order! I am very grateful for all the support I received that day. Currently, I try to utilize Etsy’s features as much as I can through good tags, great shop presentations, and creating moving descriptions. I also try to promote my shop on social media through the content I create myself, but also with the help of my lovely shop reps!

Managing mamucatstationery

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?

My shop's employees are me, myself, and I haha. My mother does occasionally help me, though. Of course, the tools provided by Etsy are very useful. I use Procreate and Vectornator for drawing. Silhouette Studio along with my Silhouette Cameo 4 Social media for marketing and connecting with customers. For shipping and fulfillment, I use Etsy labels or PirateShip.

The future of mamucatstationery

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

I plan to release more digital items soon. I do have a Kickstarter project planned for May, and hopefully those items will be released on Etsy later as well! I plan to make more handmade items too. I am going to be transitioning to a new job, so I’m kind of riding the wave to see what happens first. Of course, if anyone would like to keep up with my projects and life and get inspiration, they can follow me on Instagram at @mamucatlife!

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

As an Etsy buyer myself, the description is more important to me than the photos. I want to know exactly what I’m buying. If I’m buying a hat, what are the measurements? Is it for a doll or a human? Just saying "Handmade hat and listing the colors isn’t enough. I’ve been discouraged a lot because I couldn’t quite grasp exactly what I was buying.

Make sure to have personal and unique descriptions, but keep it clean and professional too. I have seen a lot of new sellers make their descriptions too short. Descriptions are the second place you have to really sell your item. It is a part of your marketing. So be descriptive, share your story, and answer all the questions your customer could have there. Using keywords from your tags also helps you get found. Make it clear and simple but also effective.