Etsy Seller Interview with Michaela of MichaelaShaileneArt

How MichaelaShaileneArt 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 Michaela, and I am the owner of Michaela Shailene LLC. My pronouns are she/her, and I'm proudly part of both the LBGTQA+ and the neurodivergent communities. The products I make here at Michaela Shailene LLC aren't necessarily for everyone. I like to say that my products truly only appeal to the bossiest of babes, and that's how it's supposed to be. You will see products that support curse words, my political beliefs, human rights, equality, and positive affirmations for anyone who needs a little reminder. We are truly an inclusive brand.

I have loved art since I was a child. I remember coloring with my mom’s best friend and being so inspired by how well she colored within the lines. My grandma has always been an artist, and I also looked up to her as a child. I took as many art classes as possible throughout middle and high school. I discovered my love for digital art during the COVID-19 lockdown at the beginning of 2020. Shortly after, I decided to start my Etsy page. I fell in love with the idea of making my art into vinyl stickers. The fact that my customers could stick my art to anything they wanted and have a constant burst of happiness makes me so happy. At first, I was just hoping to share my art with a larger audience. Now, I am completely in love with the interaction between my customers, myself, and my art. In the winter of 2020, I graduated college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and at that point, I decided to follow my dream of making art for income.

After graduation, I started taking Etsy a lot more seriously and looking into ways to make an actual income off of my artwork. College prepared me with a lot of tools for both creating and sharing art with the public. I found and tried out a couple of different wholesale sticker makers until I settled on one that had everything I wanted in a sticker. The quality of the print, thickness of the sticker, matteness, and waterproof abilities were all things I was looking for. I then focused on my branding and making everything cohesive. Although this took a while for me to master, my branding is something I take a lot of pride in and get compliments on often. From this point, I was able to branch out to other products and start sharing my art at local art festivals.

We are now over 2 years into selling on Etsy. I also sell in local shops and at festivals. I sold to all 50 states in my first year. Just on Etsy, I made over 500 sales in my first year, 650 in my second year, and 430 so far this year. I have also recently branched out to sell wholesale on Faire. I’ve had some success on that platform as well! Wholesale orders are much larger, which is convenient.

Favorite items

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

I feel like this changes all the time for me! I tend to make stickers about topics that I am currently interested in or especially passionate about.

Right now, some of my favorites involve reading and/or books, because reading is my current hyperfixation.

During the pandemic, huge human rights protests, and election, a lot of my stickers involved human rights and politics. I was especially passionate about those topics around that time. When Roe v. Wade was banned in many states, I took to creating stickers to express my feelings about that.

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, so I’ve recently created stickers related to that and neurodivergence. I really love creating stickers involving things I’m passionate about and currently experiencing because I hope others see the stickers and feel seen. Nothing is better than feeling seen when you’re personally dealing with deep emotions regarding politics, human rights, mental health, etc.

I also think it’s important for others to know where you stand on certain topics. I’m one to stick these stickers to every single one of my belongings, not even to advertise my business, but more so to advertise my beliefs. Especially when it comes to human rights. If someone doesn’t support basic human rights, these stickers are a conversation starter. Make people uncomfortable. Bring it up. Talk about it.

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 my first customer the same day I launched my shop. I advertised the launch of my shop on social media, so sales came rather quickly. Currently, I have SEO and Etsy ads doing a lot of the work for me. When I post on social media regularly, that drives a lot of customers to my shop. I honestly have been bad about that recently, though... A lot of sales are word-of-mouth. 730+ positive reviews definitely encourage people to purchase. I run sales multiple times a year that attract customers.

Managing MichaelaShaileneArt

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?

Currently, it's just me! When I attend art fairs, I usually bring my fiance and best friend. It’s kind of funny, actually, because I still work a full-time job as well. Many of my sales come from Etsy, but like I said earlier, I also sell wholesale on Faire and to local shops, and I attend art fairs. Those tend to take up even more time than Etsy does. Then you have to account for the time it takes to actually make new designs: ordering stickers and shipping supplies, accounting, answering messages, et cetera. I am also trying to make my own website. Needless to say, I’m a busy woman!

The only apps and websites I use to sell and ship our Etsy and Faire. Whenever my website is up and running, there will be more. As for shipping, I have my own office in my apartment. I have copious amounts of stickers on hand. I just set aside time every day or every couple of days to pack orders. My planner is my best friend!

The future of MichaelaShaileneArt

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

I hope to get my own website up and running soon. I hope to be more consistent on social media. I also want to put more time into Etsy. I have been focusing more on local sales. It would be cool to hit 3,000 sales by the end of 2023.

Advice for new sellers

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

Add new products every single week! I have been bad about this lately, but I swear that is what helped right when I started. I heard somewhere that once you get to 50 products, you are more likely to show up in searches. I don’t know if this is true, but I worked super hard to get to 50 products, and it worked for me. Also, research SEO and tags. I don’t think I’m a great one to ask about this, because I’m still learning and improving. There are lots of YouTube videos explaining it though! Use social media! You don’t need 1 million followers. You could have 300 genuine followers that you have made a connection with, and they could purchase more than 1 million fake followers ever would. Last bit of advice: DON'T GIVE UP.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: It truly depends on the time of year. With all the places I sell combined, it could range anywhere from $350-$5000 a month. In the winter, I tend to be on the lower end, and in the summer, I am almost always on the higher end.

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 62% on Etsy. The wholesale orders % is much higher.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 4.3%