Etsy Seller Interview with Tabitha of tabithaemma

How tabithaemma 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?

I started on Etsy in 2007. I had recently graduated from fashion school and was trying to find a full-time job. My mom saw someone mention Etsy in a blog, and she told me about it. It sounded like the perfect opportunity, as I always wanted to start my own business. Etsy made it so easy to get started. I started out selling handmade bags, then moved into art, and then began selling digital downloads as well. As I got into graphic design and doing freelance design work, I started to focus less on Etsy. But then I revived my shop again after discovering how to create templates in Canva and began selling Canva templates.

Favorite items

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

I love the webinar slides; they sell really well and have also resulted in client work helping out the course creators. I am currently working on a course myself, so they have been really useful. I think they are popular, as more people are creating courses, but slide design can be really time-consuming, and as a course creator myself, I know what people need.

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 started making sales within a few days. The biggest thing is making quality products that people want and then using good SEO. Beyond that, I have always driven some extra traffic through blogging, Pinterest, Instagram, and my newsletter.

Managing tabithaemma

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?

Yes, just me! I keep things pretty simple. I use Canva to create my templates, Adobe Illustrator to design listing images, InDesign to create the download link and instruction pdf, and I store non-Canva files in Dropbox.

The future of tabithaemma

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

I want to get more listings in the shop to offer a really wide range of templates to cover all the needs of a business owner. I’d also like to work on some support products like my social media planner, with more planners and guides to help people who are using my templates with the strategy and planning side of things.

Advice for new sellers

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

Do a lot of research in the beginning; see what else is out there and how you can set yourself apart. Then find a community to support you and guide you through your journey. The Etsy forums and fellow bloggers were a huge encouragement for me in the early days of my shop. These days, there are so many communities and groups, both paid and free, where you can make connections, learn, and be encouraged.