%20(18).png)
How TheUrbanAcres 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 my first Etsy shop back in 2007, when I was 15. I sold handmade dog sweaters inspired by my then-dog, Lola. It was by no means a "goldmine," but I did get quite a few orders, and the feeling of selling what I personally made was enough to keep me coming back. I had probably three other Etsy shops over the next decade, each with varying degrees of success, until I started selling Punch Needle Kits in 2019. It started casually, but then when my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child, I really turned on the jets in hopes of replacing my teaching salary so I could stay home. It was a lot of hard work, but I did it, and what a blessing that was to our family!
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
I love selling my "Begin To" Punch Needle Kits. These are bite-sized punch needle projects that teach people the basics while also providing everything they need to learn the craft. They are cute, fun, and high-quality, and I have hundreds of 5-star reviews on them. I actually don’t sell them on Etsy anymore as I have transitioned to my own website, but I still sell digital punch needle patterns which I love just as much.
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?
My first sale came pretty quickly after I posted my first kits, thanks to social media. Those first few sales were mostly from people I knew, which I was thankful for, but I quickly realised I needed to move beyond my personal circle if I wanted to sustain my business. Social media has been a huge boost for me, and I go through seasons of focusing more on Instagram than TikTok. Email lists have also been great. Currently, I drive zero traffic to Etsy, as I sell primarily on my own website.
Managing TheUrbanAcres
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?
For the first three years of running my shop, it was primarily me. I started in my home office and also commandeered our dining table when things got really hectic. In 2021, I had a small office space outside of our home where a hired assistant was able to prep and ship things. What a blessing that was while I had two small children at home. We moved back to my garage last July for a brief time, and now I have a fulfilment company about 30 minutes away that handles all my shipping. That has been a game changer to not have my hands on every order.
The future of TheUrbanAcres
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
This is different for me because I really have transitioned away from Etsy at this current stage, but my goal now is to sell only digital products that will hopefully convert to website sales in the future.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Keep trying things! One of my top-selling products, which grossed me over $30,000, didn’t sell at all in the first two weeks. I was thinking maybe I had made a huge mistake with that product, but I just had to give it time. I think in our instantaneous world, we expect to post something and for it to immediately sell out, but that’s not how things work. It’s your resilience during those waiting times that will make all the difference.
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: In my Etsy prime it was $10k - $15k
Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 75%
Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 8%
