How yourethatgirldesigns 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 shop is You’re That Girl Designs, and I primarily sell printed party goods with a little bit of gifting and home decor thrown in. I began in 2010 creating hand-painted signs with patterns and hand-lettered text after seeing one given as a gift for a bridal shower. I taught myself how to create logos and promotional materials to brand my shop since I couldn’t afford a graphic designer. I ended up enjoying it so much that I began creating save-the-date wedding magnets, which eventually snowballed into more party goods.

Favorite items

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

I think my favourite thing to sell would be koozies or can coolers. I love working with someone’s style, vision, and theme to create something personalised, and there’s nothing like getting to see that printed out as a finished product. Even after everything, I still get a little rush from it. I also try to incorporate hand-drawn elements in my designs whenever I can because it adds something playful and unique. My bestseller would probably be my no soliciting sign, which is also a favourite of mine. I think it sells well because it offers something a little more fun for your front porch than most standard no-sueding signs.

Mountains wedding koozie with hand-lettered text
Let love brew koozie with hand-lettered text
Fall wedding koozie with custom-drawn artwork
No Soliciting Metal Outdoor Door Sign, calligraphy signs, no soliciting signs

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 to do a quick sales search to answer this since it’s been over 13 years! I came up with the idea on February 22nd, spent about a month researching on Etsy for similar products to see how I could make mine stand out, opened my shop in early April 2010, and made my first sale a few weeks later. About a year later, I started branching out into graphic design, and I’d say everything really started to take off for the graphic design side of it in the fall of 2013.

I have a different approach than most when it comes to attracting sales. I haven’t had great success with social media because I just don’t have the knack for it. I have had great results using Etsy’s built-in traffic, advertising, and tracking tools to my advantage. My husband and I have researched and tested out tonnes of keywords and search terms. We try to find out what people are looking for and how I can tailor my designs to fit their needs.

Managing yourethatgirldesigns

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 terms of running the shop, it’s just me doing the designing and day-to-day tasks. My husband does most of the business management like taxes, advertising, and sales tracking as a favour because I don’t have the patience for it. I’d much rather be creating something or working with customers. We use the Etsy app mostly for messages and communication because a quick response can come down to making a sale or losing a sale. I do still print some items in-house, but I have mostly moved to production partners, which not only helped me scale up but also helped me focus more on designs, correspondence, and customer service.

The future of yourethatgirldesigns

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

We started our family and had 2 kids in the last 5 years, so with that came a little bit of a lull on growing the business and putting all of our energy into sustaining the business we do have. I plan to expand into offering more styles of printed party goods once things settle down for us and our kids get a little more independent. I have a crazy dream of running my own screen printing shop. It’s overwhelming when it comes down to logistics, but it’s something I would love to make happen eventually.

Advice for new sellers

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

Etsy has gotten pretty saturated in the last decade, so research the site to find ways to make your items stand out from the rest. This will also help you get an idea of how to price your items. Also, photos! If you can, invest in a professional photographer who’s familiar with product photography when you’re first starting out. It’s an easy way to create a brand and elevate your products so they stand out.