Why I closed one of my Etsy shops 🙈

About this video

Kate explains why she closed her second Etsy shop. She started selling on Etsy in 2015 and grew her main shop to multiple six figures, and in 2020 opened a second shop selling leather jewelry (bracelets and earrings) in a saturated niche, quickly averaging $400 to $500 in sales per month. She credits applying lessons from shop one from day one: validated product research and keyword research plugged into title, tags, description, categories and attributes, thinking like the customer (’leather’ not ‘veg tan’); trend research (skinny bracelets in brown, tan, natural and aqua blue, aged brass hardware, two font styles, popular inspirational sayings); smart variations limited to color and size; wholesale sourcing instead of retail stores like Hobby Lobby or Walmart to price competitively; professional branded packaging; quality photos from a hired photographer friend plus friends modelling; external promotion on Facebook and Instagram, launch and giveaway events, local community outreach including bracelets for local healthcare workers in 2020 and a brand ambassador program; pivoting on customer requests, learning to offer handwriting bracelets; and reinvesting profit, upgrading from a desktop Dremel laser to a huge Boss laser. She closed it because she also started a YouTube channel in 2020 that grew quickly; split focus meant nothing was done well. Rather than hire and manage a second team, she re-prioritized to YouTube plus her main shop. She teaches the system in a free 60-minute master class based on her five pillar formula at etsymasterclass.com.

Key takeaways

• Validate first: confirm similar listings sell consistently, then use searched phrases in title, tags, description, categories and attributes
• Limit variations to what is trending — in her shop, 4 colors (brown, tan, natural, aqua blue) and size, not 20 options
• Source wholesale from day one so you can price competitively and still keep margin
• Drive your own traffic with social promotion, giveaways, local outreach and brand ambassadors, and pivot products from customer requests
• Closing can be a capacity decision: she chose focus (YouTube + main shop) over hiring teams for every venture

Episode details: published July 11, 2023 · 14:26 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Kate Hayes’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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