Etsy Seller Interview with Chele of ArchersArrowsByChele

How ArchersArrowsByChele 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?

HI! I’m Chele (it sounds like shell), and I’m the owner and creative director at Archer’s Arrows by Chele/The Boo-tique. I have a love for the sarcastic, fun, colorful, and slightly bizarre. I started my shop in March of 2016 after working as a general manager in corporate wellness when I realized that I was burnt out and not living life to its fullest. I was working my life away doing something I wasn’t totally in love with. I did love helping people, but I didn’t love working a 50+ hour job building someone else’s dream. In December 2015, after doing a stellar job, my boss gave me a small Christmas bonus. I turned around and used that money to purchase my first set of vinyl cutters and presses in hopes of starting my own business. I knew that my time with the company I was with wasn’t going to last forever, as our owner was getting ready for retirement. With that small bonus, I was able to start my shop, and my dream continued to grow! For a year, I worked on my shop part-time while also working full-time. 
At the time, I had a friend who ran a successful essential oil business, and she was in need of safe bottles and fun designs for her oil blends that wouldn’t just peel off or rub off. I started doing research on which bottles were safe with these and began teaching myself graphic design. My business has evolved from just doing small vinyl decals in the early days to where we are now: large-scale vinyls, branding businesses, appropriately inappropriate custom home goods, and custom apparel. 
I have always made it a point to run a zero-debt business, and I am very frugal. I price shop EVERYTHING in order to find not only the best quality but also the lowest priced items. My goal has always been to be able to give my customers and clients an amazing product without breaking the bank. My shop runs on no debt and little waste; we work with companies like EcoEnclose and use recyclable packaging materials in hopes of being as "clean" as possible.

Favorite items

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

My favorite items are my custom-drawn or custom-designed "Oddities and Curiosities" items, as they reflect my color and sense of humor. My top three favorite items are: a "Does this towel smell like chloroform?" microfiber towel;

"Ouija Cutting board" our custom etched bamboo cutting board for the kitchen witch in your life

Large Scale Vinyls like ‘We like to sleep around’, they’re fun and funky!

These are some of our favorite items personally and our top seller at events and online. People tell me all the time they love the sense of humor and the snarky items we produce.. I think life is too serious at times, I like that we can supply a bit of fun and laughter through our products. 

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 quickly after I opened my shop. I opened on March 7th, 2016 at 10pm, and my first "cha-ching" happened the morning of March 8th, 2016, and just kept going... Wow, that seems like such a long time ago! Since then, we’ve done over 8,300 sales! I am a firm supporter of Etsy’s on and off-site ads, and I pay for Etsy Plus each month because it's worth it to me. I know there has been a lot of commotion in the past year regarding the fees, but when you look at the cost of running a business (not on Etsy), the fees are very reasonable. When running your own site and business, you have to put money aside for marketing, create advertisements, and pay for your website platform and your processor's fees. Most people don’t realize that this is all taken care of by paying Etsy; they take a lot off your plate if you don’t have experience running a business or doing marketing and advertising. I do, however, still do promoted posts on social media, but Etsy takes care of a good portion of this for me. I also do marketing and advertising locally to stay relevant to the non-Etsy-driven demographic.

Managing ArchersArrowsByChele

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?

My shop is run and managed by myself. I have an assistant who helps with in-person events, and my husband helps with shipping. 90% of my products are designed by myself. Most of my products are all made to order, and due to the busyness of my shop, we run 5–10 days on orders. We carry a large amount of inventory in our shop, along with industrial-sized machines for heat pressing, sublimation, vinyl cutting, and more. We started off receiving six mugs or six bottles at a time, but we've now ordered so many cases of inventory that we now have semis dropping off pallets of items. In my wildest dreams, I never thought we’d experience so much growth to see that! When it comes to shipping, my goal is to complete each item at least 3 days before it's due to go out. Ever since COVID struck, we’ve had some major issues with shipping delays across the country, so my goal is to have a bit of time padding just in case there are delays (trust me, there are delays). Some of the apps I swear by are the Etsy sellers app, Marmalead, Quickbooks Online, Square, and EtsyonSale. The Etsy sellers app helps me do things from my phone for my shop, including answer messages, create listings, and complete orders. I use Marmalead for my keywords and SEO, making sure I've got my listings popping up where they need to and that my keywords and tags are on point. I use Quickbooks Online because it integrates so well with my Etsy shop and Square. We use Square for in-person events but also as a way to send invoices to customers and clients we've met both on and off of Etsy. I also use Etsyonsale.com to run sales on specific listings that Etsy doesn’t make possible on their platform. Both Marmalead and Etsy are my go-to apps for promotion.

The future of ArchersArrowsByChele 

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

We’ve got a lot of goals. The first is our traveling sales with Oddities & Curiosities Expos across the US, where we sell in person and gain traffic to our Etsy shop. This year we’ll be going to 13 different cities across the US. Our long-term goal that we’ve set out to achieve is to expand our shop from strictly online and events to a brick-and-mortar store. We’re in the process of rebranding our shop, splitting our custom branding and design, keeping that under the name "Archer’s Arrows by Chele" for on-target branding, and expanding our physical product shop under the name "The Boo-tique" within the next year.

Advice for new sellers

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

My advice for a new seller is to do your best to educate yourself on creating a brand and marketing. Use the systems that Etsy has to help you create a brand that people want to follow and purchase from. Either hire a photographer or learn how to take some stellar shots. I use the A Color Story app and Photoshop for editing my photos.
Knowing your profit and loss and profit margins is one of the most important aspects of making money. I took a course in small business management to help me understand how to best charge for my services and products.
Keep your head up and understand that success does not happen overnight. Most businesses take three years to truly find their groove and become successful. Find like-minded artists who are successful and emulate what they’re doing without copying them. I’ve had many individuals starting an Etsy shop reach out to me when starting theirs. Most of the successful shop owners I know are happy to help you get started and give you pointers. It is always okay to ask for help!
I’d also recommend researching shop policies, shipping practices, and returns and exchanges to make sure you, as a seller, are prepared and protected. Not all buyers are going to be "nice," and you may need something in place to make sure you and your brand are secure. 
Lastly, know that it is 100% ok to pivot. to remove the thing that is your niche, your thing My "thing" was not fully essential oil bottles and small decals, and I ended up selling that portion of my company in order to move towards where I am now. Live authentically, and that includes producing products that speak to you and your brand.

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

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: My profit margins sit between 78 and 80%, depending on the product. If I sell wholesale, I run between 50 and 60%.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 3.2%