Etsy Seller Interview with Jamie of bellybeancards

How bellybeancards 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 name is Jamie P. Bruno, and I'm the owner and operator of Belly Bean Cards. I make handmade, semi-custom invitations for events ranging from first birthdays to formal weddings. I have a background in graphic design from Bucks County Community College, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Temple University.

I started selling on Etsy after making stationery for family and friends' events. In the beginning, I was working as a preschool teacher and getting my degrees. There was a lot of splitting my time between teaching, school, and laying the groundwork for my business. My shop began to stand out because it was offering invitations that were unique. My die-cut line offered customers invitations beyond the traditional rectangular, flat ones most shops offered at the time. I was hand-cutting each invitation, and most of my supplies were purchased as needed at local craft and office supply stores.

Over time, I decided to make invitations to my full-time job. I created partnerships with wholesale vendors, ordered equipment to automate cutting the designs, and expanded into formal wedding invitations. My first few weddings were through word of mouth, but I started to gain traction as a wedding stationery seller on Etsy. Eventually, I created a loyal clientele and a better idea of how to navigate the stationery world.

Favorite items

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

My absolute favorite wedding item from my shop is the Library Pocket Wedding Suite. It began with the Save the Date Library Card Pocket that I was so excited to create that I couldn’t tear myself away from the studio until it was done. Once that was available, a customer reached out to me to see if I had a wedding suite to go with it. The rest is history. To this date, they are still my best-selling suite. I think they appeal to couples because they feel more personal and unique than a lot of the generic designs that are available. The save-the-dates especially list special dates that are important to the couple and that led to their big day.

My favorite die-cut invitations are the Art Palette and the Teddy Bear Invitations. The Art Palette holds a special place in my heart because I am an artist and former art teacher, so I love when children have art parties. The teddy bear invitations are just so cute! They work for a variety of types of parties, so their versatility makes them a hit with customers.

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?

It didn’t take very long to make my first sale. It was in the early days of Etsy, and there weren’t a lot of sellers hand-making invitations in various shapes. I’ve always shared my new products on social media when they were available. I started to use Etsy’s in-house marketing a few years ago, and that always turned a profit. In recent years, I’ve been focusing on SEO, offsite ads, and updating product photography and videos to draw in more customers. I will admit there was a learning curve when I started using SEO, but the more I focused on it, the more I understood how to extend my shop’s visibility.

Managing bellybeancards 

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?

I am a one-woman show. I do all of the tasks, from designing to production, marketing, customer service, and bookkeeping. I’ve relied heavily on QuickBooks in recent years to help manage my finances. It keeps track of everything so I can focus on product development and maintaining the shop, keeping it current with changing trends.

I use Corjl as my hosting site for editable templates. It is the most user-friendly version I’ve seen and gives the customer personal or professional printing options to choose from.

For designing, I use Adobe Creative Suite as well as Silhouette Design Studio.

As for shipping, I utilize Etsy’s shipping label system. They offer a decent discount on labels with USPS, and it simplifies notifying customers with the tracking information.

All the physical items in my shop are made in my personal studio; printing services are being revamped to streamline everything in the future.

The future of bellybeancards 

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

My goal for my shop is to expand the number of digital template options for my designs.More people want the ability to print themselves. I’m currently in the process of converting them, so the customer can edit them themselves and print directly from their own home on their own timetable. I still offer handmade services for those who wish to have them made, and there are a few designs that don’t really translate that well to digital only, but it opens up the availability for every budget. With the economy being what it is, it’s a win-win for me and the customer. It creates more passive income for me and more time to create, which is my favorite part of the business.

Advice for new sellers

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

Take one thing at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged. Success takes time and determination. One of the best things you can focus on is the quality of your product and then showcasing that with great photographs and sensible SEO. Use all the tools that Etsy has available so you can reach the widest audience possible. Be careful of all the supposed creators at the workshops to make the process easy. Most of their income comes from selling their knowledge, not their products. And lastly, make sure you take some time for yourself every now and again. You can’t do your best if you’re burned out. Rest is also productive.