Etsy Seller Interview with Emilie of Crochetmilie

How Crochetmilie 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’m Emilie Bolduc, the founder of Crochetmilie on Etsy. I learned to crochet thanks to my mother, at the age of 8, and when I think about it, the patterns offered at that time were not very beautiful (I made several doilies, each one uglier than the other, hahah.., but I had a lot of fun! ). In my twenties, I discovered that crochet could be modern and tasteful. So I started following patterns from crochet designers' blogs and my hobby turned into a passion. I opened my Etsy shop in early 2015 and in the first week, I already had 3 sales! In Canada, in the United States, and in Europe. The feeling was amazing! I realized that Etsy was a powerful platform and that my dream of having my own little crochet company could finally come true. At first, I sold slippers, hats, and baby mobiles. With time, I decided to write my own crochet patterns. My shop was now versatile. There was something for everyone. For those who don't crochet and for those who know how to crochet. My creative decisions are often motivated by special requests from my clients. I love bringing an idea to life, and I always try to make the finished product as beautiful as possible. Even after all these years, I still feel privileged that people choose me to make their cozy items or to crochet their next project.

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 baby mobiles, my shoe-style slippers pattern, and my crochet course. I really like making mobiles, thinking about these new little eyes that will light up when looking at them. I especially like these 2 best sellers; the "Dancing Flamingos" mobile very soft and delicate, perfect for a cozy little girl's room;

And the "Dreaming of the Universe" mobile, which reminds the child that everything is possible.

My best seller that made me known as a crochet designer is my converse style crochet pattern . I think people love this realistic version of these popular shoes.

Regarding my crochet course, it is quite recent, but so far, people who have taken it have been delighted to find that it is easy to learn to crochet and have discovered a new passion.

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?

Like I said earlier, in 2015, it took one week to make 3 sales, and for real, I’m lucky enough to never have had to attract customers to my shop. But these days, with the large number of sellers on this platform, I admit that I always strive to be present on social networks and I work hard to maintain good SEO regarding my titles, tags, and descriptions.

Managing Crochetmilie

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've been a solopreneur since the beginning, and I went from a side-hustle to a full-time crocheter in 2019 when the pandemic started. There are lots of apps and tools that help me use my time efficiently. First, a good camera to make my items stand out helped, combined with Adobe software (Lightroom and Photoshop). I also really like Canva for creating logos, informative pages, and videos for my Etsy listings. I recently discovered copy.ai and capcut to help me with product descriptions and video editing. And of course, Alura, to help me choose the right words super easily. I handle shipping by myself since I don't have a lot of orders per month. This way, I can carefully pack and ship all my packages with my local post company.

The future of Crochetmilie

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

I would really like to focus on my crochet class and the creation of new patterns. But I love receiving crochet orders too much to stop making them. I would like to pass on my crochet passion to as many people as possible. It’s so relaxing in our stressful world!

Advice for new sellers

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

My advice would be to find something you’re passionate about. Research what is being done in this niche and try to find your own creativity. Then, get a good camera to get the best pictures possible and think carefully about the titles and hashtags when you list your first item. The overall branding must also be attractive. Then try to make yourself known on social networks and wait for your first sale. I wish a lot of success to all new Etsy sellers!

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: 4000

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 2500

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
‍Answer: 2.6