Etsy Seller Interview with Adriadne and Brandan of GrowinginAbundance

How GrowinginAbundance 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 there! We are Ariadne and Brandy, of Growing in Abundance Jewelry! We sell handmade crystal jewelry. We started our Etsy shop in 2021, after a hiking trip we took together. We had this moment where we both realized that crystals and jewelry making were both things that we loved and that brought us so much peace, and we both had the same thought: We need to share this! We instantly knew that we wanted to focus on crystal jewelry because crystals had become such a part of our lives, just in different life moments and in moments of meditation and clarity. We wanted to dedicate ourselves to making high quality pieces at an affordable price point, and we pride ourselves on this! We had noticed that people were charging crazy amounts for crystals and we really could not understand why, if the goal was to spread joy and make them accessible to all. We wanted to change that! We really have focused on making products and a business that fill the holes we thought were missing in the jewelry space. For us, that meant really trying to find good materials at a reasonable price point, creating custom stone size options so that the customers feel a sense of collaboration in the process if they wish, and also trying to really provide loving customer service. We source our materials here on Etsy as well, so it really feels great to be a part of such a strong community! We each brought our unique skills to the table, and it was a beautiful collaboration. There was no sense of having to be somebody we were not; we each embraced what we were good at, and have grown so much since then as well! A few weeks after that hiking trip, we were up and running, and now the rest is history!:)

Favorite items

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

I would say my favorite items are our Wire Wrapped Crystal Necklaces, our Crystal Huggie Hoop Earrings, and our Wire Wrapped Crystal Earrings. We offer a range of 9 (more coming soon!), different crystals, and a range of wrapping colors and chain/earring closure styles. For me, it is my favorite because there is something for everyone. Each stone has a different energy, color, and vibe depending on who it is for, and customers have access to all of the crystals and their property descriptions as well. We wouldn’t make anything that we wouldn’t wear ourselves, so these pieces are, of course, a part of our everyday jewelry that we wear. That's the key; make something that you are absolutely in love with! We also offer custom sizes, which I really love, because for me that was always a stress when buying crystal jewelry before, and I didn't know what random size I would get! I think that for us, including a variety of crystal types to choose from in one listing, has been part of the reason why it is so popular. Our customers can find it all in one place! For our crystal huggie hoop earrings in particular, I really have not seen many other earrings like these out there, and I think it is a wonderful blend of a classy trend and the raw nature of crystals. It is a take on our traditional wire-wrapped crystal earrings and implements a gold huggie hoop closure, which really makes a beautiful dainty statement. For all of our pieces, all of our materials are hypoallergenic and non-tarnishing, which is something we are really proud of! We worked very hard to find the perfect materials that gave our customers everything they wanted, without sacrificing price. All of our pieces are made with so much love and we really have poured our heart into all of our designs:)

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?

For us, it took about one week to earn our first sale. I will never forget that moment. I was so happy. We sold a carnelian bracelet! Currently, the Etsy platform and Etsy ads are our main sources of attraction to our page. We also have an Instagram and a Tik Tok that we use to promote our items as well, but I have found that for us, SEO, tags, and technical work behind the scenes of our listings are what has helped us the most! It is something that we are constantly working on, and it is so important.

Managing GrowinginAbundance

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?

We manage our shop together, just the two of us. We haven’t acted on the idea of expanding that because it's frankly more fun for us and it's just easier this way to ensure quality control. We have our own workshop in our house, and a supply cart and organization system that has really helped us. We ship our orders the very next day, so staying extremely organized is so important, and can really help us keep our heads clear as well!! We have a wonderful thermal label printer that absolutely changed our lives in the best way, and we do all of our work from our trusty computer. We use the Etsy seller platform to manage all of our messages and orders, as well as to buy shipping labels. We print our labels daily and then mark each label with what that order should contain. From there, we hand make each piece to order and cater to any custom orders we may have. We love the custom nature of each piece! Then we package and take them to the mail drop off, all in a day’s work!

The future of GrowinginAbundance

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

I think that our goals are to increase and grow each year. We are only in our second year of business, and there is so much we are learning each day! The loveliest part of this all is the connection with the customers and the sense of designing pieces for people who you view as your friends. So, in every sense, we would love to grow and expand our product line and reach a wider audience! I think that eventually expanding and having our own page as well would be amazing, but so far, Etsy has been truly wonderful for us, and we are so happy! We are so grateful, and I think that there is no substitute for hard work. The sky's the limit!

Advice for new sellers

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

I really would say that, truly, you can do anything. Period. There is no reason to believe that your dreams are not possible. We went into this thinking that it would be fun but that, realistically, it may never be possible to succeed because we felt that the jewelry market was crowded, and I would just be another seller. But the truth is that I could not have been further from the truth. Despite those thoughts, we went into it with confidence, and everything fell into place. Not by accident, we had determination and hard work, but I promise that you will fall into your niche. You don't need fancy equipment either! We take all of our photos with our iPhone cameras, and they look great! We love it! Please just GO FOR IT, take the leap! There is nothing bad that could happen, and there will be no rejection, just learning. The world wants to see your art, and even if you think others are already doing it, no one can do it like you:) I send lots and lots of good energy and positivity to you all!

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?

Answer: About 7-8,000

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?

Answer: 6%