Etsy Seller Interview with Carol of hannahdaisydesigns

How hannahdaisydesigns 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 am Carol Higgins, the owner of Hannah Daisy Designs on Etsy. We sell mainly jewelry items and a few supplies. We opened our Etsy shop around 2016. My daughter showed an interest in making jewelry after we made some beaded animals while away on holiday in the New Forest. We went on from there to make some simple earrings and necklaces. We were encouraged by my daughter’s Sunday School teacher to have a stall once in a while after church, and the congregation bought a few pieces. We then started having a stall at local craft fairs and progressed to bead weaving, making bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. Both of us were making jewelry, and we ran out of space, so we decided to see if there would be any interest in opening an Etsy shop. My daughter is older now and busy finishing her exams, so I have taken over the shop. I make a few bead-woven items still, but I enjoy making cabochons and using these in the jewelry items we sell on Hannah Daisy Designs. I have also incorporated picture cabochons into personalized items such as memorial brooches and ornaments. I purchased some digital art online for the cabochons and designed some myself.

Favorite items

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

One of our best sellers over the past year has been our UK Flag earrings owing to the Queen’s Jubilee, and I am expecting these to start to sell well again this year as we have the King’s coronation coming up. They also sell well when England is playing football! They are my favorites because the colors are bright and striking; they look more expensive than they are.

Another favorite is the Scottie dog earrings we make. I am not sure why they are one of our best sellers, but people seem to love them. Again, they are one of my favorites because of the bright colors that stand out, and I am also an animal lover.

Both earrings, I think, are unique to us as we adorn the kidney wires with faceted glass bicone beads. Perhaps something a little different. Our personalized jingle bells did well in 2021, as did our personalized angel wings.

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?

From memory, we had our first sale within a month. The first kerching was very exciting! We sold a lucky four-leaf clover bookmark adorned with green beads. To attract customers to our shop, I share on Twitter, Facebook, and occasionally Instagram. I also enclose a business card with every order and have had a few customers come back and order more. We have a Hannah Daisy Designs page on Facebook and a closed group as well. SEOs are important, and I tweak them as and when I feel necessary.

Managing hannahdaisydesigns

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 have always run the shop. I only use the Etsy apps to run it. I do all the shipping and fulfillment myself. When orders come in, I make them up, print out the order page, package them, and drop them off at my local post office, where we've become good friends! I try to make the packaging as pretty as possible by using tissue paper and organza bags. I am proud that we have returning customers and lots of 5-star reviews.

The future of hannahdaisydesigns

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

I obviously wish to grow the shop. I am always looking for new ideas for the cabochon side of jewelry. I have recently introduced birthday flower brooches that seem popular.

I'm thinking about selling digital downloads of my watercolor artwork. It is finding the time to do it at the moment as I am working part-time due to losing my husband to COVID in 2021, which is the reason I am expanding on our memorial items as I have made myself and my family some and added them to the shop in case others would enjoy receiving them. I am also looking into more sustainable packaging and hope to improve the photography at some point.

Advice for new sellers

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

My advice is to start selling as many items as possible as soon as possible. It took us a while to build up views and sales. Be patient and never give up. Spread the word on social media. Tweak your SEO regularly. Try your hardest to give outstanding customer care. Test your products on friends and family or on your Facebook page or other social media to gauge interest, and treat any criticism as constructive. This will help you mold your item to what people want.