Etsy Seller Interview with Danielle of HeartbeatHandicrafts

How HeartbeatHandicrafts 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 Etsy shop is HeartbeatHandicrafts, which began in 2015 as a hobby to create various crafts in order to unwind from work (more about what I wanted to make than what customers wanted). When I started seeing the business opportunity in 2018, it had grown organically to the point that my evenings and weekends were consumed, so I was needing to cut back to part-time work. At this point, I started thinking more intentionally about how I wanted the flexibility to work from home once we started a family and also the satisfaction of creating something meaningful and tangible for customers. My polymer clay skills progressed from general earrings to sculpting pet earrings before expanding to a wide range of custom pet gifts and accessories. I have further specialized in ultra-realistic polymer clay mini replicas of pets to add personalized touches to weddings for pet lovers.

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 the custom pet cufflinks, custom pet cake toppers, and custom pet bouquet charms, because they all enable couples to add a sweet and meaningful detail to their wedding day that honors their pet or pets.

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?

I can’t remember exactly, but it was somewhere between 6 and 12 months before my first sale! Definitely, a slow burn to start with. Now I’m constantly trying to improve my SEO and tweak my listings to make them easier for customers to find.

Managing HeartbeatHandicrafts

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?

It’s just myself running the Etsy store alongside my standalone Shopify website and some wholesale marketplaces. The majority of my listings are made to order, so I find myself sculpting and packing orders most days, often around my children’s naps (1yo twins plus a 3yo). I utilize MyPost Business with Australia Post for shipping. My husband sometimes pitches in to help with post office deliveries. 

The future of HeartbeatHandicrafts

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

My goal is to improve the conversion rate and create consistent growth in sales as my capacity as a maker increases (as my children start school).

Advice for new sellers

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

Perseverance and the importance of continual learning and upskilling are key for new sellers. I think it’s also important to be guided by your customers. Some of my bestselling listings have actually come as a result of multiple customers asking if I was able to make a particular item.