Etsy Seller Interview with Alex of leapandhook

How leapandhook 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, my name is Alex, short for Alexandru, and I’m currently working as a freelance graphic designer. During the pandemic lockdown, I noticed that all my friends started to complain about how inconvenient it is to work from home and how the lack of social interaction affects them. At that point, I’d already been working from home for 5+ years, and for me, it was just business as usual. At first, this whole situation that my friends described (via Zoom) amused me, but soon I saw that the frustration was real.

Being a graphic designer, I decided that the only thing I could do to help people in the same situation was to design some funny and inspirational prints. Of course, Etsy was the right platform to open a shop, and this is how Leapandhook started. Because it was still during the COVID pandemic and most people around the world were in lockdown, I decided to have my prints available only as a digital download, to keep human contact at a minimum and also to have awesome prints and designs at the lowest cost.

The first prints were in the funny office prints category, which a lot of people who worked from home appreciated, and now I've added multiple categories, such as inspirational prints and holiday designs as well. First I look for inspiration, then I try to choose the best assets that I can work with, such as fonts, graphics, and so on, but I want to keep my designs simple so the message can stand out. In the future, I hope I can collaborate more with another graphic designer so I can make many more designs that people will appreciate.

Favourite items

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

This Funny Office Wall Art Collection is one of my bestselling items from my shop and currently contains a little over 40 prints, but the list is increasing almost every month. It brings me great pleasure to see pictures of multiple funny office prints hanging on people’s (home) office walls, and often they use these as presents. Also, the feedback makes a positive impact on me.

Another bestseller that I love is this motivational wall art set. We all need a little motivation from time to time, and the fact that I know that I created something that will get you through rough patches at work or in life makes me proud of all the people who use my prints. I have your back, and I’m rooting for you to succeed.

Because I know having bad days can usually outnumber the good days at some point in someone’s life, having this print will greatly increase your chances of having good days every day.

Lastly, don’t forget to just breathe, whenever you find yourself in a situation. The solution will come to you, no worries. That’s why I love this print because it’s a reminder to just enjoy life, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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 believe I made my first sale in the first week or so of posting my first listings. I was shocked and couldn’t believe it, but I knew my intentions were in good place, and that only made me continue to create even more. For attracting customers, I always start with keyword research, then try to have great mockups and products, and almost every month I have competitive discounts. At this point, the key to consistent sales is having great 5-star reviews that allow me to gain the customer's trust, and my conversion rate is good for my niche, so I don’t need tonnes of views, which is great.

Managing leapandhook

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 currently managing my shop by myself, and I don’t plan to change that soon. Besides Alura for keyword research, I use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for creating the designs, and that’s the majority of apps that I use. Fortunately, having a digital download-based shop means I don’t have to handle any shipping or fulfillment, since Etsy automatically takes care of sending the files to the customer as soon as the payment is processed.

The future of leapandhook 

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

I hope to have more time to invest in my shop so I can offer more inspiration to people through prints and generate more passive income so I can turn this into a full-time job. I also want to create a small team of passionate people who will help me create more prints and more products for people to enjoy. I would also like to start different shops to express my creativity and reach more people.

Advice for new sellers

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

I would advise beginner sellers to not jump right into creating an Etsy shop. There are numerous free YouTube tutorials available to help you save time and earn more if you plan ahead of time. So, just plan ahead, choose to sell products that you enjoy creating, find a mentor or a community of Etsy sellers, and don’t quit; just keep at it, and the results will come.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: 600

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 85%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 1.5%