How MirandaLMcNulty 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 started my shop, Miranda L. McNulty, in March of 2010. I was a college student studying visual arts, hoping for some extra income. The content of my shop is varied, as it’s filled with a mix of different creative obsessions from the last 12 years of my journey as an artist. It ranges from original portrait acrylic paintings to literature-inspired prints, a vintage swimmer series, and my newest collection: anthropomorphic animals. My shop led to wonderful publishing opportunities. I was featured in several magazines over the years and worked with a fashion school as the illustrator for five of their textbooks.

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 include my feathered portrait paintings:

Painting of Woman with Feathers
My vintage swimmers collection

My newest growing collection is my anthropomorphic animal series:

anthropomorphic animal series

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?

My first sale was within a few weeks of opening my shop. Jackie Onassis was depicted in a Pop Art style portrait. Etsy was a very different platform back then, as there weren't nearly as many sellers on the platform. Promoting products for visibility is critical today. My favorite way to connect with current and new customers is through my Instagram account, @mirandalmcnulty, and Pinterest, @mirandalmcnulty.

Managing MirandaLMcNulty

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?

From the start, I’ve run my shop myself. I use Canva for mock-up frames and to create promotional marketing material, such as sticker designs, flyers, and coupons. I use Adobe Photoshop to create my digital artwork. I use eRank to keep track of my shop's statistics and analytics on topics of interest to me. Shipping and fulfillment are my highest priorities. Prioritizing fulfillment and shipping allows me to provide customers with a quick turn-around on items purchased, which is reflected in the majority of the reviews that I’ve received.

The future of MirandaLMcNulty

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

My current focus is growing my inventory and connecting with new customers. I’ve been enjoying working with customers on unique and silly pet portraits to honor their beloved pets.

Advice for new sellers

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

Give it time and keep creating. Create things you would want to buy yourself. Make sure your tags and descriptions are accurate, and your photos are of high quality. Pin everything you list on Pinterest. Open your own website through a platform like Shopify and list all of your items there as well.