Etsy Seller Interview with Lisa of Passion and Love

How Passion and Love 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 Lisa and I am the shop owner of Passion And Love. Believe it or not, I began selling feather extensions on Etsy back in 2010-2011. And after having such a successful run, I realized that the possibilities were endless, as long as I had a commodity that consumers wanted. 

Feather extensions were a fad, so it only lasted maybe half a year. I knew I wanted to tap into a market that would stay permanently. 

That being said, I knew that the three categories that will always remain were: 1. Wedding 2. Baby and 3. Funeral. 

At the time, I was far from having a child, so I had no clue where to start. Funeral, personally, was definitely not an option for me.

Given that I was recently engaged, I went straight for that category and began my research on what I could make. I spent countless hours researching the top selling categories on Etsy, searched the top sellers in those categories, and gathered daily counts on how many sales each seller was making and the amount of income they were bringing in per day. 

After finding a category that sparked my interest, I started researching where I could source these natural resource products. Since I went into the wedding hanger sector, I had to gather hangers, wire, and ribbons. These resources were fairly simple to find. 

The hardest part was to teach myself how to wire and mold these wires into legible letterings. And so the fun began!

Favorite items

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

My favorite listing in my shop would be this Personalized Rhinestone Bridal Hanger.

In my shop, I try to offer a variety of options and designs, so that I can accommodate all brides and every price range. That being said, I have bridal hangers starting from $15.99 to $65.00. 

When designing this specific hanger, I had my wedding hanger in mind. I wanted something loud, shiny, something that says "I'm getting married and I want everyone to see this". I am an “everything bling” type of gal, so this hanger is the "cream of the crop".

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?  

Wow, my first sale. To be honest, I believe it took about 1 week. Once the first sale came in, I had maybe a few sales a week.  I never complained about having less sales. Rather, I celebrated with joy. 

The thought of being able to make such a keepsake for a bride on her special day made me happy. I believe in less than a year, I went from having a few sales a week to thousands a year. During my busiest year 2014 I made over 10,000 sales!

The best way to attract customers to your shop is through repeat customers and word of mouth. The 5 star reviews speak for itself.

Managing Passion and Love

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?

Believe it or not, I am a one-person shop gal. It has been a decade now, and it's still just me. I literally work day and night. I created a process that Ii stick to everyday: wake up early in the morning, respond to all messages, print out invoices and keep them organized by dates, and then start making the products. 

Once I go through the day's stack of work, I would print shipping labels, package the products and drop them off at the post office. There are also unseen things that need to be done, like bookkeeping, taxes, ordering supplies etc.

Being a one-person shop, I basically live and breathe work. Thank goodness, I love what I do! If I didn't, I would have crawled into a hole and buried myself there because I literally work 24/7. 

I use GoDaddy for bookkeeping, and the Etsy seller  app. Nothing more, it's pretty simple.

The future of Passion and Love

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

My goal is to continue to create beautiful artistic pieces for my customers. When I first started my shop a decade ago, I didn't have any children. Now I'm a work from home mom with 2 boys: A 2 year old, who is a very active toddler, and an 8-month old baby boy.

I want to tap into the baby market using the same strategy as I had mentioned earlier in the interview. I am currently working on some nursery decor that will be released this year.

Advice for new sellers

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

My biggest advice is to just start. If you are thinking: “I want to work from home. I want to run my own online business.” Just do it. Don't wait for the right time, because the right time is when you decide to make it the right time. 

Don't be afraid. Take chances. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from other successes. The possibilities are endless. 

And don't be afraid to ask for help. Believe it or not, there are many people who are willing to take their time and answer your questions. Reach out to a fellow Etsy seller. If they don't respond, that's probably because they are swamped with orders and they are a one-person shop. Just keep emailing them until they answer.

Success isn't measured in the amount of money one brings in, but the amount of people that one can impact. I am so grateful that I am able to reach out to over 70k brides, and make their day. 

When starting your shop, don't see each order that comes in as money, but see it as a customer who sees the potential in you, and is investing in you to better your craft. 

Do the best you can everyday, and before you know it, you are swamped with orders and will be calling your Etsy shop your full-time job rather than a side gig.