How RockYourNose 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?

In 2008, I was working as a business coach, helping people with disabilities explore self-employment. I found Etsy through one of my clients and thought it could be an outlet for other clients who had business ideas that involved handcrafted goods. I was also experimenting with jewelry making as a creative hobby and had no idea it would turn into my own thriving business!

I decided to open a shop on Etsy to learn more about the platform and also to see if I could sell a few of the earrings I’d made. I was curious. I started "Rock Your Wire" and sold a few pairs of earrings. I had a nose piercing I was entirely bored with because there was a lack of interesting jewelry to wear, and one day I made a little coil out of silver wire and thought, "I wonder if I could put that in my nose?" I made a stem for it, and the Tiny Spiral Nose Stud was born! It was "ground floor days" on Etsy, and there were virtually no sellers in the nose jewelry category. The spiral nose stud sold, and I challenged myself to make other shapes—larger spirals, infinity shapes, triangle shapes—basically anything I could think of to twist out of silver wire. They sold, and sold, and sold. I was amazed. And inspired.

I knew the next step was to learn how to solder if I wanted to work with gemstones and create more unique pieces. YouTube became my constant companion. I’m forever grateful to the people who take the time to share the knowledge they possess. Without them, my journey would have been very different. I caught on quickly and was able to expand my selection of nose jewelry. It became obvious it needed a space of its own, and I decided to open a second Etsy shop. The name didn’t take long to come to me. I chose "Rock Your Nose" and opened my second shop in 2009.

I use a variety of hand-twisted elements, as well as jewelry findings that I can modify, to create my pieces. I use traditional stone setting methods and work with a variety of genuine and lab-created gemstones. I handcraft each piece to order. I offer quality nose jewelry with a good fit as the primary objective. Noses are incredibly individual, and what fits one person well doesn’t work on someone else. I am able to offer different stem lengths and styles, and because I make each piece to order, my customer gets something that is made just for them.

Favorite items

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

Some of my favorite pieces are also bestsellers. My beaded silver nose ring is a piece I enjoy wearing and is a customer favorite. I like that it gives a nose ring some visual interest by adding the inner beaded loop that fits snugly to the nose and is circled by the outer ring.

Beaded Silver Nose Ring. 

My nose stud Enhancers are one of my coolest pieces because you can turn an ordinary stud into a ring to add to your look. Slip your stud out, pop the end through the loop, and put it back on. Now you have a stud that branches out into a nose ring or a double nose ring experience, depending on which one you choose. These are bestsellers because of their versatility.

 Nose Stud Enhancers Collection

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 nose stud sale happened right away after I listed the Tiny Spiral in 2008. hours, I think. Those were the days when I would hover over my computer waiting to see if something sold and feel the most incredible thrill when a sale happened! It was intoxicating. I’ve been here a long time. Word of mouth is powerful. My long-term customers bring new customers to me all the time by referring their friends, co-workers, and family members, and I’m so grateful to them. I have heard of complete strangers meeting in grocery stores (pre-Covid days) thousands of miles from my location and one asking the other, "Where did you get your nose stud?" and they discover they are both my customers.

I try to attract people by providing as much information as I can for them to figure out how to get a good fit for their ring or stud from my visual information and descriptions. I hope that providing that information attracts customers who might otherwise not purchase. The feedback customers give me is that it does. My reviews also attract customers. They often mention my attention to detail in customer service, which is the core platform I built my business on.

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Managing RockYourNose

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 the sole owner and operator of my shop. I make every single piece of jewelry, manage all customer questions, do all of the supply ordering, and even design my own logo and business cards. I learned photography and graphics well enough to support my business. I have production days and shipping days. It takes a lot of time to sort all those tiny pieces when they come out of the polisher and get them into their little tins to go to their new homes! It takes me a good part of a day to print my postal labels and get the pieces into their envelopes. Then it’s a run to the post office to send them off.

I’ve used a variety of shipping methods and am currently working with Canada Post directly for my postal needs. I have used third-party shipping companies like Chit Chat’s Express and had great success with them as well. That involved getting all the packages ready to go and sending them via courier to Chit Chat’s, where they would then be driven across the border from Canada to be delivered to USPS. These days, it’s a drive to the local post office with my packages, and it’s working well for now. It’s important to be ready to pivot and take another direction when things change, and I’m always prepared to consider new shipping options.

The future of RockYourNose

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

I’ve had to streamline my Etsy shop recently. I’m one person, and I had more than three hundred listings. I’ve worked extremely hard over these last many years, and I’ve chosen to select my bestsellers for my Etsy collection and offer around a hundred items at this time. Basically, my customers have chosen my Etsy collection by continuing to purchase these much-loved pieces. When I decided to pare down my selection a little, it wasn’t hard to decide which ones to keep in the collection. It’s an evolving thing, and I still have some new work to add over the coming months.

Advice for new sellers

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

Never get fooled into thinking online sales are easier because you don’t meet your customer face-to-face. Building relationships is the single most important aspect of your business. I share in some of the most monumental moments in my customers' lives, and I never forget the importance of that. You have to work even harder to explain processes, describe products, and communicate with your customers.

Work hard. I remember days where I happened to take a new style of photograph and liked it so much better than my old style that I literally re-photographed every single product (more than two hundred back then) and edited every listing. Be prepared for that kind of commitment.

Pay attention to your competition and then try to do better. Make a better product, offer a better service, and go the extra mile. Don’t be afraid to follow your own instincts when it comes to pricing your product. If your product is better than your competitors', charge more for it.

People will tell you to send out "freebies." I couldn’t agree more. I think of "freebies" as an apology. Have I (very) occasionally sent a true gift to a customer? Absolutely. Maybe I know they’ve gone through a challenging situation because they’ve told me directly or because they’ve shared it on social media, and I send them a relevant nose ring or stud. That’s because I have a relationship with them as my customers, and I care enough to think of them. Make sure your packaging is excellent and re-usable for your customers if possible; send out use and care information; etc. However, do not give them something they did not pay for in the hopes that they will purchase more from you.

Take care of yourself first. You can’t pour from an empty vessel. This is powerful information; believe me, I’m just learning to practice it now. Find ways to organize your business so that you can take the time you need on weekends or any other day you choose to relax and unwind.If you don’t develop it as a practice, your mind and body will make it happen for you eventually anyway.

Best of all, have fun! This can be the best experience of your life. Good luck!