Etsy Seller Interview with Jes of SixthSpice

How SixthSpice 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 everyone, my name is Jes, and I am the owner and operator (CEO, etc.) of Sixth Spice. Feel your own difference is the tagline for my shop, and I create products that are mainly focused on self-care and encourage people to take time to care for and love themselves. I say people and not women because I also have male customers.

I began selling on Etsy in 2018. It was after I moved to Australia, and I did not want to go back to my past teaching career that I had in Canada. I studied business and branding for a year independently before I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey. I had a lot of natural artistic talent and had a really hard time deciding what genre to create my shop around. I can also sew and paint extremely well, and I studied fashion design and visual arts (photography, art history, and painting) for a few years at university. Ultimately, what made me choose candles, which is where I began, was that I took a little workshop in my little town and kind of fell in love. I began with candles and branched out from there into wax melts, lip balms, and eventually natural hair care and skin care products. Natural skin care products are where my true love and passion reside.

I make all of my products in my workshop, which also serves as my second living and dining area and has been converted into a large office. I source my ingredients from wholesalers in Australia and my packaging from Australian importers, and I have dabbled a bit in importing from Alibaba. Mostly, I source from large suppliers in Australia and then create the products by hand in my workspace.

Favorite items

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

My favorite products are very different from each other. I love my wild rose facial serum, the wax melts I make, and the eczema salve. I love the wild rose facial serum the most because I use it liberally day and night on my own skin. I am obsessed with my skincare routine and pride myself on my gorgeous skin, which makes me look ten years younger than I am. It is my obsession, I must admit, and I know it’s extremely vain, but it’s my thing, and I own it. Making skincare products is by far my favorite, and I have lots of future plans to expand my range in the coming years.

I really enjoy making wax melts because I have learned how to perfect the craft of making the best and strongest melts. When I need to get a burst of creative energy out of me, I can easily mix and match colors and scents to create a new product fast and efficiently, and I know it will be a hit.

The eczema salve I made was a product created for a special little boy who had major health problems. He lived two doors down from me, and his mother asked me if I could help with anything. It has been revised over the years, but it’s extremely effective, and I’ve helped so many people with their skin issues when steroid creams were not working or they wanted a natural alternative. This product has stood the test of time in my shop and is really special to me. I never thought that just creating a product would be so impactful, but this one is without a doubt.

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?

When I started my Etsy shop, I was really terrified, so I did not start out going haywire and creating and listing products. I was very timid and shy. Being an entrepreneur has really made me grow and evolve as a person. I am sure that I got my first sale within a few weeks, but I started off at a market in my small town before I was online.

Now I attract new customers purely through SEO and keywords. I use all my advertising and social media to drive traffic to my website, and Etsy is simply another stream of revenue for me. It was not always the case; at first I put a lot of effort into my shop, but now I have enough knowledge of SEO and my shop has a good reputation that I do not put much effort into attracting customers to it. That being said, they still find me, and I get new customers all the time.

Managing SixthSpice

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 is just me, myself, and my business. I have a ton of other things that I do, including blogs, YouTube channels, a website, and selling on other platforms like eBay and Amazon. I am pretty much a crazy person, but I have big goals and am not proud of myself yet. Maybe I will stop when I am.

I am not extremely techy, so to speak. I don’t have a bunch of automation and special apps, but I do have sheer grit and determination. That pretty much gets that job done for me. I do use marmalade when I need to, have a business coach (this is my third one), and listen to a lot of motivational business people and things like that. I treat myself like an athlete—no, I am not kidding. I work out, run every second day, drink protein shakes, take vitamins, sleep a lot, then work a lot—I don’t really have a balance, but it’s okay. I work when I am inspired and act on impulse. I work from home; I do not have a 9 to 5 job, so when I am inspired, I can mostly go act on it. I say mostly because I do have a 4-year-old daughter who is a very demanding only child that I am raising as well. By the way, I don’t recommend it (having kids and being an entrepreneur).

I do all the shipping and fulfillment at home. I do pretty much everything myself because I am a semi-perfectionist and a control freak with an insane attention to detail. I probably have OCD and ADHD, but whatever the case, I don’t care; I do my own thing and rarely make mistakes. I have boxes on a shelf that I ordered from Australia Post, and my stock is ready to go. When I get an order, I print out the packing slip, pick the items off my shelving, wrap the items in tissue paper and protective paper hex wrap, put them into a flat rate shipping box, write a quick thank you note, buy my labels, print them out, and put them on the boxes. Easy done.  Having the right equipment makes all the difference. Don’t skimp out on buying a special label printer just because you want to save a few bucks; get the equipment and pay it off over time. It’s worth it to make things fast and efficient for yourself.

The future of SixthSpice 

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

My daughter is starting school in February, so I am really looking forward to finally—or so it feels to me—starting on my business. I feel like I have not even scratched the surface of what I want to do, and I have been doing this for five years now. I am planning on going crazy creating new products and want to start a few new shops. I want to create a clothing brand for my daughter and would like to start a separate shop for my paintings and artwork. But we will see how that goes. I have lots of goals, plans, and ambitions. Sixth Spice will continue because it is where I began and where my entrepreneurial roots are. I will undoubtedly continue with it, but I am eager to pursue other opportunities and realize my dream of owning a fashion label. Life happened when I was younger, and I never got to finish fashion design school and do something with my design skills, so I would love to eventually get that going as well.

Advice for new sellers

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

You really need to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with yourself before you begin. Ask yourself what you need in life. If you have a burning desire to create and an endless supply of energy and grit to get through the hard times, then yes, start. Business is a long, hard, lonely journey. There is no one there cheering you on and no one keeping you accountable. You have to do it all for yourself. If you love people and building teams, then go that route. I love solitude and being alone, so I built my business to suit my needs. Be honest with yourself and honor your true desires and needs. To be honest, the idea of having a team makes me want to run for the hills. I know this and honor it.

Etsy, like business, is a long-term game. It took me about 5 years to make money from multiple revenue streams. I am always working on setting up another revenue stream because I believe in the future and what I can do for myself tomorrow. Think long-term and where you want to be in 5 to 10 years, then strive to get there. That’s the key to growth and business. It is not about what you are making today; it is about where you are headed in the future. You will thank yourself when you are 5 years old.

A lot of mothers want to start some sort of business. I really would not recommend it. Being a mother is a seriously hard enough job as it is. I love business more than I love kids, so I opted to have fewer so that I can fulfill my own dreams rather than look after a bunch of kids. Think about this: this is the raw truth that most will not tell you. I would not recommend being a business owner if you have children or want to have children. When you work for yourself, work never stops, and work-life balance is a lie.

I am not trying to deter people. I am just telling truths that others won’t. If you have sheer guts and determination, then go for it. But be honest with yourself, because most people are not.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: From Etsy I usually make around $2000 - it varies on the month/season.

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: I aim for 150%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 1-2% It varies on the month