Etsy Seller Interview with Rebekkah of TheBirthWorkCo

How TheBirthWorkCo 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?

My name is Rebekkah Traptow, and I am the founder and CEO of The Birth Work Company! I am a mom to three little ones (lovingly nicknamed The Chaos Crew), a Full Spectrum Doula, a Childbirth Educator, a Breastfeeding Educator, and a certifiable Birth Nerd through and through!

I fell in love with all things birth-related after my youngest was born and threw myself into serving both the carer and the doula community in Red Deer, Alberta. I began using my graphic design skills to create handouts that help simplify and condense otherwise overwhelming concepts and answer general questions about birth and beyond. Before I knew it, I had a library full of valuable childbirth education tools for my business!

A dear friend and creative collaborator, Chelsea Bootsman, encouraged me to share what I had created with the world on Etsy—The Birth Work Co.—and the rest is history! What started out as a side project to “see what happens” quickly grew into a full-time passion project and my full-time gig! ​

Favorite items

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

It’s so hard to choose! Everyone of my listings was created with care for a specific purpose, and I am proud to say they are all "must-haves”. My bestsellers right now are by far my Labour Positions Fashcards, Labour Stages Road Maps, and Childbirth Education Course Template!

The Labour Positions Flashcards and New Labour Stages Roadmaps were designed specifically to facilitate the practical elements of labour support. One of the challenges I faced most often as a childbirth educator was students struggling to remember the “what to do when it’s time” of the labour and birth process. While some students have great memories and/or are naturals at following their own bodily instincts at birth, others are more visual and would prefer specific tasks or instructions as they navigate the birth space.

The roadmaps are a practical visual tool for both teaching, practicing, and movement during labour, while the roadmaps give parents a good idea of how labour progresses in terms of experience and where you should be during the stages and phases of birth. As a childbirth educator, I am passionate about dispelling fear of childbirth and helping clients connect in practical ways to the process.

The Childbirth Education Course is designed to help parents learn to recognise their fears, where they came from, and how to address them with mindfulness so that they can experience the calm, affirming birth experience they deserve.

I believe that one of the biggest contributing factors to these listings doing so well is the quality, care, and value they provide. Not only do these listings offer thorough and practical information, they are meticulously designed, beautiful as they are, and completely editable in Canva so that each and every doula can customise them to fit their business and brand!

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?

If I remember correctly, it took me 3 days to make my first sale of one handout! At the time, I only had a handful of handouts that were nowhere near the level of design work I do now. When I started using Instagram to feature my work and talk about my passion, my sales took off and haven't stopped since! I recently celebrated my shop's 4th year on October 25th, and I can’t believe I have done 7555 sales to date!

Managing TheBirthWorkCo

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 a one-woman show! As a single mom of three children under 10, my day-to-day can get rather busy! I LOVE the new Etsy Sellers app, as it has pretty much everything I need on a daily basis. I also use Honeybook for the freelance part of my business!

The future of TheBirthWorkCo

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

In 2023, I really focused on visibility and am quite happy with how my brand has been established in the market! In 2024, I want to focus on innovation and providing unmatched value and quality as the Doula business tool and handout space fills up with lots of similar products. I would like to reach a consistent $500+ in sales by the end of 2024.

Advice for new sellers

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

Don’t rush to open, especially if you aren’t tech-savvy. There were so many systems and components I had to learn before I could even use the tools available to me to help grow my shop! I also strongly believe in building a strong brand that is reflected in the product. It’s not enough to have a “what”; as a business owner, the why is just as important. There is a big difference between “someone selling Doula Canva templates” and “The Birth Work Company”. The way I see it, if you interact with my brand and purchase any of my products, I want you to feel as though you purchased a top-of-the line product from a caring and invested business owner who cares about you as a customer and what you or your clients need. If that doesn’t resonate after your experience with me, then I haven’t done my job.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: My monthly revenue is around 8.7K on average.

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: After fees and marketing my profit margin as of last quarter was 79%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: My conversion rate for this year is sitting at 5%