This is the second in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.

Paul Cunningham started handcrafting the lemon peel style baseball in an effort to bring awareness to its important part in baseball’s history. It was the lemon peel style baseball that actually evolved into the modern figure eight style baseball used in the game today. Paul’s products have been featured in Men’s Fitness, Men’s Journal, and Uncrate. Before starting his Etsy shop – Lemon Ball – Paul’s background included researcher for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, photo editor for Major League Baseball, and Sr. Baseball Glove Craftsman, where Paul made ball gloves for elite players. In this interview, learn how Paul used Etsy to launch Lemon Ball.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

I was selling my goods on eBay when I saw a blog post from marketing guru Seth Godin that referred to Etsy. Upon visiting Etsy, I felt that it was a good fit so I opened a shop and started making sales immediately.

How do you market your business?

Bad answer, but I don’t. Etsy made me one of their featured sellers in June of 2008. That pretty much launched me. I also caught the attention of Michael Williams who writes a high traffic men’s style blog called “A Continuous Lean”. He featured my football. Several magazine editors saw the post and in turn featured me in their holiday gift guides.

How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

I’m on Facebook and I am pretty low key in promoting myself there. I do occasionally post something related to my business.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

I love the freedom to be creative and unconventional. It’s a great outlet for low risk product testing and market research.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

Etsy has made it very easy to set up and run a professional looking shop. It’s cheap and well integrated with Paypal, so receiving payment and shipping orders is a breeze. Personally, I feel that Etsy administrators are genuinely interested in helping people succeed. In that respect, they are constantly striving to improve their services and offerings.

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

Great photography is a must. Of course, if you make crap, great photos won’t help. I believe that the most successful Etsy sellers will be successful anywhere, and it’s all about creating a personal, discernable, unique, and appealing style.

How did you come up with your shop names?

It is the name of my signature product; Lemon Ball, lemon peel style baseballs.

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

A very important element, that many Etsy sellers don’t get, is to create an avatar that clearly shows off your style. Stick with that avatar and don’t change it. It is what makes you recognizable. Before I opened my Etsy shop, I had a product, logos, packaging and a visual presence. My Etsy shop is an extension of these elements.

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

I certainly feel welcome and supported by the Etsy community, but I’m a bit of a loner there. More specifically, I am a man in a woman’s world. Being of the minority gender on Etsy certainly has its advantages. I find that there are plenty of women who come to my shop to buy gifts for the men in their lives. Also, the items that I sell stand out because they are so unique in the Etsy world.

How do you connect with your buyers?

I practice the golden rule. I’m pretty low key in terms of my thank you’s, but I am absolutely meticulous in my craft. I never ship any item that isn’t perfect and beautiful. I take pride in careful packaging and quick shipping and believe that the customer is always right. It’s pretty basic, but it works.

For more information on Paul’s Etsy shop – Lemon Ball visit http://lemonball.etsy.com/

Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” (Available on Amazon) in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at twitter.com/onewhowrites.