This is the sixth in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.
Julie Boyles learned the art of hand binding books while taking a break from her oil painting career in early 2008. In April of 2008, Julie opened her Etsy shop – Julie Boyles Books. Julie pays careful attention to every detail while making her beautiful handmade leather journals. In this interview, learn how Julie used her creativity to create a career she is passionate about.
What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?
In early 2008 I was taking a break from my oil painting career, and made the decision to change my focus. I began to explore different types of crafts I was interested in, and came upon book binding. While learning the art of hand binding books, Etsy came up in a search; I looked into it and signed up in February of 2008. After doing a lot of research, and really digging into the way Etsy works, I opened up my shop in April of that year. Now, almost 2 full years later, I’m enjoying myself more than I ever thought I would, and have a great career making something I’m passionate about.
How do you market your business?
I think of marketing this business a little differently than some would. First and foremost, my two most important marketing tools are excellent, personal customer service, and consistently creating a quality product at a fair price. Word of mouth testimonies are priceless, and can become viral. Another way I market my business is by diversifying into several well chosen venues both on and offline. Whenever I want to open a shop in a new venue, I think very carefully about how it will affect my business as a whole. It’s just me making these journals and I would like it to remain that way. I don’t want to spread myself too thin so I only have a few online venues, and 2 brick and mortar stores I work out of. Creating and maintaining consistency of my brand is also critical to my marketing plan. I do this by making sure all my media looks the same, and remaining diligent when I create new things. I want to be sure that everything I create has my own aesthetic and that it carries through everything I make. I advertise on selected blogs, and use some of the promotional opportunities that Etsy provides. I purchase Showcase spots several times a year and either list new books daily, or renew existing ones to stay near the top of the category searches.
How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?
I look at social networking as exposure. I have a blog, a Facebook page, and occasionally I use Twitter. I use these networks solely as a means to get my name out there, and to share any news I feel will be helpful. Of these three, I enjoy blogging the most, so I use it more. I like to write, and can be a little “wordy” sometimes, so this media fits my personality a little better. On my blog, I share news about my shops and a few personal tidbits as well. I try to keep a healthy balance. I’m currently working on growing my Facebook and Twitter presence, so as the year progresses my frequency of using these mediums will change.
What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?
My favorite part is the pleasure I get from interacting with people from all around the world. It thrills me that I will create a journal, or a photo album, and someone will get pleasure from writing in it or using it. This has been one of the most rewarding careers I have had. It’s all up to me. Any success I achieve, or failures I have are all my own. I like the fact that the buck stops here. I worked in retail management for many years, and the one thing I didn’t like was I was always held back from making the decisions that were right and fair for the customers. I would have to say things like, “I can’t accept this return because it’s been more than 30 days since you purchased it” or “I’m sorry, we aren’t able to do this, it’s not our corporate policy.” This is radically different. I can take a return for any reason, or make any decision that is best for my customer, and my business. In a nutshell, I can do the RIGHT thing, and feel good about it. I’m not perfect by any means! I forget things once in a while, and occasionally make a wrong decision, but at the end of the day I’m the only one accountable for the way I conduct this business.
What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?
Etsy has created a vibrant venue for sellers to sell their goods. They also provide many opportunities to help initiate success. The obvious things such as paid Showcase spots, relisting a sold item, or renewing a current item are often thought of first. But there are other valuable tools available to sellers. Having Google Analytics connected to my shop has been very eye opening, and has really helped me maintain my marketing focus. It has also given me ideas for new products since I can easily see what people are looking for when they search.
The recent changes in Search Engine Optimization and all the discussions about how to optimize keywords have really helped me understand the importance of keywords, and search engines. I know my business has increased because of this. Treasuries, Front page exposure, and the Featured Seller spot have also been instrumental to my business growing, and I’m grateful each time I’ve been chosen for these things.
What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?
Patience is the key for all Etsians in opening a shop. I would suggest doing a lot of reading on Etsy, especially the Terms of Service and the Do’s and Don’ts before even opening a shop. Look into the categories to see where your product fits, and get an idea of who your competitors will be. Search around the site to figure out how it works, and maybe even make a purchase in order to know what your customers will experience when they buy something from you. Make the very best product you can, and keep improving it. Practice taking good photos of your products, keep looking for ways to make your items look more appealing, but be honest. Don’t edit them to look better than they really are! Provide exceptional customer service; get to know your customers as much as you can, and let them get to know you. It’s these personal interactions that get me fired up each day, and help me to put in the long hours it takes to run this business. Etsy is a great venue that I think will continue to grow in size and popularity. I consider it a privilege to have it as one of the venues for my business.
For more information on Julie and her shop visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/julieboyles
Her main website at http://julieboyles.com/
Her blog at http://julieboyles.blogspot.com/
Follow Julie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/julieboyles
Become a Facebook Fan at http://www.facebook.com/JulieBoylesJournals
Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneur journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. 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 www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.
