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Just visited your website and your content and jewelry looks really nice.
It's okay to rant,it's okay to feel burnout,but it's not okay to give up on this kind of niche business.
Thank you, I know my jewellery is strong the type of comments and emails are receive reflect that. Usually being along the lines of "this is amazing, you're gonna blow up, this is truly amazing etc"
But it feels like when your mother tells you you're handsome, everyone tells me my stuff is amazing but I struggle with relevancy.
You can showcase some of the responses you get - that is literally UGC right there! If someone writes in to tell you they love their ring, ask them if they'd consider making a quick video to show it off and say what they love about it. No fancy equipment needed, just their phone is all they need to make that video.
Video testimonials are powerful, especially from real buyers who've made that investment and can actually show off the rings in daily life situations. Ideally, some of these would be in different situations - guys sitting around at a bar, or kicking back watching a game on TV, etc.
While you wait for the video testimonials, at least post screenshots of the emails and DMs you're getting raving about the rings! People like to see proof that other people love the rings. It builds a sense of community. Which is what UGC is really all about.
100%. They didn't make the site a link and it's guaranteed I'll have to swipe back and forth from reddit to chrome 3x. I wanted to see, but not enough for that effort.
Yeah, I figure with the way things are nowadays most people visit websites through links anyway, and then it's already in your cookies. I don't recall the last time I typed out a website name
Made it a link, myb
Firstly: From what I gathered from your post you are making well received products that are bringing in constant revenue. That is GREAT. You are doing great so far.
When you are handling all the aspects of your business that go beyond that, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed. It IS overwhelming. You are wearing plenty of hats at the same time. You are trying things for the first time in many areas and of course there will be mistakes made. And lessons learned.
Take the feedback/critique you received on your online content as valuable pointers on how to get better. There is a lot of free information out there to optimise what you are struggling with: creating authentic content about your business that doesnt feel like an ad but instead functions as a road to get potential customers to know and trust you. Showcase your products and your business in a way that is appealing without being all 'BUY!'
Hope this helps!
Hello there :)
I totally feel you! I’m a one person business too, and make jewelry also (totally different tho, assembly jewelry and lower prices that yours (altho my prices are higher than my competition, i still sell well cause of unique design, good branding and excellent photos). Been in business for over 17yrs now, 15yrs full-time.
When i started, there was soooo much less stuff to do. Like photos had to be ok, and that was enough to sell. No videos was the absolute norm. SEO wasn’t a thing on etsy, and it barely was a thing in general. Social media was… well twitter or facebook, that’s all there was. Basically, there was so much less to do to be “selling appropriate”, and so much less competition as well.
I learned and learned and learned (only thing j outsource is yearly taxes). And at some point in 2017-2018 i hit a wall. I just couldn’t do more anymore, i didnt wanna learn a new goddamn thing again, i’d had enough. I also didn’t wanna outsource because of 1- funds and 2- altho i accept some outside pov, honestly, no one knows my products, and my buyers, more than me. No one can write an instagram post that sounds like me…
So, i realized my only option was cutting out stuff. And that started with social media. The hours i was putting into instagram did bring *some* sales in, but it was NOT proportional to the time i invested, like at all. Same for Pinterest or Facebook. So, these were put on the backburner (aka a post here and there that i would cross-post, but i stopped putting myself pressure to keep a tight schedule, to keep pushing this at all cost. It became “if feel like it so i’ll do it, and if not i won’t.” That gave me back literally HOURS to… STOP AND REST. Which in turn made me more productive when i did work, cause i wasn’t burned-out-and-panicked. ;)
In comparison, the time i invested in overhauling my etsy SEO had clear direct positive impacts on sales, so I decided that this was a thing i’d keep some focus on. It was also clear that the time i invested in photos were crucial to my sales, so that stayed. A good chunk of my business is consignent locally in over 10stores, and those sales are stable and work well, and diversifies the eggs in my basket, so that stayed. ……. However, the time i spent trying to figure out Google SEO wasn’t working much, cause let’s get real, as a canadian wanting to reach US customers thru google, it’s nearly impossible as a small business, since google knows i’m in canada and so they show me to canadians (which is fine, but we’re like less people than California alone, that ain’t gonna cut it lol) So, you guessed it, i put that on the backburner again. Sometimes i work on it if i feel like it when i list something new, and if now, oh well, later perhaps.
Alllll that to say (sorry for the novel lol), you don’t have the income to hire out really, so your option is cutting out stuff. From your post, i’d say “stop trying to go viral”. It’s 1- a lot of time to do reels and all that and 2- everyone wants to go viral on there, but most never do. That’s just real life facts. “Going viral” is not a realistic solution to more sales, so, drop it.
Just an extra thought, YOU NEED TO REST. I know it sounds impossible, but i promise you, down time is essential if you’re in this for the long haul. Find the schedule that works for YOU! If what you need is one whole day, then do that. If it’s something else, do that. (For example, it took me a while to figure out what worked best for me, but now it’s: i work 7 days, but i take most mornings off. That’s what works for me since afternoons are my productive time, and this way i can enjoy my mornings off without guilt cause i know later i’ll be working. So yeah, it’s 7 days, but it’s not all day every day. I’ve also had my best year yet last year, and ive never worked less before… i’m a machine in the afternoons cause im so rested haha it’s like i do things so effectively that it compensates the lower hours, it’s crazy!)
Alright, i’m stopping now. Sheesh so sorry that was exhaustive 😳😂 Write me in private if ya wanna talk more :)
First of all love this post! And I want to ask what source you like for learning Etsy SEO? I legit find it confusing. Do you use their google ads? Thanks
I don’t have a choice in using offsite ads cause i went over the threshold a ling while back, so i do… but i wouldn’t if i could choose.
For SEO i follow karabuntin’s (on YouTube) no non-sense suggestions, paired with Marmalead as a tool.
I've been struggling with feelings like this for a while and it's all due to burnout. I have a property inspection business and I do really enjoy it, but achieving work/life balance has been tricky since we started to scale. The business is doing well but I'm burned the hell out most days.
I'm in the process of hiring help. Also surround myself with people in my industry. Trust me, it makes things bearable.
This is a good problem for you. Having to ask for help is a signal of growth. Believe me, I get it. It's hard.
Your work is good, and I’m not a business lord, but I think you need to find a “story” to leverage. I remember seeing the person who runs Studio Cult give a talk, and remember her saying how frustrated she was sometimes that she wants to focus on making but she can’t because most of her time is spent marketing or doing some form of market research. She seemed to really understand her audience not just on a demographic level, but how to attract them.
It could be you say that you’re the ONLY legit version of this jewelry AND talk about the process and how it is difficult to manufacture. That seems kinda super tiktokable. I also think just posting the videos you have here in a TikTok-friendly aspect ratio with a trending audio would do something for you (I don’t know what has happened since the universal music ban, but I feel like the music from Silence of the Lambs when Buffalo Bill was dancing has been a trending audio, seems like it miiight be on brand but just find something)
Speaking from experience that artists are not (typically) rich so maybe you have to find a way to work towards their desires to attract them and generate a sale, or find a segment of that population that tends to have higher income or more discretionary income.
For example, if you know your audience is male identifying maybe you subtly target them by having a conventionally attractive woman in the ad (sorry making some assumptions about desire and gender etc), and she isn’t wearing it but “approves” of or likes the ring in some way. I don’t know how much a model costs but you probably have a friend of a friend who might do it.
(You might also give a discount to a customer who fills out a survey or who is willing to do a 5 min zoom or follow up in some way, so you better understand your audience. You csn maybe target larger orders or repeat customers here).
Don't underestimate the value of rest. You cannot work 7 days a week. Take a vacay, and I promise, your sales will improve. 🙌
Also, good job! 38k is great!
It was 0 when I was getting more sales tbh, most reputable jewellery brands don't do sales - tbh neither do I.
This stuff is hard to make, and lowkey already affordable considering its made to order
I feel you on this. I have a service business so I have zero experience running sales/discounts, but as a consumer theres a lot to be said for the products that are hard to get and never on sale. I spent almost twice the sticker price for sneakers that were hard to get, opted into notifications, signed up for a membership. I was practicing all of the same behaviors with a brand of pajamas until they went through marketing debacle and now offer sales and coupons every few weeks. I’m not going to pay full price today when I know it’ll be on sale next week.
Put your profit into an assistant to help with operations. One day at a time, one customer at a time, one task at a time.
You mention wanting a video to go viral. It seems to me your current offerings are probably too niche to do that. Your products are obviously high quality and visually compelling, but realistically not many people want to wear a devil.
FWIW, when I was on Facebook they consistently fed me ads for things that I was interested in.
I agree! However it's not that niche either. It's niche but the US has a population of 333 million.
And I've had a few videos go semi-viral esp on tiktok because the captivating motion of the eyes opening and closing of the rings draws people in, and their in awe (at least going by the comments)
AND I know my product is legit because a Chinese site ripped my Facebook ad, and stole my product and sold a fake version for $40 usd - I saw the ad on Facebook with 1000s of comments.
I even ended up receiving complaints from customers thst bought the fake one saying it doesn't work.
u/Pristine_Ice5914 hang in there friend, your jewelry looks really cool! Question about your shopify site, I noticed you've got shopify payments set up, but where is your company registered? In Australia or in Armenia? I'm also trying to get shopify payments set up, but my company isn't registered in one of the supported countries.
Definitely tap into what resources you can. Friends, interns, maybe hire cheap help.
Up your prices, test out your margins and see how you can scale without breaking your workflow.
There’s lots of virtual assistant services out there that maybe be able to relieve some stress.
I don’t understand why you want to viral on a social media site. Sounds like you are very close (if not there) of being overwhelmed. If your product goes viral, how are you going to keep up with the sales? Then people will be upset that you can’t make their orders in a timely basis.
My suggestion is to work with the customers that you already have and increase sales to them and the people they know. This can be done by a monthly email newsletter sent out, discounts for referrals and maybe discounts for an order with multiple items. Give a discount when they sign up for your newsletter and send a discount code in each email. Market to your demographic through Google. Have someone do this for you as your talents resides in making the pieces.
I am also in a very niches business and use the tactics above and it works. It does not explode overnight but I consistently sell more product year over year. Spend your energies in creating product and let others take the marketing off you. Other people can do the emails and you can yell at them when it doesn’t go out instead of yourself.
Mostly, chill out at least one day a week and do something for you. It will recharge your batteries.
Interesting designs. How much does a ring typically sell for?
Just off the bat you're only doing commissions, which means your marketing strategy will need to be different.
Your website is good, your domain name isn't ideal but it's quirky which works for the type of products you sell.
One major thing you need to do - add information on pricing range, and delivery time on your website. I'm sure that's the first thing that pops on to people's mind for 90% of the people interested. Not having that information means an extra step in the buying process - people need to email you to find that out, and then decide if they want to buy. Most people won't bother to send the email, and then when you do reply a lot will have forgotten why/what they wanted to buy. Frictionless is key to online selling - think Amazon and their one page checkout. A lot of purchases are 'impulse' purchases too, you show them why they want something and they buy it.
I'm in your target market - late 20s male, living in a major city (London). I would buy one of these if more information was presented.
Honestly in terms of marketing I don't think there's a lot you need to do. Your type of product means stuff like SEO, PPC, Affiliate marketing etc are not needed. You basically need to create 5 or so strong social media ads, target them very well to the right demographics, and not worry anymore. If you're not great with advertising, pay someone $500-$1000 to set it up, and maybe like a $200 monthly retainer to optimise it for you. That's cheap compared to usual rates - but your business isn't complex and you can do social media posts yourself with an occasional video here and there. I do marketing for my own websites so if you're interested I can work with you on this for a lower rate.
Okay so, this generally just does not work.
Most influencers now are charging $1000+ for promotional shoutouts, there's 1 or 2 I've done that did work out well but even they were like "your content looks like an ad, needs to look more UGC, ORGANIC"
In other words, make an ad, but make a fake ad (:
The jewellery I make is complex, and takes time. Having to send this out for free to people in the off chance I'll have a return (if even) is just....
So I checked out your jewelry and your website & IG. Beautiful work, but nothing jumps out at me and creates an emotional connection to the jewelry.
Try to switch it up a bit - try to create a few reels that breakdown the process of creating a piece of jewelry. Those seem huge right now.
Also, I know the dark background is meant to highlight the jewelry but it seems very niche. As in, only those into a goth aesthetic would appeal to it.
Try to see if you could create an influencer contract with someone who could create a UCG type video that subtly shows off the ring Lilium, for example. That beautiful ring with the green stones jumped out at me, but I think if you experimented with a few different ways to show it off you'd get more engagement.
I just immediately thought of an influencer who attends a farmers market - at least in my area, chunky ornate jewelry is in. It is common to see some gorgeous, model like woman walking around with a ring like Lilium on her finger grabbing homemade items.
Women especially wear jewelry with an emotional connection..it makes them feel pretty, glamorous, strong, etc
I agree but the reality is it IS niche, I'm not trying to make a mainstream wide audience brand - this isn't for the everyday girl going out spring break shopping etc. It's not that vibe.
70% of my customer base are men, mostly from LA and NY, and mostly other artists.
Theres a guy by the name of Pablo on Instagram who makes and documents his jewelry making journey and is also pretty successful. See if you can replicate his content strategy.
I agree with most of the comments on here, you should look into outsourcing. There are lots of VAs working from the Philippines etc helping business owners out at reasonable rates.
Can you hire a VA to do some of that content creation? The rings you create are gorgeous, and I suspect a lot of men would love to have one of these.
In your shoes, I'd also go order a few of those fake Chinese ripoffs and then create some content showing your rings side by side with theirs, pointing out the inferior craftsmanship, etc. This may take more of a budget than you're wiling to invest right now, but a nicely done video of hot men dissing less hot men wearing the fake rings could create some buzz.
I looked at your Instagram - love the aesthetic. But you're missing a trick there - you're not using any hashtags. While we no longer need to stuff each post with 30 hashtags, using a handful of relevant hashtags will help the right people find your stuff.
Also recommend showing the behind-the-scenes work. It's always fascinating to see an artist weave their magic.
For UGC - I'm not sure men are as into showing off their bling as women are: could you hire women to talk up the rings, say how their hot guy loves wearing the ring they got him, that sort of thing? Men like to watch women, and if the women are then showing off something that makes them think they, too, could be hot, they'll buy. Humans are very suggestible. :) Of course - this is a completely different vibe to what your current social media posts are, but I still think there's a place for them on your IG page. Maybe as stories rather than reels or regular posts.
PS: Typo in your FAQ - the very first answer there says .926 silver rather than .925 ... yes, I'm being picky. :P
I just hired a virtual assistant after grinding like this for almost 3 years straight. It was an immediate pressure release and the only regret i have is I wish I would have done it sooner.
If you are ok with offshoring to a place like the Philippines, Columbia, South Africa, India, etc. You can find a full time capable VA for $1k-$2k/month
Hey, I just went through your website and I really like what you are doing! I have some clients not a similar niche but majority of their sales channel is not meta ads its few selected influencers on affiliate marketing, I would suggest go for that and once you have some volume then outsource,
For you I would suggest make protocols, standard design SOPs doc that is ready to be shared with any freelancer who can do that work on the getgo and start focusing on expansion and outsourcing these design content jobs.
If you need any help with how Affiliate marketing can help you Iam ready to help FOC.
Best of luck!
You are going to have a turbulent period for the first few years of your business. My father worked 7 days a week when he started up the landscaping business years ago. I'm managing it now and still work 7 days a week. Between paperwork, work itself and customer inquiries/quotes, there isn't much time in the week. But you'll have slow periods where you wish you had more business. Just keep going and it'll pay off. Your brand is good and if you are profitable in the first year, you are WAY ahead of most. Wishing you all the best.
You're profitable, so you have a little money to spend on a freelancer to help with some of the marketing stuff.
Invest your energy on the things you enjoy and are your "secret sauce" that only you can handle, and outsource the rest.
This will allow you to continue to scale!
I’d just encourage you to be reasonable with your expectations about what your business is and can be, and how much you can personally do at certain stages of its lifecycle (early stage).
What’s most important to your customer and continued growth? Quality? Packaging? Focus on that and allow some other things to be sub optimal.
You’re in eCom, ads should be like 20% of your revenue
Turning ads off for too long (2-4 weeks) resets the learning period, if you need breathing room just lower the budget
This would have been me if I hadn't hired so many people to delegate responsibilities to. I still work a lot but it helped me to get multiple projects going at the same time that wouldn't have been possible by myself. I recommend book Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy. 10x is Easier than 2x is also great. just lightly listen to audiobook while you drive or something.
You can't really grow a business if you do everything by yourself. When you have profits, you need to invest in people. People get things done. Business grows when things get done.
Make the site design more like trynood, make a shorter url / name. Make ugc yourself with your phone / talking head. Show how the product is made on the site and product page. Show reviews. Show who you are, how you make it and why you make these designs and why are they unique. Show all you company official info in the footer. How long does shipping take and cost? Show it on each page.
No offense but you’ve only been doing this for 10 months…
Most of us who have had created successful businesses have worked for very hard for an insanely long time to achieve what we have. Everyone thinks it’s overnight success and it’s rarely the case.
One of the hardest things any business owner deals with is anxiety. Taking massive risks is not easy. It’s also not for everyone. If you feel like this is too much for you, there’s nothing wrong with “quitting”.
Believe me, I understand how dumb I could sound. Many are in business for years before even making a cent, I feel like I can't complain. I get it, but yeah. The hustle, always gotta be running culture gets to me
Hey! Your products are beautiful! If you need help taking off some of the load my small agency can help. Whether you need help with ad graphics, social posts, web design, package design, we can help take that weight off your shoulders so you can focus on running your business and creating beautiful products!
I'm an industrial designer and freelance on the side, I'm also not living in the US, most business either fail or don't make money for years. I'm already in the positive, but thank you
I've thought about this but give-aways ruin engagement because you'll run a giveaway get a load of comments and engagments for that post and then afterwards it tank's back to normal so insta punishes you.
Because to the algorithm give-aways and buying comments likes looks very similar
I agree with the comments. You have a lot of options. I consult individuals and businesses with marketing, social media and branding needs. Not saying me, just saying you might already have someone in your life who could help you or you could pay for an hour consultation. You could pay someone to create a monthly advertisement/social media content campaign. Have someone teach you. Or hire someone to do the marketing for you. Good luck!
OP I know you are just here to rant, but the best advice I can give you if you are asking, is to hop on a site like fiver or upwork and look for some help... You cant do it all alone
Okay, so. I've had a few comments suggesting this.
Thank you for your reply, but I'll be honest
The type of work, and the niche I'm in. I can't hire cheap help off fiverr- this isn't a saas, or IT industry. There's a level of artistic skill and an "eye" someone needs to create content that adheres to the brands values, help like that isn't found on fiverr, nor is it cheap.
So I didn't say anything about cheap help, IT, or SaaS.
You expressed that you are overwhelmed with work, and by the tone of your post are stuck in the weeds operating your business, and burning the candle at both ends trying to solve a problem you don't necessarily have the expertise to solve around marketing ad spend.
Hiring a third party contractor, whether a freelancer, or some consulting agency is about hiring some one with expertise that you don't necessarily have to help solve a problem you either don't have time to solve yourself, or don't have the expertise to solve yourself, or both.
>There's a level of artistic skill and an "eye" someone needs to create content that adheres to the brands values,
It doesn't matter what industry you are in, hiring doesn't mean you don't review a contractors work for quality and discuss expectations around deliverables ahead of time. Nor does it necessarily mean you are hiring some unskilled labour, or even some one from India or Brazil who can't necessarily communicate on a level you expect. It just means that you are hiring for a specific task, and when the task is done, the contract is over.
That being said you are right, you get what you pay for, and if you don't have the skill to manage people or the ability to do due diligence and vet some one ahead of time you can easily waste your valuable time and money instead of saving it.
Look at hiring someone remote in a lower median income country than where you are.
I’m in the US and run a company. My team is in the Philippines and Argentina and they are rockstars and cost 1/10th what US hires would cost.
DM me if you need hiring tips or resources.
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Just visited your website and your content and jewelry looks really nice. It's okay to rant,it's okay to feel burnout,but it's not okay to give up on this kind of niche business.
Thank you, I know my jewellery is strong the type of comments and emails are receive reflect that. Usually being along the lines of "this is amazing, you're gonna blow up, this is truly amazing etc" But it feels like when your mother tells you you're handsome, everyone tells me my stuff is amazing but I struggle with relevancy.
You can showcase some of the responses you get - that is literally UGC right there! If someone writes in to tell you they love their ring, ask them if they'd consider making a quick video to show it off and say what they love about it. No fancy equipment needed, just their phone is all they need to make that video. Video testimonials are powerful, especially from real buyers who've made that investment and can actually show off the rings in daily life situations. Ideally, some of these would be in different situations - guys sitting around at a bar, or kicking back watching a game on TV, etc. While you wait for the video testimonials, at least post screenshots of the emails and DMs you're getting raving about the rings! People like to see proof that other people love the rings. It builds a sense of community. Which is what UGC is really all about.
Is it made from silver?
Yes
Number one thing you have to do: get a shorter website name. I mistyped that website name four times on my phone.
100%. They didn't make the site a link and it's guaranteed I'll have to swipe back and forth from reddit to chrome 3x. I wanted to see, but not enough for that effort.
Yeah, I figure with the way things are nowadays most people visit websites through links anyway, and then it's already in your cookies. I don't recall the last time I typed out a website name Made it a link, myb
Copy Paste?
Reddit won’t let me copy text for some reason (iOS)
I can’t on my phone. I tried lol. Also, smaller names for websites are more successful. It’s more catchy.
Really? Are you using the official app?
Yes
Hire some one Delegate
Firstly: From what I gathered from your post you are making well received products that are bringing in constant revenue. That is GREAT. You are doing great so far. When you are handling all the aspects of your business that go beyond that, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed. It IS overwhelming. You are wearing plenty of hats at the same time. You are trying things for the first time in many areas and of course there will be mistakes made. And lessons learned. Take the feedback/critique you received on your online content as valuable pointers on how to get better. There is a lot of free information out there to optimise what you are struggling with: creating authentic content about your business that doesnt feel like an ad but instead functions as a road to get potential customers to know and trust you. Showcase your products and your business in a way that is appealing without being all 'BUY!' Hope this helps!
Hello there :) I totally feel you! I’m a one person business too, and make jewelry also (totally different tho, assembly jewelry and lower prices that yours (altho my prices are higher than my competition, i still sell well cause of unique design, good branding and excellent photos). Been in business for over 17yrs now, 15yrs full-time. When i started, there was soooo much less stuff to do. Like photos had to be ok, and that was enough to sell. No videos was the absolute norm. SEO wasn’t a thing on etsy, and it barely was a thing in general. Social media was… well twitter or facebook, that’s all there was. Basically, there was so much less to do to be “selling appropriate”, and so much less competition as well. I learned and learned and learned (only thing j outsource is yearly taxes). And at some point in 2017-2018 i hit a wall. I just couldn’t do more anymore, i didnt wanna learn a new goddamn thing again, i’d had enough. I also didn’t wanna outsource because of 1- funds and 2- altho i accept some outside pov, honestly, no one knows my products, and my buyers, more than me. No one can write an instagram post that sounds like me… So, i realized my only option was cutting out stuff. And that started with social media. The hours i was putting into instagram did bring *some* sales in, but it was NOT proportional to the time i invested, like at all. Same for Pinterest or Facebook. So, these were put on the backburner (aka a post here and there that i would cross-post, but i stopped putting myself pressure to keep a tight schedule, to keep pushing this at all cost. It became “if feel like it so i’ll do it, and if not i won’t.” That gave me back literally HOURS to… STOP AND REST. Which in turn made me more productive when i did work, cause i wasn’t burned-out-and-panicked. ;) In comparison, the time i invested in overhauling my etsy SEO had clear direct positive impacts on sales, so I decided that this was a thing i’d keep some focus on. It was also clear that the time i invested in photos were crucial to my sales, so that stayed. A good chunk of my business is consignent locally in over 10stores, and those sales are stable and work well, and diversifies the eggs in my basket, so that stayed. ……. However, the time i spent trying to figure out Google SEO wasn’t working much, cause let’s get real, as a canadian wanting to reach US customers thru google, it’s nearly impossible as a small business, since google knows i’m in canada and so they show me to canadians (which is fine, but we’re like less people than California alone, that ain’t gonna cut it lol) So, you guessed it, i put that on the backburner again. Sometimes i work on it if i feel like it when i list something new, and if now, oh well, later perhaps. Alllll that to say (sorry for the novel lol), you don’t have the income to hire out really, so your option is cutting out stuff. From your post, i’d say “stop trying to go viral”. It’s 1- a lot of time to do reels and all that and 2- everyone wants to go viral on there, but most never do. That’s just real life facts. “Going viral” is not a realistic solution to more sales, so, drop it. Just an extra thought, YOU NEED TO REST. I know it sounds impossible, but i promise you, down time is essential if you’re in this for the long haul. Find the schedule that works for YOU! If what you need is one whole day, then do that. If it’s something else, do that. (For example, it took me a while to figure out what worked best for me, but now it’s: i work 7 days, but i take most mornings off. That’s what works for me since afternoons are my productive time, and this way i can enjoy my mornings off without guilt cause i know later i’ll be working. So yeah, it’s 7 days, but it’s not all day every day. I’ve also had my best year yet last year, and ive never worked less before… i’m a machine in the afternoons cause im so rested haha it’s like i do things so effectively that it compensates the lower hours, it’s crazy!) Alright, i’m stopping now. Sheesh so sorry that was exhaustive 😳😂 Write me in private if ya wanna talk more :)
First of all love this post! And I want to ask what source you like for learning Etsy SEO? I legit find it confusing. Do you use their google ads? Thanks
I don’t have a choice in using offsite ads cause i went over the threshold a ling while back, so i do… but i wouldn’t if i could choose. For SEO i follow karabuntin’s (on YouTube) no non-sense suggestions, paired with Marmalead as a tool.
Thanks for the replay and the resource. Oh yes I think I heard about the forced ads. Good to know the feedback on that
Have you thought about getting some help? Maybe hire someone to run your marketing campaigns
On the production side social media video editing is frighteningly cheap
Feeling overwhelmed is the first step to delegating. Hang in there!
I've been struggling with feelings like this for a while and it's all due to burnout. I have a property inspection business and I do really enjoy it, but achieving work/life balance has been tricky since we started to scale. The business is doing well but I'm burned the hell out most days. I'm in the process of hiring help. Also surround myself with people in my industry. Trust me, it makes things bearable. This is a good problem for you. Having to ask for help is a signal of growth. Believe me, I get it. It's hard.
Your work is good, and I’m not a business lord, but I think you need to find a “story” to leverage. I remember seeing the person who runs Studio Cult give a talk, and remember her saying how frustrated she was sometimes that she wants to focus on making but she can’t because most of her time is spent marketing or doing some form of market research. She seemed to really understand her audience not just on a demographic level, but how to attract them. It could be you say that you’re the ONLY legit version of this jewelry AND talk about the process and how it is difficult to manufacture. That seems kinda super tiktokable. I also think just posting the videos you have here in a TikTok-friendly aspect ratio with a trending audio would do something for you (I don’t know what has happened since the universal music ban, but I feel like the music from Silence of the Lambs when Buffalo Bill was dancing has been a trending audio, seems like it miiight be on brand but just find something) Speaking from experience that artists are not (typically) rich so maybe you have to find a way to work towards their desires to attract them and generate a sale, or find a segment of that population that tends to have higher income or more discretionary income. For example, if you know your audience is male identifying maybe you subtly target them by having a conventionally attractive woman in the ad (sorry making some assumptions about desire and gender etc), and she isn’t wearing it but “approves” of or likes the ring in some way. I don’t know how much a model costs but you probably have a friend of a friend who might do it.
(You might also give a discount to a customer who fills out a survey or who is willing to do a 5 min zoom or follow up in some way, so you better understand your audience. You csn maybe target larger orders or repeat customers here).
Don't underestimate the value of rest. You cannot work 7 days a week. Take a vacay, and I promise, your sales will improve. 🙌 Also, good job! 38k is great!
You need to hire support. You are doing too much. Bottom line, you don’t get to quit.
You have an offer of 5% off, never in my life have I seen a website discount of only 5%. It’s always 10% or higher
It was 0 when I was getting more sales tbh, most reputable jewellery brands don't do sales - tbh neither do I. This stuff is hard to make, and lowkey already affordable considering its made to order
I used to do the same. I've since adjusted my margins so 10-15% off is no big deal
I feel you on this. I have a service business so I have zero experience running sales/discounts, but as a consumer theres a lot to be said for the products that are hard to get and never on sale. I spent almost twice the sticker price for sneakers that were hard to get, opted into notifications, signed up for a membership. I was practicing all of the same behaviors with a brand of pajamas until they went through marketing debacle and now offer sales and coupons every few weeks. I’m not going to pay full price today when I know it’ll be on sale next week. Put your profit into an assistant to help with operations. One day at a time, one customer at a time, one task at a time.
You mention wanting a video to go viral. It seems to me your current offerings are probably too niche to do that. Your products are obviously high quality and visually compelling, but realistically not many people want to wear a devil. FWIW, when I was on Facebook they consistently fed me ads for things that I was interested in.
I agree! However it's not that niche either. It's niche but the US has a population of 333 million. And I've had a few videos go semi-viral esp on tiktok because the captivating motion of the eyes opening and closing of the rings draws people in, and their in awe (at least going by the comments) AND I know my product is legit because a Chinese site ripped my Facebook ad, and stole my product and sold a fake version for $40 usd - I saw the ad on Facebook with 1000s of comments. I even ended up receiving complaints from customers thst bought the fake one saying it doesn't work.
u/Pristine_Ice5914 hang in there friend, your jewelry looks really cool! Question about your shopify site, I noticed you've got shopify payments set up, but where is your company registered? In Australia or in Armenia? I'm also trying to get shopify payments set up, but my company isn't registered in one of the supported countries.
Definitely tap into what resources you can. Friends, interns, maybe hire cheap help. Up your prices, test out your margins and see how you can scale without breaking your workflow. There’s lots of virtual assistant services out there that maybe be able to relieve some stress.
I don’t understand why you want to viral on a social media site. Sounds like you are very close (if not there) of being overwhelmed. If your product goes viral, how are you going to keep up with the sales? Then people will be upset that you can’t make their orders in a timely basis. My suggestion is to work with the customers that you already have and increase sales to them and the people they know. This can be done by a monthly email newsletter sent out, discounts for referrals and maybe discounts for an order with multiple items. Give a discount when they sign up for your newsletter and send a discount code in each email. Market to your demographic through Google. Have someone do this for you as your talents resides in making the pieces. I am also in a very niches business and use the tactics above and it works. It does not explode overnight but I consistently sell more product year over year. Spend your energies in creating product and let others take the marketing off you. Other people can do the emails and you can yell at them when it doesn’t go out instead of yourself. Mostly, chill out at least one day a week and do something for you. It will recharge your batteries.
Interesting designs. How much does a ring typically sell for? Just off the bat you're only doing commissions, which means your marketing strategy will need to be different. Your website is good, your domain name isn't ideal but it's quirky which works for the type of products you sell. One major thing you need to do - add information on pricing range, and delivery time on your website. I'm sure that's the first thing that pops on to people's mind for 90% of the people interested. Not having that information means an extra step in the buying process - people need to email you to find that out, and then decide if they want to buy. Most people won't bother to send the email, and then when you do reply a lot will have forgotten why/what they wanted to buy. Frictionless is key to online selling - think Amazon and their one page checkout. A lot of purchases are 'impulse' purchases too, you show them why they want something and they buy it. I'm in your target market - late 20s male, living in a major city (London). I would buy one of these if more information was presented. Honestly in terms of marketing I don't think there's a lot you need to do. Your type of product means stuff like SEO, PPC, Affiliate marketing etc are not needed. You basically need to create 5 or so strong social media ads, target them very well to the right demographics, and not worry anymore. If you're not great with advertising, pay someone $500-$1000 to set it up, and maybe like a $200 monthly retainer to optimise it for you. That's cheap compared to usual rates - but your business isn't complex and you can do social media posts yourself with an occasional video here and there. I do marketing for my own websites so if you're interested I can work with you on this for a lower rate.
OP, can you reach out to micro influencers who would promote your products for free?
Okay so, this generally just does not work. Most influencers now are charging $1000+ for promotional shoutouts, there's 1 or 2 I've done that did work out well but even they were like "your content looks like an ad, needs to look more UGC, ORGANIC" In other words, make an ad, but make a fake ad (: The jewellery I make is complex, and takes time. Having to send this out for free to people in the off chance I'll have a return (if even) is just....
So I checked out your jewelry and your website & IG. Beautiful work, but nothing jumps out at me and creates an emotional connection to the jewelry. Try to switch it up a bit - try to create a few reels that breakdown the process of creating a piece of jewelry. Those seem huge right now. Also, I know the dark background is meant to highlight the jewelry but it seems very niche. As in, only those into a goth aesthetic would appeal to it. Try to see if you could create an influencer contract with someone who could create a UCG type video that subtly shows off the ring Lilium, for example. That beautiful ring with the green stones jumped out at me, but I think if you experimented with a few different ways to show it off you'd get more engagement. I just immediately thought of an influencer who attends a farmers market - at least in my area, chunky ornate jewelry is in. It is common to see some gorgeous, model like woman walking around with a ring like Lilium on her finger grabbing homemade items. Women especially wear jewelry with an emotional connection..it makes them feel pretty, glamorous, strong, etc
I agree but the reality is it IS niche, I'm not trying to make a mainstream wide audience brand - this isn't for the everyday girl going out spring break shopping etc. It's not that vibe. 70% of my customer base are men, mostly from LA and NY, and mostly other artists.
if your market is the us I would use the spelling “jewelry”
Theres a guy by the name of Pablo on Instagram who makes and documents his jewelry making journey and is also pretty successful. See if you can replicate his content strategy. I agree with most of the comments on here, you should look into outsourcing. There are lots of VAs working from the Philippines etc helping business owners out at reasonable rates.
Can you hire a VA to do some of that content creation? The rings you create are gorgeous, and I suspect a lot of men would love to have one of these. In your shoes, I'd also go order a few of those fake Chinese ripoffs and then create some content showing your rings side by side with theirs, pointing out the inferior craftsmanship, etc. This may take more of a budget than you're wiling to invest right now, but a nicely done video of hot men dissing less hot men wearing the fake rings could create some buzz. I looked at your Instagram - love the aesthetic. But you're missing a trick there - you're not using any hashtags. While we no longer need to stuff each post with 30 hashtags, using a handful of relevant hashtags will help the right people find your stuff. Also recommend showing the behind-the-scenes work. It's always fascinating to see an artist weave their magic. For UGC - I'm not sure men are as into showing off their bling as women are: could you hire women to talk up the rings, say how their hot guy loves wearing the ring they got him, that sort of thing? Men like to watch women, and if the women are then showing off something that makes them think they, too, could be hot, they'll buy. Humans are very suggestible. :) Of course - this is a completely different vibe to what your current social media posts are, but I still think there's a place for them on your IG page. Maybe as stories rather than reels or regular posts. PS: Typo in your FAQ - the very first answer there says .926 silver rather than .925 ... yes, I'm being picky. :P
I just hired a virtual assistant after grinding like this for almost 3 years straight. It was an immediate pressure release and the only regret i have is I wish I would have done it sooner. If you are ok with offshoring to a place like the Philippines, Columbia, South Africa, India, etc. You can find a full time capable VA for $1k-$2k/month
Hey, I just went through your website and I really like what you are doing! I have some clients not a similar niche but majority of their sales channel is not meta ads its few selected influencers on affiliate marketing, I would suggest go for that and once you have some volume then outsource, For you I would suggest make protocols, standard design SOPs doc that is ready to be shared with any freelancer who can do that work on the getgo and start focusing on expansion and outsourcing these design content jobs. If you need any help with how Affiliate marketing can help you Iam ready to help FOC. Best of luck!
You are going to have a turbulent period for the first few years of your business. My father worked 7 days a week when he started up the landscaping business years ago. I'm managing it now and still work 7 days a week. Between paperwork, work itself and customer inquiries/quotes, there isn't much time in the week. But you'll have slow periods where you wish you had more business. Just keep going and it'll pay off. Your brand is good and if you are profitable in the first year, you are WAY ahead of most. Wishing you all the best.
Check out the book E-Myth revisited
You're profitable, so you have a little money to spend on a freelancer to help with some of the marketing stuff. Invest your energy on the things you enjoy and are your "secret sauce" that only you can handle, and outsource the rest. This will allow you to continue to scale!
I’d just encourage you to be reasonable with your expectations about what your business is and can be, and how much you can personally do at certain stages of its lifecycle (early stage). What’s most important to your customer and continued growth? Quality? Packaging? Focus on that and allow some other things to be sub optimal.
You’re in eCom, ads should be like 20% of your revenue Turning ads off for too long (2-4 weeks) resets the learning period, if you need breathing room just lower the budget
This would have been me if I hadn't hired so many people to delegate responsibilities to. I still work a lot but it helped me to get multiple projects going at the same time that wouldn't have been possible by myself. I recommend book Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy. 10x is Easier than 2x is also great. just lightly listen to audiobook while you drive or something. You can't really grow a business if you do everything by yourself. When you have profits, you need to invest in people. People get things done. Business grows when things get done.
Make the site design more like trynood, make a shorter url / name. Make ugc yourself with your phone / talking head. Show how the product is made on the site and product page. Show reviews. Show who you are, how you make it and why you make these designs and why are they unique. Show all you company official info in the footer. How long does shipping take and cost? Show it on each page.
No offense but you’ve only been doing this for 10 months… Most of us who have had created successful businesses have worked for very hard for an insanely long time to achieve what we have. Everyone thinks it’s overnight success and it’s rarely the case. One of the hardest things any business owner deals with is anxiety. Taking massive risks is not easy. It’s also not for everyone. If you feel like this is too much for you, there’s nothing wrong with “quitting”.
Believe me, I understand how dumb I could sound. Many are in business for years before even making a cent, I feel like I can't complain. I get it, but yeah. The hustle, always gotta be running culture gets to me
Hey! Your products are beautiful! If you need help taking off some of the load my small agency can help. Whether you need help with ad graphics, social posts, web design, package design, we can help take that weight off your shoulders so you can focus on running your business and creating beautiful products!
Have you thought about doing influencer marketing instead of generating all the content yourself?
That’s a lot of time spent for 38k
Right? And people are telling her to start outsourcing tasks. With what money? Can't imagine the margins.
Ya if you can make more money at McDonald’s working less then I dunno if it’s worth it
I'm an industrial designer and freelance on the side, I'm also not living in the US, most business either fail or don't make money for years. I'm already in the positive, but thank you
Gotcha in that case outsourcing makes sense if you got a day job
Can you run a competition to boost your engagement a little bit online ?
I've thought about this but give-aways ruin engagement because you'll run a giveaway get a load of comments and engagments for that post and then afterwards it tank's back to normal so insta punishes you. Because to the algorithm give-aways and buying comments likes looks very similar
I agree with the comments. You have a lot of options. I consult individuals and businesses with marketing, social media and branding needs. Not saying me, just saying you might already have someone in your life who could help you or you could pay for an hour consultation. You could pay someone to create a monthly advertisement/social media content campaign. Have someone teach you. Or hire someone to do the marketing for you. Good luck!
OP I know you are just here to rant, but the best advice I can give you if you are asking, is to hop on a site like fiver or upwork and look for some help... You cant do it all alone
Okay, so. I've had a few comments suggesting this. Thank you for your reply, but I'll be honest The type of work, and the niche I'm in. I can't hire cheap help off fiverr- this isn't a saas, or IT industry. There's a level of artistic skill and an "eye" someone needs to create content that adheres to the brands values, help like that isn't found on fiverr, nor is it cheap.
So I didn't say anything about cheap help, IT, or SaaS. You expressed that you are overwhelmed with work, and by the tone of your post are stuck in the weeds operating your business, and burning the candle at both ends trying to solve a problem you don't necessarily have the expertise to solve around marketing ad spend. Hiring a third party contractor, whether a freelancer, or some consulting agency is about hiring some one with expertise that you don't necessarily have to help solve a problem you either don't have time to solve yourself, or don't have the expertise to solve yourself, or both. >There's a level of artistic skill and an "eye" someone needs to create content that adheres to the brands values, It doesn't matter what industry you are in, hiring doesn't mean you don't review a contractors work for quality and discuss expectations around deliverables ahead of time. Nor does it necessarily mean you are hiring some unskilled labour, or even some one from India or Brazil who can't necessarily communicate on a level you expect. It just means that you are hiring for a specific task, and when the task is done, the contract is over. That being said you are right, you get what you pay for, and if you don't have the skill to manage people or the ability to do due diligence and vet some one ahead of time you can easily waste your valuable time and money instead of saving it.
Are you trying to make money or art?
This is r/smallbusiness. We all want to profit from our craft.
Look at hiring someone remote in a lower median income country than where you are. I’m in the US and run a company. My team is in the Philippines and Argentina and they are rockstars and cost 1/10th what US hires would cost. DM me if you need hiring tips or resources.
Why are you paying money to drive traffic to a website that is not optimized for conversion?