Taking the time to pause and be ...

grateful for ...

having work and being too busy to even breathe at times

having an amazing family whom i love and just adore spending time with

having a good husband who is forever patient with me

having a pup who always always always brings a smile to my face no matter what

having a beautiful home which i have finally come to accept and love just the way it is

having so many good and awesome quality friends:
                                                       old, new, near, far, all so dear and close to my heart

and, my Almighty God's numerous and wondrous blessings:
                                          prayed for, unprayed for, and all of life's surprises in between.

... what are you thankful for this year ?

Sometimes, It Is More Than Just Business

A lesson in humanity. Paying forward and getting a reward back doesn’t have to be instant to be well worth it. The Etsy Forums have always been a source of knowledge, laughter, entertainment, and lately, much controversy, drama, and some heartache. Today, it brings me something truly unexpected: perspective.

Here’s a short story.
An Etsy artist is grieving over her twin sister who had died tragically. A shop owner reaches out to her and sends her a gorgeous handmade necklace as a token of her sister’s memory. They become good “virtual” friends though the Etsy Forums.

Fast forward. The shop owner’s husband falls gravely ill. The woman who lost her sister in the story above now becomes the comforter of the shop owner who first comforted her.

Now, how did I get wind of this via the Etsy Forums? 

Today, the shop owner whose husband is ill thanks her artist friend very publicly on the Etsy Forums. I happen to be a huge fan of this woman she thanked, Trudy. ArtbyTrudy has a virtual fan club and we all chime in and yell our praises for Trudy.

Trudy. She is a source of many laughs, late night chats, and camaraderie. She is a precious woman who does not know the power of her presence, online and off. I am sure. I say that because although I have never met Trudy in person, she is a wonderful motivator, a great source of wisdom, and a very amazing woman to know. Although we both find that owning a small business online is like navigating through a magic maze which changes every time we think we have found the exit door, she manages to have sense of humor through it all. Trudy's fun and positive outlook is infectious. She always manages to bring a smile to my usually frustrated face.

Back to the story.
As Trudy would, she comes in on the Forum thread and finds post after post of accolades and praises sent her way. Trudy immediately switches the focus from herself to her friend, ACelticgirl2, and puts it all out there. Trudy simply states, please visit ACelticgirl2’s shop profile since she needs our help. Trudy is not a subtle gal. She speaks unassumingly and she is always frank and to the point. Because of Trudy’s track record of never steering me (or any of us) wrong, we all click on ACelticgirl2 Profile page.

... which simply it states:
“This is all you need to know about me right now. One day at a time. http://www.gofundme.com/is270"

I followed the link as many others did. We support ACelticgirl2 in our own way. Some donate, some send notes, some simply say a quiet prayer. Just because we know Trudy asked. And just because we know that a few years back, ACelticgirl2 did something selfless without ever expecting anything back.

Why am I sharing this today?
It's been months since my last post and much much longer since my last business advice. But you know, sometimes, something bigger comes our way and we just need to say something, acknowledge its presence and share: yes, sometimes, it is not always about business.

I am hoping that this post will be read as it was intended to be: a small tribute to two women who make me glad to be part of an amazing community of artists, small business owners, collectors, hobbyists, experts, and people who do care.

Epilogue
In the midst of crazy world events, busy-ness, insane deadlines, and lost confidences, I find that indeed, there is a real community inside Etsy. And, Etsy Corp in New York with all its faults, triumphs, failures, and imperfections, has absolutely nothing to do with it.


Editor's Note: Photograph is the property of ArtbyTrudy.


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Fine Heart Gift Certificate Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to my very first etsystalker.com giveaway winner! NATALIE

This was the winning entry:

From random.org

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Thank you everyone for participating. 

Thank you for all the comments and the encouragement!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and amazing new year!

xoxo Yvette Perri

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3 Tips on How To Survive Holiday ‘Small Business’ Stress (aka Why I Should Not be Blogging Until January)

It’s that time of the year. We’re all getting less sleep, more stress, and unfortunately reaching for that immediate sugar high of a good Ghiradelli chocolate fix too many times.

So, if you are overwhelmed and a little stressed, read on to get some tips on How to Survive Holiday Small Business Stress.

1. Don’t take on too much.

I know you want to start on the marketing band wagon and want to blog more, start a Facebook page, open a Twitter account, or even start a new website. Stop. Be realistic.

If you are really busy and finding yourself yelling at the dog more often, then Don't. Do. It. Starting something now will only get your full plate fuller. It will only add to your ‘oh, I didn’t get to that yet’ list. Why do it? You will end playing catch up with yourself. And really, who wants to make this business to be too much like work and not play?

Practical Hint 1:
Prioritize what is important for your business. If you are selling stuff online, having stuff in your online shop is the most important thing. So instead of tapping your fingers for an hour trying to come up with a clever blog, or struggling on how to use Twitter (does anyone really know?), start uploading pictures and list stuff you have laying around. I explained why this is the most important thing to can do to actively market your shop in my previous marketing post .

2. Do what you are supposed to be doing. 

I know getting more sales every hour is exciting and all. But really, do what you are supposed to be doing. Tweeting a hundred times a day is probably not garnering you extra points with your virtual followers. Changing tags and titles will get you more views and possibly some sales, but... what are you supposed to be doing? If you own an online shop selling goods, take care of your existing clients.

Get that present mailed for your client today. Send that e-mail you’re supposed to be responding to. Order those supplies you need to finish that project with. Getting your items mailed out with plenty of time to spare will not only make you feel like you’re ahead of the curve, but will probably get you some extra bonus points in the feedback department. Great feedback is always helpful when things start to slow down and a potential client is trying to decide to go with Shop B or yours.

Practical Hint 2:
If you really can’t get packages out when you said you will (like someone I know who forgot to change their announcement before a huge Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale) ... then by all means, communicate. Send a note to your clients and let them know exactly what is going. If you ran out of supplies for a custom order, let them know that as well. Most people are very understanding. Worse case, they cancel their order, you lose a sale, then you can console yourself with some spiked eggnog. Trust me, after a glass or two, you’ll forget all about the fail. Plus, if you are drowning in packages, you’ll feel better when you do get your other orders out in time.

3. Do make things easier on yourself.

I know we all have that Type A personality thing going on. Otherwise, you would not be reading a blog learning about how to do your small business better. You’d be on You Tube catching up on the latest viral video craze.

So, instead of hand stamping personal thank you notes for each and everyone of your clients, or wrapping each box with glossy wrapping paper which does not want to cooperate. Simplify! Use your printer. Write thank you notes on the receipts you mail out. Use a simple ribbon and some tissue to wrap your boxes. Use a web based mailing system. Do something less complicated.

Yes, make things simpler for yourself. I know packaging can be important, but getting your orders out in time and in good shape is probably more important than “pretty” at this point. If have not prepared ahead of time for complicated packaging, the time to start is not when you are too busy too cook dinner for your family, or even run to the grocery store to buy your dog some food.

Practical Hint 3:
If you have not already done so, stock up on business cards, care instructions cards, marketing postcards, mailing supplies et all. Actually, I have one word for you, outsource. Oh and when you're on that shipping page and they're asking you if you want the stuff sent priority service or even express mail? Click yes.

Trust me, now is not the time to question whether it is worth the savings. Now is the time to be wishing you had a time machine or a small flying aircraft so you can pick up the darn things yourself. But if UPS is willing to go to your house and drop off things at your doorstep within a day or 2 for $20? Then yes, it will be money well spent.

Moral of the Story or Lesson of the Day
Prioritize what’s important for your online shop. Have stuff to sell. Take care of your existing clients. Streamline and outsource where you can. When the dust settles, then, you can start all that other stuff which happily distracts you along the way.


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3 Tips To Freshen Up Your Etsy Shop (or How to be Found Again)

If you just realized that you have clicked your refresh page button for your Etsy shop for the 10th time within the last hour, it is time to do something slightly more productive to get your online shop found again. Here are

3 Tips to Help Freshen Up Your Etsy Shop and Be Found Again

1. Add new items.
I know it has been said a million times. But really, add new items. If you are not selling, it is even more imperative to add new items in order to be found. Need to be convinced?

Scenario A
Someone is following your shop via Twitter, blogging, Facebook or just on Etsy in general. Think of this someone as your secret-admirer, internet-stalker type but in a good way. Then, you add something new to your shop. Now, this secret admirer will probably check out your new widget. Since they already like your stuff, they will most likely post it on their internet planet. In turn, their internet planet finds your shop. So now, you have connected with people who have not seen your stuff before.

Scenario B
Some Etsian is bored and is killing time by scrolling through the “Promote Your New Listings Here” threads which dot the Etsy Team worlds. (Yeah, you know you’ve done that once or twice). So now, you have something to add to those threads. Then, instead of someone else’s shop getting discovered by other bored Etsians, they are clicking on your link and checking your stuff out! Not to mention that your link creates a new relevant backlink to your shop which as we have discussed before is always a good thing.

Rejection Story #2: A Marketing Lesson

I am not an Etsy rock star and my shop is not one of those that rocketed out of the gate when I started. In the past few months, however, I have been getting orders and sales consistently in my online shop. Apparently, slow and steady can at times, win the race. I found out that my natural inclination of burying myself in my art and avoiding self promotion is not a good way to sell successfully online. Who would have known?

Rejection Story #2: How being rejected found me the courage to self-promote (Part 1).

Self promotion is as a natural to most artist types as it is for Hollywood celebrities to have the propensity to stay married. Of course, as generalities go, there are always exceptions: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson come to mind. Unfortunately, I am not an exception in the self promotion arena. I am one of those artist types who think self promotion is a four letter word.

The great irony is I began selling my handmade jewelry at local festivals. By virtue of showing up, it is a non stop buffet of self promotion. There, I had to set up a tent, lay out my lovingly made jewelry, and basically try to self promote. It was a lot like trying to sell my soul and watching it getting rejected over and over again. Not very pretty.

Fortunately, I am married to a natural self or otherwise promoter: he is a professional business marketing guru. So at the local festivals, we found a great system - he would promote and sell my handmade jewelry whilst I pretended I was anywhere else but there. Quite literally, I would sit at the back of the tent and wire wrap and do consults for custom work; he would greet everyone who walked by and hand out my business cards. For me, it was perfect. My husband was in his element doing what he did well and I could ignore that whole self promotion - selling part of the business. Best of all, my soul was not being rejected.

What IS a Swarovski Crystal?

If you ask me, I say very pretty, blingy, shiny little things. That is what they are to me.

However, if you tend to be of the more scientific persuasion, then my “know -it-all” geologist husband’s answer may be better suited for you. Essentially he said, “It's a crystal created from naturally occurring materials, fired at extremely high temperatures to fuse it organically at the atomic level, and cooled slowly to create the perfect prism structure which are inherent to crystals.” My best synopsis and interpretation of his “blah, blah, blah.”

Of course, being a sometimes cynical and know it all wife, I researched what my husband told me, just to be sure. So, here is what I did find on Swarovski.