In this video i'm going to tell you
everything i could possibly think of that will help you in the planning stages
of starting your very own online store. i'll mostly talk about etsy
because that's what i currently use but most of this information could
apply to other online shops as well. i was going to list the main things i did and talk
about what i wish i'd known or done differently, as many other videos do. but the more i worked
on it the more it evolved and became this idea of three pages of worksheets the pages list the
main things that most shops will need to plan, in a way that i think will be helpful
and also more interesting to watch. having something like this when i started out
would have helped to alleviate a lot of that overwhelmed feeling that comes with opening
a shop. if you want to follow along with the video you can download the worksheets
for free from the link in the description or you can just write it down however you want.
so without further ado, here are most of the things you will need to
plan before you open a shop. i'm going to be filling this out in a generic
way for the sake of the video so feel free to make as many notes as you want and go into a
lot more detail than i do. you also don't have to fill these out in any particular order.
i'm just going down the page for the video. first is figuring out your shop name. if you
already have a social media dedicated to your art or craft then i'd base it off of that if it's
available. the name i used for my Instagram art account was taken on Etsy so i had to adjust it
slightly by adding company (Co.) to the end, which was a suggestion on etsy when i set up my account.
you can also write down the meaning behind your name if there is one it doesn't have to be
super deep but it's something to think about. next decide what social media you
plan to use to promote your shop. i recommend making new social media accounts
for your shop if you only have personal accounts right now. it keeps things more streamlined
and professional and you're less likely to get unfollowed by your friends and family
if they aren't interested in what you sell. next you should decide your target audience.
obviously anyone might be interested in your products for various reasons but it helps
to narrow down the type of person you want to market to because trying to appeal
to everyone in the world is impossible. the more specific and personal your shop feels
the more that type of person will be drawn to it. if you already have an instagram account you can
check your insights to see who already likes your work. you can put things like age range,
gender, where they live, their interests, or career. it doesn't have to be complicated
and you don't have to be psychic to do this. i actually use myself as a target audience
because people with similar interest to me would probably like the things i
make because i like the things i make. you'll also want to think about if there are more
specific websites or apps that your target person might be on and if you can set up an account
on those sites or even advertise on them. you'll also want to plan what kind of marketing
you'll do on those websites to advertise your shop. this can mean things like just posting
on a regular basis or setting up ad campaigns depending on your budget. you should also
consider some future advertising ideas as well because you might not have the budget
or time for certain things right away or maybe you want to get a few sales under your
belt before you spend a lot on advertising. next think of a few main keywords for your shop.
well thought out keywords are always good to have on hand because when you're in the middle
of setting up your shop or listing a product you probably won't want to stop and research the
most effective keywords and choosing the right keywords is critical for being found online.
there are lots of websites for researching popular or trending keywords that you can look
into if that's something you're interested in. of course you already know what you want to sell
that's why you're thinking of opening a shop but it's good to get it down on paper and plan out
the details and timeline for what to sell when. it's exciting to have lots of ideas but it can
also be overwhelming and expensive to try and do all of them when you're starting out, so decide
what to start with and what you'd like to add in the future. i'd recommend starting with a
small number of different types of products. for example i started with stickers,
postcards, and two sizes of prints. that's four different sizes of item that will all
need their own supplies and shipping materials. if i had to start again i'd start with
even less than that. maybe just two types of items for my first few months and work
on having more options for those two items. give yourself a goal date for when you'll add
more products. maybe you'll add one new thing a month or maybe do a major update every six months
i definitely made adjustments several months after opening because some things did not sell at all
while other things sold much better than expected. next you'll want to plan the details of each
product type. this page can be reprinted for each product or if you're taking your own notes just
be sure to repeat these steps for each type of item that you plan to sell. i'm going to be using
my 8x10 prints as an example but the information i use will be generic because prices and things
always change depending on what you're selling. you probably already know what you need to
make your items or you may need to do some research if it's something you haven't made
before. for planning your shipping materials i'd recommend watching videos by people who
sell the same size item that you want to sell. i have one about making and shipping my prints
and stickers and i would imagine there are similar ones out there for more three-dimensional items as
well. if you plan to sell multiple sizes of things don't just buy one large size box or envelope
and try to use that for everything, it's not safe for your items and could also increase your
shipping costs, plus it looks more professional when things fit nicely into their packaging. when
you buy your supplies i'd recommend that you only buy what you need for making and shipping
your first 25 or so sales. it could be less or more depending on the type of thing you're
selling just use your own judgment. after your first 10 to 20 sales you'll have a much better
idea of what you should start buying in bulk and giving yourself a set number of things to buy
also makes the process slightly less overwhelming. next think about how you'll
handle your production. do your items take a long time to make
and should you make several in advance or can they be made when they are ordered?
for my prints, i have all of the image files ready but i don't print them until i get
an order. this ensures that i don't waste paper and also that the print will be in the best
condition possible when it is sent to the buyer. pricing is where a lot of people get stuck or
stressed out. to price your items just follow these steps. look at your lists of making
and shipping supplies and write them down as you buy them. you can write the cost and
quantity or if you haven't bought them yet then just research average prices and quantities. once
you have these filled in you'll divide the price you paid by how many you got and that will tell
you what you're paying per item. when you total all of these together you'll know what it costs
for you to make and package each of your products. and remember these are just
estimates not real prices it will probably cost a bit more especially
if you aren't buying in bulk at first. if you're using etsy you'll need to consider their
fees, which seem to be around 20 to 25 percent of whatever you earn, and incorporate those into your
prices. etsy will also suggest that you have sales or discounts for various holidays so you'll
want to make sure your prices are still going to earn a profit without you having to mark them
up before doing a sale. you might consider doing a grand opening sale as a way to get your first
reviews which will help you to get more sales. to show how to do all of that i'm going to pick
three random prices and show you how it works. for this example i'm using ten dollars, twelve
dollars, and fifteen dollars. i've seen people listing this size of print on etsy for
8 dollars to 30 and sometimes even more so please do your own research on prices and
don't just take this as a price suggestion. unfortunately, i filmed this part
on time-lapse mode but basically, i'm taking my example price, subtracting the
average etsy fee amount of 20 percent, and then from what's left i'm subtracting the
cost of my supplies. what's left is your estimated net profit. you'll also likely have
to pay taxes on your etsy income at some point, so you might consider upping your prices a
little to help cover that too. the goal is to find a balance between what people are willing
to pay and what also makes it worthwhile for you. next you'll need individual product keywords.
as i said about your shop keywords it's great to come up with these ahead of time be sure to
consider your target audience think about what they'd be searching for if they wanted to find
your exact item. make sure your keywords relate to your product and aren't redundant. for example
i could have said home decor instead of wall decor because i already used the word wall in a
previous keyword. they should also relate more to the subject or theme of the item as well
but remember it's just generic for the video. you can also pre-write your descriptions if you
want. it can be helpful to have an idea of what you want to say so you don't forget important
things. etsy descriptions only show a few lines before you have to click to read more, so put your
most important information at the top. below the important information, you can start using more
descriptive phrases that incorporate your keywords and that makes your search engine optimization
even more effective. remember your target audience and let them know why they would like your item.
i also like to tell people about how the item will be shipped so that they are confident
that it will arrive safely if they buy it. this is optional but i highly
recommend that you do some research on shops similar to yours. hop onto etsy and
search some of your keywords or better yet search for exactly what you'd type in
if you wanted to find your own item. make a note of the sellers you find and look at
their photos prices and what people are saying about their products. you can write down what
you like and would incorporate into your own shop but obviously don't steal things like their
descriptions or photos or anything like that. just be inspired by what they're doing and figure
out how you could put your own twist on it. i don't believe that direct competition is a thing
with handmade items and artwork and things of this nature because if you have your own style that
people love people will buy it even if someone else is selling a similar item in their own style
for way less. you can also look for things that you don't like and would do differently. it helps
to put yourself in the shoes of a buyer for this. maybe you don't like that they don't show the back
of a product or they don't give enough information about the actual size. you should also take a look
at how they price their items and what they offer for shipping. if there's a shop you really love
and you have the money for it you should consider buying something from them to see their items and
packaging first hand. next you need to figure out what it costs to ship your items. the easiest
way to do this if you don't have your own scale is to package up an item and take it to the
post office where they will weigh it for you. you can mail something to a friend or family
member as a tester if you want but remember etsy sells their own shipping labels at a slight
discount from the post office but they do charge fees for it. you should also decide if
you want to join etsy's free shipping gimmick. free shipping is always enticing to
buyers but it has to be paid somehow, by you or by them by adding it to the product
cost. for me i just have the customer pay shipping like normal and i've set up the free shipping
over 35 option because i rarely get large sales. again these are just generic numbers to show how
you might keep track of shipping prices because i ran out of room on the individual product page.
you'll need to do this research yourself based on whatever country you live in. you'll definitely
want to get a post office (P.O.) box or address as soon as possible. i did my first few sales
without one but of course, it's always a risk to use your home address. in the US, P.O.
box prices are on the post office website and i would imagine other countries have that
information online as well. for other expenses, i got things like my printer, some storage
furniture to hold my supplies and general shipping supplies like packing tape. you can also decide
on your advertising budget here if you have one. if you total this page along with your previous
pages about your products you should have an idea of your overall starting expenses. and you
should definitely keep track of everything you spend for your shop because in most cases you
can write business expenses off on your taxes. but i'm not a tax expert so definitely do your own
research on that as it applies to your country. oddly enough even with using these fake numbers
this is actually close to what i spent when i started my shop although i did forget to
add in this advertising budget section. you can plan your shop logo and banner
design in advance if you like. this is another good thing to look at when you
are researching other people's shops. one of my top bits of advice is to do
a real photoshoot for your products. photos are always the first thing i look at
when i shop online and the thumbnail for a product is what decides if i will even click on
it. so to me this is the most important thing. plan to take at least an hour or so to stage your
products in good lighting, with props and things, to give the best impression possible. think
about what you'd want to see as a buyer. you currently get 10 pictures per listing and
if you're selling different versions of a thing in the same listing, you'll need to have a
dedicated photo for each one that can pop up when someone selects that version of the product.
i'd recommend not including prices or tons of text on your photos because it can look tacky and
you may want to change your prices in the future. and you should always write down a few goals.
you can include things like earning back what you spent on large starting purchases, how frequently
you'll update and keep up with social media, your planned opening date, and things like that. my final bit of advice is to be patient
once you open and don't get discouraged if you have a slow start. your first few
months will depend heavily on your ability to promote your shop and get the people
who do buy from you to leave reviews so etsy will start to move you up in their search
ranking. as always these are just my opinions, based on my own experiences with starting an
etsy shop. your success will come down to your own unique situation and abilities and if people
want what you're selling. hopefully this video helped you to have a better idea of what you
should expect and plan before you open a shop. these worksheets are available for free
for you to print and use for yourself. there's also an option to pay whatever
you want, so if you find them helpful then whatever you want to
pay for them is appreciated. if you're unsure about if you're ready to
start a shop, especially if you're an artist, be sure to check out my video about the five signs
that you might be ready to sell your art prints. if you found this video helpful let me know with
a comment, a like, or by subscribing if you want to see more videos like this. and if you made
it all the way to the end of this video, good luck with whatever kind of shop you're thinking
about opening and thank you so much for watching!
