They are both successful Etsy sellers, each in her own field; Liza designs fashion accessories (jewelry and sandals) at LizasLittleThings and Linda designs beautiful wall décor prints at Demeraki.
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Their job is often demanding, but they see it as a blessing. They are both grateful for the opportunity Etsy gives them to earn their living by doing what they love the most.
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Read on to discover how they managed to make their dream come true, and the valuable advice and tips they give to aspiring and to new Etsy sellers.

Their journey…

LINDA – “I had done several jobs in the past which I didn’t find interesting at all. The economic crisis made things worse; work was scarce and I kept asking myself what I was going to do. Being unemployed for some time, I decided to learn Photoshop and took Creative BizLab’s programs. I started selling my posters on Etsy in 2015. Now I have a steady income and I couldn’t be happier.”

LIZA – “Ever since I was little, I loved making things with my hands. I would alter my friends’ clothes and mine or make my own jewelry. When I started looking for a job, after graduation, I was very lucky. I got a job in a wedding & christening planner company where I was a part of the creative team. This helped me enhance my creative skills even further.
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At the same time, at the end of 2012, I decided to quit my job and move to Ireland for personal reasons. When I resigned, there was a back-up plan at the back of my mind; to sell the jewelry and sandals I made on Etsy full-time.”

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Their tips and advice…​

1. Give it a try, you truly have nothing to lose! Etsy is very user-friendly, with a low-cost entry, and if you really make an effort, it might change your life.
2. Think to yourself: if so many people are successful in Etsy, there’s definitely a way to do it.  Do your research, find the most successful sellers in your field and use them as role models.
3. Be persistent and focus on your goal. You need to have patience, because your sales aren’t going to soar from Day 1.
4. Be willing to work hard. Nothing can be gained without hard work.
5. Pictures and presentation is everything! Using quality, high-resolution photos that showcase your products in a professional manner is so important that it’s worth investing in. You might be selling the same products as someone else, but it’s the right presentation that will make them stand out.
6. There is a target market for everything, but you should find yours. You cannot appeal to everyone; you just have to target the right people for your creations.
7. The world of Etsy is fast-paced, so be sure to adapt fast and always be on top of trends in your field. Read magazines, follow popular blogs, read the “Featured Shops” stories on Etsy’s blog and be active in social media.
8. You should invest money in your business to keep developing it. Buy equipment, tools, supplies that will help you expand your offerings. Linda: “When money started coming in, I bought two professional printers, to be able to print posters in bigger sizes and better quality, thus increasing my profit.”
9. Give people good value for their money, and they’re going to love you! Respond promptly to their emails, inform them about their order status, have flexible return and exchanges policies. Your best marketing will come from happy, satisfied customers that recommend your products to their friends.

…and a final (happy) note on their Etsy Business
 
Linda - “It’s worth all the effort and late-night work and all the sacrifices you make. I feel that I have taken my life in my own hands now and I’m proud of it!”
Lisa - “There are times, especially before summer and big holidays that I may have to work 12 hours a day to deliver every order on time. But the effort is worth 100%. Etsy redefined my way of life. My hard work is nothing compared to the rewards it has offered me.”

​However, there are a lot of factors that you need to take into account if you want to succeed in such competitive environments.

One of the most important ones is to be able to stay on top of consumer trends and of products in demand. Trends are changes in the marketplace that influence what consumers buy. Some trends are sudden changes in consumer tastes that happen momentarily, but don't create a lasting change on consumers or their habits, whereas others will have a lasting impact.
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So you need to be able to quickly identify opportunities and make informed decisions about whether a trend is worth pursuing and how it will impact your business. 
There are some great online places that you can often visit to spot new opportunities and trends in the market you are interested in.

Resource #4 - Check the “popular/trending” section in sites that are packed with images of beautiful products, such as
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• Pinterest.com, the "catalogue of ideas"
• Polyvore.com, "a new way to discover things you love"
• Fancy.com, where you can "discover amazing stuff"
• Wanelo.com ("want-need-love’")

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They are a great source of inspiration and of evaluating the popularity of the products you have in mind. 

Resource #5 Etsy.com

Another great source of information is Etsy’s blog, featuring the hottest trends and products in high demand. You can get a lot of ideas and inspiration by reading the stories in the featured shops section or checking the “Shopping guide” and “Trending now” sections.

​Resource #6 Amazon Handmade
In Amazon Handmade, check often the featured collections curated by Amazon’s editors. 

Resource #7 Customer Reviews (in all of the above)
Read reviews from customers that have purchased a product similar to the one you have in mind. Many customers have good suggestions about better ways to do things, or new products that they would like, so reviews can be a free source of great business ideas.

Resource #8 Instagram influencers & popular hashtags
Instagram is also a great place for discovering new product ideas. Try searching for applicable hashtags and following influencers in the market, niche or industry that you are interested in. Another idea is to do a search for hashtags that insinuate buyers’ interest and intent like #wannahave and #buynow.

Resource #9 Facebook groups
Join Facebook groups that are relevant to your ideas to see what people are buzzing about. Pose questions about trends you are interested in and see what people think of them. Take extra notice of the volume of conversation surrounding your product idea.

Resource #10 Popular blogs in e-commerce sites, such as Shopify & BigCommerce 
Another great source of ideas! Read their blogs often, they will provide you with a wealth of information on the latest e-commerce news and trends.

​"…Phone accessories have proven to be a product line with reliable and growing demand, with strong signals towards being an evergreen niche like fashion, home decor, and fitness."

 ​And finally… Google Trends!
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Examining what people search for provides a unique perspective on what they are currently interested in and curious about. This allows you to measure interest in a particular consumer trend by searching around the globe, right down to city-level geography. Visit Google Trends.

​So, cross-check all your ideas in Google Trends. If you see that they have a strong upward market trend, then they are worthy of further evaluation.

​Researching the market for trends & opportunities should be a never-ending process.

​You have to constantly keep yourself informed to be able to turn trend identification into a growth opportunity!

What would be more rewarding than working on what you love the most, while being in complete control of your working hours? Making beautiful things that bring joy to others and being proud of what you have come to achieve?
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Liza turned her lifelong hobby of making jewelry and fashion accessories into a thriving business. Read on to learn how she made the leap from quitting a steady paying job into operating a successful Etsy shop.

​So, Liza, tell us, how did Lizaslittlethings come to be?

Ever since I was little, I loved making things with my hands. I would alter my friends’ clothes and mine, make my own jewelry. When I graduated and started looking for a job, I was very lucky. I got a job in a wedding & christening planner company, where I was a part of the creative team. This helped me enhance my creative skills even further.

At the same time, at the end of 2012, I decided to quit my job and move to Ireland for personal reasons. When I resigned, there was a back-up plan at the back of my mind: to sell the jewelry and sandals I made on Etsy full-time.

How did you achieve that? Was it easy for you?

The first thing I did was to look for every piece of information about selling on Etsy I could find online. I can still remember one of the articles that impressed me the most; its title was How to quit your day job and make a living out of what you love. 
I also took a three-month course on graphic design. I wanted to be able to design my own graphics, and edit my pictures and anything that had to do with the branding of my lizaslittlethings online shop.

How were things at first? What did you have to do to set yourself apart from the competition? How long did it take for your shop to take off? 

At first I was busy reading, taking pictures, writing listing descriptions and researching other shops with products similar to mine. Also, I would devote a lot of time to networking with other Etsy members: following them, favoriting their shops and items, and creating lists.
I would spend 5-8 hours for all that on a daily basis. After 6 months of hard work, my sales started kicking off.  And it’s been great ever since!
Over the last years, I’ve managed to have steady sales throughout the year.

What’s the hardest part about running your own business?

There are times, especially before summer and big holidays, when I may have to work 12 hours a day to deliver all the orders on time. That can be a bit demanding!