The Great Postage Debate
As some of you may have seen in the news (it’s a bit inescapable) our lives are about to get a whole lot more expensive.
Self belief coach Anna Dunleavy shared in her Instagram stories last week an amazing reel from Susie Jackson (pricing mentor) talking about how freelancers should be thinking about their worth and in doing so increasing their prices to be able to cope with the increased interest rates. It’s got me thinking about my products, my pricing, my offerings and when I did the math I was doing myself a disservice.
Etsy are very keen for all their sellers to offer free shipping, and this is something I implemented to try and get more sales, more customers etc. Their stance is for us to absorb the postage costs into our product pricing, however I don’t feel this really works for my offerings, especially when people mostly buy single sheets of paper or cards. Over time, I’ve just been losing money. And whilst I’ve wanted to try and not be too expensive for people, I’m really not doing myself any favours. So I’ve decided to add shipping costs back into my online shops as a starting point for me trying to keep my head above the rising tide of price increases in every daily element of my life.
I wont lie, just this small alternation scares me a lot. I’m scared that I’ll lose my customers and I’m scared that this will be the end for my small business. As soon as I put my postage on my listings, Etsy will be there to alert me that in doing so I’m charging more than my contemporaries, that people won’t buy from me, that it’s a bad idea. So I hope this isn’t the case and that you all will be happy to pay the extra 85p to have your card posted, or £1.29 for your gift wrap. I don’t feel it’s steep, but of course I value your feedback and comments on this.
This may seem like such a small thing, but I am a small business and so for me it’s huge. I’m laying my heart bare in the hope that my transparency helps explain the decision, and also shows the intricacies of how businesses run. Postage will be added tomorrow and any orders over £30 will automatically get that desirable free shipping.
Hope you all understand and please let me know your thoughts and feelings!
Deborah
Valentines Day 2022
This years love cards have finally landed in my shop and I think it’s safe to say there’s something for everyone.
Returning favourites For My Valentine and Cosmic Love are relisted this year, alongside some new designs which I hope you’ll love!
No one does love better than Stevie Wonder, so naturally a valentines card was needed inspired by one of the greatest love songs. Drawing inspiration from vintage stamp designs, and keeping to a fresh candy coloured palette, my latest love card is perfect not just for Valentine’s Day but for any love occasion.
I know that Valentine’s can be a little tricky for some, and over the years amazing new traditions have come about such as Galentine’s Day and Palentine’s Day to include more people who deserve recognition just as much as the next loved up couple. So I wanted to create a truly personalisable love card that could be gifted to anyone. Enter my ‘Sun and Stars’ design which can be personalised with any greeting of love. I have a few examples which you can choose from, or if you have a recipient in mind write your own wording.
All my cards are printed on 100% recycled material and are never shipped in cellophane so your cards of love return the love back to our planet.
Need to see more designs? Check out my full greeting card selection here.
I’d love to know what you think! Drop your comments below or shoot me an email.
Deborah
Nordic Flora and Fauna Christmas Collection
Things have been a little quiet over in my small home studio in Nottinghamshire whilst I’ve been working my size 8 socks off to bring you a whole new Christmas collection like ever before!
I’m so excited to say though that the wait is over, and my Christmas shop is now fully open and up and running, with old favourites plus my brand new collection for 2021, ‘Nordic Flora and Fauna’.
Inspired by the beautiful animals and foliage of wintery Scandinavia, my new collection features a bold design of reindeer, wolves and arctic foxes nestled between ferns, spruce and stars. Using a linocut inspired palette of black, off white and gold/sand this years designs have been printed onto cards, wrapping paper and also gift tags to help complete the look.
Now officially a Plastic Free Champion, this year more than ever I’ve been working hard on making sure this was my most conscious collection yet. To keep my carbon footprint down all my products have been sourced and printed here in the UK, using companies like A Local Printer who also work hard to make sure they’re not damaging the planet whilst creating beautiful things. This years eco credentials include:
No plastic cellophane wrap on my cards - they will be naked and free when they arrive to you!
All my cards, tags, envelopes and wrapping paper has been printed on 100% recycled material.
hand cut, hand strung jute on my gift tags which can biodegrade in 1-2 years.
My wrapping paper has been printed using vegan inks, and has even been carbon balanced.
All my card packs will no longer come packaged in viewfinder boxes with plastic windows. They are now lovingly wrapped in a glassine envelope which can be recycled.
I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m MEGA proud of this collection, not only from a design and illustration point of view but also from a product development stand point. Caring for the environment is a number one priority for me, alongside bringing quality and unique designs that you won’t find elsewhere. I hope you love this collection as much as I have created it, and if you would like to shop the full range you can find it now in my shop and on Etsy.
The Etsy Market Summer LookBook
Very excited to share with you that my Eat Kind tea towel has been featured in this years Etsy Market Summer lookbook!
The Etsy Market is a virtual shopping event that is a perfect opportunity to shop unique and one of a kind from a selection of very talented and passionate makers. Some events are run locally, and some are curated by Etsy themselves, but always featuring wonderful treasures from Etsy’s marketplace.
You can shop directly through the lookbook above with clickable links to each product, with the market running till the 15th June, and help support small businesses (like mine) working hard every day to keep their dream going.
Happy shopping!
Deborah x
Hello 2020! A little look back at 2019 (PART II)
Carrying on from Part I, I’m sharing all the things that brought me joy, and made me proud in 2019, from July through to December.
Carrying on from Part I, I’m sharing all the things that brought me joy, and made me proud in 2019, from July through to December.
JULY
Prints arrived of my new ‘Prove them Wrong’ design and I was over the moon with how gorgeous the foiling turned out.
Then I was off to London to sell at the House of Illustration Summer Fair!
Ophelia had her first trip to the Golden Mile in Leicester, and her first taste of the exquisite Bobby’s.
Renovations continued, this time taking the carpet up in our bedroom to reveal these stained floorboards.
More eco swaps - this time for a disposable razor and shaving soap bar which I bought from Shop Zero Nottingham
We then did a little up-cycling project to breathe some life into some old garden furniture my Dad had passed onto us…
… with just some garden furniture paint from Wilkos!
Our old, worn doors came off…
…and were replaced with these beautiful new composite doors.
I was asked to paint Puneet’s beautiful logo on a feature wall of her new Wedding Ring Workshop (and boy, was that a hot week!)
Nottingham’s Pride brought so much colour and positive energy to what was a VERY wet day
And Ophelia had her first proper visit to the Gurdwara for a family member’s birthday.
AUGUST
I started August working on a design for a totally new product
More eco swaps, this time this gorgeous shampoo bar when my bottled shampoo ran out.
The Nottingham Etsy Team leaders came over and we had the incredibly hard task of choosing who we were going to pick to sell for Etsy Made Local! It took us a few hours with many snacks/cups of tea.
Our beautiful friends Dan and Ruby tied the knot in the most amazing wedding venue - and I mean, look at Ruby!
I designed some custom privacy vinyl for the glass in our new front door and it casts the dreamiest shadows on our floor!
I had a wonderful client meeting with Matthew, author of The Alphabet Children, at this amazing cafe called Fika. We hatched some awesome illustrated plans for his book!
I made some edits to an existing pattern I had created for Lola’s Apothecary and these beautiful samples came in the post.
I started work on a new print design….
And in the summer sun we visited more stately homes and festivals celebrating Mother Nature.
SEPTEMBER
I designed the promotional materials for our Nottingham Etsy Made Local - and it was exciting to start shouting about our event at our new venue in the Council House.
That moon illustrated back in August? Got turned into this huge wall hanging!
I finished designing my Christmas cards! These were my best ever selling designs for Christmas, and I can’t tell you how thankful I was for every re-order (there were 5!)
My Grandad (who’s is bossing life at 92 by the way) treated myself and my mum to a day at Ragdale Hall Spa
The Nottingham Etsy Team had another amazing meet up, this time with a talk from the incredibly talented and switched on business coach Debbiedoodah , who talked to us about the importance of email marketing.
Injected with that new enthusiasm from Debbie’s talk I decided to put more effort into my email marketing and started creating illustrated freebies for my email subscribers.
I joined with the Global Climate Strike in the Nottingham Market Square, standing in solidarity with children and adults alike to try and make positive change for our climate crisis.
We had more adventures, this time at Newstead Abbey
OCTOBER
I created my first downloadable product for Etsy, these print at home Halloween Masks in a wolf, black cat and bat design.
The seasons started to change…
and we went pumpkin picking in the biggest mud field you’d ever seen!
NOVEMBER
We had a magical bonfire night
More autumnal walks which are honestly my favourite
Oh yes, more renovations! This time getting rid of the awful dark/grey brown vinyl in our kitchen, and getting this faux Victorian tile vinyl.
For the first time ever I sold at the Craft Fair Contemporary and it was amazing!
And then a family of 3 became a family of 4…
That monkey illustration from a few months ago? Got turned into these awesome patch t-shirts for kids!
Etsy Made Local Nottingham finally arrived and it was our biggest and best event to date! (photo courtesy of the Nottingham Etsy Team)
DECEMBER
We kicked off December, and a little post Etsy Made Local come down, with some festive eating
And fetive activities like this beautiful light show at Belton House gardens
I designed more freebies for my amazing newsletter subscribers
And finally visited the vegetarian restaurant of dreams, No. Twelve.
Keeping our Christmas more eco I stamped a HUGE roll of recycled brown paper to wrap all our gifts in.
We painted our bedroom!
I was then back in London for the House of Illustration Winter Fair!
After wrapping up some commissions and smaller projects it was then time to unwind for Christmas with plenty of family visits, biscuit baking and a huge vegetarian feast for Christmas!
We ended 2019 out in the garden; fire on, hot chocolates in hand, enjoying all of our neighbours fireworks!
Phew! What a year! If you made it to the end of this two part blog post spectacular I applaud you.
I hope this inspires you to go back through photos of your 2019 to see the highlights and celebrate all the wins you achieved. I was so cynical about the whole thing before I started writing this post, but I have to say it has been cathartic, and an incredibly powerful way of owning my own achievements. Just documenting it here has been a process, and I have to say it’s given me a very positive surge of work energy for the year ahead!
We have so much to look forward to this year - welcoming our baby boy into the world being the main thing we’re gearing up towards - but I would love to know what things you’re looking forward to in 2020 and what things you were proud of in 2019?
Eat Kind Tea Towels
Well, as the young and trendy say nowadays, it’s been a minute hasn’t it?!
It’s been 8 Months since my last blog post, and suffice to say it’s been pretty busy!
Unfortunately my Eat Kind Kickstarter was a nonstarter, however I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
Brand new to my Etsy Shop - Eat Kind Tea Towels
Well, as the young and trendy say nowadays, it’s been a minute hasn’t it?!
It’s been 8 Months since my last blog post, and suffice to say it’s been pretty busy!
Unfortunately my Eat Kind Kickstarter was a nonstarter, however I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
The shopping planners have been so well received, and I’ve loved seeing how everyones been using them to plan their meals and reduce their waste. So I decided to try and make another element of the Kickstarter come to life and those were the tea towels!
My Eat Kind tea towels are neutral, making them a perfect accessory for any kitchen style.
Still in keeping with my environmentally friendly theme, I was so pleased to find a tea towel printer here in the UK. Seeing the design come to life on the fabric, when it had always lived on my iPad (where I had created it), was such a lovely moment. After all it’s been stuck in the digital format for nearly a year.
Close up of the print detail.
This collection has really been born from my love of not only cooking, but the environment as well. ‘Eat Kind’ is not just about being Vegetarian or Vegan - it’s about making conscious decisions about what food you choose, and being aware of where it’s come from, what impact it makes to our planet, and consequently what changes we can make to help care for it.
Full design of my new tea towels.
Currently available through my Etsy shop, I’ll be seeing how well these new designs work with the hope of bringing them to my online shop and eventually wholesale.
In the meantime, you can purchase them HERE.
As always I would love to hear your feedback! Let me know what you think of my new product via the comments below.
Halloween Dreams
My favourite season is almost upon us, which has got me very excited to release something new into my shop; my Spiritual Alchemy Chiffon Scarf.
My favourite season is almost upon us, which has got me very excited to release something new into my shop; my Spiritual Alchemy Chiffon Scarf.
My mum was actually the inspiration behind creating these luxury scarves. She’s an amazing seamstress and she really wanted to help bring my illustrations to life in scarf format. When I told her that I was desperate to get this all seeing eye design onto something, she only went and found the most gorgeous black lace to edge it. I mean seriously, she gets me.
So I am very proud to show off these beautiful chiffon scarves, designed by myself and made by my beautiful mum in her countryside sewing room.
If you’re not big into costumes for Halloween (that’s me) but love living the darker side of life (yep, still me!) then these scarves will be the perfect accessory to throw on for a trip to the pub on All Hallows Eve.
And if you don’t fancy going so bold with pattern, I have smaller products that also feature this design plus other spooky illustrations.
All Seeing Eye Pocket Mirror
A little bit of mysticism for your handbag.
A6 mini sketchbooks
available in 5 designs including my Spiritual Alchemy print, Bones and Bats.
Wishing you all a happy Autumn guys and ghouls!
Pricing is Hard, And Here's Why...
It’s been a little quiet round these parts, due mostly to the fact that we are now homeowners! It's been exciting, scary, liberating and stressful all at the same time, but more than that it's been taking up all my attention and so my to-do list has been getting longer and longer.
It’s been a little quiet round these parts, due mostly to the fact that we are now homeowners! It's been exciting, scary, liberating and stressful all at the same time, but more than that it's been taking up all my attention and so my to-do list has been getting longer and longer.
One thing that I managed to tackle once we finally unpacked and got our electrics/cooker/heating/water sorted (I will save this for another blog post, another day!) was to finally update my Etsy!
Whilst all the craziness of the house move was going on, Etsy had been going through some changes as well, changes that meant I needed to do some serious housekeeping on my prices.
To start, they had decided to shut down the wholesale side to the Etsy business, something that I was a part of. This didn't upset me much at all, partly due to the fact that I didn't get many wholesale orders through it, but mainly because this meant I could finally put my shop back into GBP.
You see, the main stipulation for being able to take part in the Etsy Wholesale program was that you had to convert your shop into USD. This meant that my UK based shop would then convert the USD into GBP and so create annoying prices like £3.78 instead of £3.50. I put up with it for the whole 3 years I had it because, as with anything in business, I had invested money into it and I had to see it through to get that money back. That's just how stubborn I am!
However I am now so happy to say that my shop is finally back into whole rounded numbers, which makes shopping so much easier for you guys. There's nothing I find more annoying, and also a bit suspicious, about a shop who has strangely priced items - it almost gives off a whiff of not knowing how to price your items, and even like you're just throwing any old number out there to see if it sticks!
Which leads me nicely onto the second massive Etsy update that happened whilst I was polyfillering my bathroom; Etsy now offer sellers subscription platforms which offer different incentives to help grow their business.
As with being frustratingly stubborn, I'm also happy to jump onto any new bandwagon to give it a go. I knew that Etsy were going to be increasing their commission percentage for their sellers, so had prepared myself for having to rework my pricing and figures.
In taking on a paid monthly subscription to help my business along I also knew this cost would had to be covered so I did the math, crunched the numbers, and fretted a lot to get to the point where I went and increased some of the prices on my site.
Eek.
It's hard for me to sit and type this to you because I feel like I must justify myself for my decision, however, I realised that in doing this exercise I was not being fair to myself. I am CRAZILY going to attached a screenshot of how I calculate my prices to show you, for transparency:
So this example is for my A6 notebooks which are now £6.50 up from £5.
This section shows how much each element of making my notebooks costs me + the Etsy transaction/sellers fees + overheads. This is then divided by the number of items I make approximately each year...
Next, I then calculate how much I'll get paid an hour (note, my wage is the standard Living Wage for outside London). These two sets of figures then create my breakeven price - this is the price I would have to sell at just cover the bare minimums, and this doesn't even cover my mortgage, or profit in order to invest in new business.
Hope you're following me so far! So now here's the nitty gritty because this is where I get my grubby greedy paws to put on profit. This profit is what is going to help keep the lights on, feed and clothe my kid, pay my mortgage and most importantly keep my business running.
Now as you can see, I've only gone for a 130% profit margin to see to you guys - why? Because I want to make sure that I can offer not only a good price to everyone, but also a fair price to my wholesalers. I'm not even getting 130% profit from my wholesalers, as from them I would only get 115%. That's not a lot really, when you think there are huge companies who manufacture abroad and have 800 - 1000% mark ups!
Pricing is a tricky thing right? I want to make you guys happy, and to respect your wallet. And I also want to make my wholesalers happy, and respect that they too have a shop and a dream they want to keep running. I want to give everyone the best chance at winning. But I also have a home to run, a child to care for, and bills that stack up.
Sorry, I need to do some winning too!
I wish I didn't have to justify my prices to those mean customers who seem to think that what I offer isn't good value (erm, hello?! They're custom illustrated!) and obviously that's not you guys (I love you guys!) but I thought it would be somewhat cathartic and terribly open to just show exactly what goes in to pricing every little thing in my Etsy shop, even those tiny products that you wouldn't even think would be a bother.
It's hard. Really hard. And I still cringe every time someone asks how much something is at one of my craft stalls! So I hope that by showing you this very private thing that no one likes to talk about (people don't like to talk about money do they?!) it may give you guys an understanding on where, how and why I have come to increase some of my prices.
Feel free to head to my shop and take a look, and by all means I totally appreciate your feedback on this very sensitive subject. I love running my business, and of course creating on a daily basis so I hope that this little increase will not deter you all from stopping by and having a shop.
Much love on this rainy sunday,
P.s. If you have found the spreadsheet I used enlightening for sorting your prices, then check out the Etsy handbook which is where I downloaded an old template from. It's easy and straightforward to use, and has really helped me get my head around pricing and overheads!
Valentine's Picks
It's that time of year again, where the glitter, red and gold comes out and the roses, bears and chocolates seem to be bought in bagfuls.
Wether you love it or loathe it, I truly believe Valentine's Day is for everyone, not just for couples. Love is not just boy meets girl/boy meets boy/girl meets girl - it's friends who stay with you till midnight because you're scared of your new flat, or that guy friend who always has your back. Or, as was my case, it's your Grandad who still writes you 'secret admirer' Valentine's cards even after 21 years of doing so.
It's that time of year again, where the glitter, red and gold comes out and the roses, bears and chocolates seem to be bought in bagfuls.
Wether you love it or loathe it, I truly believe Valentine's Day is for everyone, not just for couples. Love is not just boy meets girl/boy meets boy/girl meets girl - it's friends who stay with you till midnight because you're scared of your new flat, or that guy friend who always has your back. Or, as was my case, it's your Grandad who still writes you 'secret admirer' Valentine's cards even after 21 years of doing so.
So however you want to express your love to whomever you desire, here are my favourite Valentine's cards on Etsy and Notonthehighstreet who are doing it so much better than the high street.
![It doesn't have to be the obvious mush. Sometimes it's the honest feelings, and this is something that myself and my husband say to each other often. [Card and image by Old English Co.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/566ee97c841aba23ce15e814/1517916452399-LDAZ5740NAYIMVFVA174/original_you-re-my-anchor-day-card.jpg)
It doesn't have to be the obvious mush. Sometimes it's the honest feelings, and this is something that myself and my husband say to each other often. [Card and image by Old English Co.]
![And if you literally can't deal with any level of mush, then this is the ideal card for emotion introverts. [Card and image from Darwin Designs.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/566ee97c841aba23ce15e814/1517916535744-F0Y1FUPDD2L356FD1EMA/original_you-ll-do-valentine-s-card.jpg)
And if you literally can't deal with any level of mush, then this is the ideal card for emotion introverts. [Card and image from Darwin Designs.]
![Forget words, and just send some gorgeous art. I love that this design can literally be used for anything - and those colour combinations?! Dreamy. [Card and image from BBIllustration.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/566ee97c841aba23ce15e814/1517916980473-8768KNSBWXFY0IMXJ9QG/il_570xN.1139034052_e07o.jpg)
Forget words, and just send some gorgeous art. I love that this design can literally be used for anything - and those colour combinations?! Dreamy. [Card and image from BBIllustration.]
![And if you really like something traditional, then this card has everything you need. [Card and image from Constance and Clay.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/566ee97c841aba23ce15e814/1517917084954-QCT735INXJE48MIED0U2/il_570xN.1457288767_hs6r.jpg)
And if you really like something traditional, then this card has everything you need. [Card and image from Constance and Clay.]
![And finally an essential Galentine's card [Card and image from Veronica Dearly.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/566ee97c841aba23ce15e814/1517917283096-EZ4O3Q9VOULNLTTCHAOQ/il_570xN.988143951_frpg.jpg)
And finally an essential Galentine's card [Card and image from Veronica Dearly.]
I've been working on a new Valentine's Collection which I'm really excited to say is now available through Etsy, Notonthehighstreet and in my shop; For every kind of love and every kind of celebration.
Nottingham Etsy Made Local
Another year, another successful Etsy Made Local from the Nottingham Etsy Team!
The girls, yet again, put on amazing event, showcasing not only over 40 stalls of local and handmade talent but a whole host of extra features such as a VIP early access event, candy floss machine, free craft workshops and plenty of festive sparkle.
Another year, another successful Etsy Made Local from the Nottingham Etsy Team!
The girls, yet again, put on amazing event, showcasing not only over 40 stalls of local and handmade talent but a whole host of extra features such as a VIP early access event, candy floss machine, free craft workshops and plenty of festive sparkle.
Amy from Super+Super hosting the free drop in craft workshops to make Christmas decorations.
This was my only fair of the year after spending the past 12 months focussing more on my freelance career and client based projects than on the handmade wares side.
It was so lovely to meet my wonderful customers face to face! I forgot how much I missed doing fairs and markets after spending a year just working from home. I definitely missed the interaction and the chance to be out in the world making lovely human connections that markets bring with them.
A good sign of a super busy event is when you don't find enough time to take the photos you want! I really wanted to share with you some snaps from the event of some of my personal favourite items (which, believe me, is hard to do when every single one of the 40 stalls were amazing!) but since I didn't manage to, here are 5 of the 40 stalls that I'm seriously swooning over:
Delphine and Max
mage from Delphine and Max
I was opposite Delphine and Max at the fair and loved not only their stall set up but all of their beautiful porcelain items! These porcelain and gold earrings in particular stole my heart.
Modflowers
Image from Modflowers
Expert crafter, seamstress and blogger Modflowers' adorable dolls and fairies were a beautifully whimsical and vintage touch to the market. I know these beautiful handmade dolls would look so lovely in our little girls room!
Cocoa Tabby
Image from Cocoa Tabby
As well as having a mouthwatering Etsy shop, Cocoa Tabby also has a bricks and mortar shop in Derby that you can go and visit if you have the restraint to wait and buy her chocolate in person! These Christmas tree chocolate slabs are getting added to my Santa wish list.
Petrichoralia
Image from Petrichoralia
I have a jewellery obsession, especially when it's been made with unusual materials! Petrichoralia's jewellery is made from concrete, and finished with gold and silver for a wonderful mix of industrial and elegance. These concrete and gold earrings are just too beautiful not to share.
Fabritzia Design
Image from Fabritzia Design
I've been coveting Fabritzia Design's work for a long time, but trust me when I say it's even more beautiful in real life! Her prints and cards feel almost too good to give away as gifts, I just want to frame them all, especially this pigeon woodcut.
The end of the fair was also a bit of a calling card for some of the team leaders, including myself! Captain extraordinaire Becky [Becky, Queen of Frocks] has now officially stepped down in order to continue with her studies and work, as well as get married in the next few weeks! One of our social media team leaders, Katherine [Dendiko], will also be leaving the team as she embarks on a teaching career in Egypt. I have also stepped down as leader whilst I prepare for our little girl to be born in March, something I didn't appreciate would consume so much of my time!
The Nottingham Etsy team is now in the good hands of Rachel [REW homeware], who will be taking the helm alongside our remaining leaders Michaela [Blue Stiggy] and Amy [Super + Super] until new leaders have been recruited. I'm still excited to take part within our growing and ever evolving Nottingham Etsy community, and can't wait to see what the girls bring in 2017!
Did you manage to make it to our Etsy Made Local event? If so share your photos on Twitter or Instagram by tagging myself @deborahpanesar or @NottinghamEtsyTeam - we would love to see!
The Guilt of Selling - And How to Work Around It
If you run a business, you know how important selling is. We have to sell in order to survive, and of course to pay for all the fun (and not so fun) stuff that comes along with being an adult (or one that is pretending to be).
After all, only you can keep the proverbial lights on in your small indie empire.
For the vast majority of the year selling and selling tactics don't seem to be an issue - the odd discount code here and there, a sale, a promotion or an offer. They do wonders to bring in new customers and clients and, hopefully, boost sales. But then comes along Christmas and it's foreign cousin, Thanksgiving, who brought their unwanted and shamed twin brother, Black Friday.
Illustration by Deborah Panesar
If you run a business, you know how important selling is. We have to sell in order to survive, and of course to pay for all the fun (and not so fun) stuff that comes along with being an adult (or one that is pretending to be).
After all, only you can keep the proverbial lights on in your small indie empire.
For the vast majority of the year selling and selling tactics don't seem to be an issue - the odd discount code here and there, a sale, a promotion or an offer. They do wonders to bring in new customers and clients and, hopefully, boost sales. But then comes along Christmas and it's foreign cousin, Thanksgiving, who brought their unwanted and shamed twin brother, Black Friday.
It seems Black Friday stirs up some pretty intense feelings in not only customers but also businesses. Black Friday is a mixed review entity.
Like the typical un-liked cousin who turns up for family dinner, you don't want to acknowledge them but there is this sense of obligation to have to accept them and entertain them for all their unlikeable traits.
Personally, I've never wrangled with the sense of guilt around this selling period, perhaps because my customers have been only too engaging in the Black Friday sales I've hosted and the savings it's meant for them. But last year I started to notice a lot of designer-makers share through their social media how they wouldn't be taking part because of the mass consumerist aspect of it, and how instead they would donate to charity or host a sale a different time.
Queue floods of guilt and shame, and also a lot of questions.
If we stand against Black Friday, what does it mean when we do hold promotions and sales during the year? Don't these things entail the same consumerist driving ideals? And what about when we have post Christmas sales? or even, when we're just trying to sell anything?
And down and down the rabbit hole we go.
I came to a pretty stark conclusion that in the end, it would mean no selling at all if you didn't want to be a part of that lifestyle. And as much as that would be a wonderful ideal to live with, it's not necessarily possible with crippling outside forces such as a weakened currency or a more spend wary audience who maybe don't have the disposable income they once did. People are far more careful with how they spend their money, and they want to make the best possible financial choices.
So what can we do, as indie businesses or designer makers to keep our businesses afloat without selling our souls to the Black Friday devil? How can we help our customers, and ourselves, to make more from the money we have?
Firstly, we need to stop feeling guilty for selling, in any shape or form. You are a business, and if you are serious about building your small and perfectly formed indie biz into something bigger & better, or even for the satisfaction of knowing that every penny that pays for your living costs was earned by your hands, then you need to accept that there will be an element of awkward selling.
Hustling is hard. And if it's making you feel uncomfortable then that's probably a good thing because it means you're stepping out of your comfort zone. So keep doing more of it and see what happens.
Secondly you need to look at your business, no one else's, and ask yourself these questions:
- Can my profit margins handle a Black Friday Sale?
- Do I have to mark down all my products, or can it just be a select range?
- How have my sales performed in the previous years of Black Friday?
- What is my customer response to past Black Friday sales?
Only you can answer these questions around your business. If you own an Etsy shop you can check your analytics based on days, months and years via the statistics page to see how sales performed at this period of time, and even see what kind of keywords and tags worked for you to bring in those sales.
Lastly, decide how you'll market the whole thing to stay in line with your brand. A Black Friday super promotion will only feel tacky and salesy if you use the same template as say Amazon or eBay on your own business. So think outside the box and consider some of these ideas:
- Donating some of your Black Friday sales to charity (if your pricing module can handle that)
- Promoting it in a humorous or sarcastic way that actually laughs at Black Friday
- Take discounts off the table and offer free shipping or free gifts instead.
- If using discounts, use them sparingly - only apply it to products that have a decent profit margin and where you will earn a wage from them. Follow this super handy article from Etsy to make sure you're not undercharging your items.
Above all, remember to keep it personal. I can hazard a guess that the main reason people buy from your small business is because you are the face of the brand, and they want to buy something from a human and not some warehouse out in the middle of nowhere. So make sure that every step of your Black Friday journey is unique, individual and personal, just like your brand.
And should all of this still make you curl up and die inside, then Black Friday selling is not for you. Accept it, and plan a different way to generate sales and interest over the peak selling period with either a blog post, newsletter, or maybe a giveaway. Take advantage of the high numbers of people trawling through the internet that weekend, and make it work for you.
This year I have decided to take part in a Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale but only on some selected lines. I'll be releasing more information around this exclusively to my mailing list subscribers, so be sure to sign up if you want this information to land in your inbox!
Freshly added - The Christmas Shop!
Brrrr!
Anyone feeling like we skipped autumn and now it's just winter? It's definitely hibernating season, and with just over 6 weeks till Christmas Day now is a good a time as any to snuggle up at home and do all your gift shopping from the comfort of your sofa and an oversized blanket.
I'm really excited to share with you my fully stocked Christmas Shop which is now open! Some old favourite prints have returned, as well as some brand new Christmas card designs.
Brrrr!
Anyone feeling like we skipped autumn and now it's just winter? It's definitely hibernating season, and with just over 6 weeks till Christmas Day now is a good a time as any to snuggle up at home and do all your gift shopping from the comfort of your sofa and an oversized blanket.
I'm really excited to share with you my fully stocked Christmas Shop which is now open! Some old favourite prints have returned, as well as some brand new Christmas card designs. Check out some of my personal favourites below:
Some other new things...
I have also newly listed two new original drawings in aid of Remembrance Sunday and the Royal British Legion. These come framed and 10% of each sale goes directly to the British Legion charity for the Poppy Appeal.
There are still plenty of bargains available in my Sale Section including these handmade cushion covers, reduced to £16 from £31.
Deborah x
All Hallows Eve Style
I love Halloween.
All that weird and wonderful stuff - it's my absolute favourite. And I love seeing people in costumes not taking themselves too seriously. It's all got that magical element to it, like Christmas, where once (or twice) a year you can lend yourself to believing in the afterlife, the paranormal and the unexplained.
It's also that time of year when you get to see some amazingly creative clothes, jewellery and baking ideas! My Pinterest and Instagram has been completely Halloween themed for about 2 weeks now, so I thought I would share with you some of my favourite finds for the season:
Image source: Mindpirates
I love Halloween.
All that weird and wonderful stuff - it's my absolute favourite. And I love seeing people in costumes not taking themselves too seriously. It's all got that magical element to it, like Christmas, where once (or twice) a year you can lend yourself to believing in the afterlife, the paranormal and the unexplained.
It's also that time of year when you get to see some amazingly creative clothes, jewellery and baking ideas! My Pinterest and Instagram has been completely Halloween themed for about 2 weeks now, so I thought I would share with you some of my favourite finds for the season:
How are you spending your Halloween this year?
Deborah x
Deborah Panesar Textiles shop is now here!
I am SO excited to FINALLY reveal my brand new online store: Deborah Panesar Textiles!
I am SO excited to FINALLY reveal my brand new online store: Deborah Panesar Textiles!
For the past few months I've been working hard to create a new Etsy store just for all my textile pieces, which I have felt needed a separate home rather than being muddled amongst my stationery pieces.
It's been a true labour of love, working hard to improve on my previous lines with new fabrics, linings and a whole new look, as well as working on creating 'seasons' of designs. After having to delay it's launch due to delays, problems with printing and a spot of poor health, the store is now live and kicking and features some old favourites as well as spring/summer16 designs. New products, and my Autumn/Winter16 collection, will available from October so keep your eyes peeled for exciting new things!
Feel free to browse my new store via Etsy, and should you wish to see new products when they're revealed either click 'favourite shop' or sign up to mailing list (no spam, I promise!)
Freshly added to the shop...
It's been a busy time in the studio recently getting ready to launch my second Etsy shop, whilst updating my old lines in my current store.
Take a look at some of the new, and old, products that are now back in stock and available through Etsy.
It's been a busy time in the studio recently getting ready to launch my second Etsy shop, whilst updating my old lines in my current store.
Take a look at some of the new, and old, products that are now back in stock and available through Etsy.
New card designs available as well restock of old prints.
My Origami writing sets have also had a little face lift! There's a new design sneaked in there too...
As always I love to hear what you think! Please feel free to drop me a line, or even fill out this questionnaire with feedback on my service, products and work.
Deborah x
Nottingham Etsy Craft Party (Photos + Video)
Last month saw the Nottingham Etsy team's busiest meet up as we hosted a tie-dye event for the annual Etsy Craft Party!
On a rare and beautifully sunny day in Beeston, our team members came to fold, clamp, peg and tie their belongings to make beautiful tie-dye creations! With 4 different tie-dye colours to choose from, we dyed everything from pretty dresses to bed sheets, t-shirts to trainers!
Last month saw the Nottingham Etsy team's busiest meet up as we hosted a tie-dye event for the annual Etsy Craft Party!
On a rare and beautifully sunny day in Beeston, our team members came to fold, clamp, peg and tie their belongings to make beautiful tie-dye creations! With 4 different tie-dye colours to choose from, we dyed everything from pretty dresses to bed sheets, t-shirts to trainers!
It was incredible seeing everyones creations unfold, with so much imagination used in each piece!
A huge thanks goes out to all of our members who came along, as well as the other fellow Nottingham Etsy team leaders Rachel Ward, Becky Kennedy, Michaela Bere, Katherine Jaiteh and Amy Phipps of which the event wouldn't have been possible!
Special thanks as well to Daniel Hughes for photographing the event, and Avnish Panesar for creating an amazing promo video which you can watch below.
Our next team event is next week on the 14th July, and will be a two part seminar on how to create a blog for your craft business! It will be hosted by blogger Mike Aspinall of The Crafty Gentleman and held at Rough Trade on Broad Street, Nottingham.
If you would like to book, tickets are available through our Facebook Event page but are limited so be sure to book in advance.
Deborah x
Nottingham Etsy Craft Party
Really excited to announce this years Craft Party will be tie-dye themed! Myself and the Nottingham Etsy Team have been working hard for the past few months to make this years Craft Party a hands-on summer crafting extravaganza.
Really excited to announce this years Craft Party will be tie-dye themed! Myself and the Nottingham Etsy Team have been working hard for the past few months to make this years Craft Party a hands-on summer crafting extravaganza.
Not heard of the Craft Party?
Every year Etsy invites all local teams from around the world to host their own Craft Party for their team members to get stuck in to fun crafting sessions whilst meeting up with other likeminded and local sellers. It's a perfect chance for Etsy sellers and non-etsy members to get out of the studio, connect and create!
This year we'll be hosting our tie-dye event at Beeston Youth Community Centre On 19th June, our main crafting activity being tie-dye however hosting some smaller DIY tables for make and takes as well. Refreshments and treats will also be on offer!
If you're interested in coming along to our event (open to everyone! Not just Etsy members) you can see more details plus book tickets through our Facebook Event page.
For some tie-dye inspo we also have created a Pinterest board with lots of ways and garments to tie-dye!
If you're an Etsy seller and not yet part of a local team you can join one today by searching the local teams page.
We hope to see you on the 19th!
Deborah x
1st April - New Things!
April is finally here which means a lot of things here in the studio; Firstly, that today is the day that I launch my first ever downloadable wedding invitation range on Etsy, and secondly that it is exactly one month until my husband and I fly to Mexico for our 2 year delayed honeymoon!
Needless to say it's a very exciting month ahead, but today I am most excited about my new wedding stationery range which has been 5 months in the making.
April is finally here which means a lot of things here in the studio; Firstly, that today is the day that I launch my first ever downloadable wedding invitation range on Etsy, and secondly that it is exactly one month until my husband and I fly to Mexico for our 2 year delayed honeymoon!
Needless to say it's a very exciting month ahead, but today I am most excited about my new wedding stationery range which has been 5 months in the making.
All of my wedding stationery designs are fully customisable, and once edited are sent as digital files so that the happy couple can print from the comfort of their own home. In designing this new range I really kept in mind all the things I learnt (the hard way) when I got married with the hope that I can help make a couples wedding as stress free and beautifully designed as possible.
I also wanted to create designs that were not only fun, but also adaptable to the couple at hand. My Woodland range is a neutral and less frilly design that hopefully caters to couples who aren't looking for the typical overly feminine wedding stationery designs.
The entire collection is now available in my Etsy Shop available in Deluxe and Basic sets as well as individual listings should you just want an invitation or just a table number.
To celebrate the release of my new stationery I am also hosting a Spring Sale on some of my other lines in my store! You can 30% off select lines until the 29th April when I will be closing my shop doors for my Mexico trip.
What's more, as an EXTRA treat for any of my newsletter subscribers, I'm sending out an exclusive additional 10% off coupon code in today's e-newsletter. Sign up here if you would like to be informed of any future promotions & discounts, and also for weekly new blog post updates.
I hope you like my new range as much as I have enjoyed designing it! As always please feel free to leave any feedback or comments - your support is always greatly appreciated!
Happy Friday
Deborah x
Nottingham Etsy Team Presents: Meet The Maker, 10th March 2016
Last week saw our Nottingham Etsy Team host our second meet up of the year at Rough Trade, showcasing three of our talented who talked about their Etsy shop journeys so far!
Last week saw our Nottingham Etsy Team host our second meet up of the year at Rough Trade, showcasing three of our talented who talked about their Etsy shop journeys so far!
Our Meet the Maker feature, which Team Leader Katherine Jaiteh runs, is such a popular fixture in our social media content that we thought it would be a great opportunity to bring it to a live event. These talks are a lovely way to get behind the story of the Etsy shop, and to see that each shop starts somewhere with it's own goals and motivation.
Speaking at the event were Hilke Kurze of Buchertiger Supplies and Buchertiger Press, Charlie Marshall of C Marshall Arts and Katie Abey of Katie Abey Design.
It was pretty inspirational to hear how these three ladies came to open their shops, what drives them, and most importantly their advice for running their shops. These were some seriously tough ladies, each trying to balance work and personal commitments around building a craft business. And that is no easy feat, believe me!
Their advice for budding or current Etsy Shop Owners?
- "Etsy = Personal" Katie Abey explains how receiving little handwritten notes or extra goodies in your orders is the difference between a one time buyer and a repeat buyer. And let's face it, we all love free stuff.
- "Treat Yourself!" Charlie's belief in the power of giving yourself a pat on the back is really not to be underestimated. If you've finally conquered that photoshoot, or listed those 5 listings which you thought you'd never do, then you deserve to give yourself some recognition and maybe a sweet treat.
- "Give Yourself Goals" Hilke constructed and ran her Etsy shops by setting herself short and long-term goals. Even if she didn't reach them within the time frame she expected, there was a framework to build her shop by.
Before I end this post on yet another successful meet up I wanted to share a quick snap of myself with the other Team Leaders who work hard to make it what it is! We haven't been around for very long (only since July 2015!) but we work hard to make our team the most supportive and creative community that it can be! So big shout out to (from Top left to bottom right): Amy Phipps (Social Media Leader), Rachel Ward (Senior Social Media Leader), Becky Kennedy (Team Captain), Katherine Jaiteh (Social Media Leader), Me! (In-Person Events Leader) and Michaela Bere (Team Navigation Leader).
We have a lot of exciting meet up's planned for the year, but pay particular close attention to April's event which we will be hosting with The Craft Off! Here's a little teaser to get you in the mood...
Have a great week!
Deborah x
Nottingham Etsy Team Seller Seminar Sessions with Daniel Hughes Photography
Tuesday evening saw the Nottingham Etsy Team host their first ever Seller Seminar Session at Rough Trade Nottingham, and it was pretty awesome (if I do say so myself)
One of the things I absolutely love with Etsy is the community it fosters, and as an Etsy seller myself I've been very lucky to be involved with the Nottingham Etsy Team on a very hands on level. Last year I was promoted to In-Person Events leader, and with the help of my other fellow team leaders we put on the first of our Seller Seminar Sessions at the incredible Rough Trade to a sell out audience!
Tuesday evening saw the Nottingham Etsy Team host their first ever Seller Seminar Session at Rough Trade Nottingham, and it was pretty awesome (if I do say so myself)
One of the things I absolutely love with Etsy is the community it fosters, and as an Etsy seller myself I've been very lucky to be involved with the Nottingham Etsy Team on a very hands on level. Last year I was promoted to In-Person Events leader, and with the help of my other fellow team leaders we put on the first of our Seller Seminar Sessions at the incredible Rough Trade to a sell out audience!
Over 100 Etsians and local creatives braved the cold to attend our event, the first of many aimed at helping fellow Etsy sellers start, improve and build their own Etsy stores. Our first event hosted on Tuesday talked about all things product photography, a key element to any online business! My good friend Daniel Hughes - photographer extraordinaire and all round lovely chap - hosted the event, covering topics such as lighting, white balance, shutter speeds and backgrounds.
It's events like this that truly make me realise how lucky I am to not only have a career I love, but a career that fosters an inspirational, supportive and dynamic community. I have overflowing gratitude for my role within the Nottingham Etsy Team, knowing that I get to meet people I would have never met any other way, to visit places I would have never visited and to learn A LOT along the way.
A huge thanks to Rough Trade Nottingham, Daniel Hughes, the Nottingham Etsy Team leaders and everyone who came to Tuesdays event! Without all of you it wouldn't have been the success it was!
If you're a Nottingham creative or Etsy shop owner reading this and thinking "I missed out!" never fear - we have HEAPS of events in the works, and regularly post about them in our Facebook Page.
Until the next event!
Deborah x