Sep 20, 2016 |
I don’t want to explode or anything – Caroline
Are you overwhelmed by all the blog posts, FB posts, and articles about the various platforms you can use? Etsy, Squarespace, Shopify, WordPress, maybe a custom build, where do you start? What is best? Who should you listen to?
Let’s break it down…
Starting with perfection is too hard. Just start with something, somewhere and then learn and grow to where you want to be. You will make mistakes. It will be messy, but you will learn and grow along the way.
Why do we love Etsy?
I wanna be where the people are. – Kelly (In her best Little Mermaid singing voice)
Caroline and Kelly chat about why they love Etsy and why it’s a great place to start. Millions of people flock to Etsy everyday without you doing a thing – it’s up to you to get them to notice you.
Sign up for Kelly’s free Etsy Course here: http://www.helloworldpaperco.com/etsy-seller
Everything costs money. No matter what platform you use or if you build your own site, they all cost money. You cannot avoid online transaction fees, platform/listing costs, or advertising expenses. Honestly it all probably evens out in the long run so it’s best to choose a platform that you are comfortable with and makes sense for the way you want to run your shop. Researching for information is great, but don’t feel the need to use a platform just because someone said it’s “the best!” Do what is best for you!
If you build it, they will not necessarily come. – Kelly
Getting the traffic is completely 100% up to me – Caroline
Starting your ecommerce journey is hard and messy. It is not as easy as slapping up a Shopify site and sitting back and waiting for the sales to roll in. Your platform will not create and market for you. You have to do the work, put in the time, create more than you consume, and overall treat your new shop like what it is – a serious business.
If you have a second please jump over to iTunes and leave us a review!
You can find Kelly online at:
www.helloworldpaperco.com
www.kellyparkersmith.com
www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com
www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com
You can find Caroline online at:
www.carolinecreates.com
www.carolinecreaies.etsy.com
www.creatingbizness.com
Sep 20, 2016 |
Caroline and Kelly had a secret long distance relationship that neither one of them knew about! They stalked each other from afar and finally started to chat through their mutual love of stationery and running in the same biz circles including Society of Creative Founders and Black Sheep Bride among other biz groups. They are so excited to chat with you about all these product based business.
And then the planets aligned. – Caroline
Kelly’s Back Story
Kelly was a third grade teacher who started making handmade cards and charity favor cards on Etsy in 2009 as a hobby for friends and family. She fell in love with wedding stationery and stamps and in 2014 opened another Etsy shop which took off so fast she was able to quit teaching that same year. Now 10K + sales later and she’s not stopping. Like ever.
It felt like it was a good idea, but it turned out to be an awesome idea! – Kelly
You can find Kelly online at:
www.helloworldpaperco.com
www.kellyparkersmith.com
www.helloworldstamps.etsy.com
www.helloworldpaperco.etsy.com
Caroline’s Back Story
I came home and I was just lost. – Caroline
After a hip injury in college sidelined her ballet dreams, Caroline got a real job at a marketing company and learned InDesign. Soon she was creating ads for that same company and used her new skills to design her own wedding stationery. She then built her business as a custom wedding stationery designer, but has since overhauled her brand to reflect her true self, selling greeting cards and paper products in the retail and wholesale online space.
You can find Caroline online at:
www.carolinecreates.com
www.carolinecreaties.etsy.com
www.creatingbizness.com
I used to be able to do the splits. – Kelly
Find out what Kelly & Caroline’s answers to the rapid fire questions + bonus sound bites
Sep 16, 2016 |
We can’t wait to launch our podcast on September 20th! To get ready, we thought this would be a great time to get to know us!
Kelly Parker Smith is a retired third grade teacher who had a big dream to make pretty things and help people in need. Kelly’s love of a simple life with moments of total awesomeness has spilled over into stamp and stationery collections that give back with a goal of building a school with Pencils of Promise. Kelly creates all of the designs herself working with pen and ink, typography, watercolor, and pattern design. She is inspired by nature, clean lines, and of course, Harry Potter. Kelly lives in Belleville, IL (20 minutes outside of St. Louis, MO) with her husband, three boys, and their rescue kitten, Katniss. You can find her through her stationery shop Hello World Paper Co. and her independent design studio Kelly Parker Smith, Surface Pattern & Design.
Designer and Owner of Caroline Creates, Caroline Hull has a background in music and was a ballet dancer at the University of Oklahoma before finding her niché in design. Originally from Texas, Caroline now resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Chip and daughters Fiona and Maeve. When she’s not designing, you can find her checking out the latest indie music sensation, trying to recycle everything in sight, buying more pens and most likely stalking a coffee shop. Caroline also has a passion for helping other small business owners like herself through her side hustle Creating Bizness.
We can’t wait to meet all of you! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when we launch!
Sep 13, 2016 |
We launch in one week! Be sure to join the newsletter to get all the episode links when we launch!
We can’t wait to share all the episodes with you. So far we’ve tackled schedules, tools and dreams of booth. See ya next week rebels!
Aug 13, 2016 |
Coming September is a new podcast that’s not afraid to filter through the crap to help you totally rock your product based business. Join Kelly Parker Smith and Caroline Hull as they discuss all things related to running an online shop and product based business.
Coming September is a new podcast that’s not afraid to filter through the crap to help you totally rock your product based business.
The first few episodes will include an introduction episode, an episode that tackles online shop platforms and much much more! Get to know Kelly and Caroline who have grown their businesses from the ground up using nothing but their determination to learn and attitudes to succeed.
So, are you ready to rebel?
Join the newsletter to be the first to know when we go live on September!
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