It can be hard to define "Success" when it comes to a home crafting business. Each person's business is different and can have different yardsticks for measuring success. For me, knitting and crocheting items by hand, and writing up patterns for sale, it may take me days or even weeks to complete an item. So when I see a Facebook post from another shop saying "I made 50 sales today", I might get a temporary twinge of "I'm a failure" feelings... but 50 sales in one day for my shop would be overwhelming. I can't compare myself to shops like that.
I can compare against previous years in my shop, and I do that by keeping stats. I can tell you by looking into my Dayplanner what average sales are for this month, what my best-ever month of sales was (total sales and Etsy sales), how many Etsy sales I've had this month, and total Etsy sales. My goal each month is to set new records... but that is beyond my control sometimes. I can make the cute stuff... and put the cute stuff on Etsy... and promote it... but I can't make people buy. The most sales I've ever gotten on Etsy in April is 12... so I'm shooting to break that record, but with the month more than half over, and only 3 sales so far, it doesn't look like I'm going to make it. I don't think I should use that as a yardstick for success, because it is not completely within my control.
I also have a goal of working down my yarn stash, using up what I have on hand, and not buying any more yarn unless I need it for a custom order. Well, a new Michaels store opened up in an area where I shop a lot... so that has increased the level of temptation to pick up yarn just because it's on sale. It's a small victory when I use up some scrap yarn, or match up a yarn with a pattern to come up with something really cute. Ending up a month with more yarn in the house than I started with isn't really a good measure of success, either.
I've been tracking my total inventory. I've been doing Etsy and craft shows since 2012, so I've had plenty of time to build up inventory. It is stored in boxes in closets in two rooms... and I would really like to get it down to the point where it fits in one closet! During busy months, like October - December, I see an improvement in the numbers, but during slow months, when I'm restocking best sellers, the numbers creep up again. So I probably shouldn't use that as a yardstick, either.
Just yesterday, I was lamenting the fact that I set a new record for 2021... for the longest stretch of time without an Etsy sale. 😕 It had been at 8 days, from a stretch in February, but it stretched to 9 and then 10. But while I was lamenting, I got two 5-star Etsy reviews. Reviews like this help keep me encouraged when sales lag:
Zoe on Apr 8, 2021
I cannot express enough how much I absolutely love this item. I ordered this the day my family put our beloved dog down, and it arrived to me only a week later. There are so many perfect little details that the artist was able to capture, and they even included a cute little bone for her. I cannot express how much I love this and appreciate the hard work that was put into making this very special plush for my family.
Heather on Apr 6, 2021
Elaine by far was the best seller that I have ever dealt with! She didn’t have the colors that my girls wanted so she offered to go to the store to buy them! Elaine was in contact with me every step of the way. They came out amazing!! She even included a bone for each of them! I can’t say enough about how wonderful and talented she is! I’ll definitely be purchasing again!
There is my success... doing my job well, and making the customers happy. Sometimes the nature of the marketplace will put a little more distance between the successes, but as long as I keep on doing my best to keep the customers happy, that's what matters!
