Hey, I’m Justine!
Whether you are looking for a solid plan with wholesale consulting or great free tips to get you started, I’m thrilled that you’re here and can’t wait to take you on this wholesale journey!
My story:
After having my daughter in February 2008, I was desperate to stay home full time. Up until Azura was one year I managed to build up a profitable eBay business reselling scrapbooking supplies and even made Etsy’s front page selling handmade cards.
I began feeling a personal struggle within. I wanted to stay home and nurture my daughter’s early years but at twenty four I didn’t want to be “just a mom”. I had bigger dreams for myself and knew that my future was not with eBay. In April 2009, on a complete whim, I started selling handmade jewelry on Etsy.
My shop, Plume Adore, took off and within a few weeks I started seeing steady sales and decent profit. In my four months on Etsy I:
- Made the front page 11 times
- Got over 280 sales with 100 just after one month of selling!
- Wrote a story for Etsy’s Blog, the Storque
- Had items chosen for Admin curated Gift Guides and Storque Articles like this and that.
- Had my Forum Help Threads picked up by Etsy’s Email Newsletter (here and here)
The thing is, I had no real experience making jewelry. I was self-taught from watching You Tube videos and practicing until I had something I liked. My experience with Plume Adore is proof that MARKETING contributes to success, not a fancy background.
I started canvassing for wholesale orders a few months after opening my Etsy shop and within 1 month had landed 5 accounts including orders from funky Red Pegasus and upscale Over the Rainbow. I eventually worked my way up to a dozen stores and was seeing a handsome steady income from my efforts.
Something still wasn’t right. I loved the excitement of landing wholesale accounts and the income it provided but I felt bored and knew my purpose in life had not found me yet.
During these months my inbox was filling up with emails from handmade sellers who wanted to know more about my success with Etsy and wholesaling. I wanted to help them but time was a factor. I slowly began cutting back wholesale work (much to the chagrin of my husband) and started the Etsy Business Blog in November 2009.
In my first month, I had received over 12,000 visitors and was fortunate enough to land some huge writing opportunities thanks to my email pitches and great track record of success in my field.
My life was thrown a curve ball in December 2009 and I had to put everything into perspective. After reviewing a survey I conducted with readers as well as the hundreds of emails I had received during my blog’s run, I had the solution that would allow me enough time to help Etsy sellers for free while growing my own consulting business.
My popular blog was changed into the Etsy Business Community, a free bi-weekly email and Facebook hub where subscribers receive great actionable Etsy tips and videos showing them how to improve their business as well as a place to socialize with fellow subscribers and chat about their challenges. I was so fortunate because almost all of my blog subscribers made the move with me and my facebook fans doubled just a week after I made the announcement!
You can say I take multitasking to the extreme. Besides running the Etsy Biz Community, contributing regularly to Handmade News, Cafe Handmade and Meylah, I launched this site, Handmade Marketer, in order to aid businesses in the journey of marketing their handmade products to retail stores.
How to Reach Me:
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