We're halfway through August so that means its time for our 2nd edition of Seller Spotlight!
This month I interviewed Jules from Mollycat Craft Co. Jules makes adorable cards, bunting and much more, with a lot of her work incorporating crochet.
1. Your shop is called Mollycat Craft Co. What inspired the name?
My inspiration is our rescue cat, Molly. I knew before I opened my shop that I wanted to create a range of different products and my shop name couldn't be product specific. So, after a week or two of deliberation, I finally settled on Mollycat Craft Co.
2. Before you set up Mollycat Craft Co, what were you doing?
Quite a few different things… After I graduated from University with a Bachelor of Design in Textiles and Ceramics, I spent a year working in a school as an artist in residence.
I then went on to work for a local newspaper for a while before working in retail and also insurance. In 2009, I became a secondary school teacher of Design Technology, which I did up until 2015.
Mollycat Craft Co was set up in the summer of 2015 and I haven’t looked back. I love what I do and I can see myself doing this for years to come.
3. You've been selling on Etsy for nearly a year now! What has been your biggest personal achievement since starting?
There’s been a few… I’ll always remember my first international order, reaching 100 sales was a milestone, but I think my biggest personal achievement has to be creating a crochet bridal bouquet.
I was recently asked via Etsy if I could make a large quantity of crochet brooches for a wedding, I jumped at the chance!
When my customer received the brooches, she was so delighted with them, she asked me if I could make her a crochet bridal bouquet for her wedding day, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes!
Having never made a bridal bouquet before, It was certainly a challenge, you could say I was out of my comfort zone, but I love a challenge and grabbed it with both hands! We are both delighted with the finished product and I can’t wait to see the photographs of the bride with her crochet bouquet on her wedding day.
The moral of this story is never turn down a sale, you never know where it might lead!
4. What is your favourite item in your shop and why?
My favourite item has to be my crochet ‘Lovebird’ wedding cake toppers. They are very personal to me. When I got married in 2014, it was very much a ‘handmade wedding’, I knew I wanted to make the cake toppers myself and being slightly obsessed with amigurumi at the time, what better cake topper than a crochet cake topper!
5. You incorporate crochet detailing into your card designs. How did you first get into crocheting?
My mum taught me how to knit when I was little. I’ve always enjoyed knitting but I still struggle to understand knitting patterns to this day, Scarves are about the only thing I can make!
About 10 years ago, I decided to try my hand at crochet. I watched youtube videos and learnt the basic stiches. As I became more confident, I bought a few amigurumi books and started to make little stuffed toys. My crochet (and wool) addiction started there!
6. Do you have any tips for other Etsy sellers or to anyone thinking of starting an Etsy Shop?
Yes, Loads!
First, I would recommend reading the sellers handbook before opening your shop (you’ll find the link at the bottom of the Etsy page).
Read up about SEO and how to be found on Etsy, use relevant keywords when listing your products and make sure you use all of your tags - put yourself in the shoes of the customer… what might they type in if they were looking for your product?
List as many products as you can - I started noticing an increase in sales after I reached 30 listings. Once your shop is up and running, check out etsyrank.com, this will help you improve your listings.
DON’T GIVE UP! If sales are slow, just keep making little changes, the same thing doesn't work for everyone. Almost a year in and my shop is still a work in progress, I think it always will be.
Finally, I would recommend joining an Etsy community… have a look in the ‘Teams’ section on the Etsy website for local teams in your area. They are a valuable source of information and a great way to meet other Etsy sellers.
Thank you so much to Jules for taking the time to do this little interview!
You can find her shop and all of her social media links below:
Read More »
This month I interviewed Jules from Mollycat Craft Co. Jules makes adorable cards, bunting and much more, with a lot of her work incorporating crochet.
1. Your shop is called Mollycat Craft Co. What inspired the name?
My inspiration is our rescue cat, Molly. I knew before I opened my shop that I wanted to create a range of different products and my shop name couldn't be product specific. So, after a week or two of deliberation, I finally settled on Mollycat Craft Co.
2. Before you set up Mollycat Craft Co, what were you doing?
Quite a few different things… After I graduated from University with a Bachelor of Design in Textiles and Ceramics, I spent a year working in a school as an artist in residence.
I then went on to work for a local newspaper for a while before working in retail and also insurance. In 2009, I became a secondary school teacher of Design Technology, which I did up until 2015.
Mollycat Craft Co was set up in the summer of 2015 and I haven’t looked back. I love what I do and I can see myself doing this for years to come.
3. You've been selling on Etsy for nearly a year now! What has been your biggest personal achievement since starting?
There’s been a few… I’ll always remember my first international order, reaching 100 sales was a milestone, but I think my biggest personal achievement has to be creating a crochet bridal bouquet.
I was recently asked via Etsy if I could make a large quantity of crochet brooches for a wedding, I jumped at the chance!
When my customer received the brooches, she was so delighted with them, she asked me if I could make her a crochet bridal bouquet for her wedding day, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes!
Having never made a bridal bouquet before, It was certainly a challenge, you could say I was out of my comfort zone, but I love a challenge and grabbed it with both hands! We are both delighted with the finished product and I can’t wait to see the photographs of the bride with her crochet bouquet on her wedding day.
The moral of this story is never turn down a sale, you never know where it might lead!
4. What is your favourite item in your shop and why?
My favourite item has to be my crochet ‘Lovebird’ wedding cake toppers. They are very personal to me. When I got married in 2014, it was very much a ‘handmade wedding’, I knew I wanted to make the cake toppers myself and being slightly obsessed with amigurumi at the time, what better cake topper than a crochet cake topper!
5. You incorporate crochet detailing into your card designs. How did you first get into crocheting?
My mum taught me how to knit when I was little. I’ve always enjoyed knitting but I still struggle to understand knitting patterns to this day, Scarves are about the only thing I can make!
About 10 years ago, I decided to try my hand at crochet. I watched youtube videos and learnt the basic stiches. As I became more confident, I bought a few amigurumi books and started to make little stuffed toys. My crochet (and wool) addiction started there!
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| Personalised Engagement Card |
Yes, Loads!
First, I would recommend reading the sellers handbook before opening your shop (you’ll find the link at the bottom of the Etsy page).
Read up about SEO and how to be found on Etsy, use relevant keywords when listing your products and make sure you use all of your tags - put yourself in the shoes of the customer… what might they type in if they were looking for your product?
List as many products as you can - I started noticing an increase in sales after I reached 30 listings. Once your shop is up and running, check out etsyrank.com, this will help you improve your listings.
DON’T GIVE UP! If sales are slow, just keep making little changes, the same thing doesn't work for everyone. Almost a year in and my shop is still a work in progress, I think it always will be.
Finally, I would recommend joining an Etsy community… have a look in the ‘Teams’ section on the Etsy website for local teams in your area. They are a valuable source of information and a great way to meet other Etsy sellers.
Thank you so much to Jules for taking the time to do this little interview!
You can find her shop and all of her social media links below:
