June is here and just like that, we’re halfway through 2019. For some Etsy sellers, you might be in full swing with wedding season. You’re probably wondering how to keep up with it all. For others, filling your days may seem like a task now that summer has hit. It may feel like your shop has slowed to a crawl. Wherever you find yourself, we’d be willing to bet that some reminders to keep you going through the end of the year are always helpful!

Keeping up momentum and not slowing down can be hard when things are insanely busy. The same is definitely true for when times are slow. So wherever you are currently, here are some halfway through the year reminders to keep you one step ahead and to help you find Etsy shop success:

1.) Write down your goals

It’s SO important to actually do this and not just say you’re going to. At the beginning of the year, we’re always super pumped to make new resolutions for the months ahead. But as time passes, these resolutions can fall by the wayside. Now is a GREAT time to dust those resolutions off and reassess where you want to be in your business. If you’ve gotten off track, don’t get discouraged! Instead, write down which goals are the most important for the remaining months in 2019. Include steps to make these goals a reality.

2.) If you’ve found your niche, stay put!

There can be a serious temptation around this time of year to bite off more than you can chew. Maybe this is because you’re bored of creating the same products over and over. Or, it could be that you feel you need to be all things to all your customers. But this is simply not true. Diversifying, especially when you don’t have the help you need, is not always a wise business decision. If you’ve found that sweet spot where your shop is thriving and sales are consistently coming in, stick with it! Create more of that magic. Finding your niche and continually innovating around that is a fantastic way to be successful in your shop! Now, please know we’re not telling you to never diversify. What we ARE saying is to be strategic about when and how you make that happen.

3.) Research Your Keywords With Marmalead and put them to good use

In case you didn’t know by now, we’re all about keyword research around here! Making sure you’re doing your keyword research before applying keywords to your listings is SO important! Otherwise, you’re basically throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping it sticks. Hop into your Marmalead tools and check out those keywords you’ve been wondering about. See if they’re the right fit for you and your shop. Still feeling lost? Make sure you sign up for our Success Webinar Q&A! These happen every Tuesday at 1:00pm EST or every Thursday at 6:00pm EST. You can get those lingering questions about all things Etsy SEO answered live!

4.) Make Your Shop More Personal With Shop Updates

You’ve heard us say it before, but since we’re half way through the year and we all need reminders…put your shop updates to good use! This is the perfect place to connect with your sellers in a genuine way. It’s awesome to show behind the scenes pics on your Instagram (and we DO love a good Instagram feed) but don’t neglect this often forgotten space in your shop. This is where you’ll want to show what you’re doing as a seller, put teasers about up coming product lines, or anything that will connect you on a personal level with your buyers. Show that there are real people behind your products in order to build real connections with your customers and have them coming back to you again and again.

5.) Delegate if at all possible

Recently, I was involved with a project where the project manager was SO worried things would not be done exactly the way she wanted them, that she insisted on doing almost everything herself. Literally. What did this accomplish? A VERY stressful time leading up to the deadline, and it even made the project presentation more difficult. I understand that it can be hard to let go of certain jobs, because you may believe that no one can do it just the way you can. And this is true. No one can accomplish a job exactly the way you would.

However, there are literally thousands of ways to successfully accomplish what needs to be done. Whenever possible, let go of the things that are eating up your valuable time and allow someone else to help you. Whether this means reaching out to a willing family member/friend or hiring an assistant to help with small tasks. It will definitely be worth the stress relief and will give you back the time you need to accomplish tasks that push your business towards the goals you’ve set.

6.) Be sure that you’re sure before you let the day job go

It seems to be every sellers dream to quit that 9-5 and make their Etsy shop a full time dream job! And Marmalead is behind you 100% as you make your way to that goal! However, don’t jump the gun too soon on this. A common trap to fall into is becoming super excited by a small business idea, quitting your day job and then running out of money too soon to keep the dream alive. Elizabeth Gilbert, the New York Times best selling author of Eat, Pray, Love has talked often about how she kept her day job until after Eat, Pray, Love was WAY passed being successful! 

She writes about this in her book Big Magic. She says she wanted to give her creativity the freedom to thrive and not be burdened down with it trying to make a living for her. So instead, she promised her creativity that she would provide for them both so that the worry to pay the bills did not get in the way. Clearly, it worked out well for her! This was a great philosophy to have until she had truly gotten to the place where she felt it was ok to step fully into that side hustle. 

Final Thoughts

Do you have any reminders you’d like to add to our list?? If so, we’d love for you to share what they are in the comments below!

Happy selling, everyone!