You Definitely Can [And Should] Turn Your “Hobby” Into A Profitable Business On Etsy
Jewelry Designer, Mckayla Weil, Chats With Me About How She Got Her 400+ Sales On Etsy mid-pandemic, The Not-So-Vegan Pearl Trend, And The Question: Is College Still Relevant?
Klarrisa: First of all, your Instagram feed is real-life-couple-goals! I saw you and your husband went to Italy. Was it last year? For your honeymoon, right?
McKayla: Yes! It was around this time last year and it was for our one-year anniversary, but close enough.
Klarrisa: What did you think of authentic Italian pizza? My first bite was so disappointing. There was zero-salt! But I quickly grew addicted.
McKayla: The pizza was amazing! I remember my husband and I taking our first bite and just looking at each other like, “oh my god. Why don’t we have pizza like this in the states?”
There were quite a few times during that trip where I ate an entire pizza by myself — with no shame.
Klarrisa: Did Italy end up inspiring any pieces?
While pulling competitor research for my day job, I noticed there were a lot of pieces this year inspired by Italy. Especially in Lizzie Fortunato’s collections; tons of Italia-vibes and pearls.
McKayla: It’s hard not to be inspired when you’re in Europe, especially Italy! I’m always blown away by the fashion, but Italy’s art and architecture were breathtaking.
I started my shop about a month after visiting so I think Italy had a lot to do with my earring styles in the beginning.
Klarrisa: So you came back from your anniversary and basically started a business, that’s a big step! What was that moment where you were like, “Okay, let’s do this!”
McKayla: This all started as a hobby because of something I saw on Pinterest. I sat down one day and made like 30 pairs of earrings and was like, “oh wow, these are actually cute!”
I posted a picture on my Instagram and had a few people who told me I should sell them — so I think that was my “Okay! Let’s do this,” moment.
Klarrisa: Gotta love Pinterest!
I had to look up when clay jewelry first created, I was expecting something like 1,000 years ago. Turns out polymer clay jewelry has only been around since the 1930s and is still ripe for experimentation.
For those of us not familiar with clay jewelry, how durable is it?
McKayla: It’s actually really durable! I think when people hear “clay jewelry”, they automatically think it’s going to be fragile, but polymer clay is super bendy and can be dropped on the floor without breaking.
Klarrisa: I had no clue it was a good material to craft earrings from! I was for sure one of those people who thought clay jewelry would be fragile.
McKayla: Now that doesn’t mean I suggest bending it constantly or throwing it on the floor —
Klarrisa: Noted, haha.
You’re running the whole business on your own, right, have you turned a profit, yet?
Etsy is a huge marketplace, I think in 2019 there were almost 3 million sellers, that’s an intimidating number of competitors on the platform.
McKayla: I am running the whole business on my own, which can be very challenging! I also have a full-time job and I’m in school… so my life is a little hectic at the moment.
I started turning a profit of about 3 months in.… But I’m still not at a place where I feel comfortable enough to leave my job and go full time with my earrings just yet —
[But in terms of turning a profit] Start-up costs weren’t bad, honestly! Like I said before, this all started as a hobby, so I started off with very limited materials.
As time goes on and my knowledge of polymer clay grows, I’ve invested in equipment and tools to make sure my earrings are the best they can be.
Klarrisa: Turning a profit in just 3 months is an accomplishment; especially keeping that momentum during a pandemic! I mean it just proves, that even if the world is upside down if you have a product people want — they’ll buy it.
I think it’s on a lot of creatives minds right now: should they launch their businesses mid-pandemic or wait?
McKayla: I think the fact that I wasn’t working helped me focus on just my earrings, but there were definitely days where the stress of the pandemic weighed on me and made it difficult to feel inspired.
[But] Honestly, I’m not sure. What works for one brand may not work for another. For me, the pandemic derailed nothing, but sadly that’s not the case for a lot of businesses.
Klarrisa: I know, I went into Century 21 for the first time last week and it was for its going-out-of-business sale. It wasn’t my first time walking through a dying department store but this one really hit me.
The fashion industry is changing, radically —
What’s your vision for the clueless Burnette in say, the next 6 months?
McKayla: I really want to have my own website at some point and if it happens in the next six months, that would be awesome!
I’m just trying to build my following on social media a little more before I make the jump and set up my own website. I love the feeling of a small shop, but the idea of having something bigger definitely intrigues me.
Klarrisa: Would you say people are gravitating toward certain styles in your collection since COVID started?
McKayla: Stud sets are something that people love to buy. I’m not sure if it’s because of COVID or not, but when you’re not leaving the house much, it probably feels kind of silly to put on a big pair of statement earrings.
Klarrisa:
How are you pulling new customers into your Esty store?
McKayla: Advertising and social media! Etsy has an option to pay daily for advertising, which I take full advantage of because I’d say I get about 30–40% of my sales from advertising alone. [But] most of my sales come from my social media. Keeping up with your social media and building up a loyal following is so important!
Klarrisa: For those out there wanting to set up shop, do you think it’s possible to be profitable on the platform or it’s over-saturated?
McKayla: I think it’s definitely possible to be profitable on Etsy, but make sure whatever you’re selling is unique. Even if it’s something that thousands of other sellers are selling, being unique can set you apart from your competitors.
My biggest advice to other creatives would be to know your audience and advertise/use social media as much as possible! I’m terrible at keeping up with my social media, but that’s where I get a lot of my sales.
Klarrisa: Exactly, and even though there are almost 3 million sellers on Etsy, there are over 39 million active buyers on Etsy, there’s room for creatives, 100 percent!
Oh, and I wanted to ask what you think about the pearl trend being done by every brand at this point —
Over-it? Loving it? Meh?
McKayla: I love the pearl trend! I think pearls are kind of like diamonds in the way that they are timeless.
It also can be worn with so many things so that’s a plus too.
Klarrisa: Have you seen how mother-of-pearl is made? They basically hole-punch through the shell to get the nacre (mother-of-pearl) Immediately my mind jumped to animal rights… but it’s a clam.
McKayla: I haven’t looked into how mother-of-pearls are made… but now, I’m not a huge fan.
Klarrisa: I just looked it up apparently mother-of-pearl and pearls aren’t considered vegan, but I found this article that says,
“strict vegans should feel comfortable eating oysters by the boatload.”
I mean, it’s arguable because “oysters don’t have central nervous systems, they’re unlikely to experience pain in a way resembling ours,” and I’m quoting here, but it all seems a little blurry, for sure.
McKayla: I don’t even like killing bugs, so [yes] it’s definitely off-putting.
Klarrisa: But back to your jewelry: what’s your creative process for gathering collection inspiration?
McKayla: My creative process is a little all over the place, in all honesty! Sometimes I’ll look up colors and styles that are trending for that particular season, but most of the time it’s me sitting down at my work station and winging it.
Klarrisa: I love that. It’s easy to see designing in terms of trend and profit. But when you sit down and wing it, that’s when you’re really creating for the love of it.
McKayla: I think my greatest pieces happen when I don’t plan them at all. I’ve never been much of a planner, but that’s because I’ve always had so much fun with the process of it all.
A lot of times my mistakes become better than the original idea.
Klarrisa: How about sustainability, does it play a part in your brand?
McKayla: I try to avoid using any plastic when it comes to shipping, but I’ve been looking into ways of being even more sustainable in all aspects of my business.
Klarrisa: I guess I should have mentioned this at the beginning of the interview, but for the readers, you and I met in university. I can’t remember what class it was we met in, actually. I think it was some major requirement — about consumerism, or was it a group project?
McKayla: Both, I think? The only thing I remember is wanting to skip that class because it was so late at night, haha!
Klarrisa: You’re right, it was late, I think around 7 PM? Late enough that there was no point in going home between classes. I lived in Thompson Library back then. If there’s one thing I learned in school, it was how to take a nap anywhere!
Speaking of college, there’s been a lot of debate around the question, “is college obsolete?” What do you think, do you think you would have gotten where you are today without a degree?
McKayla: I started college as a design major and after switching programs still ended up getting my design minor. All throughout our program, I told myself the end goal was designing. The plan was to have my own shop one day where I’d design some of the clothes while also having different designers as well.
I’ve never really liked merchandising but knew it was something that I needed to learn because owning your own business and only knowing the design side wouldn’t cut it.
[So] this is a tough question, so I’ll answer by saying yes and no. I knew merchandising was something I needed to learn to get to where I want to be. With that being said, could I have learned that information with a simple google search?
Maybe. I think college has a lot of advantages and disadvantages to it so I think this question is kind of a case-by-case scenario.
I’ve battled with this question since graduating, but this past year, I’ve realized that, for me, it wasn’t obsolete. It helped guide me to where I am now and although I think I could have gotten to where I am now without it, it definitely made my life 100 times easier.
Klarrisa: I too have a lot of mixed emotions about the college conundrum. On one hand, I loved my college experience, on the other, I’m not loving the debt.
Plus, I mean everything you just said, I completely relate to.
Thanks for the interview McKayla, I love bothering people from college who are more successful than me *winky face*.
Could you give us a hint at what your next drop will be inspired by?
McKayla: I don’t think I know! Haha, I’ve been obsessed with fall colors and florals lately so I may expand on that or I might try something completely new. Maybe a celestial line? It’s honestly all up in the air at this point.
Thank you for interviewing me! I’ve had so much fun!
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