I Started an Etsy Shop Because a Crisis Is THE Time to Do Something New

Finding an article I wrote on my blog back in 2009 about the recession, when I was trying to find a job and get started on my journey into entrepreneurship, was wild to read. So much of what happened in the late 2000s during that recession can be applied to right now. 

Obviously, this pandemic and shelter-in-place order are very different. There are so many lives at risk, and not just the possibility of us losing our houses—but one thing has never been clearer: social media can help your business through a recession. My 28-year-old self’s advice:

“If you want to stay relevant and keep your brand in mind when consumers do get their purchasing confidence back, then you need to keep on reminding them that you are still here.”

The article I shared at the end of that article, from social media blogger Chris Brogan, was called 25 Ways Social Media Prepares You for the Downturn. One line from this decade-old article inspired me to start the Esty shop that my husband and I have been saying we wanted to start for YEARS! 

The line reads, “If you’ve got to find new ways to make loot, don’t fret. Just put some effort into finding which money-making opportunity might pay off the best for you.” And considering that I lost three gigs this past week, I figure now is the time to do something new. 

My new shop: selling snarky sayings on Etsy  

I would like to introduce you to the On Brand Store at etsy.com/shop/OnBrandStore. Jeff and I came up with the name because it’s something we always talk about regarding our “brands,” with his brand being his day job managing at Cisco, and my brand being a social media marketer, food lover, and wine geek online. I wrote more about finding your brand passions for social media on my blog a few years ago.

We took some of our favorite social media, marketing, leadership, work from home, etc. sayings and created a series of mugs, stickers (for laptops, of course), shirts, and artwork that would be the perfect inspiration for your home office. We also have an Instagram account @OnBrandStore. Because… duh. 

In addition to creating the typography sayings for the stickers, shirts, and mugs, it has been REALLY fun coming up with SEO descriptions for the shop’s Etsy listings. A few keywords mixed in with some snark. I mean, this is what I LIVE for! Fun branding and smart marketing. It’s pretty “on brand” for myself (see what I did there?!?!). 

So here are a few of the new Etsy shop products we are most excited about:

It’s Always Cocktail Hour in a Crisis - Ina Garten. So far we have sold 5 of these funny coffee mugs. I like to think it is because we sell it as a great gift for People Who Drink Wine in Coffee Cups (hint hint, get this and a bottle of wine for Mother’s Day). If you haven’t seen the Food Network Chef’s viral video, definitely check it out!

Shop on Etsy.

Find your unique value and outsource everything else. This is my daily motto! You shouldn’t waste time on the stuff you aren’t good at. There are people who do it better. Find which tasks only YOU can do (i.e., your unique value), and find someone else to do the other stuff. This inspirational mug is for you or for someone who just hit a career milestone. It’s perfect for anybody looking for daily inspiration through a cup of coffee.

A face mask - It's Always Cocktail Hour During a Crisis Neck Gaiter - for Men & Women + Kids Masks. These face masks on Etsy are really useful and not as binding as the ones with hooks around the ears. My personal fave saying is this one! Buy on Etsy.

Social media—it’s like Vegas, only your parents can see what you did. You know it's true. And the quicker people realize that their 2007 spring break images could make or break their career in 2020, the better we all will be. What happens on social media stays on Google forever. Shop this mug on Etsy.

Important advice for any laptop owner: Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself. Let your coworkers know you’re hip to ‘90s rap music and that you understand that keeping a check on your emotions at work can lead to a happier work environment for all. Shop funny stickers on Etsy.

I wouldn’t have started this Etsy shop if it weren’t for this pandemic.

If I still had time and Rye was in school, I may have never put my mind to creating this On Brand Etsy shop. And like I said before, right now is THE time to do something new to make money. Whether it’s a side gig, your full-time job, or part-time, finding something at which you can make extra money (just Google “how to make extra money” and a TON of great info will come up) is a good thing in an unknown time. 

I have no idea how this new venture will turn out, but I am excited to get started and create something that is very “on brand” for me—fun sayings about marketing and work…on stuff.

Small Changes to Pivot Your Small Business Strategy During COVID -19

You’re probably reading everywhere, including from me (like in this blog post about how marketing is still important) – that you need to adapt your business ASAP and pivot to an online format, curbside pickup, or delivery. 

I want to address that I understand that this isn’t easily achievable. 

For some, when we are put in situations where we have to adapt quickly -- we find a way to do it. Sometimes the idea was on a to-do list for years, and you never got around to focusing on because business was fine. Some never thought about implementing anything new to begin with. Others started but never followed through because there is always something more important to focus on (I was regularly in that boat).  Even more, people find themselves working for companies that hesitate to implement anything new - and many of those people are currently furloughed or let go during this pandemic.

I understand that is the case for a lot of people, and it has been for me. I purposely never wanted to turn my business into a social media marketing agency, because I didn’t want to deal with the “business” side of being a small business owner. The idea of having employees, dealing with payroll taxes, or training people scared me. 

I never marketed my business, even though I teach marketing

 ... And I never had to because word-of-mouth allowed me to continue working how I wanted to for so long. I never had to actually “market” my business. Though, I would say that my focus on connections through social media was a way of establishing long-term relationships, which is the best form of marketing. But traditional marketing mediums like print ads, digital ads, even email marketing were never on my radar because I was comfortable with where I was in my career. 

It wasn’t until I moved to the East Bay where I didn’t have connections, that I realized that I had gotten too comfortable with where I was with my business. I talked a lot about my journey as an entrepreneur in this blog post. Comfortable is fine; it’s the status quo. And the status quo works when everything’s going “normal.”  

Northern California businesses understand that the fire season is not a normal time. Once a year for the last three years, a lot of companies had to pivot during the few weeks when a fire has hit Sonoma County or Butte County. This caused families and businesses to have to evacuate, deal with power outages, or people had to stay inside due to the overwhelming smoke outside.

Throughout the last three years, we’ve seen businesses pivot to helping those in need during and right after the fires (and floods). But right after, life went back to relative normalcy. 

Tourists came back to wine country, spent money out at restaurants, stayed in hotels, and went winetasting.  

The Trend Of Creating An “Experience” In Wine Country

A trend the wine industry has been seeing for a while is that people are spending more time at one winery. This is because the idea of creating an experience, like a cave tour or a wine and food pairing, became more necessary as customer habits changed. Visitors aren’t winery hopping like they used to. The extended experience, combined with an abundance of wineries, has made it harder for wineries to stand out. 

Even before the fires or this COVID-19 pandemic, the wineries that have pivoted to creating experiences for their customers have been the ones to thrive. Wineries had to pivot into looking at their tasting rooms as more of a holistic experience versus just focusing on the wine. 

Iron Horse Vineyards in Russian River Valley had Oyster Sundays and invited The Oyster Girls to sell oysters, shrimp, and caviar to guests every Sunday during the summertime. This was a hit with sparkling wine lovers as well as those who didn’t like wine but loved seafood, and a good view.

JaM Cellars in Napa and Pax Wines in Sebastopol created their tasting rooms to be more like lounges, where guests could connect, drink wine and listen to live music in the evening. 

Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, in Napa Valley, created a series of stand up comedy events where guests could enjoy live standup and drink wine. 

Each of these experiences attracted wine drinkers, as well as their non-wine drinking friends.

It hasn’t just been wineries that have had to adapt to new ways of selling to customers. Retail shops have had to move a lot of their business online in order to complete. And big retailers like Madewell and Alethea have turned their physical boutiques into event spaces with yoga classes, and even wine tastings!

On That Note: Pivots Don’t Have To Be A Complete 180 From Business As Usual. 

The gradual pivot that some wineries have had to create these experiences wasn’t overnight. 

And this is the takeaway I want you to remember from this blog post. Even now, with everything so up in the air with this pandemic, and our shelter in place orders — you don’t have to completely change your business model to find success. Or more importantly, you don’t have to change the core values that you are passionate about when it comes to your business.

The Importance of Creating Value Over Selling

A thing I have noticed about the trend of experiences is that it is about creating additional value to customers and giving them what they want, vs focusing solely on selling a product or service.

Right now we are seeing this with many companies across the world (when they can), like fashion companies, or small retailers on Etsy who are focusing on creating masks for medical professionals and everyday people. Or restaurants like Gott's Roadside in Napa, San Francisco and Walnut Creek providing 100% of the proceeds of their takeout menu to their employees who lost their jobs due to the shelter in place orders.

These are businesses that CAN provide additional value to people, but even companies that are worried about their business can spend some time thinking about how they can create value to their community. And that even looks like asking their community to help them so they can help their employees.

Small Changes to Pivot Your Small Business Strategy

It’s small changes that can make the difference in getting you through right now and then helping ensure that the next time crisis happens, you’re a little bit more prepared. 

Here are some creative ideas that restaurants and wineries are doing as we shelter in place here in the bay area. What I love about some of the creative ideas is that they are relatively simple things, like dressing up when doing a restaurant delivery—or writing a creative note for your customers in your to-go container. Figure out what may make sense for your brand, and your connection to your customers and try something new and fun!

If you are still not sure how pivoting your business could work RIGHT NOW, then try to spend some time brainstorming new ideas that you could do after you open your business back up. And if you can right now, try to create or research new ways you can develop systems to market your business more efficiently once you do go back. 

Little changes can add up. <3