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Matt Foster is a master blacksmith (I don’t know if that’s an official title but I’m conferring it on him 🙂 ) and he runs the Etsy shop Black Dog Ironworks. He actually runs a larger business than an Etsy shop alone and our convo we talk about how he’s building his business around the craft of blacksmithing.
As a student at the University of Maine, Matt learned the craft of forging and when he was later hired by the University, he started growing and expanding his own blacksmithing skills so he could be an ever better teacher to the students he was responsible for.
But a great thing happened along the way… Well, a series of great things happened along the way actually, that ended up in him opening an Etsy shop which has now allowed blacksmithing to become his full time business.
You’ll hear Matt tell the story in his own words in our convo. In addition to his journey into creative entrepreneurship, we also discuss:
- Things Matt did to ensure that he would be successful on Etsy
- Lessons learned and advice for “weathering the storms” of potential future changes on the Etsy platform
- Time management and Matt’s day-to-day activity flow
- His strategies for selling on multiple platforms and streamlining workflows
- Building an ecommerce site on SquareSpace (if you’re not feeling Shopify, you’ll be encouraged by this)
- Handling creative ruts
- Dealing with less-than-stellar reviews on Etsy
- And so much more…
Resources Mentioned
- Learn how to sell on Etsy – Etsy Seller Handbook and the Etsy Forums
- Shipping tools – ShipStation
- Other ecommerce platforms – Amazon Handmade
and Merch by Amazon
- Website building platforms – SquareSpace, Shopify
- Product Photography tools – Light Kit (may not be exactly the one Matt uses, but this give you an idea)
- Photo editing software – Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
- Matt’s camera – Canon Rebel T3 DSLR
- Etsy keyword research tool – EtsyRank
- The Gratitude Collaborative (these folks are doing some really good work and you’ll understand the connection when you listen to our convo 🙂 )
and Merch by AmazonConnect With Matt
- Website: BlackDogIronworks.com (use the Contact form)
- Etsy shop: Black Dog Ironworks
- Social media: Facebook, Instagram
Please take a minute to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please also tell a friend out about the show.
Connect With Me:
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- Instagram: @EtsyConvo
- Twitter: @ConvoMePodcast
- Email: Use the Contact Form OR interview [at] convome [dot] com
- Facebook Group: Etsy Conversations
For more help growing your Etsy-based business, check out these resources: