332 ~ Niching Way Down for Huge Success on Etsy w/Amanda of MandyLynnPlans

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Mandy started her Etsy shop MandyLynnPlans in January of 2019 where she sells planner stickers for Hobonichi and Wonderland 222 planners (if you’re not familiar with these, listen in because Mandy breaks it all down in our chat).

Her shop is very niche and she believes this is part of why they have been so successful! I say “they” because two weeks prior to our convo, her husband was able to quit his full-time job as an engineer to work full-time in her business 🙂

With over 60,000 sales on Etsy at the time of our conversation and sales coming in literally almost every few minutes during our convo, Mandy shared her entire Etsy journey and I just know it will be such an encouragement to you as you listen.

There’s a lot to learn from Mandy about how the sometimes scary process of niching can actually be the key to major success both financially but also in growing a committed community of loyal followers and customers.

Topics Discussed:

How having a very specific audience is key to building a successful business
Understanding your market and using that insider knowledge to serve your market most efficiently
Transitioning/expanding from YouTube to Etsy to an ecommerce/subscription-based model
Deciding between offering only physical products vs. digital products
Division of labor across her team of four
Launching a subscription box service… How Mandy did it and the pros and cons
Diversifying social media platforms in a strategic way
Advise for sellers who’ve hit a growth roadblock
And so much more…

Mandy’s Etsy Shop ShoutOuts

ARenaePhoto – run by Mandy’s sister Amy where she sells her stunning original landscape photography
YardstickAndCo – run by Kristi (who you’ll hear was the one who encouraged Mandy to jump into the subscription service pool) where she sells activity kits of preschoolers and toddlers. Also check out her website YardstickAndCo.com where you’ll find even more activity kits for kids.

Resources Mentioned:

Launch Your Box – service/training program offered by Sarah Williams aka the Subscription Box Queen, that helps product sellers launch their own subscription box program
Business Boutique Academy – by Christy Wright, part of the Ramsey Network, helping entrepreneurs start and run successful businesses