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Story by
dennisanderson,
marymary
Published on May 8, 2008 in Spotlight |
Photo by DennisAnderson |
In the last couple weeks in the forums and in the Virtual Labs, I discovered that one of Etsy's famous soap makers, DennisAnderson, had very recently quit his day job to sell full time on Etsy! I was very excited to hear this news and proceeded to ask him tons of questions and wish him the best of luck when I thought, "this would make a great article for those thinking about taking the plunge themselves or for those that already have and want to compare notes!"
Dennis graciously accepted my proposal for an interview to find out exactly what allowed him to take the plunge from working a full time day job to becoming a full time Etsy seller. Keep reading to learn how he is taking the plunge.
When you first started selling on Etsy did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?
The first day I started selling on Etsy was on May 13, 2007. I had signed up about a month earlier and was getting a feel for the site. My girlfriend opened a jewelry shop a few months before I did. I worked for a lawn care company fertilizing lawns in over 100 degree temperatures, so I would have to say that after last summer, quitting my day job was a goal I wanted to meet.
How long were you selling on Etsy and working your day job before deciding you were ready to switch over to Etsy full time?
I quit my day-job on April 7, 2008 so it was a little under 11 months selling here on Etsy. I did want to wait another month or two to quit, but circumstances came up which I did not agree with, so I decided to take the plunge.
What made you decide to quit your day job?
Well, it's been a dream of mine for the last 6 months. I worried about financial stability and think I hesitated longer then I should have. When I decided to leave my day-job, it was a spur of the moment decision that scared me to death but it has been a blessing. I'm learning new things about business everyday and love my new found freedom.
How did you know you were ready to take the plunge?
Last October my sales were not too great. Then November and December hit and I got swamped (with the holiday rush). I loved it! Since then sales have been constant, so I just had to do it.
Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time before taking the plunge?
Yes I did. First, you have to make an inventory list and a costs list (for your business materials). A costs list is basically how much money in supplies and personal labor. Figure out how much it costs you per item (to make). I figure that after the costs I needed to take x amount of dollars a week to pay the bills and rent for the month and at least 100 dollars a week for supplies (although lately I'm spending a lot more) the rest gets put into an emergency account in case I need to order something in bulk or if I just need some rainy day money.
What goals have you set for your Etsy business in the next few months and year?
I definitely want to grow; doesn't everyone want that for their business? I want to be able to compare last year's financial statements to this year's and see an improvement, and I want to see that every year. I haven't yet decided on what kind of percentage of improvement but most likely it will be between 10 and 25 percent depending on the month.
What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business?
I use other sites to promote my Etsy shop. You was surprised at how inexpensive it can be to put up a banner on their sites. Also, word of mouth is HUGE. I am a member of the CCCOE (California Crafters Club of Etsy) and there have been so many wonderful people who have tried my products and refer customers who want a wholesale account with me. I also effectively use the Promotions section in the Etsy forums. Many sales have generated from there. Hasn't everyone seen my "I want a sale" threads every day?
How's it going so far, are you getting by?
So far in 3 weeks it's been going great. I have met all of my quotas financially and have had more time to produce more and new items. I am getting by, but at some points of the week after I make an order or have to spend money, I get uptight a little but it's all good!
What piece of advice would you give someone thinking about quitting her/his day-job to sell full time on Etsy?
If you have constant sales and you are making enough after expenses to live free and independent, I'd say do it. The only person looking over you is yourself. You will be like "there is no way I can afford that," but I will tell you, the three weeks after I left work, I only used 1 tank of gas, so I saved between 60 - 75 dollars that way. I'm kinda happy I don't have to look at 4+ dollars a gallon gas prices every week anymore.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I'm so happy that I found this site. It has changed my life. There is a kid's song from a show my daughter watches, I believe the show is "Yo-Gaba-Gaba" and they have this song and it's stuck to my head permanently. It's basically a song that tells you to keep trying and too not give up, because you will make it right. If you keep plugging away, have great pictures with natural light, an avatar that shows off one of your popular items you sell, there is no reason why someone wouldn't be interested in purchasing from you. Sometimes it takes a while to get noticed. I am a seller, but also a buyer on Etsy.... I bought all of the gifts I gave away this last holiday season and any special occasions from Etsy...except for a video game.
Thank you so much Dennis for sharing your story with us! You are an inspiration to many and we wish you the best of luck making it full time selling on Etsy! Did you recently quit your day job or are you thinking about it to sell full time on Etsy? We'd love to hear your story and how it's working out for you. Please send me an email to mary@etsy.com and let's chat!
| Tags | bath and body, dennisanderson, entrepreneurship, Quit your Day Job, soap, SPOTLIGHT, taking the plunge |
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109 comments Login to add your own!
JMCdesigns
rachelmira
wonderful interview! informative, inspirational and fabulous photographs!
Tresijas
Dennis and his right hand woah-man, Brandy, are an inspiration!! On top of being talented they are two of the nicest people around :)
Noxenlux
Wonderful article and congrats on doing something you love full time. :)
I'm almost to that point, but not on my own terms.. laid off instead of quitting.
prettycheap
Dennis 'being in the right place at the right time' has a ring to it. But the product lives up to the karma. As I feedbacked, the numbers speak for themselves at 3000+ sales (and an interview on about.com to boot).
danamiller
GASP! I love Dennis! He makes me smell like sugar! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!!!!!!!
BagsTagsnMore
RedsKitten
ladylavona
This was super inspiring! I took all my soap listings down because I wasn't selling...I'm very impatient! It sells like hotcakes in a local Boutique here in Chicago, called Willow. I thought maybe it was because of the sensory experience in person...my scents always sell the soap! But I'm going to give it another try here on Etsy! Thank you for posting this...I'm going to make soap all weekend!
Odannysgirl
Yay Dennis!
Congrats, I hope the success continues to grow for you.
theivorymagnolia
ohmay
woooohooo Dennis. Way to go. I want to grow up to be like Dennis....LOL
VersatilElements
Wow... Great and inspiring story...
I can't wait to get my Etsy site up and running! Congrats to Dennis!
cozycottagecreations
Wow! Very cool! Good for you, Dennis. You deserve all the best coming to you. Thanks for the inspirational article. I'm a fan!
Midnightcreations
VersatilElements
I hope Etsy shoppers are interested in EDGEY, OUT OF THE BOX, JEWELRY CREATIONS, TOO! No fragrance just jewelry to wet your appetite! Thanks for the encouraging story!
itselemental
A Guinness in one hand, hand-made soap in the other, workin' for yourself, and a face that looks like Nicholas Cage...how lucky can a guy be?? Congrats on your continued success!
livefunky
Congratulations, Dennis! Always so cool to see the face behind the name (or avatar!). You've not only been an inspiration to other sellers in your success, you've been a kind and generous fellow "Etsian" in the forums, too. Best of luck to you!
jascamille
ChristinaPerdue
SpaTherapy
Congrats Dennis! I'm working on Spa Therapy full time for 7 months already and it's been an amazing experience!!
visionquest
woo hoo, D-man!! you ARE The Man!!
we're so lucky to have you hanging around CCCOE.. we all smell sooo nice now!!
OrigamiCentral
This is great to hear, another Etsian who made it! Great Job Dennis and Good Luck with your new found freedom. =) One day, I hope to accomplish what you have with your shop.
SteppingStones
ashhilton
Woohoo! It's freakin' scary to rely on other people buying stuff to survive, but not having a commute really does make it all worth it. I do tend to work longer hours than if a I had another job, but oh well, I still love it after 5 years.
custompaperdesigns
Great story... wish we all could survive on only Etsy, I guess we all have a goal. Congrats Dennis... reminds me I have to get a bar of soap from him that I have been eyeing up lately!
AlliesAdornments
Thanks for sharing more about Dennis with us. He makes wonderful soaps. If you want to treat yourself & those you love to something special, his items make wonderful gifts!
anandi
congratulations, and what a great interview! I love hearing about the people behind successful shops :)
phydeaux
Dennis, what an inspirational article for all Etsians. Congratulations!
calumeydesigns
I had tried selling my beads full time last year. While I was somewhat consistent and got sales, I was also getting lonely torching away by myself in the basement.
I went back to my old job two days a week just to have some company. Because things get crazy sometimes, I now have to put in an extra day or two. I've become so complacent because of this extra money that I've totally neglected my Etsy shop.
THANK YOU FOR THIS INTERVIEW! It has inspired me more than you know to get back on track and make my shop more of a priority again.
KDemARTe
blackbird72
RedBessBonney
KarmaRox
Don't look now, but there's a D.Anderson fan club in Etc.
*titter!*
TroveDesigns
Thanks for giving an insight into what quitting your day job entails. Really enjoyed sitting in on the Critiques session with Dennis & HeyMichelle yesterday - felt I learnt quite a lot.
Cheers!!
lorenzstudio
I just got my dennisanderson soap in the mail today and can't wait to use it. I'm already a repeat customer!
WoodcraftsandCandles
Congratulations Dennis on living your dream. I'm proud to say I've been a Dennis fan since before he started selling soap! You deserve this success my friend - I'm thrilled for you!
kathy
surly
Yay Dennis!!!! I knew your soap smelled great but who knew you were such a babe!
;)
Keep up the great work!
Gonna go drink... I mean use my beer soap.....
TotusMel
redpanda
Congrats on being able to quit! Although working for yourself is working ALL the time. Make sure to set some break time aside. :D
TheShabbyPinkCottage
Inspiring interview. I quit my job and started my first dream business 6 years ago. WWW.periwinklepainters.com Interior Painting..Loved It! Now I'm ready to start my 2nd dream buisness on etsy. Lovin it! Thanks. Kate
AmandaKLockrowJewels
Great interview Dennis! I love my soap and body whip from his shop!
NinaReneeDesigns
BrazanDesign
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Quite an inspiration. We can live the dream :)
yoboseiyo
yay for dennis!
i LOVE his shower gel. it's awesome.
*claps for dennis*
fringe
i wish you great success in this exciting endeavor, dennis! i know you will succeed. thank you for sharing so much information with us. you are an inspiration. yay dennis!
tabidesigns
SouthernPleasures
babeta
Great article. I'm a full time artist new on etsy and own a brick/mortar. I appreciated the picture taking info, "use natural light". I'm trying to take better photos.
Thanks,
Pam
http://blogcabinfever.typepad.com
tortillagirl
Yay for Dennis! Thanks for sharing through this inspiring article.
liviastreasures
congratulations for taking the plunge! i wish you metric tons of luck!
aromafields
Great article! Inspiring! Congratulations, Dennis. I hope it all works out well for you. Keep up the GREAT sales! (And what a perk to finally see a photo of you!)
oddsnblobs
birdsofafeather
hey dennis ~ thanks for sharing! you obviously care about quality and your customer, your passion shines through.
best of luck, and continued success!
LazyTcrochet
Hey I can finally say I met Dennis Anderson! Great article..thanks for sharing.
twolefthands
The face behind the soap! Great article Dennis, congratulations on doing what you love!
bluesue
Hey Dennis - way to go! You're an inspiration to the rest of us. I don't know if you've considered it, but offering classes might be another avenue....just a thought.
Jeri @ Bluesue Jewelry
2ReVert
Wow, great article! And congrats on reaching dreams Dennis.
I would love to see more 'quit day job' articles, LOVE THIS!
jenniferaboston
This is the coolest story! Dennis, thanks for letting us peek into your life. It is definitely a dream of mine to be able to work from home and Im so happy you were able to achieve that for yourself!
Your shirt ROCKS!!! I couldnt agree more! ♥
Best of luck to you!!
TrashedClothing
yay dennis! my boyfriend and i have some of his soap and it's wonderful. he's always such a sweetheart too. best of luck to you and your lady. you deserve it! xo
SnappyBibs
satinpetalsoap
pouch
this is an inspiring article :)
congrats on quitting your day job, I hope it all works out for you!
*goes off to check out your store*
shellmitchell
Congrats Dennis! Your hard work will bring you much deserves success:)
chimeracrochet
selflesh
simplyscents
I'm so happy for you Dennis I wish I could quite my job and be successful.Thats my Boy!!
Dad :)
Brooklynbee
Another satisfied Dennis customer here! Great products. Great customer service. I am sure he will have much continued success.
shellieartist
I love all my DA soaps...I think I am due up for an orders soon! ha ha I am so happy for you Dennis- Best wishes for the future- and yes I love your "I want a sale threads"...I take you up on your discount :)
raghousenternational
Such a great article! I truly believe it was his destiny to quit his job and sell on etsy full time. It's so funny that he quit his job on the 7th of April and I started a new job on the 7th of April, yet after falling ill, they fired me anyway and I was only there for one week! I am so happy that they made the decision for me, because I was going to stay, while on my sick bed I battled with the decision. Now I am back on etsy full time because the job was taking away so much of my time anyway. So glad that he took the plunge. More of us need to when it is the right time! Thanks Storque for such and inspiring article
LittleAdorables
WOW! True INSPIRATION! Congratulations on your Success! I have checked out your shop~ Very Cool Stuff! Hope to one day achieve this much success here at ETSY, but for now that song will be stuck on my head - especially since we just finished watching Yo GABBA-GABBA! :)
"... keep trying, keep trying... don't give up..."
BEST WISHES to you, your WIFE, & family.
~ Erika ;o)
LittleAdorables
Hey raghousenternational, Good luck to you too! S.M./L.A. Neighbor! :)
katelynjane
Wow!! Great work! I'm always so happy to see sellers moving into the big times and quitting their day jobs! Congrats!!
CombustionGlassworks
I am a crazy referrer to his shop, guilty as charged!
its hard not to when you find a product that ROCKS!
reneesfashions
BeeDazzlesGifts
Yayyy Dennis!! I'm a full-time Etsian as well, and love every minute of it!!
You have a fabulous product and great marketing skills, no doubt you'll be up in the top 5 soon!!
Congrats and best wishes. ~ Bee :)
eladesign
I was just speaking about the issue of having etsy as a part time hobby, which is also great, but reading about it becoming the no. 1 income source is even greater, and I'm so happy to have read this article!
Best of luck and keep enjoying every moment
Ela
silentlanguages
Wow! What an inspiring story...It's my goal to make creating my full-time job...some day soon! ::fingers crossed::
InfiniteCosmosGirl
awesome interview! I've been looking at his shop for a while and will definitely be ordering soon. And my daughter love yo gabba gabba too! I also love that show..."keep trying, keep trying, don't give up, never give up....." heehee!
flurrsprite
hooray for dennis! :) i just purchased some of his soap (finally!!) and now to hear he's managed to quit his day job is awesome!
DanaSaylorDesigns
I think it's fantastic that Dennis has met with such success for all his hard work.
One issue no one seems to have raised, though is- how does he pay for health insurance? Unfortunately this is the biggest issue for my husband & I, and I'm sure many other Etsians are wondering how they could make the dream happen, and still be covered in case of illness or injury. Hey, Storque- how about a followup article? Thanks!
sillylittlesheep
Wonderful! I can imagine myself quitting my daily job (although I am only a student yet) but one of mybracelet takes three hours to be made... So I dont think i would make many bracelets and earn money :D maybe if I started to make something else.
Good uck to dennis and everyone who is trying to quit their job!!!
TheLittleStitcher
cwysart
simplyuniqueboutique
Wow! Great article. I sure can relate to Dennis' story as I also just lost my job of 12 years and have decided to start a family business on Etsy. I know it is not easy but after being an accountant for so many years I have decided to follow my childhood dream to create handmade goods that I learned while living in Colombia, South America.
I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors and will keep checking your website from time to time. Can't wait to purchase some vegan soap.
Good luck.
Dianne
P.S. My sister lives in Portland and I am sure she will be interested in your products.
DancingMooney
You two are such an inspiration to me, and I wish you all the success and joys that the world can bring!!!
♥
ArtMind
At last I get to read the article! Great stuff this is - best of luck to you, Dennis! You're doing great! :)
flytie
cloud9designstudio
congrats dennis! that's wonderful! may you have continued success!!! :)
kschaffter
tweetysnest
Adornyourself
I'll raise my bottl of stout and say Salut, good luck and future prosperity.
gingerlime
Awesome story! Thanks for the inspiration and advice :-) Yo gaba gaba rocks!!!
dizzi
clearlakecreations
What a wonderful article. It goes to show that hard work and enjoying what you do pays off. Never give up the love for what you do or it becomes a job. Thank you for the inspiration!
CrowleyManor
Congratulations Dennis! Way to go, from a fellow soapmaker :0), a great reminder to me to keep plugging away as well.
AlienBacon
afox11111
dolamakes
Congrats Dennis!
it's always been great to do business with you and we can't get enough of your Lemongrass and Apricot soap. More purchases to follow!
don & lola
earthexpressions
BeadaliciousBda
Dennis, it's great to read your story!
Congrats on your success and thanks again for my custom wedding soap! You did a wonderful job!
lovegabe
Sudstress
You're an inspiration, living the new American Dream. Congratulations and I wish you much success in the future!
SoapyBlessings
An inspiring story! One that I would love to repeat very shortly :D
Thanks for sharing!
hipclothing
Wow! What an inspiration. It was interesting reading the follow-up to this story: http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight...
AndreaWagnerDesigns
His story is an inspiration for me..Congratulation to Dennis and his family!
OpusMuse
Congratulations on making the leap! Very inspiring life story. I've just been in your shop after reading your article & you'll be hearing from me soon...all the way from Singapore! Cheers!
Previous Page
congrats dennis! and SUPER tee shirt. i've got one too, hmmm, i wonder how many etsians own the same shirt? ;) lol!
best wishes. hope i'm there soon too. :)