Welcome Beth! Thank you so much for talking with me.
Tell us a bit about you!
My name is Beth Howard. I'm a geeky graphic designer from Texas with a husband, a son (he's three) and three puppies. I work as a designer full time, then I own a small business and do freelance graphic design in what I laughingly call my "free" time.
Please, tell us about your shop.
My main shop is Wilde Designs. I do art, prints and handmade/up-cycled jewelry, most with a weird or geeky vibe. I've honestly been making random jewelry and other things since I was a little kid, and in 2007, when I was in college, I finally started doing it "for real" and selling online. Now my shop is a real, honest-to-god business. I have to file taxes and everything.
What is your Favorite thing to make?
I love making domino pendants with pictures on them, mostly because it's
a really good excuse to go through a bunch of dorky pictures and select
my favorites. I'm also a designer because I really do love the work, so
doing prints and selecting fonts and colors and making things pretty is
a good time to me.
What is the hardest part about owning an online business?
Finding "extra" time with a full time job and a child is difficult. It's
also flat out hard to get the word out. There are a lot of people
selling a lot of things, and finding YOUR spot in the marketplace can be
a rough road - but so rewarding when it happens. Every little sale is a
big, big deal, and that's kind of beautiful.
Do you have any advice to share with the rest of us indie online shop owners?
Always have a back up. Selling places like Etsy, Storenvy and Artfire is amazing, but I really do recommend having all your product descriptions, pricing, etc. saved at the very least in a spreadsheet. Ideally, having your own stand alone domain is also fabulous. Shops can get shut down, things happen, and it's always, always, always best to be prepared.
That is so true! You never know when your computer may crash(lol happened to me) or when a site crashes, loosing all your data. It was so wonderful to meet you and learn more about your shop and craft. I am so glad you helped expand my craft community. Thank you so much for coming and talking to us today. You can find and follow Beth and her Husband at their SHOP |TackyFabShop | FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST |BLOG|
Make sure to visit her and tell her a crafty 'Hi!'
♥Kelly
