When I graduated college, or so I thought, I got married to my husband, Aaron, and we moved right to Rhode Island for his first tour in the Coast Guard. Then my college notified me that one of my history classes had not been accepted by the PA Department of Education! Wa! My advisor hadn't caught that about a summer class I had taken at a community college. So I didn't pursue a teaching job right away, I went to CCRI and completed my diploma that same year. Then we would only be in RI for one more year, so I made lots of things for myself to do while my husband was often away on the boat for weeks at a time. One, I became a nanny, which I loved. Two, I taught piano lessons. Three, I was a dog walker. Four, I was a Tastefully Simple consultant(see TS tab above to learn more). Lastly, five, I opened a shop on Etsy to sell my creations.
I had always been interested in sewing and crafts, but all of a sudden I became obsessed with felt. Which was nice because it was very cheap! I wanted to sell something that not many others did and do it better than anyone else on Etsy. So I found my niche in making felt Quiet Books or what you might call a Busy Book. I had one as a toddler that taught you how to button, zipper, velcro, etc. So I started designing my own and it was a success! Soon I had more orders than I could handle, especially around Christmastime. Time crunch! Then I designed a Bible Quiet Book which remains my most popular item in my shop. View the My Bible Quiet Book I then continued crafting and designed play mats and many other items in my shop.
Now that my career has started, I mainly focus on Etsy during the summer months, but I occasionally do fairs in the fall and will sell whatever I have on hand during the school year.
Great work, Hannah! I'm glad that you are multitasking in the best possible way, and you've managed to constantly monetize the stuff you do on the side. Plus, making those creative stuff must’ve been very fun, so it is also rewarding in itself. May you continue and branch out these kinds of ventures into more interesting directions. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMadeline Rice @ SEO Marketing Machine
Nice one, Hannah Mary! You are diversifying in a very significant way. This should not only help your professional life, as it lets you display your online marketing skills, but also keep you feeling fulfilled. Nothing like being able to engage in arts and crafts, and keeping up with the practice. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteGerard Reese @ Kafe Digital Marketing