How I Made Thousands On Just One Product
When I started making party supplies and selling them locally + on Etsy, I never imagined I would be in the position to write a title like this. I LOVE knowing what’s possible, and I want to share that with you today.
I have always loved reading the numbers of bloggers and handmade sellers. Not everyone publishes their income or lets you in on how much you can potentially make with a creative business, but I love that some do. I want to share with you today what I made on my five top selling products for 2020, and the revenue they brought me for the year. I’m also going to share the reasons I think I got there with these items, and how you can focus in and do the same with your best sellers!
One important thing to note here is that all five of my top sellers for the year are fall seasonal items. Meaning, this is not income averaged out over each month- instead, like most retail, I make MOST of my money in the third and fourth quarter of the year. This takes some serious getting used to, and I rely on my so-so selling products for at least the first 6 months out of the year. I go from selling a few of a lot of different things from January-June/July, to selling hundreds of almost exclusively the same products for the second part of the year.
Here are the items I sold the most of in 2020, with their revenue:
Fall Leaf Garland - this is something I had up for a couple of years, then got AMAZING photos done, and that skyrocketed my income. This year, I even earned an “Etsy’s Pick” badge on the listing! In 2020, I sold 432 of these garlands, bringing in $3,437.00.
Navy Pumpkin Truck Garland - it’s no secret that these little vintage trucks are in for every season and holiday (and I plan to expand to every holiday this year, because why not?) This is part of a larger set, and the whole set (all sold a la carte!) sold very well. But the garland outperformed everything else and quickly became my best selling birthday party item. In 2020, I sold 324 of these garlands, bringing in $2,576.00.
Navy Pumpkin “ONE” Banner - this small high chair banner complemented the garland, and was a top seller within the Little Pumpkin birthday set. In 2020, I sold 184 of these banners, bringing in $2379.00.
Pumpkin Truck “1” Cake Topper - again from the Little Pumpkin line, this cake topper was a top seller for me from July through November. This is a popular theme, and these three items from that set made up a good portion of my sales in the fall, along with people adding in other a la carte choices that matched- there was a lot more variety in what they added on, and these three were the staples of each order. In 2020, I sold 168 of these cake toppers, bringing in $2,336.00.
Buffalo Plaid & Pumpkin Banner - this is another item that I had in my shop for 2-3 years before getting beautiful pictures done. After I started using the new photos on Etsy and Pinterest, sales absolutely took off! In 2020, I sold 85 of these banners, bringing in $1439.00.
My 2020 best sellers in my shop, Empty Nest Home Goods! All fall birthday & home decor items- I made hundreds of these items from July - November!
OK, so how did I do it? Let’s talk about HOW I got these items to bring in thousands.
Pictures. Never underestimate the power of a beautiful photo. I am in a couple of groups where you can trade products for photos, and while not every experience has been perfect, overall, it’s been a great way to get absolutely lovely pictures that I just honestly don’t have the skills to take myself. Often I work with people who have a party in the theme I am offering coming up for their own child, or they are getting ready to decorate their house for a holiday. This means they take the time to stage things nicely and have items like cake and cupcakes ready to use for pictures.
Pinterest. I used Pinterest paired with the scheduling tool Tailwind to schedule my pins. Pinterest is a top place for people who are searching for party and holiday decorating ideas, as well as many other things- outfits, recipes, home organization, workout ideas, home repair how to’s, small business advice- you name it. People think of Pinterest as another social media platform, but that is incorrect. It’s actually a visual search engine. Great photos & alluring titles are a MUST for Pinterest, and it can gain you some serious traffic to your website.
Patience. None of these items were best sellers in their first year. In fact, I took a bit of a gamble on designing a full Little Pumpkin party set and sending out the full line for photos. I wasn’t sure if it would make that much, and I was excited that I sold as much as I did that first year. In fact, in 2019, I didn’t break $1,000 on any one product in my shop all year. I was still relying a lot on custom orders + making a little money from a lot of things in the shop.
Paying Attention to Trends. It took me a long time, but at this point in my business, I can spot trends and decide if I want to hop on the train. I can design what I know will be a good product and I know will sell. Maybe everything I make won’t be a top seller, but I can get a good feel for what’s popular, and balance that with making it evergreen enough to last a few years. It’s important not to grab on to fleeting trends that won’t be popular next year- they are almost never worth the time, effort, and money you’ll put in to the design. Instead, look for things that are popular and will stay popular for a while. For example, bright fruity themed items, like my lemon garlands only gain traction every year. Lemons as a happy little party trend aren’t going anywhere soon, so I can reliably tweak my designs, stock up on supplies, invest in photos, and work on my marketing and expect a return on investment for that.
I hope this helps you get a glimpse of what’s possible for you, and how limitless creative business can really be. I am just getting started! I feel more and more confident every year that I can increase the revenue on my best sellers, keep my finger on the pulse of upcoming trends, and continue to replicate this with great products, while pruning my less popular items. The goal should always be to focus on what makes you great money, and let go of what doesn’t.
What’s your best selling product, service, or content based item? Do you have a top download, or best selling course? Let us know in the comments below, or tell me what you’re doing to get there! I’d love to hear about it!
