NC Triangle Etsians---Jenn Gee

November is for giving thanks. So I am thanking my NC Triangle estisans this month for their inspiration by featuring them here! First up we have Jenn Gee.

Don't pretend you don't know her! She has one of the most unique and cute products on Etsy (I think anyway). Coffee corsets. They are so practical. And if it is success we are focusing on, Jenn has it almost mastered. As of today, she has had 30 sales in November. That's right--4 days and 30 sales. I think we should all be so lucky!

Tell us about yourself..kids...hubby...favorite things.
I'm recently engaged and will be getting married in July. I'm 32 but this is my first (and hopefully only!) marriage and I have no children. I do have 2 crazy cats and a lazy, asthmatic dog though. Etsy is still a part-time thing for me. I also have a full time job working as an online math instructor (of sorts) for a major university and a part time job working for an online homework company. In other words, I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer monitor! Some of my favorite things include kisses from my future hubby, good coffee, dark chocolate, long phone calls with my mom, my sewing machine, fancy cheese, and weekend trips to the beach.

When did you get started with your craft?
I've been creating things my whole life. However, in 1995 when I was in college I had a roommate who was a student in the design school. Coincidentally, her name was Shannon! She made a skirt out of old ties and I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. She taught me how to use her sewing machine and I asked for my own that year for Christmas. I started out making quilts in a totally haphazard, self-taught way. I learned to make items for my home including curtains and pillows and all sorts of things that I wouldn't have been able to afford unless I made them myself. I also became totally obsessed with hand work such as embroidery and cross stitch. Then I started creating my own fabric using paints, dyes, and stamps which progressed into learning how to carve my own stamps. About a year ago I started making purses and I was really into that for a while. Over the summer I bought a needle felting machine and dove into that with much vigor. Finally, the idea for the Coffee Corsets sprung into my head one day and only a few weeks later I was sending off my first Etsy orders!

How do you price your items?
I figure in the average cost of the materials and also how much time it takes me to create each piece and list it. I've tried to price my Coffee Corsets so that they are reasonable, but so that they are worth my time and effort to create them. Due to increased production costs and limits on my time I'm considering raising my prices, but I won't be doing that until after Christmas if I do it at all!

How often do YOU list?
This varies pretty greatly. I try to either list or renew 3-5 items per day. I like to keep the number of items in my shop between 30 and 40 so new items come in as needed to maintain that level, but I use the renewing feature to keep myself visible very often.

How do you promote on etsy?
Listing new items, renewing old items, being generally helpful in the forums, networking with other sellers, creating treasuries, and hanging out in the chat rooms - those are my major "promotion" tools. I tend to stay away from the promo threads and prefer to simply have fun and hope that this, in turn, gets my name and product out there for general consumption :)

How do you promote off etsy?
I carry business cards with me at all times so that I can pass them out as needed. I tend to carry a corseted coffee cup with me much of the time - it is a good excuse to drink all the coffee I want! This gives me lots of exposure and I've made many sales this way. I've had people buy a corset (a USED one!) right off my cup in Starbucks. I also have a mini on my myspace page. Other than that I rely pretty heavily on word of mouth.

How long did it take for your first sale on etsy?
18 days. My first sale was on my birthday so it was extra exciting!

And how long before your sales were steady?
My first sale was August 3rd and by the end of August I was averaging about a sale a day. At that point my sales weren't really "steady", but they were fairly often and reliable by then. In October I averaged 3 sales per day and in the first 4 days of November I've already seen 30 sales!

What is the number one advice you have for etsy sellers?
The number one piece of advice that I have for other sellers is to sell something that you really love to make because if it does well you will be creating LOTS of them!

Anything else you want to tell us?
I really enjoy being a part of the Etsy community and I wish I would have found it sooner! I see myself being a part of this for a very long time.