Missoula Woman uses Etsy.com for creative Activism, Charity efforts

"It’s a lot less energy to be happy than to be gloomy," quips Jami Shipp, at the Talc Café during some relaxed conversation over delicious coffee and cookies.  "I've always made things- I made scarves as gifts but a friend eventually told me, 'How many scarves can one neck hold?' I was inspired by my daughter to be true to myself, and then I found my happiness." Jami's brain was fun to pick- she is simply packed wisdom from her years of experiencing the ups and downs of life, and sh'es learned to remain positive and channel her energy into creating beautiful things from the heart.

And I do mean from the heart. Her online shop, called “Celebrating Life”  is a collection of jewelry, knit/crochet gifts, and sewing artwork, incorporating many activist and charity items for MS awareness, Alzheimer’s, and Breast Cancer, all of which have touched her or the lives of her loved ones in some way. In conversation with Jami, it became clear that everything she does with her business is driven by a real intention to share love and grow our awareness of our humanity and individual struggles- while remaining hopeful and optimistic.

The personal touch is very important to Jami. From the start, she made it clear that she wanted to do this interview in person. And when I asked her where she gets the most value from Etsy, her answer was- "interaction, networking, and being active in the [Etsy] groups with fellow members."  For me, it's easy to forget that Etsy is also a social community. Let Jami's extroversion inspire your own outreach efforts! Jami says, "How can you claim to be handmade if you can’t write a letter by hand just to say thank you or hello?" These are just a few of the many things that make this woman and her business very special.

Check out Jami's shop Celebrating Life at http://www.etsy.com/shop/damamashipp

Aside from her Etsy shop, Jami stays involved in the community teaching jewelry classes at Michael's. "I was in Michael's so much, they thought I worked there. I teach twice a week, basics in wire wrapping, bead stringing, knotting, crimping, wire crochet." You can see Jami and join in on one of her classes on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6pm-8pm.  

This an installment in my latest series: "I Love My Job: Stories of Real Missoula Business Owners" Read more about this series and how to be featured here. Thanks for reading! It's easy to get Songbird's Branch delivered to your inbox. Just see the "follow by email" button on the sidebar!

Never stop learning, growing, and reaching.
~Laura

Jackie Priess of Jax Hats shares about her new Missoula shop, and the connections that have brought her this far

First of all, I would like to say that this lady is a superhero. From her company slogan, "Saving the world from ugly sweaters," to the way she taught her husband to sew (WOW!), and everything in between: getting her product into nine shops across Montana (six of those in Missoula!), selling and shipping worldwide through Etsy, and participating in the People's Market starting this Saturday.

Adrienne Priess, Photo by Shauna Dasher 

Her daughter Bethany is a powerhouse too, a recent graduate of the UM Business Marketing program (woo! heyy!), and joined the Missoula Business Women's Network and is now helping her mom to expand Nationally. How cool is that? 

Jackie started off on Etsy and although she has her own website for Missoula handmade hats, she allows Etsy to be her one source of sales. "It is so easy and foolproof," she says, "I have had my Etsy site for 4 years, and have learned so much just by trial and error.  I didn't have my first sale for 6 months, so I felt pretty discouraged, but I found that you have to list frequently on this site to be located by a buyer, so when I discovered this piece, I began 'working' my site and the sales started happening."

• Many artists I have interviewed shared that learning to list more frequently was the epiphany that got them on the right track with Etsy. My advice to get started with this: make sure you are making an extra $2 outside of labor and raw materials for each of your items. Now, you can re-list 10 of your items (one at a time, at prime times) until you make your next sale. When you make that sale, you'll be making that $2.00 back you spent to re-list your items, and can consider that a cost of advertising. ~LS

Jackie has had experimented with ads on Facebook, "...with little or no discernible results.  I have also tried the various Etsy.com special listing ads, but never seemed to result in sales for me.  At this time, face to face contact when I do local craft shows with repeat happy customers seems to be my best marketing tool." Still, her business Facebook page has helped her to build her fan base and sales. 

• Remember getting as much exposure as possible has been recommended over and over by local businesswomen on this blog as a rule of thumb, so there must be something to that! Network and build relationships with other artists and shops in your local community. Jackie sites "Vault Denim" and the group at Upcycled (517 S. Higgins in Missoula) as being two connections that will take her to the next level.~LS

I love my job! What Jackie Priess loves most about her work:

Each of my hats is made from recycled clothing, and each is unique and different.  I love how no two are the same, so I don't get bored doing "assembly" work.  I love making the buttons from polymer clay that gives each hat the signature "JAX" look.  I love how so many people LOVE the hats and come back for seconds and thirds.  I have several people that own at least 10 of my Jax Hats!  I love how this has afforded me opportunities for a creative outlet with a financial gain.  It has been something I have been working toward for over 30 years with many stalls in moving forward as I became a mom and worked full time.  When I realized how many people were delighting in the hats I create, and started concentrating on these instead of the clothing line I was making, I took it to the next level.  

About teaching her partners and future plans:

When my husband was laid off 3 years ago, I taught him to sew!  He has become an integral part of my team and has learned to tap into his own creative side, helping design not only the hats, but also a new jewelry line.  This winter we partnered with 2 other artists and opened our own store in Missoula called "Upcycled" located on the "Hip Strip" close to Betty's Divine.  We opened on Jan 15, and it has been very successful selling locally MT made crafts made from "upcycled" materials.  We are anticipating that it will continue to grow this summer, possibly tripling in revenue.  My husband works at the store allowing me to continue working my job that provides the benefits.

 Advice for the aspiring businesswoman:

Define your product - try not to do it all.  Find what you do best and make it to the best of your ability.  Put your signature touch on it and make it not easy to duplicate because of this touch.   

Crafts people are usually multi talented and very likely ADD -  we want to do it all!  When you are displaying your wares at a craft sale and have too much variety of stuff it ends up looking more like a garage sale, and makes buyers confused.

More info on how to find and connect with Jaxhats!:

Jax hats can be found at JaxHats on Etsy or Jaxhats.com. Connect with their facebook page Jaxhats as well as Upcycled and Jackie can be e-mailed directly at jaxhatsmt@gmail.com or jaxonsjazz@hotmail.com.

Find Jaxhats every Saturday at People's Market in downtown Missoula starting May 7th and ending Oct 15th from 9:00am - 1:00pm.  This is located on Alder St - 2 blocks south of the Farmer's Market by the XXX's (not the market under the bridge).  Visit Jaxhats at Upcycled 517 S Higgins, Missoula, MT or find Jax Hats at Rockin Rudy's, The Green Light, the Artist's Gallery, Sorella's, Apricot Lane in the Southgate Mall, or Freyed Sew in Helena, Cello in Bozeman, or Fawn in Kalispell.


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Thanks for reading!

This is the third installment in my original series: "I Love My Job: Stories of Real Missoula Business Owners" Read more about this series and how to be featured here. Thanks for reading! It's easy to get Songbird's Branch delivered to your inbox. Just see the "follow by email" button on the sidebar! Never stop learning, growing, and reaching. 


~Laura

Get Real: Montana Woman Moves Confidently away from Etsy.com in Business Website Launch

When I first contacted Julie Burns from Missoula, Montana’s Gypsy Moon Designs, she was about to take a dramatic leap.  Launching a standalone website (powered by BigCartel) and a marketing campaign would permanently establish herself and her company as a legitimate online business, and cut the cord from her pre-fabricated storefront on popular shopping site, Etsy.com.  I was pleased to catch her at the crest of this transition, one that many of us are likely to make as we educate ourselves in marketing techniques, business fundamentals, and gain much-needed confidence.

 Julie has always taken her business seriously. Her very first day in Missoula, she approached a jewelry street vendor and started asking questions... And the answers she received, coupled with a high motivational drive and sense of self, empowered her to begin her own venture. Soon, Julie was selling her wares in front of Sterling Savings Bank at the intersection of Higgins and Main Street, giving herself an instant job.  “[But] hot summer days and cold Decembers can be exhausting as a street vendor,” she explains, “So many of the tourists were asking if I was online.” So when she found Etsy, she left street vending for good in favor of the comfort of her home and  embarked on an exciting world marketplace.  And with over 1,800 positive feedback ratings on her shop, one would agree Etsy + Gypsy Moon Designs = a match made in heaven.

Julie attributes the bulk of her success to a growing customer base due to her efforts to self-educate (through online research).  “I have learned so much about marketing and sales from the Etsy forums. Even if you do not have a Etsy shop I recommend searching the forums for valuable information. A major factor for any online business is being found. Search engine optimization (SEO) is something you will spend most of your time on. It's all about creating keywords for your site and back links,” she says.

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Read the "10 Commandments" of Networking
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Also, her confidence didn’t come overnight. “When I lived in Taos, New Mexico, I starting making jewelry and selling it at local markets. I also owned a gift shop in Taos. Taos is an artist community full of wonderful galleries and boutiques. I worked in a few fun galleries prior to taking the leap into store owner.” These experiences have given Julie an entrepreneurial edge. What experiences can you draw from that will give you 

an edge, too?

Gypsy Moon Designs will begin its online advertising campaign through Facebook and ads placed on high-traffic blogs. We look forward to hearing how these venues are working!

Other than marketing through her Gypsy Moon Designs Facebook page, Julie relies on face-to-face networking. “Most of my networking is done locally at Missoula Saturday Market. Friends will tell you about upcoming shows…  I generally hand out 1000 business cards during the Summer. This past holiday season I had a huge order of necklaces from someone back east who I gave my card to while she was at the Missoula Saturday Market.”

Why Julie loves her job:

"I love creating. Color and texture are so fun to play with. I could stay up all night making jewelry. Also, when a customer emails you and tells you how much they love the piece. Complements are very encouraging and rev you up for more creating." 

"I must admit I love working for myself too. It takes discipline, you work many more hours than you would working for someone else, but it is so rewarding.”

Julie’s advice to an aspiring businesswoman:

"Often people think you open a store and money just comes pouring in. Nope. A business is built one small step at a time. Stay focused, disciplined; determine who your target market is. 

This to me is the most valuable advice, open a savings account. Retail sales are always up and down. If you have money saved for the lean times you are less stressed. I think customers pick up on desperation. Lastly, do not undervalue your work. 

When it comes to pricing I usually set the price and then raise it by 20% more. I learned that trick from financial advisor, Suze Orman. She said that most woman undervalue their work by 20%. If it is a well crafted piece there is a customer for it."
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This is the second installment in my latest series: "I Love My Job: Stories of Real Missoula Business Owners" Read more about this series and how to be featured here. Thanks for reading! It's easy to get Songbird's Branch delivered to your inbox. Just see the "follow by email" button on the sidebar! Never stop learning, growing, and reaching.