Hey, I’m Justine Smith!
I’m a freelance social media consultant located in Toronto, Ontario. I primarily work with women entrepreneurs interested in starting & growing an online business. If you want to get involved with social media but aren’t sure where to start, stop by the problem solving page to work with me.
I’m also the creator of Handmade Marketer, an action oriented newsletter dedicated to helping handmade sellers start & grow their craft businesses through quick, implementable tips and tutorials.
In addition to the above, you can also find me writing professionally about Etsy & the handmade community for Meylah and Outright as well as consulting for a brand building company in Canada.
To see what else I’m up to, including the blogs I contribute to and the guest posts I’ve written for Etsy, Design Sponge and testimonials from clients, check out the Testimonials & Press page.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
My Short History:
After having my daughter in February 2008 I realized that I never wanted to go back to a ‘real job’ again. Up until November 2009 I had a successful time running various at home businesses, one of which (my biggest success) was selling handmade jewelry on Etsy. I was able to make steady sales and even got the privilege of seeing my accessory designs in 12 retail stores across Canada & the U.S.
I was feeling frazzled. I came to the realization that I didn’t want to make jewelry forever and while I could have (looking back) hired employees and grew the company, I decided to try something new. After getting loads of correspondence from indie sellers who needed help with their businesses, I began blogging about Etsy and growing a loyal following of fans over at Handmade Marketer.
Thanks to my experience and motivation, I became a professional blogger within a couple months and grew a social media company around my strengths: branding, sales & social strategy.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
My LONG History:
After having my daughter in February 2008, I was desperate to stay home full time. Up until Azura was one year I managed to build up a profitable eBay business reselling scrapbooking supplies and even made Etsy’s front page selling handmade cards.
I began feeling a personal struggle within. I wanted to stay home and nurture my daughter’s early years but at twenty four I didn’t want to be “just a mom”. I had bigger dreams for myself and knew that my future was not with eBay. In April 2009, on a complete whim, I started selling handmade jewelry on Etsy.
My shop, Plume Adore, took off and within a few weeks I started seeing steady sales and decent profit. In my four months on Etsy I:
- Made the front page 11 times
- Got over 280 sales with 100 just after one month of selling!
- Wrote a story for Etsy’s Blog, the Storque
- Had items chosen for Admin curated Gift Guides and Storque Articles like this and that.
- Had my Forum Help Threads picked up by Etsy’s Email Newsletter (here and here)
The thing is, I had no real experience making jewelry. I was self-taught from watching You Tube videos and practicing until I had something I liked. My experience with Plume Adore is proof that MARKETING contributes to success, not a fancy background.
I started canvassing for wholesale orders a few months after opening my Etsy shop and within 1 month had landed 5 accounts including orders from funky Red Pegasus and upscale Over the Rainbow. I eventually worked my way up to a dozen stores and was seeing a handsome steady income from my efforts.
Something still wasn’t right. I loved the excitement of landing wholesale accounts and the income it provided but I felt bored and knew my purpose in life had not found me yet.
During these months my inbox was filling up with emails from handmade sellers who wanted to know more about my success with Etsy and wholesaling. I wanted to help them but time was a factor. I slowly began cutting back wholesale work (much to the chagrin of my husband) and started the Etsy Business Blog in November 2009.
In my first month, I had received over 12,000 visitors and was fortunate enough to land some huge writing opportunities thanks to my email pitches and great track record of success in my field.
My life was thrown a curve ball in December 2009 and I had to put everything into perspective. After reviewing a survey I conducted with readers as well as the hundreds of emails I had received during my blog’s run, I had the solution that would allow me enough time to help Etsy sellers for free while growing my own consulting business.
In January 2010, my popular blog was changed into the Handmade ACTION Community, a free weekly email and Facebook hub where subscribers receive great actionable Etsy/Handmade tips as well as a place to socialize with fellow subscribers and chat about their challenges. I was so fortunate because almost all of my blog subscribers made the move with me and my facebook fans doubled just a week after I made the announcement!
By February I had secured a freelance position working with social media and design company in Canada. A month later another FANTASTIC curve ball headed my way when my friend (and fabulous bookkeeper) Holly alerted me to a job opening at Outright for an Etsy Blogger. I instantly applied and crossed my fingers. In less than a week, I was hired.
Since then, I’ve been balancing a budding freelance schedule, growing my websites, and carving out a solid business through social media, branding and sales strategy. If you know your business has what it takes but need helping dominating your market and getting your prowl on, I can help you succeed.