In this episode, Julie Berninger interviews Cody McGuffie founder and CEO of Everbee, an e-commerce platform that assists Etsy sellers in product research and marketing. Try Everbee: https://go.goldcityventures.com/everbee Cody shares insights on seasonal trends, particularly the significant sales spikes during Q4, and dispels myths about summer sa…

Etsy's Cat Craze: A Purrfect Opportunity for Sellers The cat niche on Etsy is booming! In this video, we dive into the surprising popularity of cat-related products and how you can capitalize on this trend. Key Takeaways: Cat vs. Dog: While dogs may have a slight edge in search volume, cats are still a major force on Etsy. Cat-ify Your Products: Co…

This episode delves into the potential of medical subspecialties as lucrative niches on Etsy for digital products. While popular niches like nurses and doctors are often saturated, exploring subspecialties can offer a more unique and less competitive market. Key Points: Subspecialty Examples include EMT, pharmacy techs, veterinary techs, radiology …

This episode dives deep into the lucrative potential of dog-related products on Etsy, highlighting highly searched but often overlooked niches. From practical items like dog stairs and ramps to personalized gifts and themed merchandise, the dog-centric market on Etsy is booming. Key Points: High-Demand Dog Products: Dog stairs, ramps, food scoops, …

Julie interviews eRank Founder, Anthony Wolf, to find out if eRank accurate and where is the data from? See below for an eRank free trial link. They discuss eRank's features, data sources, and how it aids Etsy sellers in optimizing their listings. They delve into buyer insights from an annual survey, emphasizing the importance of quality images, ef…

Teachers can sell products on Etsy like t-shirts, printables, and classroom decor. This episode explores what is bestselling in the teacher niche. Key Takeaways: Niche Down: Targeting specific teacher subniches like math teachers or third grade teachers can increase visibility. Bulk Sales: Offering teacher gifts in bulk can appeal to schools and in…

Nurse Niche Etsy Opportunities Lucrative Niche: The nurse niche is highly profitable on Etsy, with some shops having hundreds of thousands of sales. Popular Products: Nursing school notes, study guides, t-shirts, sweatshirts, badge reels, ornaments, and gifts are in demand. Niche Down: Targeting specific subniches like oncology or NICU nurses can i…

Julie covers ideas for Etsy sellers in the coffee lover gifts niche. She discusses various trends and opportunities within this niche, such as combining food and non-food items, emotional support items, teacher gifts, Christmas tree decor, and mug wraps. The host also highlights the popularity of iced coffee candles and suggests that sellers in the…

Julie Berninger discusses unique gift basket ideas for Etsy sellers. She explains Etsy's new creativity standards for gift baskets and provides examples of traditional gift baskets for women and men. Julie then explores creatively assembled gift baskets that meet Etsy's standards, such as seasonal gift baskets, goth gift baskets, and gift baskets f…

Emily, a successful 6-figure Etsy seller, shares her journey of starting and growing her print on demand and digital product shops. She emphasizes the importance of research and finding niche markets to target. Emily also discusses her graphic design skills and the importance of practice and simplicity in creating professional-looking designs. She …

In this episode, Julie interviews Meagan, an Etsy seller in the faith and family LDS niche who wants to expand her business beyond Etsy. Megan shares her journey of starting on Etsy and growing her shop to 300 sales. Julie suggests participating in a bundle and creating an email sales sequence to promote the flagship product. They also touch on the…

Mary, an Etsy seller in the Catholic niche, discusses her journey of selling machine embroidery products and transitioning to selling printables. She shares her desire to move off Etsy and reach her Catholic clientele. The conversation explores the idea of Mary becoming a Catholic influencer and the challenges she faces in feeling like a thought le…

Lisa, a seller in the Gold City Ventures community, shares her journey of starting an Etsy shop to help with daycare costs and her transition to digital products. She discusses her goals of growing her shop and making it a bigger business. The conversation explores the idea of finding a flagship product, with a focus on handprint art and trivia gam…

Halloween is approaching and it's a great time to discuss how to appeal to Halloween shoppers. Julie Berninger shares ideas for Halloween products with good search volume and low competition on Etsy sourced from eRank. The main themes include vintage and retro aesthetics, girlie Halloween, dog breeds, specific Halloween terms like 'momster', access…

Julie talks with Etsy digital products seller, Stephanie, about her plans to create a larger digital products business for busy moms. Her niche is women pursuing businesses. Takeaways Starting an Etsy shop can be a great entry point into the online business world. It's important to be flexible and willing to pivot your business direction based on w…

In this episode of Crickets to Cha-Chings, Julie Berninger interviews Lauren Hooper, an artist and entrepreneur, about her expertise in user-generated content (UGC) photography. Lauren provides tips for creating UGC, including the importance of background, lighting, and showcasing the product in real-life scenarios. She also discusses the impact of…

Sarah Edwards, a Cricut crafting expert, discusses the crafting community and the popularity of digital files and finished crafts. We cover: Cricut machine, digital files, finished crafts, SVG files, trends in crafting, selling crafts, crafting, digital files, pricing, layered paper crafts, SVG, sublimation, AI, sublimation printer, Facebook groups…

Julie Berninger and Janet LeBlanc of Paper and Spark discuss the steps to take when starting an Etsy shop from a CPA's perspective. They cover topics such as understanding the difference between a business and a hobby, obtaining a DBA permit, opening a business bank account, and the importance of bookkeeping. They also touch on the issue of Etsy sh…

Laura Winston, Principal and Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group at Offit Kurman, answers your questions on common trademark and copyright issues Etsy sellers face. Note: This is not legal advice. Please review your own situation with professionals. Questions covered: How do I search on the USPTO web site and understand the results? I…

Etsy put out a spring/summer trend report​​ and Julie reviews it in this episode of the Crickets to Cha-Chings podcast. Here are some snippets of trending keyword searches according to Etsy in case you don't have time to read the report: +266% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for divorce gifts or items +351% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for coz…

In this live episode of the Crickets to Cha-Chings podcast, Julie Berninger and Sasha Hutchison discuss strategies for growing an Etsy business off of the platform. They provide guidance to Naomi, an Etsy seller selling printables, on how to expand her business and reach a wider audience. The conversation covers topics such as building an email lis…

If you missed our Live Q&A, here is the replay on YouTube. Julie broke down 4 business ideas and how they would work off Etsy 1) subscription book box, 2) beauty professional templates 3) seasonal printables for kids monthly subscription and 4) a blog for dog lovers. She also screenshared what Beyond looks like and the prizes you get with purchase.…

In this episode, Julie and Sasha of Gold City Ventures and Kennedy of Our Friendly World discuss growing a business off of Etsy. They talk about competitor analysis and the importance of understanding your customers and competitors. They specifically discuss what to do when your competitor is a bigger brand than you and was on Shark Tank! They also…

In this episode, Julie Berninger and Sasha Hutchison of Gold City Ventures interview Jenny, an Etsy seller who sells printables. They discuss Jenny's journey from selling physical products to focusing on printables, specifically in the golf niche. They explore the potential for Jenny to expand her business beyond Etsy by creating a lifestyle brand …

Amber sells metaphysical and celestial-inspired jewelry on Etsy. She wants to grow her business so she can leave her full-time job. This episode is a casual live coaching call for the Crickets to Cha-Chings podcast with Julie Berninger and Sasha Hutchison of Gold City Ventures. They discuss what they each outsource both in their business and their …

Julie Berninger of Gold City Ventures chats with Kennedy of Our Friendly World Etsy shop. Kennedy sells crochet kits, crochet patterns, and finished crochet products. This episode is in a casual live coaching call style for the Crickets to Cha-Chings podcast. They discuss how to interpret keyword research from tools such as eRank, ideas for monetiz…

Etsy Gift Mode presents a huge opportunity for Etsy sellers. Julie Berninger of Gold City Ventures explains this new shopping experience and how to change your shop sections, pictures, and tags to take advantage of it. She also covers the Etsy email marketing policy change and TikTok shop. Topics covered in this episode: 1 - Etsy Gift Mode 2 - Etsy…

This is the Etsy SEO help you need in 2024! Julie Berninger of Gold City Ventures reviewed articles in the Etsy seller handbook and YouTube videos from the team at Etsy for hours to determine exactly how to improve your Etsy SEO search algorithm ranking in 2024. Learn more at: https://goldcityventures.com/ Resources in the video: https://www.etsy.c…

Gold City Ventures puts together an annual Black Friday deals roundup for Etsy sellers. Find it here: https://goldcityventures.com/etsy-seller-resources/ These deals apply for handmade, POD, or digital product sellers. Some require using the special Gold City Ventures links or coupon code. 🌟 For More Insider Tips & Strategies on E-Commerce Success!…

What titles, tags, and keywords should you add to your Etsy listings this year for the holidays? Can you package your existing listings in a different way to capitalize on what holiday shoppers want? Julie Berninger of Gold City Ventures presents her best ideas for Etsy sellers this holiday season based on the following Resources: Etsy Holiday Merc…

Julie and her business partner Cody from Gold City Ventures discuss what's been going on with some POD sellers and the future of mockups. They also cover the current Etsy listing image requirements and other best practices and how they think the POD manufacturers will respond. For those outside of the POD space, they also talk about interesting opp…

Julie and Cody of Gold City Ventures are continuing on with the podcast. I am happy since I know so many of you were disappointed that all of the old episodes would disappear. That issue is solved - and we have a better plan. The ​team at Gold City Ventures​ will be producing new episodes for you going forward. We recorded one final episode for you…

My plan was to shut down the business and move on. But after I sent the last goodbye email, my friend Julie from Gold City Ventures reached out to me. She proposed an interesting opportunity. It allows me to keep the podcast and all prior episodes live for you ..and for Julie and her business partner, Cody, to take over the responsibilities that I …

It’s great to be back and talk about all things Etsy and e-commerce with you (and thanks for so many DMs about last week's episode!) This week is all about what we would do differently if we could go back in time and start our Etsy businesses all over again -- and there's a laundry list of things that I would do differently. When I first started on…

This episode is jam-packed with valuable insights to help you grow and succeed in your Etsy shop (and, more importantly, in your e-commerce business as a whole.) Here's what you can expect: The state of Etsy sales: Discover the reasons behind the decrease in Etsy sales in 2023 and what it means for sellers. Where Etsy is growing and what it means f…

In today's world, buyers are more conscious about the impact their purchasing decisions can have on the businesses they support. They want to align themselves with brands that share their values. And you know what? This trend is especially true for small businesses, creatives, and artisans like us... Now, I know what you're thinking..."No way, I'm …

Are you tired of spending countless hours managing your handmade business and you're looking for some tools and tricks to streamline and improve your efficiency? In this episode, we reveal the top productivity tools and apps to streamline your business and save you time -- making you able to get more out of the limited time you have available! From…

Are you tired of spending countless hours managing your handmade business and you're looking for some tools and tricks to streamline and improve your efficiency? In this episode, we reveal the top productivity tools and apps to streamline your business and save you time -- making you able to get more out of the limited time you have available! From…

Have you heard about Etsy's new affiliate program, which allows content creators and sellers to earn a commission for promoting Etsy products on their website or social media, including your own products? Let's talk about the good, the bad, and the reason that I think Etsy is rolling out this new program so you can get a full picture about whether …

In the world of handmade eCommerce businesses, there's often a misconception that creativity alone is enough to guarantee success. In reality, finding the perfect balance between creativity, data that gives you information about next steps, and business strategy is crucial to truly thrive in the online marketplace. In this episode, we'll explore th…

In this week's myth busting episode, we're tackling the common misconception that you can simply sell anything online without considering market demand and competition. We'll cover things like why having a defined target audience and offering unique products that cater to their needs and preferences is crucial, especially in today's world of e-comm…

Have you been blasted with Facebook ads over the past several years selling you on the idea of starting an online shop and creating a digital asset that you can sell for "passive income" while you frocklic into the sunset to spend your millions? Yeah, me too. And I'm here to tell you as someone who has a physical product shop, a digital product sho…

While starting an online business is significantly cheaper than starting a brick and mortar business, it’s not free. At the very least you have material or equipment expenses, and some costs to create some basic branding, listing fees on Etsy, etc, and it’s important to be prepared for these expenses, otherwise the efficiency of how you run your bu…

When you started thinking about building a business online, what was your expectation for success for that business? A month? 6 months? A year? Well I'm here to tell you: whatever that timeline was, it will probably take you longer than that. In the age of internet smoke and mirrors where everyone is telling you that you can grow a six figure busin…

Do you ever feel like selling online is a constant rat race to keep up with everyone else in your industry? Or you feel like you don't even want to try out a new project or new style that you see because there are already so many people doing it, how can you even compete with them? Or you worry that your business is in a downward death spiral becau…

I'm baaaaack! After a long hiatus while I dealt with my personal life/house fire, I'm back with a new episode, and I can't wait for you all to hear. This week on Crickets to Cha-Chings, I'm talking with Jon Lincoln, founder and CEO of GoImagine. GoImagine believes that by creating a handmade marketplace that donates 100% of profits to charity, ther…

Kerrie Fitzgerald created a multi six figure subscription box by leveraging the power of a raving fan base and repeat customers -- and she think it's the cornerstone of any brand that is going to have long term success in today's online selling environment. Tune in to this week's episode to hear how Kerrie built a cult like following for her busine…

Today on this quickie episode, I'm digging into my thoughts about SVB and Etsy's complete lack of communication and transparency with sellers. In short: I'm not happy. If you're wondering where I stand or want to hear my unfiltered thoughts about the whole thing, tune in. Let me know if you agree, disagree, think I'm totally off my rocker or need t…

Allison Carter and Catherine Hildner were two strangers who connected at a conference, turned into business besties, and a few years later saw a gap in the product based business space and decided to take action to fill it. In addition to the two businesses they run individually, Allison and Cat are the founders and hosts of Ultimate Product Party …

Over the past several years of doing the coaching/teaching/podcasting things, I’ve become very familiar with FB ads, and I always get really interesting comments on them. I’m not super easily offended at this point after 10 years in internet businesses, so rather than defend my ad or whatever I take it as an opportunity to read between the lines of…