Marketing and Heart Podcast cover art

Marketing and Heart Podcast

Marketing and Heart Podcast

By: Jackie Fatica
Listen for free

About this listen

 The Marketing and Heart Podcast is dedicated to empowering handmade business owners, Etsy sellers, and creative entrepreneurs to take control of their traffic, sales, and freedom. This isn’t just another podcast about tips and tricks—it’s about challenging what you’ve been told, breaking free from limiting beliefs, and building a sustainable, thriving business on your own terms. We’ll dive deep into strategies that actually work—like blogging, Pinterest, and email marketing—to drive consistent traffic and grow your audience, without relying on the hustle of social media or Etsy’s algorithms. You’ll find actionable steps to create multiple streams of income, monetize your content, and build a business that supports your life, not the other way around. If you’re ready to stop playing by someone else’s rules and start making real, lasting change in your handmade business, then you’re in the right place. Cheers to building a business you love, with the freedom you deserve!© 2023 Marketing and Heart Podcast Economics Marketing
Episodes
  • How a $30,000 Risk Changed My Life and Etsy Shop

    How a $30,000 Risk Changed My Life and Etsy Shop
    Nov 14 2024
    Show Notes: Taking Risks in Business—How a $30,000 Bet Changed My Life Links: 📥 Free Download: The Mad Hatter’s Guide: The Proven Strategy to Drive More Visitors to Your Etsy Shop or Website with Blogging Click here to grab the free guide! 🚀 🎓 Free Workshop: Discover How Blogging Can Drive More Traffic to Your Handmade Business Sign up for the free class here! Topic: Taking Risks in Business—How a $30,000 Bet Changed My Life Intro Welcome back to The Marketing and Heart Podcast! Today, we’re diving into risk-taking—the kind of leap that makes you wonder if you’re on the edge of a breakthrough or a total misstep. I’m sharing one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken in my jewelry business, The Wicked Griffin, and the lessons that came with it. If you’re feeling stuck or are on the fence about a big decision, this one’s for you. The Decision to Invest in a $30,000 Laser Engraver Let’s go back to when my business was thriving but wearing me down. Orders were nonstop, and every piece was hand-made from morning to night. Even when I was pregnant, I kept up this cycle, pushing myself past exhaustion. I’ll never forget one particular night: eight months pregnant, hunched over my workbench at 8 p.m., trying to saw through a thick piece of silver with hours of work still ahead. I was grateful my business was doing well, but I was also breaking under the pressure. That night, I told myself that something had to give. That’s when I decided to invest in a laser engraver—a $30,000 purchase, straight from my profits. I didn’t take out a loan or have a backup plan. It was just me, my business, and a huge leap of faith. I was terrified, but I knew this change was necessary if I wanted to keep my business and sanity intact. The Reward of Risk: More Time, Less Burnout When the engraver finally arrived, it felt like a weight had been lifted. I wasn’t spending endless hours on each piece anymore, and I finally had time to breathe. That single decision allowed me to rearrange my workflow and made my business sustainable. Looking back, it was a life-changing decision. But that risk, scary as it was, taught me something crucial: to grow, you have to be willing to take a leap. The Reality of Risk-Taking—Wins and Losses Of course, not every risk pans out. I’ve had my share of misses, too. I once bought a $4,000 Glowforge that now just gathers dust in a spare room—a great idea that never took off. But that’s the reality of taking risks. Each decision, whether it works out or not, teaches something valuable. The key is to learn from each one and keep moving forward. Asking Yourself What Risk Could Take You to the Next Level So, here’s where I want to turn this back to you. Think about the risks you’re holding back from right now. Is there a decision you’ve been hesitating over because you’re unsure how it’ll turn out? Maybe it’s an investment in a new tool or exploring a new marketing strategy. Whatever it is, ask yourself: What’s the best that could happen if this pays off? Then think about what you would need in place to take that step with confidence. Tips to Help You Decide on Taking Your Next Risk Define Your Why – Why do you want to make this change or investment? Will it give you more time, help you grow, or ease your workload? If the answer feels meaningful, that’s a good sign.Consider the Impact – Picture your business a few months after taking this risk. Will it help streamline things or free up your time? Sometimes visualizing the impact makes it easier to take the first step.Evaluate the Downsides – What’s the worst-case scenario? If the risk doesn’t pay off, can you recover from it? Accepting the possible downsides can sometimes make the choice clearer.Take Small Steps – Not all risks have to be huge. Sometimes starting with a smaller step, like dedicating a bit more time to a new marketing strategy or outsourcing one small task, can be the nudge you need to see results. Remember, risk is part of growth, and sometimes the only way to know if something will work is to try it. Every step you take, big or small, contributes to building momentum. My Personal Takeaway Running a handmade business is no small feat. Risks—big or small—are a natural part of the journey. And when you step outside your comfort zone, you give yourself the chance to grow in ways you couldn’t have planned. Call to Action If this episode hit home and you’re ready to take your business to the next level, I’ve got something that can help you take that first step. Download my free Mad Hatter’s Guide: The Proven Strategy to Drive More Visitors to Your Etsy Shop or Website with Blogging. It’s a guide that can help you bring more traffic to your site in a way that builds your own brand, outside of relying on platforms like Etsy. Head over to marketingandheart.com to grab the guide and start building a traffic source you can control. ...
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • Why Etsy Sales Over Your Website Might Be Better Than You Think

    Why Etsy Sales Over Your Website Might Be Better Than You Think
    Nov 13 2024
    Show Notes: Why Etsy Sales Might Be Better Than You Think Links: 📥 Free Download: The Mad Hatter’s Guide: The Proven Strategy to Drive More Visitors to Your Etsy Shop or Website with Blogging Click here to grab the free guide! 🚀 🎓 Free Workshop: Discover How to Ethically Use BuzzFeed’s Traffic Strategy for Your Handmade Business Sign up for the free workshop here! Topic: Why Etsy Sales Might Be Better Than You Think—and How Your Email List Is the Real Game-Changer Intro Hey, everyone! Welcome back to The Marketing and Heart Podcast. Today, I’m here to tackle a topic I think we all come across now and then, whether it's from customers or from fellow Etsy sellers. There’s this idea floating around that every sale is somehow “better” if it happens on your own website rather than on Etsy. You’ve probably heard customers say, “I’d rather buy from your site so you keep more of the sale,” or even Etsy sellers who believe selling on their own sites means saving money on fees. But… does it actually work that way? Let’s dig into why Etsy sales aren’t just good for your wallet—they’re actually crucial for your visibility. Why Etsy Sales Matter More Than You Think Now, I totally get it. Having a website feels amazing because it’s your own space, your brand, and everything is under your control. But Etsy brings something valuable to the table that your website may not, and that’s visibility. Think of it like this: every single sale on Etsy doesn’t just bring in cash—it actually helps you get discovered by more people. Every sale tells Etsy’s algorithm that people are interested in your shop, which can improve your search rankings, showing your products to even more potential customers. Plus, Etsy is already a trusted marketplace with an established audience. People go there specifically to buy handmade, unique products, and Etsy handles the payment processes, buyer protection, and so on. That’s a level of trust you don’t automatically get on a personal website, and it can make a huge difference when someone’s on the fence about hitting that “Buy” button. The Reality of Selling on Your Own Website It’s easy to think that skipping Etsy fees means more money in your pocket, but let’s look at it practically. Running a website is not free. There’s hosting, maintenance, security updates, and then there’s the marketing effort to drive traffic. With Etsy, those fees you’re paying are effectively buying you exposure to a huge audience, saving you time and resources that you’d otherwise need to spend on getting traffic to your own site. Where Your Email List Fits In Now, if you’re wondering how to get the best of both worlds—a site you control and the visibility of a marketplace—let’s talk about what I believe is the number one place for traffic: your email list. Here’s why: your email list is your direct line to people who want to hear from you, and that’s where the real control lies. Whether you’re promoting your Etsy shop, your own site, or anything else, your email list lets you send customers exactly where you want them to go, and you can do it any time. One of the best ways to build that list? A blog. A blog on your website not only allows you to connect with your audience by offering helpful or inspiring content, but it also helps you funnel people onto your email list. Every post is an opportunity to encourage readers to join, and once they’re on that list, you have a direct, lasting way to reach them. In the end, every online effort—whether it’s your Etsy shop, website, or social media—should be geared toward building that list. It’s the asset that keeps giving back over and over again. Personal Experience I’ll tell you from my own experience, I’ve spent years balancing my own website and Etsy, and what I’ve realized is that it’s not about choosing one over the other. When I started, I thought selling from my own site was going to mean more money saved, fewer fees, and more control. And yes, there’s truth to that in certain ways. But the visibility Etsy offers, especially as my shop grew, brought in way more traffic than I’d ever see just relying on my own marketing. So every sale I made on Etsy, even if it meant paying a small fee, was a little bit of advertising for my shop. And that advertising? It has value. But my biggest game-changer? My email list. I can send people to my website, my Etsy shop, or anywhere else I want, knowing they’re there because they already love my products. And that’s the kind of connection every business owner needs. Call to Action So, if you’re ready to take control of your traffic, not just on Etsy or your own website, but in a way that benefits you wherever you sell, I’ve got a free resource that can help you get started. Download my Mad Hatter’s Guide: The Proven Strategy to Drive More Visitors to Your Etsy Shop or Website with Blogging. It’s designed to ...
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
  • Stop Thinking Your Products Need to Be Perfect Before You Sell Them

    Stop Thinking Your Products Need to Be Perfect Before You Sell Them
    Sep 26 2024
    Show Notes: Stop Thinking Your Products Need to Be Perfect Before You Sell Them Links: 📥 Free Download: The Mad Hatter’s Guide: The Proven Strategy to Drive More Visitors to Your Etsy Shop or Website with Blogging Click here to grab the free guide! 🚀 🎓 Free Workshop: Discover How to Ethically Use BuzzFeed’s Traffic Strategy for Your Handmade Business Sign up for the free workshop here! Episode Summary: In this episode of The Marketing and Heart Podcast, we’re addressing the limiting belief that your products need to be perfect before you can sell them. We’ll break down how perfectionism is holding you back from reaching your audience, how customers are craving handmade authenticity in a world full of mass-produced items, and I’ll share my personal story of how letting go of perfectionism transformed my own business. Key Takeaways: Why waiting for perfection is hurting your business.How the demand for human touch and small-batch craftsmanship is growing in a world of mass production.The surprising truth about your best-selling products and what it means for you as a creator.How letting go of perfectionism helped me grow my business and why it will help yours too. Transcript: Introduction Welcome back to The Marketing and Heart Podcast! Today, we’re going to dive into a topic that hits home for a lot of handmade business owners: the idea that your products need to be perfect before you can sell them. I’ve been there—when I first started making jewelry, I was obsessed with perfecting every little detail. It felt like if my products weren’t just right, there was no way I could put them out into the world. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that my perfectionism was actually holding me back. If you’ve ever stopped yourself from launching a product because it wasn’t exactly how you imagined, or you’ve delayed a collection because it wasn’t “perfect,” then this episode is for you. We're going to break down why perfectionism is not just hurting your business, but also robbing your potential customers of the joy your products could bring into their lives. My Own Journey: From Perfectionism to Success Let me share a bit of my own story here because I know this struggle all too well. I’ve been running The Wicked Griffin since 2011, and I went full-time with my business in 2016. Before I opened up shop, I had been perfecting my craft as a jeweler for years. And the funny thing is, the thing that was really holding me back wasn’t my skill level or my designs—it was my own perfectionism. I started making jewelry because I wanted to create pieces that I couldn’t find anywhere else. I thought, "If I can’t find it, I’ll just make it." That’s what led me to open my Etsy shop. I spent years refining my craft, and I was so focused on every tiny detail being absolutely perfect before I was willing to sell anything. And here’s the thing I had to learn over time: Your business isn’t for you. That was a hard lesson to learn because, as artists, we put so much of ourselves into our work. But at some point, I realized that once you decide to turn your hobby into a business, you have to make a mindset shift. It’s not about you anymore. Your business is for your customers. Yes, you play a major role in creating those products, and of course, you want to love what you make. But in the end, it’s your customers’ connection to your products that really matters. And here’s the wildest part: To this day, there are products I’ve listed that I didn’t personally like all that much. I didn’t think they were my best work or that they were “perfect.” But you know what? Some of those products—ones I didn’t love—ended up being my best sellers. If I had held back because I thought they weren’t good enough, I would have lost out on thousands of dollars. And more than that, I would have missed the chance to share something that clearly resonated with thousands of people. I’ll tell you straight up: There are products I’ve put out that I still don’t like. I still look at them and think, "This isn’t perfect." But you know what? It doesn’t matter. My customers love them. They’ve brought joy and connection to people’s lives, and that’s what it’s all about. The Rise of Handmade: Why Your Customers Don’t Want “Perfect” In this day and age, people are overwhelmed by mass-produced, factory-made junk. If someone wanted something “perfect,” they could go to Walmart or Temu and buy it in bulk. But they’re not doing that. They’re searching for something handmade, something that comes with a human touch. People are craving connection, and they’re seeking out products that feel personal. That’s why the handmade movement is growing, even in a world flooded with AI and assembly-line production. When people buy handmade, they’re not looking for flawless—they’re looking for heart. Your customers aren’t coming to you ...
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.