Podcast Episode 41: How a teacher built a full time sign shop from her passion for hand lettering

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/60l-yIMezss 

Help me welcome Halie Conley to the podcast:

• I'm 25 and started this business in 2018 after our wedding (it was hardly a business in the beginning, more like a crafting hobby LOL)- I made lots of the decor and people encouraged me to keep creating and selling! So I did. I was studying to become a teacher so I thought it would be a fun thing to do in the summers to keep me busy and generate a little extra income.
• I am a self-taught hand lettering artist!
• My husband and I became debt free (besides our mortgage) by starting our business while still both having full-time jobs.

• Elementary school teacher turned full-time business owner (I went to college, got my degree in Elementary Education, taught 2 years of 4th grade while I was also running our business, God kept growing it and I couldn't keep doing both, so this school year 2021-2022 was my first year not teaching)
• Went from selling at vendor/craft shows to selling mostly online (started with Etsy, then our own website - still have Etsy but mainly focus on our website)
• We bought a CNC machine and Glowforge to help make things easier. (big investments - took money we made and kept investing it back into our business!)
• Created a space in our three car garage to host events - so far we've hosted 2 fall pop-ups, 2 Christmas pop-ups and a few hand lettering classes 
• Started a TikTok mid-January this year and have over 7,000 followers! One video generated over 60+ orders for the same sign! 
• Just created and launched my very first ONLINE COURSE! It's called Hand Lettering with Halie and I teach everything I know about hand lettering! 

• Let’s start with your story! How did you become so good at hand lettering? What led you to open your own ecommerce shop for signs?
• How did sign-making turn into your full time business?
• One of the really unique pieces of your story that I was so drawn to was your use of LIVE sales to promote your business! Can you tell us what a LIVE sale is and how you run them?
• Do you think LIVE sales continues to be a viable way for new shops to build their businesses?
• How do you create an audience for a LIVE sale?
• What platforms work best for LIVE sales?
• I love how you use TikTok to promote your products! Can you tell us a bit about how that works and how you figured out the best strategy?
• You’re sort of a unicorn for the podcast since Etsy is a secondary source for you! It’s very impressive that you’ve created your own marketplace! How do you use Etsy for your business?
• For those who are listening who are just getting started on their journey to sell their creations, what tips would you give them to have some quick wins?
• Now you’re launching a lettering course to help others learn the art of hand lettering! I think that’s awesome—and it really speaks volumes about the audience you’ve built who want to learn from you! How did the course idea come about?
• How can our listeners participate in your course??
• Where are the best places for people to follow you and keep in touch?

EPISODE DETAILS

Halie Conley of WholeHeartedWoods went from being a school teacher to a full time sign maker by using social media and her talent for hand lettering to build her very own ecommerce business. Today she’s telling us how she uses LIVE sales and TikTok to continue to grow and how you can develop the skill of hand lettering, too!

**“How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy” is not affiliated with or endorsed by Etsy.com

STUFF I MENTIONED:

Halie’s hand lettering course: https://wholeheartedwoods.mykajabi.com

Website: www.wholeheartedwoods.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wholeheartedwoods

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholeheartedwoods/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wholeheartedwoods

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HOW TO SELL YOUR STUFF SHOWNOTES: https://www.howtosellyourstuff.com/blog/hand-lettering 

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