I've been watching Ashley at One in the Hand since she first got started over a year ago. From the beginning, I've been impressed with what she does -- not just her products, but her packaging. Here's why:
She's Brand-Conscious
Ashley's business fills a very specific niche. She makes nifty little re-usable cloth coffee cup coozies -- like the paper ones you see at Starbucks but infinitely cuter, and better for the environment, too.
She makes a few other accessories here and there, but she commits herself to keeping her Etsy Shop stocked with a wide range of coozies. Her customers know what she makes, what she stands for, and when and why to shop with her.
She makes a few other accessories here and there, but she commits herself to keeping her Etsy Shop stocked with a wide range of coozies. Her customers know what she makes, what she stands for, and when and why to shop with her.
She Combines Practicality and Creativity
I know from experience that it can be hard to keep an Etsy shop stocked when you have only one pair of hands and other projects on your plate. Throw in marketing time and making a living as an independent crafter is no fairy-tale existence.
Ashley's coozies are quick, easy projects -- variations on a design that she's got down to a fine art. This is a woman who has found a way to keep herself interested and feeling creative (which is so important for a crafter, especially when your craft is also your job) while working with a basic pattern that she knows like the back of her hand.
Ashley's coozies are quick, easy projects -- variations on a design that she's got down to a fine art. This is a woman who has found a way to keep herself interested and feeling creative (which is so important for a crafter, especially when your craft is also your job) while working with a basic pattern that she knows like the back of her hand.
She's Socially Conscious
Since April 2011, 10% of all Ashley's One in the Hand profits go to benefit The Emergency Fund, a local Chicago-area fund designed to give people living on the edge of poverty a leg up in times of need.
Ashley's business model espouses the new green "Triple Bottom Line" of People, Profit, and Planet. She makes a sound profit by practicing good business, she gives back to the community, and she makes products that care for the environment. 21st century consumers like that.
Ashley's business model espouses the new green "Triple Bottom Line" of People, Profit, and Planet. She makes a sound profit by practicing good business, she gives back to the community, and she makes products that care for the environment. 21st century consumers like that.
She's Everywhere
The key to successfully selling your crafts in the online marketpace is exposure. No matter how brilliant your skill and creativity, if you don't reach a wide audience no one will know what they're missing.
Ashley's focus on a manageable line of items gives her the time to market herself. She's all over Facebook. She blogs. I'm not entirely sure when she sleeps.
Ashley's focus on a manageable line of items gives her the time to market herself. She's all over Facebook. She blogs. I'm not entirely sure when she sleeps.
She's Ad Savvy
This is a woman who knows how to leverage online social media. Right now, Annie over at Wattlebird Designs is hosting a $20 giveaway of an item of the the winner's choosing from Ashley's One in the Hand shop.
Now, that's how to do it, folks. Interactive, promotion-based free advertising that is lighting up the web. Check out the link below to join in:
Now, that's how to do it, folks. Interactive, promotion-based free advertising that is lighting up the web. Check out the link below to join in:
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