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Is there a magic formula for your pricing? Meet Christen to find out.
Christen Strang always wanted a tattoo, but a fear of needles and permanent ink held her back. Eager to channel the rockstar look without the lasting side effects, she started to design her own trendy temporary tattoos and her Etsy shop was born.
Christen's designs have now been worn by thousands of people across the globe, so we couldn't wait to ask her how she got here and what she's learned along the way. Take it away, Christen!
Name: Christen Strang
Job: Graphic Designer and Owner of happytatts
Started: September 2013
How did you create your awesome job?
I love tattoos, but I’m way too much of a commitment-phobe to get one myself! So, I set out creating the exact tattoo I wanted so that I could apply it to my body whenever I wanted and wash it off a few days later. I figured that there must be others out there who wanted the same thing.
The design process is the most fun part of my job. When I started out, I just created beautiful, dainty tattoos that I couldn't find anywhere else. I set out to make mine 100% original by keeping a sketchbook full of doodles and hand-lettered inspirational words and quotes, instead of using standard fonts. I also started taking requests from people who would soon become my customers.
I opened my store in September of 2013 with a grand total of four designs. I now sell over 70 unique designs in standard flat colors, metallic gold and silver and my new favorite, colored metallics.
Who was your very first customer? How did you find them?
My very first customer was a sweet lady named Alyson from the UK. She found me through Etsy and bought three sheets of my simple outline hearts, which would quickly become my best-seller.
When did you know your business was going to work?
There wasn’t an exact moment that I knew it was going to work, it was more a pattern of gradual growth.
I set small goals in the first year, and exceeded them. By the second year, I was selling enough to turn what was just a hobby into a successful, fully-fledged part-time career.
This year, I've added more and more new designs, styles and options, which has brought in lots of new customers. 2015 is set to be the best year yet for happytatts!
How do you price your temporary tattoos on Etsy? What has been your biggest lesson learned in pricing?
I make sure my profit margin is satisfactory and do my best to charge appropriately for design time, but also keep an eye on my competition to see what they’re charging. I've learned that there is definitely not a magical formula for pricing.
Sometimes I simply throw a number out to see if it sticks. If it does, I know I'm right where I should be, or even a little under. If a great design won't sell at a certain price, I lower it a bit.
I had one particular tattoo that I absolutely loved and priced it at $7. I sold a decent amount, but was convinced I should have been selling more. I took a risk and lowered it to $5. Almost immediately after, I could barely keep up with the demand!
Pricing is tough for my non-math brain sometimes, but working out whether I'd rather sell a few at $7 or a ton at $5 was simple.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My days are always different. Happytatts isn't my one and only job (quite yet!), so I get up and go to my day job from 7:30am until 1:00pm every day.
I grab a bite to eat after that, and then I immediately sit down to work. I also still run a stationery shop that I started in 2009, so some days are dedicated to that and some days are dedicated to happytatts.
Packaging orders is my first priority – every day I send out as much as I can before my local post office closes at 4:30pm. Afterwards, I'll usually come home, go for a walk or do some yoga, eat dinner and get right back to it.
Nights are usually dedicated to the design work – for custom orders as well as new offerings for the shop. Weekends are for catching up on everything I didn't get to during the week, as well as trying to fit in a little bit of me time. I find it necessary for rejuvenation and creativity.
What has been the biggest surprise so far after starting your own business?
Because of my stationery business, I'm no stranger to the challenges of turning an idea into a profit earner. Happytatts is a much more challenging business, however, because of the amount of customization involved in tattoo work.
The biggest surprise this time around has been how many requests I get for personal tattoo designs. I still sell mostly pre-made designs, but I'm getting more and more requests for custom designs. Creating something that will be visible on someone’s skin for a long time involves a lot of time, thought and hard work.
If you could go back in time, what’s the one thing you’d do differently?
I'd start off with more designs. As I mentioned, I opened up shop with only four designs – it was just a side hobby after all, and I wasn't sure if it would be successful.
Once I realized that people actually loved these things, it seemed like I should have had faith in myself all along and started selling more designs at the beginning.
What would you like to learn today from a community of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?
Pricing continues to be one of my least favorite parts of running a small business. I have a creative brain that shuts down when it encounters math or finances. I’d really like to have an open conversation about what works, what doesn’t and the best ways to manage pricing your products.
Another thing I'd like to learn is how to consistently produce creative posts for social media. I absolutely adore social media and know that it can do great things for my business, but my days are so hectic that I don't get the time to post to Instagram or Facebook until right before I'm falling to sleep.
Can anyone recommend a great scheduling calendar or prompt list for my social media posts? Any advice on optimal posting times for each platform would also be great!
Let's help Christen out! If you have an experience to share about what you've learned when it comes to pricing your products in a competitive marketplace like Etsy, tell us right here!
Can't wait to hear your stories. :-)
