Kevlyn Walsh is a Denver-based artwork trainer turned entrepreneur. She launched Festive Gal, an Etsy store, in 2019 after her handmade headband was a success amongst Christmas get together attendees.
Quick ahead to 2025, and Festive Gal is flourishing, promoting customized items and get together provides. A brand new second web site, Bake It Fancy, on Shopify, sells cooking equipment.
Amid the expansion, Kevlyn manages workers, manufacturing, and, sure, Etsy constraints. She addressed these challenges and extra in our current dialog.
Our complete audio is embedded beneath. The transcript is edited for readability and size.
Eric Bandholz: Who’re you, and what do you do?
Kevlyn Walsh: I run two manufacturers. My first, Festive Gal, grew primarily on Etsy and affords customized items and get together provides to make life extra enjoyable. My second, Bake It Fancy, is a brand new model centered on baking equipment that assist folks create stunning cookies.
Bake It Fancy developed from a best-selling Festive Gal product. It carried out so effectively that I made a decision it deserved its personal identification. Festive Gal celebrates events and gifting; Bake It Fancy is all about creativity within the kitchen.
Etsy is how I turned a enterprise proprietor. Earlier than opening my store, I had no concept what a conversion price was or how you can promote on-line. It began with an unsightly Christmas sweater get together. I made an over-the-top vacation headband coated in tinsel, bows, and a tiny elf.
Everybody beloved it, so I made extra, opened an Etsy store, and offered out by Christmas. That success impressed me to maintain creating new merchandise and following get together tendencies.
At first, I used to be nonetheless educating full-time, however my Etsy gross sales ultimately surpassed my trainer wage. By 2019, I give up educating to run my store full time — and I’ve by no means appeared again.
The unique headbands had been too labor-intensive to scale, so I simplified them into paper get together headbands with customizable phrases. They turned Festive Gal’s signature product. I created designs for birthdays, bachelorette events, and trending themes — like Recreation of Thrones followers internet hosting viewing events. I made headbands with phrases equivalent to “Maintain the Door” and “I Drink and I Know Issues,” and so they offered like loopy.
Again then, I didn’t assume a lot about emblems and used pop-culture phrases freely. Now that my enterprise is larger, I keep away from these completely. Utilizing names like “Recreation of Thrones” might get a store flagged. It’s irritating as a result of Etsy continues to be filled with Disney and different IP-based gadgets, but enforcement feels aimed toward profitable sellers. I’ve explored licensing, however the prices, reporting, and low margins made it extra trouble than it was price.
Bandholz: How do you handle customized orders on Etsy?
Walsh: Etsy’s primary customization instruments aree restricted. Every itemizing contains an enter subject that clients should full earlier than including an merchandise to their cart, to assist stop missed particulars. Nonetheless, sellers solely get two dropdown menus and one textual content field. I’ve to simplify the itemizing or get artistic for consumers to decide on a number of choices, equivalent to coloration, font, and measurement.
That lack of flexibility makes Etsy’s consumer interface difficult for advanced customizations. In distinction, Shopify has apps that enable limitless dropdowns and way more personalization options. On Etsy, if a purchaser forgets to incorporate key particulars such because the title for a customized merchandise, I’ve to message her immediately. That additional communication will be time-consuming and decelerate manufacturing.
Bandholz: How does Etsy outline “handmade”?
Walsh: It’s ironic that Etsy promotes itself as a hand-crafted platform. Actual success there requires effectivity and operations. To scale, you want techniques, workers, and streamlined manufacturing — however you possibly can’t construct that till you’ve gross sales. It’s a catch-22. I’ve had merchandise go viral, however there’s a restrict to what number of we are able to make earlier than delays frustrate clients. Etsy doesn’t present the instruments sellers must handle development effectively.
For instance, there’s no multi-user entry. I can’t give a digital assistant or worker their very own login to deal with messages or delivery with out sharing my banking info. That makes delegation dangerous.
As for “handmade,” there’s a variety of grey space. Some sellers import largely completed merchandise — gadgets 90% made in China — and add customization within the U.S. by embroidery or vinyl. Etsy permits some flexibility there, however the guidelines are imprecise. The rules point out phrases equivalent to “made, sourced, or designed by vendor,” that are open to interpretation.
In Etsy boards, sellers debate what these definitions imply and fear whether or not new insurance policies might jeopardize their outlets.
Bandholz: What recommendation would you give somebody contemplating promoting on Etsy?
Walsh: First, outline your targets. The platform is ideal if you’d like solely to make “enjoyable cash” from a craft you like. Benefit from the artistic course of, make merchandise that delight you, and rejoice every sale.
But when your objective is to switch your full-time revenue, it’s important to strategy Etsy strategically. Select a product that may scale effectively. On Etsy, gross sales compound. The algorithm rewards momentum, so when a list sells, it indicators that individuals need that product. Etsy earns a share of every sale, and it promotes listings that generate income. So the extra you promote, the extra publicity your merchandise get.
Plan early for operations. Will you rent assist? How will you deal with delivery? Are you able to handle rush orders for personalised presents?
Etsy clients usually order last-minute, so reliability is vital. I’ve labored by the flu to satisfy deadlines as a result of I didn’t need to disappoint consumers. Now that I’ve workers, that stress is lighter, but it surely took planning and development.
Bandholz: Is Etsy your principal gross sales channel?
Walsh: Sure, Etsy continues to be my main supply of gross sales, and I’ve had nice success there. However the platform’s total visitors has declined. I believe a part of the difficulty is high quality management — Etsy has allowed too many low-quality sellers. Low-cost, mass-produced gadgets litter search outcomes. It’s misplaced a number of the curated, handmade allure that made it particular.
Due to that, I’m working to develop off-platform. Relying solely on Etsy feels dangerous, particularly with how inconsistent their vendor help has grow to be. Not too long ago, Etsy deployed AI bots to take away non-handmade listings, however the system usually flags authentic outlets.
Many authentic sellers have had top-performing merchandise or complete outlets deactivated with no technique to attain a human for assist. It’s a troublesome scenario for sincere creators attempting to run actual handmade companies.
Bandholz: Is the brand new baking model on Etsy, too?
Walsh: No, I’m constructing Bake It Fancy on Shopify and driving visitors by Meta advertisements and content material creation. I even transformed a part of my warehouse right into a “media room” with a faux kitchen and an actual oven from Dwelling Depot, so I can movie baking movies and tutorials. My objective is to develop this model independently, with out counting on third-party marketplaces.
I’ve discovered quite a bit about ecommerce after years of working Festive Gal on Etsy. Now I’m prepared to use these classes — utilizing Shopify, advertisements, and content material — to construct a model with full management.
Content material creation was laborious for me. I’ve a three-year-old and a one-year-old, and my house kitchen isn’t supreme for filming. This new setup makes it simpler and extra enjoyable. Plus, baking content material is of course partaking. Watching somebody beautify cookies is satisfying and artistic.
With Festive Gal, I by no means relied on content material since Etsy introduced regular visitors. However Bake It Fancy is totally different. Cooking is so demonstrable and visible that I can simply movie with simply my arms, and I don’t even must get camera-ready each time.
Bandholz: The place can of us purchase your merchandise and comply with you?
Walsh: My Etsy store is Festive Gal. Festive Gal additionally has a Shopify web site, FestiveGal.com. BakeItFancy.com is ramping up. I’m on Instagram and LinkedIn.
