SELLER STORIES Dani Chavez Boulder, CO etsy.com/shop/thegemmary Starting your own business is very intimidating, especially if you are someone who never entertained the notion before. I decided to use Etsy because of how straightforward and easy it was. I love the community of sellers and how eager they are to help each other with advice and promotion. Etsy gave me the confidence to take a chance and I am so glad that I did. Running a microbusiness fits my lifestyle very well. I work two days a week at a brick and mortar jewelry store, and devote the remaining time to taking care of the house and running my creative business. I love the flexibility in being able to create my own schedule and hours and that I am working towards my goals. Plus, the thrill of each sale never goes away! Success for me is to be completely self-employed and make a livable wage doing something I love. Ryan Capers Merrimack, NH etsy.com/shop/lostelixir I began selling soap on Etsy because it was an opportunity to put myself and my creative expression out there in the world, to be seen as an artisan, as a creator — as a person who is able to create something that expresses my values, and yet also yields a product that resonates with my customers as being something they themselves value. To me, that’s pretty magical. Running every aspect of my microbusiness is very challenging. Between working a full time day job and spending time with my three young daughters (and a beautiful wife of course), my “soap” usually happens once everything else completely winds down. Etsy has been instrumental in helping my business grow at a pace I am comfortable with and I can slowly grow my footprint at a pace I can feel in complete ownership over. It sounds crazy, but one of my biggest fears is not being able to keep up with demand and having a “runaway train” scenario, and Etsy makes that all possible. My goal with this business was never to maximize margins, and edge out the competition—instead, I decided I was going to build this business largely to test a theory I had swirling around in my head: If I worked at something consistently with passion, and I focused on quality, customer service, and inspiration, amazing things would happen. So far, I am so happy with the continued progress this business has had in my life professionally and personally. 6 2017 Seller Census Report