Sites like Etsy, Zazzle, RedBubble and other third party online shop solutions are great to get your feet wet when you start selling your creations online or if you don’t have your own site yet to directly sell your work from.

However, I always recommend to get your own self-hosted WordPress site as soon as possible. Then you can go and install any of the numerous free or premium shop plugins and start selling directly from your own site.

Why? Well, here are seven reasons why I recommend selling from your own site rather than from an Etsy store:

1. More Control

Artfire decided to close all free accounts, Etsy has grown so much that it is hard to keep up with the competition and other online marketplaces closed their doors completely and left you out in the cold.

If you rely on any third party store solutions you have no control over your own business. That’s not smart. You need to be in control of your own store and not be at the mercy of someone else.

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2. No Customer Distractions

When you go and have a look at any Etsy store product page, you will find about 40 links that lure customers away from that page and away from that store!

On your own site this will not happen as all links will only lead to more of your own products.

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3. Better Design

It’s hard to stand out on Etsy and similar third party e-commerce solutions. All stores look and feel the same which also makes it hard for customers to remember your individual shop.

If you have a shop on your own site you can give it a design that brings out your individuality and that suits your products.

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4. Easier List Building

The money is in the list. This is a truth that pretty much any internet marketer agrees with. You need to collect as many email addresses of (potential) customers as possible.

The good news is that all marketplaces that let you sell stuff from their site will indeed have mailing lists but the bad news is that they use them to increase their own business, not yours.

Now, if you sell from your own site you can use a service like Aweber to let people subscribe to your mailing list and then cross and upsell to them, send out special discount offers and even create automated email series.

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5. Customer Convenience

So you have an Etsy store and a blog/website (you do have a self hosted site right? If not, click here). This means you have to send your customers from one site to the other and back. You also need them to remember two domain names, bookmark two sites and share content from two sites. Hmmm, that’s not really ideal, is it?

It is way more convenient for your customers if your blog and shop reside under the same domain name, don’t ya think?

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6. More Referrals

A lot of people buy something on sites like Etsy, Artfire etc. but in the end never remember the name of the individual shop or seller. So when asked where they got the beautiful earrings, necklace or painting they will just say they got it from Etsy. That’s great for Etsy but not so much for you.

Selling from your own site will make it easier for them to remember you and your shop and tell others about it.

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7. Better Search Engine Optimization

It’s much easier to rank in Google search results with a shop on your own site than with an Etsy store. Yes, Etsy does give you some control over how your store will appear in search results.

But with a WordPress shop you will be able to have much more granular control as you can change titles, set keywords, add a description and even get a free page analysis which tells you how to optimize each single page for SEO purposes.

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Where to find WordPress Shop Plugins

So, now that you’ve decided to set up your own WP store, you will have to find a WordPress shop plugin that works for you. There are quite a few out there and they all have different features and are made to suit different needs. The best way to go about it is to search the official WP plugins repository or just start a Google search.

When I did this search it took me almost a full day to compile a list of the 16 best WordPress shop plugins, so be prepared to invest some time!

However, if you’re signed up to the free Creative Web Biz newsletter, which brings you free weekly tips, tools and resources, you’ll get the complete list (with all sixteen store plugins) straight to your inbox next Monday (11/28/11).

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Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

Google Plus Start-up Guide:

If you are new to Google+ you want to start off with this beginners guide by G+ user Saidur (Cy) Hossain. Watch the video version below or check out the original slideshow here.

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Complete Google+ Guide:

Mashable compiled an extensive G+ guide which you definitely want to read even if you have already been on the new social network for some days or even weeks. It explains everything form Circles to Hudles to Sparks and much more.

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Privacy Settings:

The Huffington Post ran an article on Google+ privacy settings, one of the most important topics when it comes to social networks. G+ works totally different than either FB or Twitter, so please make sure you understand who exactly you are sharing content with right from the start. We all know what happens if you don’t educate yourself about these very important details.

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Setting Up Circles the Smart Way:

G+ works with Circles and these consist of all the people you are following, i.e ‘friends’, ‘family’, ‘colleagues’, ‘artists’ etc. As these Circles will pretty much define your experience on Google Plus, you definitely want to read this great post by Sarah Bray in which she lays out a pretty neat system for setting up and categorizing Circles.

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Count Favicon:

This extension for the Chrome browser changes the Google+ icon in the tab to indicate the number of new notifications. Useful for a pinned Google+ tab while browsing in another tab, or for situation where you have a large number of tabs open while browsing other websites in another tab.

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Collapsed Streams:

Another Chrome extension. It collapses the Google+ stream while keeping live updates: hides comments, collapses posts, etc. Enhances the Google+ web app to make it much easier to process a large stream of incoming posts and comments and unlock the potential of its real-time updates.

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Reply to Author:

Replies and More For Google+ adds reply and reply-to-author buttons to Google+ comments and a number of other enhancements:

- Badges the favicon with a number when you have new messages

- Ctrl+Enter and Shift+Enter submit a comment or post

- “M” key mutes a post – Header bar floats down as you scroll

- Adds a dropdown next to share with additional sharing options (Twitter/Facebook/Email)

Find me on G+

As you have probably guessed by now, I’m a G+ fangirl and I certainly think the new social network is here to stay and shake things up (I’m looking at you Twitter and Facebook). So come on over and say ‘Hi’, you can find me at my G+ profile, where I have posted more tips, tools and resources.

Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

In my last post I told you guys in a video that I went location independent and will be traveling the world as a digital nomad. I’ve already been to Lisbon (Portugal), Arzon (France) and now I am currently in Antwerp (Belgium). I will stay in Europe for the summer and fall and then I will be off to Central/South America and the Caribbean.Yipee!

Free E-Course

After reading that post many of you sent me emails telling me that it is also your dream to leave your 9-5 jobs, start/grow your own online business, get rid of your stuff and then go wherever your heart leads you.

So I started thinking about how I could help you do it. And as for most of you the major problem is how to make enough money to make it happen, I decided to finally launch that free eCourse I’ve been talking about for a while now. It will start July 14 and it will teach you how to set up your own WordPress website, so you can start building that creative web biz you have been dreaming about and that will make you financially independent.

You don’t need to be a tech geek and you also don’t need a designer or anyone else to do this for you. I will help you with easy to understand step by step instructions. So if you’re interested (and are not on my email list yet), go sign up here.

Other Resources

In the mean time, check out these other great blogs that also have great resources for (aspiring) digital nomads, travelers and other independent minded individuals:

• The Art of Non-Conformity

Chris Guillebeau plans to visit every country in the world before his 35th birthday. His Art of Non-Conformity (AONC) project chronicles his writing on how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time. In the battle against conventional beliefs, he focuses on three areas: Life, Work, and Travel.

• Location 180

After his college graduation Sean Ogle worked two years crunching numbers at an investment firm. Aside learning he has a disdain for ties, he also realized that he didn’t want to spend his entire life chained to a desk working for someone else. So he started Location 180 and left his job to start the pursuit of his dreams. Now he is starting his new project Location Rebel with which he wants to help people to pursue a life that they are proud of, but more importantly, one that makes them happy.

• Thrilling Heroics

After losing two of his best friends in 2004, life kicked Cody McKibben in the ass with a bit of a wakeup call. He quit his job, moved abroad, and now he lives on the beach, travels regularly throughout Southeast Asia, and strives to help other young professionals live life on their own terms.

• BusinessBackpacker

Brooke Ferguson believes in challenging the norm & finding personal freedom. She does this by living abroad, traveling, climbing, diving, & running her business online. Brooke shows others how to create the Business & Lifestyle of their Dreams & Work from Anywhere in the World.

• NuNomad

“Working abroad” has taken on a whole new meaning. NuNomad is a new resource for those who wish to take their “at-home” jobs with them while they travel and live abroad. They’ll share with you what they know about the process of going from work-at-home to work-anywhere-you-damn-well-please.

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from Antwerp, Belgium

Yamile Yemoonyah

Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

6 weeks ago I went location independent.

I got rid of almost all my stuff except for what fit in my backpack and then I left Berlin, Germany to become a digital nomad traveling the world indefinitely.

This has been my goal for a while now and I am truly proud to have made it a reality. It did take some dedication and a lot of hard work but it’s possible.

There are many ways to go location independent but the way I do it, is through my online business: the CreativeWebBiz website and the services I offer on it (webite building and online biz consulting). All I need is my laptop which doubles as my office and I’m ready to go wherever my heart takes me.

And if I can do it, you can do it too!

We all have gifts and talents we can share with the world. And most of these can be built into an online business of your own. Just be a little creative and dare to think outside the box.

If you need help thinking about a way to make it work for you, just share the challenges you are facing in the comments below and I will be happy to share some tips, tricks, tools and resources with you!

from Arzon, France

Yamile Yemoonyah

Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

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…and stop waiting for more money to make it happen. You don’t need it!

Here are some steps you can take to start selling your creations or creative services right now. No investment needed but your own talents and skills!

• open an Etsy shop to sell your handmade creations
• get an account with RedBubble to sell your art prints
• offer your logo and graphic design skills on CrowdSpring
• sell your merchandise on Zazzle
• sell your music on BandCamp
• start a a blog on WordPress.com
• sign up to the Creative Web Biz newsletter to get notified of the free e-course that will be launched soon.

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What are you waiting for? Get going!

Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

Jennifer Lee of RightBrainBusinessPlan.com is holding the ‘Right Brainers in Business Video Summit‘ (it’s free and yes, you can still sign up!) and during the first session three days ago, her guest Andrea J. Lee got me thinking.

She introduced all viewers of the summit to her ‘Hell Yes – Hell No’ rule (update: Derek Sivers was the first to come up with this ‘rule’. Read his original post here) . It’s one of those really simple but highly effective rules that have the potential to completely transform your creative business and it goes like this:

The next time you have to take a business decision (or any other decision really ) and you’re not sure if you want to go for it or not, just ask your heart about it. It will either say ‘hell, yes’ or ‘hell no’.  Then go with the answer, no matter what you think you ‘should’ do! Still not sure because it’s a ‘maybe’? Well, ‘maybe’ goes in the ‘hell, no’ category. Simple as that.

I can promise you that if you start living by it, you will soon have much more fun running your business, and your productivity will also benefit as we all tend to only procrastinate on stuff we committed to but don’t really like doing.

Try it out for yourself these next few days and then let me know how it worked for you in the comments below!

Yamile

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p.s. I sent out an email about the Right Brainers in Business Video Summit to all my newsletter  subscribers before it started so they could take advantage of this great opportunity . If you don’t wanna miss out next time around, you better sign up too (see top of sidebar)!

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Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

Got Cabin Fever from Working at Home?

As a creative entrepreneur you usually have the freedom to work from wherever you like. This is one of the big advantages and is often being cited as one of the reasons why people start their own business (yes, selling your art or music online is a business). You can work from home in your pajamas or go to a coffee shop with Wi-Fi access.

But the truth is that after a while you get tired of both options. At home you will eventually feel isolated, miss the insparation of working with other people and get cabin fever. Coffee shops are loud and can get expensive because you will have to order drinks and food regularly to keep the owner happy.

That is why I want to introduce you to a third solution: Coworking!

What is Coworking?

‘Coworking is a style of work which involves a shared working environment, sometimes an office, yet independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization. Typically it is attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people who travel frequently who end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.’ (wikipedia)

How to Find a Coworking Space

If coworking sounds like something you want to try, you should definitely explore the Coworking Space Directory, which lists coworking spaces around the world. Another place to search for suitable spaces is Deskwanted where you just have to choose your city and lease term (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) and  you will get a list of available spaces.

Meet other Coworkers Online

Make the coworking wiki your first stop online to find great info on coworking in general and to find other coworkers.Then join the Coworking Google Group and the LinkedIn Group to communicate with others and if you’re on Twitter you can also use the #coworking hashtag.

Coworking Unconference at SXSW

Get to SXSW Interactive a day early to take part in the 2011 Coworking Unconference.

The Coworking Unconference is a collaboration of people who are leading the charge in the growing coworking movement and are passionate about the future of work. It’s the first event of its kind in the U.S., but the premise certainly isn’t new. Coworking is changing the way people think about work and it’s high time people get together to talk about it.

The goal of the unconference is to engage coworking space owners, creative professionals, entrepreneurs, developers, researchers, marketers, educators, and other thought leaders to collaborate and realize smarter and more sustainable work environments. Therefore, the organizers leave it up to you, the coworking community, to determine the program content. Contribute ideas for a panel, keynote, or breakout session here.

Coworking for Travelers

The coworking visa allows active members of one space, when traveling, to use another coworking space, gratis. Terms vary from space to space, with regard to hours of operation, reservation requirements, etc.

Share Your Experiences!

Do you or have you ever worked in a coworking space? Let us know in the comments sections how you liked it, where you worked and/or how it influenced your work and creativity.

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Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

So here we are. It’s finally 2011.

2010 was a tough year for many of us and I must admit I’m glad it’s over. To me it felt like it was the year of many endings without being able to see the path ahead. The year of the Tiger mercilessly devoured everything that had to go so we would be prepared for what’s coming next.

So what IS coming next?

As you might or might not know, I’m very much into Astrology (I’m a Virgo with Pisces ascendant for those of you who are curious) and here are my very own predictions for 2011:

This coming March the planet Uranus will finally move back into Aries after being retrograde (going backwards back into Pisces) for more than 6 months. What does this mean? Uranus is about change. With Uranus in Pisces (last 6 months) much is going on beneath the earth which we cannot see yet. Like seeds being sown and growing but not yet visible above the earth. Uranus in Aries is when change finally gets visible for all to see.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here is what you need to know in one sentence:

We got three more months to sow some more seeds and then our creations will start to bloom and hopefully turn into a beautiful garden of brilliance.

So get crackin’, use the energies of Uranus in Pisces to dream and envision what you want to create this year and then when the planet moves into Aries, see how things start unfolding!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, much success with your creative web biz and much love

Yamile

Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

Today I’m sitting at my desk sipping tea while outside it is snowing and the sky here in Berlin almost has the same color as the white streets and rooftops. The perfect day to write a post bout Christmas presents :-)

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I’d rather be in the Studio – from 24$

The art marketing book for artists who want to sell more art by art biz coach Alyson B Stanfield. ‘I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion‘ offers practical advice to help them sell more art and build an art career that lasts.

Buy it before Dec 18 and get 5 bonus goodies (special reports):

• Artist Statements: What’s the Big Deal with Something So Small?

• Unbelievably Dumb Mistakes Artists Make When Presenting Themselves

• Receive Feedback Gracefully to be a Better Artist

• 3-page Checklist for Promoting Your Exhibits & Events

• After the Sale: What do you do next?

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Creating your 2011 Goddess Year Workbook & Planner – 9.95$

The popular Creating your Goddess Year Workbook & Planner by Goddess Leonie is back for 2011… and this time, it’s got a Calendar included!

It’s the best tool to help make 2011 an absolutely incredible year! It’s filled with 72 pages of worksheets & a printable calendar to help dream, manifest, set intentions, plan & cultivate an amazing new year. 2010 has been a big year. In this workbook, the year will be given thanks for, celebrated, healed and given closure. Then the workbook will help getting clarity on what the goals for 2011 are going to be. What will be created during it and how to make it happen.

The workbook is handwritten & rainbow illustrated… perfect to print out, soak up the rainbow colours of, and make 2011 a gorgeous year.

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Blast Off Online Class – 97$

The Blast Off class by art biz coach Alyson B. Stanfield is a terrific blend of motivation, coaching, and practical business tools creatives can use to give their art career a big boost and take it to a new level. . It will be held January 5-28, 2011

In this class, they will . . .

• Decide to go for it
• Define success for themselves
• Commit to their vision
• Identify and personalize strategies
• Create good habits
• Release what they don’t love
• Set boundaries
• Commit to accepting responsibility for their life
• Capture their Vision and plan to enact it
• Identify tasks they can hire out (or let go of)
• Complete a challenging (but workable) plan for the entire year

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Marketing for Makers eCourse – 397$

The Marketing for Makers e-course by Megan Auman is designed to teach creative entrepreneurs the best methods to market their business to increase traffic and sales.  Not only that, but this course is designed specifically to help makers, designers, and crafters choose the right marketing strategies and develop a marketing plan they can actually stick to.

The Marketing for Makers e-course is for creatives if…

• They want to increase traffic (and sales) in their online shop. (Regardless of whether that shop is through Etsy, Big Cartel, their own e-commerce site, or some other solution.)
• They’d like to see their products featured in more blogs and magazines. (And perhaps a few newspapers and TV news broadcasts as well.)
• They want to get their products in more stores and galleries.
• They want to maximize their reach through blogs and social media.
• And they want to build a strong and consistent brand identity that pulls it all together.

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The DIY Creative Web Biz Kit – 77€ (about 100$)

For artists, crafters, photographers, designers, musicians, cooks, clowns and other creative entrepreneurs who would love to finally get a professional website with their own domain name but lack the money to hire an expensive web designer and  the technical skills to do it themselves. With the Creative Web Biz Kit they can start building an online biz around their talents and gifts and start making a living while doing what they love, what they care for and what is important to them!

It  includes a basic WordPress  set-up (a state of the art website software) and an e-course that will teach them to design and customize the new website to their own liking and make changes to the site any time they’d like, in any way they’d like. This way they are not dependent on a designer and are then able to grow the site into the foundation of their creative online biz.

If they are passionate about what they do and  are willing to make it happen no matter what, this might just be the start to earning a living with doing what they love!

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That’s it! I think these are great gifts for any creative entrepreneur. If you know any others, please let us know in the comments!

Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business

Today it ‘s Thanksgiving in the US.

So I was planning to write a list of all the things that I’m thankful for in my business and beyond.

But you know what…right now I don’t feel like it ( because I already read too many of those lists today).

And as Goddess Leonie taught me today, I don’t have to do anything I do not truly want to do!

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Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m not thankful, I am, very much so indeed.

In fact I just took a long walk and thanked the Universe for all it has given me this last year.

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But here, on the Creative Web Biz blog I just want to thank YOU!

My readers, supporters and clients.

Without you there would be no point in keeping this site up, right?

But instead of telling you how much I appreciate y’all, I’ll do  something else instead:

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I’m holding a sale!

You can get the Creative Web Biz Kit for 55 € (73$) instead of 77€ (103$)

Just use ‘CreativeEntrepreneur’ as the discount code during checkout and you’re all set.

This offer is not only valid today, on Thanksgiving itself, but also tomorrow on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and all the way up till Cyber Monday.

Get it HERE!

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Enjoy the weekend

Yamile

Creative Web Biz - the art of creating an online business