Okay, I can’t even BEGIN to tell you how blown away I was by the responses to my last post: 10 Reasons Why Etsy is a Starting Point (but only a starting point).  I’m so happy that so many of you commented saying that you’ve already made the crucial jump to your own site.  You guys rock!

Those of you who said you hadn’t made the move yet said something over and over that I thought we should address.  The main reason most of you said you hadn’t created your own site was that you didn’t want to spend money on it.

I’ve got some sad news for you though: You need to spend money to make money.

If you want a professional looking shop and website that makes people see YOU and your business as professional (and trustworthy to give money to), then you need to spend money to do that.

And in all honesty, it’s not as much money as you think.  I give my hosting company $6 a month to keep my website up and running.  I give my shopping cart company $27 a month to put as many items in my shop as I like and to have a professional, pretty shop (complete with cute shopping bag icon) that puts my customer’s at ease when they buy.  That’s it!  $33 a month = a beautiful shop and website.

In the world of business, $33 a month is a pittance.  And if you’re not willing to pay that amount for your business, it may be time to consider just how far you want to go with your endeavor.  There’s nothing wrong with simply being an Etsy seller or a part-time maker or even a hobbyist.  But it’s important to decide which you are because that will help you make decisions.  If you want to do your work full-time, then you’ll make different choices than someone who wants to do their work part-time while keeping a ‘normal’ part-time job as well.

However, if you do want to go from hobbyist to full-time, I hate to break it to you but it’s going to take years and it’s going to take money.  Money for shows, money for supplies, money for your website, and money for marketing.  That means you need to have your prices set correctly to ensure that you’re making enough profit to cover all of those expenses, pay yourself, pay your taxes, and stock up your savings and retirement funds.

So take some time today to figure out who you are and who you want to be: full-timer, part-timer, or hobbyist.  Then come to grips with the simple fact of business: You have to spend money to make money.

No whining is allowed in the comments today!  Haha.  But feel free to share your comments.

{Featured image via Chris Closet Creations}