After taking a little time off, I am featuring an artisan on Etsy, Amanda from Crafty Dragon a.k.a. Dragon's Den. Dragon's Den offers natural soaps, lotions and candles. Dragon's Den started with Amanda's longing to become more self sufficient as well as offering natural bath products for her family. As fate would have it, Amanda met a friend who taught her how to achieve just this and she took off from there! Amanda has observed her products evolving over time. She finds that she began with very simple ideas, and well, one thing leads to another. Before she knew it, the floodgates opened and the creativity took off. One thing that Amanda would love to learn is Chainmaille. She would love to add this skill to her repertoire at one point.
Yin-Yang Candle Set
(Vanilla)
$16.50
On the business aspect, Amanda keeps her recipes in Word documents on her computer and when she finds new ideas for recipes online, she bookmarks them until she can research them further. When she hits a creative road block, she allows her mind to work through it by not setting expectations for herself. She just allows herself to play around to see what happens. While she is working, she listens to all kinds of music and pod casts. Amanda finds that when she hears music in the background, it prevents her from being distracted by other things around the house and studio. It helps her to focus on the task at hand.
Custom 1 oz. Soaps for Promo or Party Favors
20 Piece
$22.50
Amanda's favorite selling venue is online on Etsy. She loves the fact that she can connect to customers all over the world. Her most memorable moment in her business was when a customer contacted her to let her know how much Amanda's product helped her. The feeling of satisfaction knowing you can deliver a product that the general product cannot get in stores. Amanda feels that her biggest obstacle is driving traffic to her site. She engages in inexpensive advertising and is seeing traffic slowly come to her site. Amanda also feels that blogging is her most productive marketing technique. It allows her to connect with the public while the public learns what goes on behind the scenes.
Cotton Bath Mit
$7.50
I asked Amanda if she could offer any advice to fellow business owners. Here's what she had to say:
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Sampler of Tea Lights, Soap and Lip Balm$5.00
Be sure to stop by to see Amanda...and tell her Alterity sent you!
