Monday, October 13, 2008

Niche


My dad and I had a conversation yesterday in his backyard (ohhh, I should show you photos, it is lovely) about what my niche was. He asked if I was talking about my product niche or my target market niche. Originally, I thought just my product, but before he finished his sentence (which actually was some time, my Dad LOVES to talk) I changed my answer to 'both'.

I joined Twitter a couple days ago and installed SiteMeter on this blog. I thought, since I haven't had a sale in 28 days, what the heck. Nothing to lose, Twitter is free and is the fastest, easiest site to set up. I now have 148 people following me. That means, 148 people are able to see what I post - limit of 140 characters. I post updates on my blog, I post new items I list on Etsy, but try not to overwhelm folks with constant "buy from me" posts, as I am noticing on Twitter. And since joining Twitter, I believe my blog hits have multiplied immensely. (Join me @washmycloth on Twitter - Twitter is fun to say, isn't it? Close second to crotch-eting).
I need to focus, let's call the above paragraph my 'Ode to Dan', my Dad. It is nice to have a little background and out loud brainstorming, right?

So, onto my product niche. I have no idea what it is. I can do a bunch of things, but not sure what I do the best, or what I like to do the best. I love making the felted purses, but they take a lot of time. Love weaving, but that takes much much longer than any little purse. I love the blanquilts and embroidering on them, but piecing the top together doesn't bring out the best 'Carrie'. I get a little frustrated. Could it be that I am working on the floor on a pink rug with only a pair of scissors, swatting tiny cars away and my arm or hand or torso as my measuring tool and it is 11 pm when I get the urge to work on something other than watching tv?

I digress, Ode to Dan. When considering a niche, I am also thinking "what can I make and sell low to get high volume of sales?" There are folks on Etsy that list new items daily. Product that you set yourself up to make multiples at one project time. I just can't do that. Some would say (not me, for sure) that makes my work more unique or valuable - but the sales aren't supporting that theory.

I spoke a couple posts about my orders from Yummy Goods, if you haven't seen this blog where Melissa shows photos of her shop, you should. Anyway, the colors I am working with now, are great. Lime green, bright sea blue, hot pink, happy colors. But now, I have little hanks* of cotton yarn that aren't big enough for much...except for little flowers.

Niche? Probably not, but they make me happy for now.
* I am laughing out loud because prior to the letter H, I had SK...I knew something wasn't quite right. Maybe my niche is renaming things and changing their pronunciations.

2 comments:

lotta said...

Hi Carrie,

I relate to your pondering about "niche" or "product development". I have struggled with this for years. Recently I decided to take an outside part-time job, just so I can devote time to my art without worrying about the money issue. So far it is working. I have never been happier in my studio - I spend a little less time there but when I do it is working on things I truly love - not just production. Thank you for your recent visits to inleaf, and for listing me on your blog! Keep up your wonderful work - follow your instincts.

Beth Ann said...

I'm struggling with the niche thing too. Your dad really cares and I'm glad he is a sounding board for you. I wouldn't have "run across" you if it wasn't for twitter, wouldn't have looked at etsy.... guess twitter works in some respects, I'm just starving monetarily right now, so I can only give you praise and encouragement. I've never been a big fan of felting, but I like the texture from the crochet and maybe combo of wool and cotton... Just don't quit creating!