The first time I visited Ana, aka Cha Cha Covers, in LA, she gently insisted I take my business online. I tried Etsy over five years ago, when I first started Very That, pero I failed miserably. I did not think I could try it again, even though my sister and biggest cheerleader, Laura also kept nudging me to take the leap.
Timing is everything.
I noticed that my Instagram following was growing out of San Antonio, and then out of Texas. People were asking where they could buy my stuff and I didn't know what to tell them. I sold via Instagram for a while, but that was a hard thing to manage after the first dozen orders. It was a good problem to have!
I came home from that first west coast trip different, mas enfocada en mi. I did so much research and homework and took the time to vision what selling online would look like. YouTube University is real, ya'll. Also, friends like Ana and Nicole from Sweetcraft Jewelry, both pros at Etsy and e-commerce, were there to answer my many many MANY questions.
After a lot of work and trial and error-- sas! I posted my first few items on Etsy and never looked back.
This has changed my life in so many ways! I went from doing local shows ALL the time, to being able to really pick what shows are best for me and my products (and honestly, my back and sanity). I had to quickly learn the world of packaging and shipping and ALLLLL of the things that go hand in hand with e-commerce. It's a fascinating world, and I really enjoy this learning process.
After a lot of work and trial and error-- sas! I posted my first few items on Etsy and never looked back.
This has changed my life in so many ways! I went from doing local shows ALL the time, to being able to really pick what shows are best for me and my products (and honestly, my back and sanity). I had to quickly learn the world of packaging and shipping and ALLLLL of the things that go hand in hand with e-commerce. It's a fascinating world, and I really enjoy this learning process.
I believe that the universe has my back. I believe in the law of attraction. & I believe in the power of manifestation. The previous holiday season, which would have been 2015, I loaded up on clearance bubble mailers at Target. I bought them ALL up and stored them away knowing I'd need them one day. Etsy wasn't even a second thought at that time. I went through that first batch so quickly!
Timing is EVERYTHING.
Timing is EVERYTHING.
Now, over 18 thousand online sales later, lots of mistakes and triumphs and so many lessons learned, I am ready to take a leap of faith.
I introduce to you the all new VeryThat.com ! You'll soon see the full thing, with all her bells and whistles and a very full tiendita, on my very own website. I'm so excited, un poco nerviosa, and very very grateful at how it has all come together. While Etsy was a great way for me to start, I'm clear on who they promote and who they don't. As a QWOC, I'm very proud to have something that is independent and all my own. You'll still find a smaller selection of my things there, pero now all traffic will point to verythat.com. ME SIENTO MUY EXCITED!
In the coming months you'll see video content, behind the scenes, workshops, and more of my writing. I'm curious to know what YOU would like to see. Very That is very much a community of comadres and chingonas and poderosas, and I want to hear from you, queridas.
I introduce to you the all new VeryThat.com ! You'll soon see the full thing, with all her bells and whistles and a very full tiendita, on my very own website. I'm so excited, un poco nerviosa, and very very grateful at how it has all come together. While Etsy was a great way for me to start, I'm clear on who they promote and who they don't. As a QWOC, I'm very proud to have something that is independent and all my own. You'll still find a smaller selection of my things there, pero now all traffic will point to verythat.com. ME SIENTO MUY EXCITED!
In the coming months you'll see video content, behind the scenes, workshops, and more of my writing. I'm curious to know what YOU would like to see. Very That is very much a community of comadres and chingonas and poderosas, and I want to hear from you, queridas.
Thank you so much for supporting me, my store, my heart. I cannot express how grateful I am to do what I do, to connect with all of you, and to live my life like it's golden. There's going to be a huge sale starting 9/1, mucho ojo!
Con tanto tanto tanto amor,
Cristina Maria Martinez
La Very That