How To Be A Handmade Boss

By Steph Cole-Lewis

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Subscribers: 6
Reviews: 0
Episodes: 125

Description

Whether you’re a complete beginner on Etsy, or want to scale your handmade business to multi-6 figures, the “How To Be A Handmade Boss” podcast gives you actionable advice and workshop style full length episodes to grow your handmade business on Etsy and beyond.

We get it. Starting or growing a handmade business can be really overwhelming, and sometimes you feel like you have an expensive hobby rather than a profitable business. If you have questions like “How can I make sales in my business?” “How do I start a handmade shop?” “How can I make this passion my full-time gig?” or “How do I sell my crafts online” then you’re in the right place boss!

I’m Steph, a multi 6-figure handmade business owner (in the top 0.1% of all shops on Etsy), bestselling author of “How to be a handmade boss”, visionary and coach behind Handmade Bosses. 

However, It wasn’t always rainbows and unicorns though. Today, my business(es) are bustling, but way back in 2014 when I started, it was HARD. Favourites but no sales, slow sales and low profits seemed in the beginning, like the trajectory of my business. Luckily following the system I’ve now curated, All of that changed and I went full-time in my handmade business in 2016.

Let’s focus on turning your passion into profit, because the world really does need these special creations that you only bring to life.


Episode Date
#124 - Social Media for Beginners: What To Post When You Have No Idea Where To Start
Jul 22, 2026
#123 - Etsy for Beginners: The Simple Shop Check I’d Do Before Chasing More Views
Jul 15, 2026
#122 - Etsy for Beginners: Why Buyers Don’t Trust New Etsy Shops Yet
Jul 08, 2026
#121 - Etsy for Beginners: Build Your First Product Range Without Making 47 Random Things
Jul 01, 2026
#120 - Etsy for Beginners: How to Know If Your Handmade Product Is Ready to Sell
Jun 24, 2026
#119 - How To Get Your First Etsy Sales Without Posting Everywhere
Jun 17, 2026
#118 - Etsy SEO For Beginners: Stop Using Random Keywords
Jun 10, 2026
#117 - How To Start Your Etsy Shop Without Overthinking Everything
Jun 03, 2026
#116 - Etsy For Beginners: Why Your Listings Aren’t Selling Yet
May 27, 2026
#115 - Etsy for Beginners: How Hannah Turned Her Hobby Into a Real Handmade Business
May 20, 2026
#114 - Starting an Etsy Shop on a Budget: What to Spend, What to Skip, and What Actually Matters
May 13, 2026
#113 - Etsy Shop Not Getting Sales? The Real Reasons Your Shop Feels Quiet
May 06, 2026
#112 The Best Daily Etsy To-Do List for Beginners (Without the Overwhelm)
Apr 29, 2026
#111 Are Your Etsy Prices Too Low? A Simple Handmade Pricing Method for Beginners
Apr 22, 2026
#110 Starting Etsy Without a Perfect Niche: What Beginners Should Do Instead
Apr 15, 2026
#109 How to Write Etsy Listings Like a Human (That Actually Get Sales)
Apr 08, 2026
#108 - What to Do This Week If You’re New to Etsy (A Simple Plan)
Apr 01, 2026
#107 - Etsy SEO for Beginners (Without the Algorithm Panic)
Mar 25, 2026
#106 - Your First Etsy Listings: What Actually Matters (Beginner Friendly)
Mar 18, 2026
#105 “How to Set Up an Etsy Shop Without Overthinking Everything”
Mar 11, 2026
#104 “Brand New to Etsy? Watch This Before You Do Anything Else”
Mar 04, 2026
#103 - 5 Real Ways to Make Money With Canva (The Honest Version for Etsy Sellers)
Feb 25, 2026
#102 - My 2026 Etsy Profit Playbook: How Six-Figure Shops Are Actually Built (Without Burnout)
Feb 18, 2026
#101 - Etsy Views But No Sales? Fix Your Listings So They Actually Convert (2026)
Feb 11, 2026
#100 - How Top 0.1% Etsy Sellers Got There And Why You're Falling Behind
Feb 04, 2026
#99 - How to Start Selling on Etsy in 5 Simple Steps (Etsy Shop for Beginners Step by Step Walk Through)
Jan 28, 2026
#98 -The Etsy 2026 Trend Report
Jan 21, 2026
#97 - Future-Proofing Your Etsy Shop: Navigating 2026's Secret Unannounced Updates
Jan 14, 2026
#96 - Etsy's Post-Holiday Slump: Strategies to Thrive After Christmas Sales
Jan 07, 2026
#95 - BEST OF 2025 - #7 Starting a new Etsy shop or Handmade business? This is your to-do list
Dec 31, 2025
#94 - BEST OF 2025 - #1 - The Beginner's Guide to the Etsy Algorithm
Dec 24, 2025
#93 - “Your niche is your flag - plant it, own it, and never deviate.”
Dec 17, 2025
#92 - How To Post Consistently (Even When You’ve Got Kids, Orders, and No Brain Space Left)
Dec 10, 2025
#91 - How To Fix Your “No One Sees My Posts” Problem (Without Spending a Penny)
Dec 03, 2025
#90 - How To Stop Spending 2 Hours On a Post That Gets 12 Views
Nov 26, 2025
#89 - Struggling to Charge What You’re Worth? Let’s Talk.
Nov 19, 2025
#88 - How to Get Your First 100 Email Subscribers in Just One Weekend
Nov 12, 2025
#87 - Why Handmade Sellers Who Skip Email Marketing Leave Thousands on the Table
Nov 05, 2025
#86 - From Origami to Etsy: How Gillian Turned Paper into Profitable Jewellery
Oct 29, 2025
#85 - From Stuck to Sold-Out: Real HBSA Student Success Stories You Need to Hear
Oct 22, 2025
#84 - Why More Etsy Listings Won’t Fix Your Sales Problem
Oct 15, 2025
#83 - Here's why your Etsy shop is stuck.
Oct 08, 2025
#82 - Etsy’s 2025 Updates Explained: What Handmade Sellers Need to Know
Oct 01, 2025
#81 - Why Your Etsy Listings Aren’t Selling (and What’s Really Going On)
Sep 24, 2025
#80 - 20 Niche Etsy Ideas with High Demand and Low Competition
Sep 17, 2025
#79 - Is Your Shop Holiday-Ready? Take This 5-Minute Check (Handmade Sellers)
Sep 10, 2025
#78 - Stop Comparing Your Handmade Business to Others (and Do This Instead)
Sep 03, 2025
#77 - From Fresh Flowers to Thriving Wreath Business: Claire's Handmade Journey
Aug 27, 2025
#76 - Instagram Not Converting? Here’s Why (+ How to Fix It as a Handmade Seller)
Aug 20, 2025
#75 - Instagram Reels That Sell: Step-by-Step for Handmade Sellers
Aug 13, 2025
#74 - Etsy’s Latest Earnings: What It Really Means for Your Shop (And How to Respond)
Aug 06, 2025
#73 - How to Market Your Handmade Products on Instagram (Step-by-Step Free Training for 2025)
Jul 30, 2025
#72 - 15 Autumn Trends for 2025 Handmade Sellers Need to Know
Jul 23, 2025
#71 - Proven Etsy Listing Tips to Boost Your Sales and Get Found in Search
Jul 16, 2025
#70 - Building a Brand Around What You Actually Love: Fran’s Story
Jul 09, 2025
#69 - Why Some Makers Stay Stuck (and How to Finally Move Forward)
Jul 02, 2025
#68 - Understanding the Seasons of Your Handmade Business (And How to Thrive in Each One)
Jun 25, 2025
#67 - Day 5 Affirmation: Abundance & Repeatable Success
Jun 20, 2025
#66 - Day 4 Affirmation: Embracing Visibility & Magnetic Energy
Jun 19, 2025
#65 - Day 3 Affirmation: Selling with Ease and Authenticity
Jun 18, 2025
#64 - Day 2 Affirmation: Believing in Your Products and Your Worth
Jun 17, 2025
#63 - Day 1 Affirmation: Stepping Into Your Power as a Handmade Business Owner
Jun 16, 2025
#62 - The Truth About Etsy Policies (And How to Stay Out of Trouble)
Jun 11, 2025
#61 - The Real Reason You're Not Getting Sales (And It's Not What You Think)
Jun 04, 2025
#60 - Etsy's Algorithm Change (Etsy Q Score) + Etsy’s Q1 Results: What Handmade Sellers Need to Know
May 28, 2025
#59 - How Handmade Sellers Are Making £1k in Just 7 Days (Without a Huge Audience)
May 21, 2025
#58 - Why Your Sales Are Inconsistent (And How to Fix It for Good)
May 14, 2025
#57 - How the Threads Algorithm REALLY Works (And What to Do About It)
May 07, 2025
#56 - How Jen Turned Her Craft Hobby Into a Real Business – The Honest Journey of Indy Bee Crafts
Apr 30, 2025
#55 - Cracking the Code: How the Facebook Group Algorithm Really Works
Apr 23, 2025
#54 - How the Pinterest Algorithm Really Works (and How to Use It to Boost Sales)
Apr 16, 2025
53 - How the Instagram Algorithm Really Works in 2025 (for Handmade Business Owners)
Apr 09, 2025
#52 How the Facebook page algorithm works
Apr 02, 2025
#51 - REAL TALK Does the HBSA actually work?
Mar 26, 2025
#50 - 'The perfect journey' for our HBSA Student Heather
Mar 19, 2025
#49 The beginners guide to Pinterest for handmade business owners
Mar 12, 2025
#48 - How to keep going when you're not seeing results - AMA (Ask Me Anything)
Mar 05, 2025
#47 - Your 7-Day Affirmations Challenge
Feb 26, 2025
#46 - Learn how HBSA student Laura turned her passion into a business
Feb 19, 2025
#45 - Marketing has changed since 2020. Here's what's working now (backed by research)
Feb 12, 2025
#44 - The Communication Game: Should You Speak with 'We' or 'I'?
Feb 05, 2025
#43 - Unlock Effortless Social Media Growth: Proven Strategies that Work
Jan 29, 2025
#42 - Here's how to have a calm marketing strategy for your handmade business
Jan 22, 2025
#41 - Unlock Peak Sales After Christmas: Tips to Thrive in the New Year
Jan 15, 2025
#40 - Unlock Extraordinary Business and Personal Growth with My Proven Dream Board Method
Jan 08, 2025
#39 - I Failed. How Ignoring My Own Advice Led to Burnout — Lessons Learned
Jan 01, 2025
#38 - Crafting Success: Charly's Journey to Niche Mastery and Business Resilience
Dec 18, 2024
#37 - GPSR, Is Etsy's $£ down? Instagram scams and things you need to know - The BIG Update
Dec 11, 2024
#36 - Unlock Your Handmade Business Potential: What’s Holding You Back?
Dec 04, 2024
#35 - How to succeed in your handmade business with ADHD
Nov 27, 2024
#34 - "A year ago I was listing something on Etsy, finding it wasn't selling and having a panic attack" HBSA student Tara's honest conversation about her business then and now
Nov 20, 2024
#33 - What to Do When Someone Steals Your Designs: A Step-by-Step Guide
Nov 13, 2024
#32 - Don't Give Up on Your Handmade Business Dreams – This Can Help!
Nov 06, 2024
#31 - How to Seamlessly Take a Month Off and Keep Your Business Running
Oct 30, 2024
#30 - The BIG Ecommerce World Updates for Etsy and Instagram: Everything You Need to Know
Oct 23, 2024
#29 - How My Husband REALLY Feels About My Handmade Business
Oct 16, 2024
#28 How Joining HBSA Boosted Vicky's Conversion Rate From 0.2% to 5.4% - An interview with HBSA student Vicky
Oct 09, 2024
#27 - How I Built Lasting Friendships As A Handmade Business Owner
Oct 02, 2024
#26 - What is a social media home hub and how do you find yours?
Sep 25, 2024
#25 Discover Why Leigh Calls The HBSA a "Business Hug" for Students
Sep 18, 2024
#24 Transform Your Handmade Business with Proven SEO Techniques
Sep 11, 2024
#23 Skyrocket Your Handmade Business Sales with These Proven Strategies
Sep 04, 2024
#22 Discover Your Target Audience: Tips for Online Handmade Business Owners
Aug 28, 2024
#21 - The BIG Update - Ecommerce world update - Etsy, Shopify, Instagram, Canva & Pinterest
Aug 21, 2024
#20 - Handmade business sales dropped? WTF is going on!?
Aug 14, 2024
#19 The HBSA "helped us get set up properly right off the bat... it's a really nice community that makes it a little bit easier to not just be stuck in business by yourself" Diversifying Your Handmade Business with Erik
Aug 07, 2024
#18 - What should I pay myself, as a handmade business owner?
Jul 31, 2024
#17 - How to stop overwhelm in your handmade business
Jul 24, 2024
#16 - This is why your handmade business is HARD (business lessons part 2)
Jul 17, 2024
#15 "Joining the HBSA was, hand on heart, the best thing I've done" Live with Handmade Bosses student Pash
Jul 10, 2024
#14 - The HARD Handmade Business Lessons NOONE Talks About
Jul 03, 2024
#13 - The BIG Update - Ecommerce world update - Etsy, Shopify, Instagram, etc
Jun 26, 2024
#12 - My first LIVE episode answering your handmade business and Etsy questions
Jun 19, 2024
#11 "There's something about you that clicked...and I invested in myself" ... Live with Handmade Bosses student Karen
Jun 12, 2024
#10 - When should I start an email list?
Jun 05, 2024
#9 - Can you have a handmade business without social media?
May 29, 2024
#8 - When should you trademark your business?
May 22, 2024
#7 Starting a new Etsy shop or Handmade business? This is your to-do list
May 15, 2024
#6 - An URGENT Update On Etsy's Future.
May 08, 2024
#5 - How to Get Your Products Ranking in Search Results
May 05, 2024
#1 - The Beginner's Guide to the Etsy Algorithm
May 01, 2024
#2 - Take the Leap from 9-5 to Running Your Own Business
May 01, 2024
#3 - What Should I Sell?
May 01, 2024
#4 - How Do I Resurrect A Dead Shop?
May 01, 2024
How To Be A Handmade Boss Podcast Trailer
Apr 24, 2024