Tag: maxxinspired

Maxxinspired #1

inspiringmax

As some of you know I opened an Etsy shop in January. It certainly is a different journey than I thought it would be, but I love it. When I started I had done a lot of research and made a plan however over time it has taken on a life of its own. My shop is called Maxxinspired. A sister to my blog Inspiring Max and both are based on my life. Because of this close connection I have decided to commence a weekly blogpost about my journey with my Etsy shop. I hope that you will find my insights and my designs interesting. My plan is to share the weekly highs, lows and frustrations of being a fledgling Etsy business owner.

For this weeks initial designs I am sharing the 12 designs that have sold. It is a very exciting moment when you hear the Cha-ching and I rush with anticipation to see which design has sold. Its my little dopamine hit. I am pleased to say my sales have been very varied as my shop is divided into many niches that have played a role in my life. These include mental health, nursing, bookish, travel, outdoors, gymnastics, toddlers, retirement, adulting moment, family, coffee, everyday issues, sassy women and my grumpy old men ( my biggest seller and leader in getting people to click). I based my winning grumpy designs on my husband so he thinks it is hilarious that he is the most popular. Over the last few weeks I have also added blankets and mugs. My tagline is Designs Inspired by Real Life, Made for Everyday Wear.

In my shop I currently have 675 designs. My initial goal was to get to 600 designs by the beginning of July as I was adding about 100 designs a month. Now however my growth has slowed substantially because I have now entered the stage of curating my shop. This effectively means that as my designs come up for renewal I am deciding if my early designs are good enough to stay in, can be changed to stay in or need to be be deleted forever. This takes time and means even though I am still designing at the same rate my number are slower to go up as I am losing designs each day. Sales and progress is slow because it takes time for the Etsy algorithm to find you and know who to send to your shop. While I have had only 12 sales I have 140+ favorited designs which is a good sign people are liking what they see. Hopefully in the next few months people will return to my shop and purchase a percentage of my favorited designs. I do have to remind myself that while progress is slow I need to trust the system like I did when I first started blogging. I didn’t have one view for over 3 months. But I kept going and now I have been read in over 150 countries. PATIENCE and TIME are the secrets.

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4439612879/take-the-steps-raccoon-hiking-shirt

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4457957709/funny-retirement-golf-shirt-golfing-is

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4471238128/were-better-together-australian-wildlife

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4439607225/let-your-dreams-fly-shirt-butterfly-tree

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4523271653/mens-gymnastics-shirt-boys-rings-graphic

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4530068214/girls-fairy-shirt-youth-fantasy-graphic

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4488381686/retirement-dopamine-shirt-not-my-problem

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4539786619/whimsical-ghost-halloween-blanket

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4478487790/grumpy-old-man-social-club-shirt-funny

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4535374797/personalized-youth-gymnastics-balance

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com/au/listing/4533721664/personalized-youth-gymnastics-rings

Click on the above links to go to more information about each design.

To have access to the whole shop click on the link below.

https://maxxinspired.etsy.com

Coffee Catch-Up #52

inspiringmax

If we were having coffee I would tell you today is my 64th birthday. And yes my husband has already sung to me with the help of the Beatles When I’m Sixty Four. I remember when I was young this seemed so old, but now I am here I feel like a baby in the next few decades of my life. In Australia today is also National Rum Day which is fitting as it is one of my favorite drinks. To celebrate hubby has also made me his specialty, Ginger Chocolate Rum Cakes. It is yummy so I can’t wait for this years version. To celebrate my birthday today Mickey Mouse is adorning our coffee direct from the Disney Wonder last January.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how surprised and excited I was recently when I received notification from WordPress that my little blog had achieved World Dominance Award. This apparently means that it has been read by people in 150 countries. I think that I have found my voice which was one of my goals when I started Inspiring Max in 2014. The other real shock is that it happened over time with people picking up and finding things I wrote up to 12 years ago. Thanks to you all for supporting my journey

If we were having coffee I would tell you I can’t believe it has been nearly six months since our last coffee. Where does the time go. Mind you this coffee catch-up is like my real life ones. Suddenly I turn around and realise it has been many months since we have seen each other. Like me, my blog has developed a life of its own. With 100+ views a day without me adding new content it deserves focus. So focus it will get. It’s exciting. I never dreamed this was possible so lets see where the next 12 months brings us.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that my hamstring injury is healing well. I have returned to Aqua aerobics which I love as well as exercises for older people which are good for my hamstring. It has now been 9 months since my wave caused injury and I have not yet returned to the ocean. In Australia it is winter so that part is easy at present. Hopefully it will continue to improve as time goes by.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how my Etsy shop is going. Like blogging it is hard to get your designs seen at first. but everyday I am seeing this improve. Also like blogging some of my original designs need upgrading which I am doing slowly. I currently have 660 designs and a clear vision for what is maxxinspired and what isn’t. As my blog and Etsy shop were made to go together I have decided to add a weekly segment called Maxxinspired Catch Up. A sister segment to my Coffee Catch -Ups where I talk about and upload the designs I have created that week as well as anything else of interest. I am sure that getting back to blogging will help inspire some fun t shirt, blanket and mug designs too. I have added a link to my shop and will let you know for the 16th my birthday I am running a sale if you stop by and anything peaks your interest. https://maxxinspired.etsy.com

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.

Thanks to Natalie for hosting weekend coffee share

Coffee Catch-Up # 50

inspiringmax

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I retired last August when my long service leave ended. I had been planning it for 3 years so I was ready. Now nearly one year since I worked my last shift (26th Feb), my days fill so quickly. I can’t believe I had time to work. And I’m only just returning to blogging. I have so many stories to share with you all. When I was talking to my daughter yesterday about returning, I could feel my energy rising even at the thought of creating again. A good sign I think.

This photo of my swimming hole was taken two weeks later when I was trying to photograph the Southern Aurora. It looks so innocent, doesn’t it.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that the morning after my farewell dinner I was so excited. I had to decided to go for my first swim of the season in this pool like section of our local beach. It is always fun just floating around in the waves here. I felt pumped and full of life as I walked into the ocean. I was part way in when a wave came with such force it pushed my left leg hard and fast to a 90 degree angle. Definitely not something 60+ year old legs are meant to do. I couldn’t believe it.

I was alone, although there were many other women and children in the swimming area. I crawled out. A lady came to help but I was sure I’d be alright when I made it to the shore. But I was very wrong. On the beach I couldn’t stand up due to major pain and dizziness. I screamed so loudly every time I attempted to get up. Another lady got the lifeguards and I eventually made it off the beach and into an ambulance. The problem was I couldn’t weight bare and had to sit to control the pain. When the ambo’s arrived they gave me “the green whistle” to manage the pain. Then I could walk supported. As I spent so much time sitting in the sand and it was high tide, every time I moved all day, sand dropped all over the floor. I’m sure people were wondering why is there sand in the ED.

I ended up with a hamstring tear 22cm x 3cm (7 in X 1in). Let me tell you not being able to walk is scary. I am recovering well and realise it could have been a lot worse. I am very grateful for all the help I received on that day. I’m not sure when my family will let me swim in the ocean again.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that once I could sit comfortable in my chair I used my recovery time wisely. One of my 25 goals for 2025 was to start designing for an Etsy shop I wanted to create. So I did. I watched many You-tube videos, upskilled myself in Canva and found Kitttl. (a new design software that uses templates). Chat GPT also became my new best friend. I began creating designs in November. I found it so exciting. When I was ready to open my shop in January, I had over 80 to choose from. The whole process has been so interesting.

After a slow and steady start to help the ETSY algorithm do it’s thing, I uploaded my 50th design this morning. Now I can chose my upload rate, I have decided on 3 a day. This keeps me moving but doesn’t overwhelm me. Initially, I had no plan what my shop would look like. It developed itself organically. It is not trendy. It is based on all the areas and eras of my life. My shop’s tag line is “inspired by a life well lived.” Like my blog, it reflects t shirt designs that mean something to me. Some examples of my sections are feel good life, everyday life, bookish life, nursing life, gymnastics life, adulting moments and outdoor/adventure. It has been fun creating a design and then working out where it will sit in my shop.

Ironically, even before I knew this was going to happen I chose to name my shop, maxxinspired ,a turn about of my blog name Inspiring Max. Here is the link if you are interested in stopping by, https://www.etsy.com/shop/maxxinspired/ I’d love to know your thoughts.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world?