MayaCassar.Blogs

For my digital artifact, Janae and I decided to start a small business on Etsy where we sell cute and funky handmade hanging bead decorations. We called it ‘Jay’s Bead Decor’. In order to start this business, we had to come up with designs for our products and produce them. We then created an Etsy page in order to sell the beads on, I also created an Instagram account that we could use to promote our bead decor. We decided that Janae would focus on making the beads and I would focus on running the Instagram account, and together we would both run the Etsy account. We are super excited and passionate about this project however, it hasn’t been easy. 

Our Journey

First I created an Instagram Page @jays.bead.decor that we could use to get people interested in our upcoming business venture. I started with some introductory posts on the account to inform our followers about our business. Then Janae started making the bead decor and I was able to launch our Etsy site and promote our products. https://twitter.com/MayaCassar4/status/1560435911535771648?s=20&t=kkiVKsr2Eg3cM4JJuFkELQ

We chose Etsy as our platform to sell our products due to its increasing popularity and most people are familiar with or have heard of the site. https://twitter.com/MayaCassar4/status/1563051324702597121?s=20&t=kkiVKsr2Eg3cM4JJuFkELQ

Creating the Etsy site had an initial learning curve as neither Janae nor I have used it before, however, now we can easily upload our listings and keep track of our orders. Within a week of launching our Etsy site, we got our first sale.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to focus on increasing our engagement and following. Our engagement has already increased, but our following is increasing at a very slow rate. I hope that being more active on our account and showing people all the products we have to offer will help increase our following. We hope that if we continue to reach more people we will attract more customers to our Etsy site.

Our target audience consists of young people aged 10-25 as they make up the majority of our following and customers. In order to better understand our audience, we have been posting polls on Instagram which allows people to give their feedback and input on what they would like to see from us. This makes our customers feel more involved with our business and shows them that we value their input.

The aim of our product is to provide trendy and affordable handmade decor for young people to be able to decorate their space in a simple yet aesthetically pleasing way. It is a design that doesn’t take up a lot of space whilst allowing young people to showcase their styles and personality.

Human-Centered Design Thinking 

Human-centered design thinking is a methodology for how humans design and make things. It is a process that does not have to be conducted in chronological order and includes steps such as empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Design thinking is a creative and collaborative practice that has become increasingly popular over the last 20 years. Throughout the development process of Jay’s bead decor, Janae and I have been working together to come up with improvements for our business and it is something we will continue to work on. 

How Jay’s Utilised Design Thinking 

• Empathise: Empathy is about understanding people, understanding their wants and needs, and looking at things from their perspective. Although Jay’s is not something that directly solves people’s problems we wanted to make a product that could bring joy to our customers. 
• Ideate: By evaluating our general knowledge of things our target market likes and enjoys, we wanted to create a simple solution that would allow people to decorate their homes at an affordable price. 
• Define: Once we came up with our idea we were able to define it so that our business was clear to our audience. Jay’s bead decor is a small business that sells cute and funky handmade bead decorations. 
• Prototype: Prototyping is essential in the early stages of a project. We made a variety of prototypes such as rearview mirror accessories, phone charms, and keychains. This allowed us to see how they looked and we could figure out if they are products our consumers would enjoy and use. 
• Test: After we had our prototypes we were able to receive feedback about our designs. We asked our followers which of our designs they preferred, allowing us to make any changes necessary.

Even though it has only been a week since we started selling, we have quickly come to realise that this venture is not as easy as we once thought. Janae and I have found it difficult to initially attract buyers and followers. In order to grow, we will continuously try new methods and techniques to figure out what works for us. I will also be asking our followers for their feedback on what they would like to see from us and how we can improve. 

#brightenupwithbeads

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jays.bead.decor/?hl=en

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/JaysBeadDecor?ref=seller-platform-mcnav