We recently connected with Amanda Miller and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda , thanks for joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?

From the start, I’ve always managed my own social media. I didn’t have the resources to hire someone, so I gradually learned social media best practices in order to scale my business. Instagram is my primary social media platform and where I started on my social media journey. My growth started out very slowly, with only the support of friends and family, but as I continued to post content consistently, I gained more followers. It was a heartwarming and surreal experience to see complete strangers support my work.

After gaining confidence on Instagram, I expanded my reach to include TikTok and Pinterest. I wasn’t a TikTok user until I realized it would be a useful business tool, so it was a steep learning curve. I spent a lot of time understanding the algorithm, trends, and best practices to increase my views and build a community. It was a struggle to post consistently, especially when views were low, but I stayed committed and, eventually, saw a period of immense growth. I had two videos go viral within one week, one on Instagram and the other on TikTok, getting a combined 16 million views.

While going viral wasn’t in my business plan, it temporarily boosted my sales by over 200% and a consistent social media strategy continues to be vital to my business growth.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Amanda, and I am the owner and artist behind The Golden Girl Co. I’m 25 years old and I graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2020. I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia where I love exploring new bakeries, going on hikes, and dreaming up new business ideas.

I started The Golden Girl Co. in September of 2020, shortly after graduating from Vanderbilt University and at the start of a global pandemic. The job market looked bleak, to say the least, and in all honesty, I felt little motivation to start a corporate 9-5. In between odd jobs and volunteering, I stumbled upon resin art, and thought it could be a fun way to kill some time. Little did I know that my purchase of a small resin kit on Amazon would lead to me pursuing resin art full time. The early months were slow, and consisted of me experimenting, learning the craft, and selling mainly to friends and family. But over the first year, I spent hours fine tuning my skills, discovering my personal style, and expanding my brand presence.

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but prior to starting this business, I would have never considered myself artistically inclined. I’m still a little surprised when I refer to myself as a resin artist in conversation, but resin art has truly allowed me to express my creativity like never before.

At first, I started making small keychains with custom phrases but quickly expanded into homeware, jewelry, and other accessories. My designs focus on functional art, and each piece is carefully crafted to inspire joy, beauty, and whimsy in your life, whether it’s a set of coasters, a fun pair of earrings, or a decorative tray. Each piece is handmade by me in my home studio and no two pieces are exactly alike. I incorporate engaging design elements like dehydrated fruits from a fellow small business owner or dried flowers from my backyard.

After nearly two years in business, I still see so much potential for my business to grow, but I have truly grown so much as a person, a business owner, and an artist. My personal style is eclectic and ever-changing, and I believe that is also reflected in my work. I am often inspired by many things: nature, colors, a moment, a feeling. With resin, the possibilities are endless, and I don’t always know what I’ll feel compelled to create next. All I know is that my love for this business and this medium continue to grow alongside my artistry; I have seen, firsthand, the joy that my work has brought to others, and it is my mission to continue sparking joy through whatever I do.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

Currently, I use Etsy to sell products but I am in the process of opening my own site on Shopify. I plan to use both Etsy and my own Shopify site because each platform attracts a unique audience and gives me more opportunities to reach customers.

When starting out, I was drawn to Etsy because it’s easy to set up and I was already familiar with the platform as a shopper. Personally, one of the main benefits is that Etsy already has an established customer base who use the site to find unique, handmade products. Despite the increasing fees, Etsy brings me customers who may not have found my shop otherwise.

As for Shopify, it’s been difficult to build my own site without any technical expertise, but I can see the potential success. Having your own website becomes an asset once you are able to drive your own traffic. I’m continuing to grow my online presence via social media and as I gain more traction, I feel more confident in my ability to sustain my own online platform.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started The Golden Girl Co., I was only selling online via Etsy and was struggling to reach more potential customers. I started thinking about how I could expand the business and increase my brand visibility, which is when I started learning about artisan markets. I quickly realized that so many small businesses used in-person markets, especially around the holiday season, to sell products, connect with local clientele, and build their brand. In June 2020, I attended my first craft market and I was overwhelmed by the success. I sold more products in one day than I did in months online and I realized this could be a major source of untapped revenue for my business.

Now, I attend markets throughout the year, up to 5-6 markets per month in the busy season and the growth I’ve experienced from markets has allowed me to expand into wholesale, invest more money into my business, and feel a sense of accomplishment. I love meeting customers and telling them my story in-person. Artisan markets are a hub for small business owners and creatives around the city, which has allowed me to make valuable connections. For example, I now have products in four stores around the Atlanta area based on people I met at markets.
That being said, markets are not easy and I’ve invested a significant amount of time and effort into them. I can imagine a time where attending markets becomes unsustainable for my business model and may have to pivot yet again, but I feel prepared for whatever challenge lies ahead.

Contact Info:

• Website: thegoldengirlco.etsy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.goldengirl.co/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/thegoldengirlco/