We recently connected with Zoe Anastasia and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoe, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

Throughout high school, my parents homeschooled me and encouraged me to focus on what I really cared about: storytelling and all things bookish.

When I learned about the Author Conservatory, a program for young writers who want to study writing craft as well as business, I knew I wanted to join.

What makes the Conservatory so unique is that it takes a hands-on approach to learning. During the first several months after joining, the instructors helped me brainstorm a business idea, conduct market research, and decide on the right pricing. (It turned out my product was worth more than I had thought, especially with the time I put into it.) I started reaching out to people to get input, made my idea even stronger, and finally launched my business, Sleeves by Anastasia, where I sell bookmarks and book sleeves.

Since launching, I’ve had ups and downs. I’ve stretched my comfort zone by trying new things even when they scared me. I’ve compiled takeaways of what worked well and what did not. Whenever I get stuck on a problem, I’m able to go to the business instructors for advice. This approach has helped me gain a steady income and my business continues to grow. It’s exciting to think of where it might go in the future!

I could easily have read a bunch of books about business, and that would have been valuable, but the combination of learning and actually practicing what I was learning makes a huge difference. It’s helped cement these business lessons in my mind, because now I can look back at my own experience. And not only that, my small business is helping me pay for things like conferences so I can continue to improve.

Because of this hands-on approach, I feel more confident in tackling the challenges that running a small business brings. I’ve overcome issues in the past and grown because of it. Making real money helps motivate me to improve and continue to learn, even when it’s hard.

I’m so thankful for the Conservatory and the instructors for helping me build my own small business in this way. They’ve been incredible mentors to me!

Zoe, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I use Etsy for my small business. I often hear about the downsides of using a platform like Etsy, and while it may not be perfect, it’s helped me so much as I’ve grown my business.

In my opinion, the Etsy fees are reasonable considering everything you get in return. Etsy has a built-in customer base, it makes it easy to ship from home, and allows new businesses to set up a beautiful shop/website in minutes. If you study the marketplace and learn about SEO, you can get a bestselling listing that continues to sell for months or years. (I’ve had this happen twice!)

In terms of cons, I don’t always feel that Etsy’s updates actually serve customers and sellers. The Star Seller requirements come to mind, as you must use tracking for every order, which makes the shipping price for even small orders expensive. I also think it might not be the best fit for sellers who already have a customer base and could sell on their own website.

It definitely depends on you and your goals, but I personally love using Etsy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The first few months after launching my business were a bit rocky. I made sales to friends and family, but I hadn’t learned how to create strong listings on Etsy or how to reach new customers on the internet. I created products that didn’t sell and posted on social media but didn’t see results. I was learning and growing but I hadn’t found what worked for me and my shop yet.

Six months after launch, I started scrolling through Etsy to see which bookish products were selling well and weren’t over saturated. And I continued to try new things.

That led to the creation of my sword bookmarks—my current bestseller on Etsy. Sales slowly started to trickle in and then became more steady each week. Etsy started paying me consistently.

But I was running into problems when I made them. The process needed work. I had to redo all my packaging. I tested new methods of making them. Certain glue broke easily or hardened into a rock after a single use. I looked into things like soldering and resin but that didn’t seem like it would fit.

It came to the point where I wanted to give up, because I couldn’t find solid solutions to certain problems.

But one of my business mentors encouraged me to keep trying, because the bookmarks were clearly a success. It would be harder to pivot than to simply keep searching for a solution to something that was already working.

So I tried again. I sat down and brainstormed how to make the bookmarks work. And finally—everything started to click into place.

This process of trial and error has helped me so much as I’ve grown my business. I continue to face new problems each week, but because I know I overcame similar issues in the past, I know I can do it again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zoeanastasiaauthor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoeanastasiaauthor/
• Other: Etsy: https://sleevesbyanastasia.etsy.com/