Hi Miranda, how nice of you to share your story! What do you do and how did you get started?
I started MI online shop in 2019 as a hobby, making stainless steel jewelry and selling it on United Wardrobe. I started this because I was unemployed for a few weeks and was looking for a fun hobby to fill my time.
Ultimately, I enjoyed making jewelry so much that I wanted a proper online store. A good online store requires all sorts of systems. For example, Mollie is a great way to receive payments, and if you want a Mollie account, you need a Chamber of Commerce number.
MI online shop became official in March 2020! A lot has changed since then.
I really enjoyed making jewelry, but I found I couldn't express my creativity. My turnover was very low, which ultimately took the fun out of it. It was creative, but not how I wanted it to be. I tried everything to find more of an outlet for my creativity, but couldn't find anything at the time.
My initial interest was in epoxy. This liquid substance could be used to make charms with molds, but I was so clumsy with it (read: everything was covered in it, and it's a horrible substance to remove), so I quickly gave up on it. On Instagram, I saw polymer clay earrings. I thought they looked really cool, so I started looking into it. I bought my first cutters and polymer clay from Action through Sieradenstraatje. That's how the ball finally started rolling!
What a fantastic story. Did you encounter any pitfalls along the way to success?
I definitely encountered pitfalls along the way. I thought I could do it easily, but it was actually a lot harder than it seemed. I really had to work hard to create a beautiful and unique design. In the beginning, I just made a fuss. For example, I initially bought a whole bunch of white clay (I thought), which turned out to be transparent. I only realized this after everything came out of the kiln.
Another thing I found really difficult was that I'd made something I was incredibly proud of and it didn't sell. I really had to learn not to worry about that, and thankfully, I don't anymore.
Miranda's first homemade epoxy and polymer clay earrings
We are curious about how much you sell per month?
The number of orders fluctuates quite a bit, ranging from 20 to 40 per month. This includes custom orders and orders sometimes placed via Instagram chat.
That's going well! Is this webshop your main or second job?
The webshop is my second job. I also work two days a week at a bookstore. Officially, I'm a florist, but unfortunately, I don't do that anymore. Maybe that's why I enjoy making earrings with a floral design so much, haha.
Can you describe your 'customer'?
This is actually a tough question for me. I've noticed that most of my clients love pink. Luckily, I enjoy working with it too, so we get along well! I also have to say that all my clients are incredibly sweet. 80% are returning customers, which I consider a compliment. I also often get sweet messages from them about their orders. They're all so sweet!
Do you have any tips for other enterprising women who would like to sell polymer clay jewelry?
Be 100% behind your design! That's the most important thing, along with enjoying it. I've also had times when I wasn't entirely satisfied with a design, and I felt like it was a waste of time because it didn't sell.
And celebrate the small successes! Celebrating the little things just makes it so much more fun, honestly!
Want to browse MI's online shop or are you interested in her earrings and jewelry? Then visit her webshop at: MI onlineshop
You can also follow her on her fun and active Instagram page
Thank you so much for your beautiful and honest story. And last but not least: what do you think of Sieradenstraatje?
Sieradenstraatje is a real winner! I've been following Petra since before she started with the cutters and even made jewelry. I even bought one of her first polymer clay earrings. I still have them. I think most of the cutters I have are from Sieradenstraatje!