Welcome to the Simplify Your Sales Podcast! —Who is this small-town farm girl anyways?
Hey you!
Morgan Nield here and welcome to the FIRST ever episode of the Simplify Your Sales podcast.
Can I be honest with you? Recording this episode actually feels a bit surreal because I have been dreaming and planning and scheming for SO STINKIN LONG that I didn’t think this day would ever come. It’s one of those things where you think “Oh, I’ll just start a podcast!” and then you realize JUST how much WORK it’s going to take to make happen and here we are, more than 6 months later and just getting our first episodes out there. It’s definitely been a long time coming, so I couldn’t be more excited about it all!
So today’s episode is going to be a bit unique– I wanted to share my vision for the Simplify Your Sales podcast, but I also wanted to share a bit about me– in case you’re just being introduced to me for the first time and you’re wondering who the heck this fast-talking girl is. Trust me– I hear you on that!
So who the heck is this small-town farm girl from rural Utah?
So I’m Morgan Nield and I’m a 31 year old stay at home momma with 2 kiddos from a teeny-tiny town in rural Utah. A town where the cattle outnumber the humans and you get stopped in the middle of the road because you have to wait for a herd of sheep to cross. It’s like a knock-knock joke waiting to happen.
However.
Rather than share my life history– while fascinating– I thought it could be fun to share 5 completely random facts about me instead because it’s my blog and I can do that sort of thing if I want to 🙂
Completely useless and random fact #1: I’m short.
Like 5’ 1”. We have 9 ft ceilings in our house and I basically stand on a chair almost everyday when I cook dinner to reach things. My husband is 6’ 2”. My 6 year old daughter is already over 4 feet tall. Basically, I’m a midget in a house full of giants.
Completely useless and random fact #2: I’m a period-piece junkie
Basically if it takes place at a different period of time than the one we live in and they’re wearing gorgeous costumes, I’m totally in!
My favorite author is Jane Austen and I’ve seen nearly every variation of every movie based on the novels. My favorite book is Emma– which is actually where I got the name of my Etsy shop, Little HIGHBURY from.
Completely useless and random fact #3: I have a cupboard full of sprinkles.
Yep, I am (unabashedly) serious. There is a cupboard in my house– mind you, I have to stand on a stool to reach it (see “Completely useless and random fact #2” for details)– but a cupboard, nonetheless, that is dedicated to sprinkles. Holiday, birthday, every color you can imagine. Big, small, metallic, shaped. EVERYTHING.
My husband’s weakness is shoes. Mine is sprinkles. I am convinced that you can NEVER have enough sprinkles. I dare you to prove me wrong 😉
Completely useless and random fact #4: I used to be an events manager
‘Tis true. I worked as an events manager for a publishing company before diving into the online world of Etsy. I brushed shoulders with the likes of Tom Brokaw, Jane Seymour, Michael York, Kylie Minogue, David Archuleta– who is ADORABLE, btw– all sorts. It was amazing and incredible and EXHAUSTING.
Sometimes I miss it, but most of the time I’m just happy I get to stay in my pajamas on the weekends if I want to instead of running a million miles per hour coordinating huge events that go until midnight.
Heck, it makes me tired just thinking about it.
Completely useless and random fact #5: I am a Disney fanatic
(and yes, we are “that family” that vacations to Disneyland/Disney World every single year.)
If you’ve been around the Morgan Nield blog for even 5 minutes, you already know this: I am a major Disney fanatic.
My favorite Disney character is Princess Merida (that Scottish girl with the crazy red hair from Brave). While she is a bit of a spoiled brat in the beginning of the movie, she also has the philosophy that you can change your fate– and then she actually does something about it. And I resonate 100% with that. YOU are the one in charge of your fate.
So there you have it– 5 random facts about me that have nothing to do with anything other than giving you a better picture of who I am and the random quirks that come with me.
Now onto the actual relevant stuff 😉
My Etsy experience:
But even though I have an enviable cupboard of sprinkles, that in NO way qualifies me to teach you about marketing your Etsy shop I understand that! (I mean, unless I was actually selling sprinkles. Which I’m not because I’m a hoarder instead, haha!)
Sprinkles aside, let’s back up to learn a bit more about my history selling on Etsy–
I began my Etsy Shop, Little Highbury, back in late 2013 as a way to cope with the intense post-partum depression + anxiety I was feeling after my daughter, Juliet, was born. I needed something that was more than just another repetitive task in motherhood for me. New motherhood was EXTREMELY difficult on me and no part of me eased into it gracefully. I admire women who make this look so natural and effortless– you are incredible! Without a doubt, though, for me- this period of time was one of the most difficult and emotionally challenging experiences of my life. I actually don’t have a lot of memories about the first 18 months of her life because I was in such a dark place. Sad, but true.
So when people ask me HOW and WHY THE HECK I started an Etsy shop with a screaming newborn in tow, I literally saw no other option— and as dramatic as it sounds, I genuinely attribute my real-life survival to my Etsy shop. It kept me sane until my post-partum depression started subsiding at about 18 months.
Now, this wasn’t my first Etsy shop– I had opened one back in 2011 originally and it had sputtered along as a big old flop before I shut it down. This is, however, the first Etsy shop I opened…and went into with an actual marketing plan.
In a nutshell sequence of events, I opened my shop in November, it went from $0 – $1,200 in the first month and grew to multiple five figure months over the next 4 years, earning over $600,000 in revenue. It has been a crazy and a wild ride and one that I am eternally grateful to be a part of.
What I do:
Now, I want to make this clear: I don’t consider the product I sold– baby headbands of all things– to be particularly groundbreaking or unique (it’s a very saturated market!). And I certainly don’t attribute my success to an “incredible” product.
There were PLENTY of other shops on Etsy that had MUCH better products than I did in my niche– I’ll be the first to admit it. My products were basically average. My sewing skills? Decidedly BELOW average.
But the difference between me and the shops that had INCREDIBLE product but maybe only 1/10 of the sales I had?
It all comes back to strategic marketing.
And that’s what this podcast— the Simplify Your Sales podcast— is going to be all about.
I want to debunk the myth that selling online is hard.
Here’s the truth: Selling online the way you HAVE been trying to is hard.
Selling online– with the right strategies and automated systems in place– is EASY.
Even if you’re an introvert.
Even if you’re tech-challenged.
Even if you come from 0 marketing background.
My hopes for this podcast are to show you just how easy and natural it CAN feel to sell online. You don’t need to feel sleazy or sales-y to move your product and make money. You don’t need to spam the crap out of Instagram or sell cheaper than everyone else on Etsy to make sales. Trust me on this!
With the RIGHT foundation + strategies in place, you can sell your product EFFORTLESSLY– and in a way that feels good and right for you and doesn’t undercut your profit.
Whether you have quit-your-day-job revenue goals or just want a bit of financial “wiggle room” at the end of the month, you’re going to learn proven strategies and tactics that are going to leave you feeling EMPOWERED that yes, YOU can do this.
Consider this your personal invitation to do it together. I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader through it all!
And with that, that’s a wrap for the Simplify Your Sales pilot episode!
Thanks for tuning in and getting to know me + this podcast a bit better– I can’t wait to have you join along for the ride– see ya in the next episode!
Pssst! Curious to know more about that elusive “marketing plan” I hinted at that took me from $0 – $100K my first year on Etsy? I’m giving you the EXACT framework I used here in my Etsy Marketing Roadmap— just click the image below to snag it for yourself!