145 | Transitioning From Etsy to Your Own Website With Rebecca Inkrote, Bex Marie

Today’s guest Rebecca Inkrote has a fantastic story that I can’t wait to share with you guys. She gives her insight on the best ways to transition from a third party platform to your own website (plus how to build brand recognition and steps to make it go smooth).

Rebecca got her start in the creative entrepreneur space when she started making soaps as a hobby. It quickly turned into a business that brought her into Facebook groups with other handmade business owners and it was there where she recognized how much she could help entrepreneurs in this space.

As a graphic designer, she was well versed in the areas of technology and found this niche of hers to be an area she could stand out in. In this episode, Rebecca shares how she stumbled into this path, the growing pains one can face when transitioning from a third party platform to their own website and the benefits of having your own eCommerce website.

ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

The biggest mistakes that Rebecca sees product based business owners making on their website and eCommerce shop
How Rebecca stumbled into teaching others and helping them build their own website
Growing pains from transitioning from a third party platform to your own website
Benefits of having your own eCommerce website
Steps to take when transitioning to your own eCommerce platform
How getting your domain to match your brand name helps with brand recognition
What services and digital products Rebecca offers for clients
Educating and empowering her clients to take charge of their own websites
Rebecca’s thoughts on Shopify, WordPress, Squarespace, etc. and choosing what systems to use
Where Rebecca sees her business moving going forward

Download These Quotables to Save and Share

KEY TAKE AWAYS

“I think the biggest mistake is skipping out on some of the real foundational pieces of the business and just jumping right into getting a website.” - Rebecca Inkrote

“Some of the pieces that I really think you should have in place first would be having a solidified brand, and the branding is not just the visual aspects but just knowing who you are, what you're selling, what you stand for, your position in the market.” - Rebecca Inkrote

“It evolves, the product line evolves and that brand evolves as well. Your audience evolves, who you're speaking to evolve .” - Katie Hunt

“You can just really get your hands on all the pieces and make them exactly how you want. Whereas Etsy, you get what you get, you get your profile image, you get your banner image and that's about it.” - Rebecca Inkrote

“I really like that concept of breaking it down, especially for newer businesses that are just getting started, how to leverage these tools that are available, like Etsy, until you're ready to move it over.” - Rebecca Inkrote

“For a simple, beautiful, minimalistic type design where you want it to be so easy, especially for a service based business or a non-product based business, Squarespace would be hands down what I would recommend for that .” - Rebecca Inkrote

“Whatever you're trying to accomplish, what type of business you have, what type of features you're going to need, it really, really depends because certain platforms will work really well for some people and they will not work for others .” - Rebecca Inkrote

RESOURCES

Create, Launch, and Flourish
Creative Biz Clubhouse with Bex Marie
YouTube Channel

MEET REBECCA:

Rebecca is a web designer and WordPress consultant for handmade business owners. She teaches handmade sellers who want to expand beyond Etsy how to create and launch their own ecommerce website.

After graduating with a degree in graphic design, Rebecca joined a small local web design company where she built websites for all sorts of small businesses. She has experience with a variety of web design platforms, but has been focused on WordPress since 2013.

Late in 2015 Rebecca started a handmade soap business and joined several Facebook Groups for makers in business. She quickly noticed a recurring post topic brought up again and again. Handmade sellers were struggling with creating their own website!

Since 2016 Rebecca has been dedicated to helping handmade sellers elevate and take control of their businesses with their own website. Rebecca offers website tips, tutorials, and an online web design course.

CONNECT WITH REBECCA INKROTE

Website: www.bexmarie.com | Facebook: @bexmariedesign | Instagram: @bexmarie_

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct