Trying not to break too many teacups with Second Life Garden

Welcome to the third season of our podcast.  Help- I started a business, now what?  I’m catching up and getting all of our episodes published. This week I am pleased to welcome Daneen. This was such a great conversation as we were very early in Daneen’s business journey. Her business is called Second Life Garden and focuses on upcycling.

Check out the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or read the transcript below. We’ve even included timestamps in case you want to zero in on one part of the show.

00:02.24 Handmade Seller: Amber

Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's episode of The Now What Show. I'm your host, Amber Christian, editor of Handmade Seller Magazine. Today, it is my privilege to welcome Daneen to the show.

And this is going to be an exciting interview because Daneen has only been in business just a few months. And so we're going to talk about what that's like at that early baby stage of business when you're trying to figure so many things out.

So welcome to the show, Daneen . And can you introduce yourself and share more about your business?

00:27.52 Daneen

Thank you. Okay. Well, I'm Daneen . I am the owner of Second Life Garden on Etsy. And I make upcycled planters and things out of discarded teacups and vintage dishware and anything cute that a plant could be in.

00:47.91 Handmade Seller: Amber

All right. Very cool. So tell me a little bit more about upcycling. Does that mean you go thrifting a lot? Are you hitting a lot of estate sales? How do you actually find the things that you're using for your business?

00:58.35 Daneen

Little bit of both. I do a lot of, uh, I hit a lot of the local thrift stores. I have a few that are my favorites that I go to frequently. Um, and I do a lot of online estate auctions. So that's where that's actually my favorite place to get a lot of this stuff.

01:14.61 Handmade Seller: Amber

Oh, how do you find online estate auctions?

01:17.73 Daneen

I just Googled it. It was like anything near me. And then I would start like, keeping an eye on it and be like, okay, this might be worth it. I'll give it a try and see what happens. And yeah, a few of them have actually been quite good for me.

01:32.06 Handmade Seller: Amber

Oh, interesting. So I haven't had anybody that that chaps via online estate sales. So that that one's ah was a new one for me. So now you're repurposing things like teacups. How in the world did you decide to turn a teacup into a planter?

01:50.67 Daneen

Well, I was, I got bit by the houseplant bug and I went full in. There's a lot of houseplant people know how that works. Um, but decorative pots are so expensive and I've always been an active thrifter. I'd much rather, uh, shop at a thrift store than pay full price at a big box store. And I noticed that a lot of these thrift stores had full tea sets that were beautiful and thought, put a little plant in there and that'd be cute so it just branched from there yes yeah there was definitely a learning curve with it i uh went through a few different different tools to try to figure out how i could

02:25.18 Handmade Seller: Amber

So you decide you want to put a plant in a teacup, but there's this little thing called drainage. Tell me about the first few experiments with setting up drainage in the cups and how many cups did you break?

02:48.45 Daneen

I broke quite a few until I found exactly you know what works best. And even still, different materials work best with different tools. So there's still a lot of learning involved, but I think I've got it down.

03:06.71 Handmade Seller: Amber

You're breaking less teacups at least.

03:07.66 Daneen

I'm breaking less teacups, yes.

03:12.10 Handmade Seller: Amber

So how long does it actually take to drill a hole in a teacup?

03:16.22 Daneen

And depending on the material, it can take like up to 15, 20, even more ah minutes just to make sure that it doesn't break and there's not a whole lot of chipping and that it's aesthetically pleasing and not just like I just drilled a hole straight through a teacup.

03:32.31 Handmade Seller: Amber

Mm hmm. Yeah, that's I never would have thought of the aesthetic nature of a hole in a drilled teacup.

03:38.60 Daneen

Yeah.

03:38.83 Handmade Seller: Amber

But again, I wouldn't have thought of any of this before. So this is all incredibly interesting. So with the bottoms, do you ah like for a teacup? Do you do like a standalone teacup?

And then they put it in their own holder? Or just do some of them come with the little underneath the little plate that goes underneath? How does how do you decide which pieces you're going to sell how you put all that stuff together?

04:01.49 Daneen

Well, in the beginning I was just like, Oh, that's cute. Oh, that's cute. Oh, that's cute. And then I realized like, these things need underplates just cause it's cute. Doesn't mean it's really practical.

So I would, uh, I started shopping for like just plain white plates or glass plates. But even then I was like, this isn't, it could be better. So now I mostly focus on actual T sets where they have the matching underplate with them just to make it. Oh, and it's cuter that way. I think.

04:30.98 Handmade Seller: Amber

It's more aesthetically pleasing as we were talking about to actually have the matching plate for the for the teacup. And so then I take it you don't glue it down necessarily so that they can lift it up and dump it out and all that.

04:41.24 Daneen

No. Mm hmm. Exactly.

04:44.58 Handmade Seller: Amber

Okay, okay. So now you're starting to the houseplant thing has gotten out of control and now you're putting them in cute teacups.

04:52.15 Daneen

Mm hmm.

04:52.90 Handmade Seller: Amber

How did this turn into a business? Talk more about that evolution of that journey of how you ended up deciding from looking at cute teacups and your houseplant obsession that this should become a business. What were the steps involved in that process?

05:08.20 Daneen

Well, I just thought, I think they're cute. Maybe someone else would think they're cute. And I started telling my friends about it and they were like, Oh, that's such an interesting idea. I was like, people haven't thought about this, I guess. So it seems like there's, there might be a place for me to push my wares.

05:30.58 Handmade Seller: Amber

Yeah, it's amazing how much the impact of friends matters um in in the conversation and sometimes the reactions of friends because I talked to a lot of people that say, my friends pointed out that's really cool. And I may have thought it was cool, but I wasn't sure if anybody else would think it was cool or would be interested in it.

05:49.34 Daneen

Yeah, exactly. It's like, is it cool just because I made it or is it actually something people like?

05:55.51 Handmade Seller: Amber

Right, exactly. and And then you get some of that validation of that, no, that's actually really cool. You should do that. And that seems like to be an early stage of a lot of businesses.

And so if people listen to your friends, and if they have cool ideas, and encourage them. and Be a supportive friend, because I think it matters more than I think a lot of people realize in the start to a lot of these artisan businesses.

06:12.79 Daneen

Yes, be so be a supportive friend.

06:24.79 Handmade Seller: Amber

So you decide that other people would think it's cool. So you start making some of these and then you decided to tell us about how you decided to start selling them at the beginning.

06:36.75 Daneen

Well I am easily overwhelmed so I wasn't sure even how to go about styling these because I was like oh I have to open a store and I have to make the listings and all these different details. It's going to be too much. But my husband, thank goodness for him. He's very much the opposite where he can break down little steps and make them sound really simple. And so he was basically like, just stop talking about it, actually do it.

I can help you break down the steps a little bit, and he's- yeah. So that's why I'm actually selling things now, is because he was able to help me get through the hurdles. And now it's not so- it's not as as it seemed in the beginning.

07:11.87 Handmade Seller: Amber

Yeah, I mean, at the beginning, you're you're learning so many things, you're trying to figure out one, the actual making of the product is its own whole set of things.

07:25.03 Daneen

Mm-hmm.

07:26.95 Handmade Seller: Amber

So you you you work on kind of mastering that set of things. But then the actual selling of the product is a whole and other thing. because And you have to think about your pricing, you have to think about your descriptions, your photography, your all all these other things come.

07:33.78 Daneen

Yes. Yeah, there's so many little steps that you don't think about until you're actually doing it.

07:42.89 Handmade Seller: Amber

Yeah. Like the second you go to do a listing, you're like, I have to have a really nice photo. Oh, whoops. You know, there's just all these little steps that, that you have to do along the way in order, to in order for it to all work properly.

And so it's always nice when someone kind of walks alongside, you'd be like, it's not as bad as it sounds. Cause otherwise you can get analysis paralysis and you're like, I'm stuck and I can't go forward.

So you got your Etsy shop up and running.

08:12.62 Daneen

Yes oh absolutely I told everybody I was like I got a sale. I called my mom I was like I got a sale everybody close to me knew when I got my first sale because I was that excited about it yes.

08:13.55 Handmade Seller: Amber

Did you do happy dance for your first sale?

08:33.33 Daneen

My first actual sale was my sister, which I appreciate that from her.

And she left me a nice review. So that was something to get it started. But yeah, once I got that second sale, that was an actual stranger just coming across my things and liking it enough to pay money for it. That was a crazy feeling. It was very exciting.

08:50.79 Handmade Seller: Amber

And, and yet another, I feel like this is tips for your friends that are starting businesses. Yet another good thing. Go on their site, buy something and leave a nice review.

09:01.66 Handmade Seller: Amber It helps.

09:01.51 Daneen Yes.

09:02.29 Handmade Seller: Amber

It helps jumpstart that process of selling for them.

09:03.98 Daneen

Yes, it helps tremendously. Just to let other people know that yes, this is a real thing. It's a trustworthy business. They're doing what they are posting pictures of because you never know sometimes.

09:13.49 Handmade Seller: Amber

And just getting that whole review process started is an important part so that, like you said, people know you're real. It's some of that social proof when it's a brand new newbie business.

09:27.14 Daneen

Mm hmm.

09:31.07 Handmade Seller: Amber

So yes, when you get your first stranger sale, that's always ah so exciting.

09:34.94 Daneen

Very exciting, yes.

09:37.73 Handmade Seller: Amber

So like someone likes me or at least what I made.

09:39.34 Daneen

Yeah, outside validation.

09:43.09 Handmade Seller: Amber

Yes, exactly. Exactly. So now how long have you been selling on Etsy?

09:49.27 Daneen

I opened my shop in May 2024.

09:53.40 Handmade Seller:

Amber yeah Yeah. Oh, this is great. it was like it because that first year, right, you're learning so much.

10:01.05 Daneen

So much, yeah.

10:01.70 Handmade Seller: Amber

You're figuring out where to sell and then how has building social media been for you? Since you're a brand new business and you're having to build it all from scratch in today's environment, talk a little bit more about that.

10:08.41 Daneen

Well, yes. Well, I am actually, I started social media in May as well. I wasn't on Instagram or Facebook or any of the things.

So I was jumping at first into that as well with opening my Etsy store. So it's, it's been interesting. It's been a learning experience as far as social media goes.

10:33.78 Handmade Seller: Amber

Did you feel like you stepped onto an entirely different planet and you didn't understand any of the rules?

10:38.55 Daneen

Oh, absolutely. Nothing. I understood nothing. Like the hashtag thing and but does a what does it mean to like something? What but the hell is a reel? Like it was all I had no idea what I was doing. And I still don't. I'm completely winging it.

10:58.56 Handmade Seller: Amber

I think most of us feel that way by the or we may we may know one platform but then we're like - They say I have to be on all the others. And I was like, people are like, you really need to be on TikTok? And I'm like, I can't do it. I can't add another one.

11:09.66 Daneen

Yeah, I haven't touched TikTok yet.

11:10.93 Handmade Seller: Amber

I'm going to just break.

11:12.61 Daneen

Cause I was like, let me, let me figure out Instagram and threads first. Maybe I'll branch out into that at some point, but focus on what I'm doing right now.

11:22.04 Handmade Seller: Amber

Exactly, exactly. I'm like, I could do YouTube, but no TikTok. I don't do that just, I draw the line.

11:26.19 Daneen

yeah

11:28.66 Handmade Seller: Amber

I just can't. And I think we all kind of have those points. And a part of it's also where your audience is, right? So here in the first year, how's it going trying to figure out who your audience is?

Because I imagine this for the first year, like you're figuring out who's going to buy this before you can necessarily narrow in and and market to them.

11:47.30 Daneen

Yeah.

11:50.40 Handmade Seller: Amber

So what are you kind of learning about that now here at the beginning?

11:55.83 Daneen

Well, yeah, a lot of it was finding my niche, like I started, let me post a picture of my houseplant and a cute tea cup, since that's exactly what I'm trying to do. And I've got some traction and post some pictures of my plans and get some traction, but the other day I actually posted pictures of some cute mushrooms I found outside.

12:13.27 Daneen

I thought it was like, oh, that's in my niche. It's like outdoorsy things. And I lost followers on it, which I thought was so funny. It's like, it's just cute mushrooms. I don't know. So I can't post cute mushroom pictures, I guess, or else I lose an audience.

12:26.96 Handmade Seller: Amber

Bet That goes on the banish list.

12:28.65 Daneen

Yeah. Like I said, I'm very much learning who my audience is and what they like.

12:34.82 Handmade Seller: Amber

And so since you're selling online, I imagine it's also really difficult to figure out. I mean, yeah, you can see handles and things of followers. But it's a little hard to figure out why are they following you?

What are they interested when it's 100% online, right? Because you're ah you're on Etsy and and doing social media.

So how are you approaching your strategy for selling in person?

12:56.12 Daneen

Well, I actually have my first in-person market coming up in November.

12:57.64 Handmade Seller: Amber

How are you starting to think about that?

13:04.50 Daneen

I'm very excited, very nervous, but um yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing in regards to that either. um Currently, I'm just trying to get things stocked up. So that I have things to actually sell when I get there.

I've heard from people like, Oh, you have to set up your, like do a mock-up booth before you leave. And I'm like, okay. Like I'm, uh, surveying people on threads. Like, what are they doing at their booth?

Uh, just taking notes from what I'm seeing other people doing so that I'm not totally clueless when I get there.

13:38.43 Handmade Seller: Amber

And so now this first show, is that a show that has that runs every year? Is it a special one off show? Tell us a little bit more about the first show that you decided to attend.

13:50.03 Daneen

It's a yearly craft show that's on like small business Saturday after Black Friday. So it sounds like a really good place to start with things. And it's ah it's very local. It's right around the corner from my house. So that's helpful as well.

14:06.29 Handmade Seller: Amber

Okay, so you're building in, you're starting to build a little more local audience, a little more visibility so people know you exist and can follow you.

And then you also get that, that beautiful part of seeing who's picking it up, who's watching it, who's looking at it, who's buying it.

14:21.76 Daneen

Yes. I didn't even think about that, but yeah, like physically seeing who my audience is.

14:30.62 Handmade Seller: Amber

Right, and and seeing if you find a pattern or not in that audience and and maybe it clusters around, maybe it doesn't cluster around certain demographics and there's other characteristics and so then you might have to do a little more digging deeper to figure out you know what those characteristics are.

14:35.87 Daneen

Yes.

14:51.44 Handmade Seller: Amber

But this is the beginning of it, of seeing, oh yeah, I can pick out that it's whatever um particular gender, it looks like a particular age range and they're all in, or lots of people are buying this as gifts, they're not buying it for themselves, they're buying it for someone else. And then you you can start to develop your language around what are the patterns in my in the people that are purchasing my products. And so that's ah so exciting to get to do that next step.

15:17.35 Daneen

Yes, yes.

15:20.35 Handmade Seller: Amber And so after your show, we'll have to have you on a future episode to be like, How did it go? What did you learn?

15:27.29 Daneen

I'm sure I'll be learning lots.

15:28.82 Handmade Seller: Amber

Oh yeah. I mean, when you're, when you're in the early stages, you don't have it all figured out. You are still trying to find a lot of things. And I think the first year of business, particularly with a lot of artists and businesses, because often the way that they start, it's something where someone started creating something kind of cool. People saw it.

It's really, and they're like, Oh, that's cool. and then they start selling it. it's Some businesses are created with all this grand intention, strategic plans, but a lot of them in the artisan world are not started that way.

They're started because somebody started doing something on the side and then ends up building it into a business. so there's a lot of it's…. It's almost like we come in through the side door in a lot of cases.

16:14.83 Daneen

Yeah.

16:16.79 Handmade Seller: Amber

You're like, oh, but now I'm here. Now I have all of

16:19.83 Daneen Yeah, what now?

16:21.70 Handmade Seller: Amber What do I do now?

So it's it's really fun to hear as people then evolve and then learn about their audiences and then they can start to build upon them. um But does it ever feel like you're kind of throwing spaghetti at the wall the first year and just trying to see what do people like?

16:37.91 Daneen

Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

16:42.85 Handmade Seller: Amber

What do they not like? And or what do they pick up? And you're even testing price points on things as well. trying to figure out if it start if it if it flies off the shelf, you're like, well, I might've been able to price that higher.

16:58.55 Daneen

It's like, was I leaving money on the table or?

17:01.58 Handmade Seller: Amber

Right, right. Or was it just perfectly priced? So ah so there's just there's a lot of factors, I think, in those early days that also makes it exciting because you walk in with a little bit of the wide-eyed wonder.

17:04.17 Daneen

Yeah. Mm-hmm. Everything tastes different.

17:15.67 Handmade Seller: Amber

Exactly, exactly. So now, How do people follow you on social media, especially because they're going to want to know what happens after this craft fair?

17:24.15 Daneen

Yes. So on Etsy, I am Second Life Garden. um I'm the same thing on Instagram. SecondPeriodLifeGarden. period underscore And I am the same name on threads. I'm most active on threads, but I do post on, I try to post on Instagram every day. But yeah, that's where you can find me.

17:43.41 Handmade Seller: Amber All right, wonderful. Well, thank you so much, Dean, for joining us today.

17:46.16 Daneen

Thank you.

17:47.67 Handmade Seller: Amber

And thank you everyone for tuning in and we will see you next time.