313: How Sarah Built a Full-Time Income Selling Her Art Online (Without Ads)

What if you could build a full-time income selling your art online — no craft fairs, no tent in the rain — just you, your studio, and a strategy that actually works? Sarah Golden is an artist who has been selling her work online for over ten years and has built a full-time business from her studio doing what she loves: painting, creating, and sharing it with the world. She sells original work and prints through her own online store, and she's done it almost entirely through organic social media and email. No ads.  Whether you're an artist who wants to make this your full-time thing, or you're just looking for a fresh reminder that slow and steady really does win — this one's for you. Listen in and Learn: Why consistency is actually the magic formula — and what Sarah's daily posting habit really looks like The "boring" content that's doing more work than you think Which metrics to track and which to ditch The best way to build an audience off of social media About Sarah Golden: Sarah Golden is a full-time artist based in Canada. She has been selling original work and prints online for over ten years and works with an art agent for licensing. She built her business entirely through organic social media — no paid ads — and is a longtime member of the Inner Circle.   RELATED LINKS From 0 to multiple 6 figures. The story of a creative success. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/from-0-to-multiple-6-figures-the-story-of-a-creative-success-episode-224 "Stabbing in the dark" is gone. I know how to create income. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/stabbing-in-the-dark-is-gone-i-know-how-to-create-income-episode-249 Here's How A Maker Gets Set Up For Consistent Sales https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/heres-how-a-maker-gets-set-up-for-consistent-sales-episode-304 Here's The Advice That Changed Everything For Shelley https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/heres-the-advice-that-changed-everything-for-shelley-episode-305 ------------------------ Stop wondering if you're "doing it right" and learn how to grow your sales in a consistent, predictable way. Spend 40 minutes with me in this eye opening workshop, and you'll leave with a few simple steps that will grow your sales next month. Find a time that works for you, and register here: https://watch.thesocialsalesgirls.com/s/77wKvQ "Insightful, actionable and engaging! I learn so much every single time I listen. I can't believe this information is free"  - If you feel like this too, I'd love it if you would leave us a review. Reviewing the show will help us reach even more store owners, so we can help the grow their sales. Click here, scroll down, tap to rate with 5 stars and select "Write a review". Let us know what you find most helpful about the podcast!  

If you're like most store owners I talk to, you probably put a ton of time into finding the perfect product, invest in inventory, get excited about having something new to offer… and then the results are a little underwhelming. And I bet you immediately think: maybe nobody wants this. Maybe the product was wrong. But here's what I know after working with hundreds of store owners — in almost every case, it's not the product. It's a missing step in your strategy. In this week's episode, I'm walking you through our wait list launch strategy step by step. This is training we use inside the Inner Circle, and I'm sharing the whole thing with you — including a real example from one of our coaches who used it and sold out completely.   You'll learn: → Why launching without a wait list sets you up for disappointment → How to build anticipation so people are ready to buy before you even open the cart → The exact 4-step process to run your own wait list launch → How to use this even if you don't have a new product to launch   I really think this one could change how you think about launching. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.   RELATED LINKS: Morgan's strategy to sell out her new collections https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/morgans-strategy-to-sell-out-her-new-collections-episode-221 €600+ sales with a list of 40. Here's how. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/proof-that-action-leads-to-results-episode-135 Here's The Advice That Changed Everything For Shelley https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/heres-the-advice-that-changed-everything-for-shelley-episode-305 _______________________   Are you constantly asking yourself how to make your website better or questioning your prices? Do you wonder if you're missing something? If you have made sales in person or on a site like Etsy, I know you can sell more on your site.   Get my FREE mini-course that will show you our step-by-step process to grow your sales without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies or discounting your products here: https://learn.thesocialsalesgirls.com/conversion-school/   "Insightful, actionable and engaging! I learn so much every single time I listen. I can't believe this information is free - If you feel like this too, I'd love it if you would leave us a review. Reviewing the show will help us reach even more store owners, so we can help them grow their sales. Click here, scroll down, tap to rate with 5 stars and select "Write a review". Let us know what you find most helpful about the podcast!   Also, if you haven't already make sure to follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode! Follow now

Wondering what the difference is between a store owner who feels confident and sees steady growth — and one who's working hard but spinning their wheels? It's usually not a great product or a beautiful website. It's a few simple habits that anyone can learn. Susan shares them all in this episode. In this episode you'll learn: The 3-step framework that turns scattered effort into real, visible results How to narrow your focus so your time actually moves the needle The one metric worth tracking — and why you really don't need anything else RELATED LINKS Hiring Help—Get Set Up for Success. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/hiring-help-get-set-up-for-success-episode-280 Jen's Framework for Hiring and Training the Right People https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/jens-framework-for-hiring-and-training-the-right-people-episode-275 Stop ignoring your Mindset. It's a powerful tool. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/stop-ignoring-your-mindset-its-a-powerful-tool-episode-289 The $500/hr Job You Should Be Doing https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/the-500-hour-job-you-should-be-doing-episode-226 Stop wondering if you're "doing it right" and learn how to grow your sales in a consistent, predictable way. Spend 40 minutes with me in this eye opening workshop, and you'll leave with a few simple steps that will grow your sales next month. Find a time that works for you, and register here: https://watch.thesocialsalesgirls.com/s/77wKvQ "Insightful, actionable and engaging! I learn so much every single time I listen. I can't believe this information is free"  - If you feel like this too, I'd love it if you would leave us a review. Reviewing the show will help us reach even more store owners, so we can help the grow their sales. Click here, scroll down, tap to rate with 5 stars and select "Write a review". Let us know what you find most helpful about the podcast!  

Recently, I've been working with a group of eCommerce owners who have great products. They're probably much like you! They have good weeks - and some not so good weeks - and over time it feels like a lot of effort to get results that are so much less than what you want. And after a while, you start wondering things like: "What am I missing - I must be doing something wrong"" But here's what I see when we start looking at the data.I don't see them doing anything wrong - . The problem is much simpler than that. And it's completely fixable. One teaching point, a "hook" and CTA "listen in" Most store owners are missing ONE thing when they're running their businesses, and for most, it's the reason you feel like you're guessing when it comes to growing your sales. Mentioned/Related links: Get my Conversion Calculator here:  https://learn.thesocialsalesgirls.com/conversion-school-calculator/ Stop wondering if you're "doing it right" and learn how to grow your sales in a consistent, predictable way. Spend 40 minutes with me in this eye opening workshop, and you'll leave with a few simple steps that will grow your sales next month. Find a time that works for you, and register here: https://watch.thesocialsalesgirls.com/s/77wKvQ "Insightful, actionable and engaging! I learn so much every single time I listen. I can't believe this information is free"  - If you feel like this too, I'd love it if you would leave us a review. Reviewing the show will help us reach even more store owners, so we can help the grow their sales. Click here, scroll down, tap to rate with 5 stars and select "Write a review". Let us know what you find most helpful about the podcast!

Wondering why your sales are stuck—even though you're doing "all the right things"? In this episode, Susan and Melissa walk through how to use your own Shopify and Klaviyo data to figure out if your traffic is the problem… or if it's something else entirely. Here's what you'll learn:  ✔️ How to tell if your store's traffic is the problem ✔️ What your add-to-cart rate really means ✔️ Why your popup submit rate is the secret signal you're overlooking ✔️ The most common mistake store owners make when diagnosing slow sales ✔️ How to use Klaviyo's "sales from signup forms" report to make smart changes   RELATED LINKS: How To Get Affordable, Quality Traffic https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/how-to-get-affordable-quality-traffic-episode-235/   2x Your leads from the traffic you have https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/2x-your-leads-from-the-traffic-you-have-episode-139/   Do you have the wrong traffic? A quick way to tell https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/do-you-have-the-wrong-traffic-a-quick-way-to-tell-episode-50/   Are you leaving $ on the table? Here's what you MUST know about Popups https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/are-you-leaving-on-the-table-episode-27/  

Reliable Revenue is a once-a-year intensive course focused on building a long-term conversion system to maximize customer lifetime value through email marketing strategies and automations. It does not cover traffic, ads, or SEO but ensures businesses are set up to convert effectively. The program is designed around Klaviyo and Shopify, though Klaviyo integrates with other platforms. Sign up for Reliable Revenue now: https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/reliable-revenue

Join us in this episode as we explore Sam Gilhooley's remarkable journey from bed rest to business boss. Sam, owner of Magnetics and a student of our Reliable Revenue course, shares what happened when illness took her out of her business for seventeen months. Listen in and find out: 💪 How Sam finally "put down the tape gun" and started working ON, not in, her business. ⚙️ What happened when she implemented an automated system to put sales on auto-pilot. 😴How Sam kept earning a paycheck while on bed rest for seventeen months.   Sam's story is a testament to the resilience and growth possible when you have the right systems in place. Don't miss this inspiring episode – tune in to learn how you can make your business resilient and successful, even in the most challenging times. PS  Sam was able to pay herself for 17 months while she was unable to work. Basically, it was because she had done the work we teach in Reliable Revenue before she got sick. We only offer this program once a year, and I truly believe that every store owner should do this work. _______________________   Are you constantly asking yourself how to make your website better or questioning your prices? Do you wonder if you're missing something? If you have made sales in person or on a site like Etsy, I know you can sell more on your site.   Get my FREE mini-course that will show you our step-by-step process to grow your sales without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies or discounting your products here: https://learn.thesocialsalesgirls.com/conversion-school/   "Insightful, actionable and engaging! I learn so much every single time I listen. I can't believe this information is free - If you feel like this too, I'd love it if you would leave us a review. Reviewing the show will help us reach even more store owners, so we can help them grow their sales. Click here, scroll down, tap to rate with 5 stars and select "Write a review". Let us know what you find most helpful about the podcast!   Also, if you haven't already make sure to follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode! Follow now

What if the problem isn't profit—but sales? In this episode, I sit down with Inner Circle member Jen, who's wondering if her business is worth continuing. She's doing the work. She's tracking her numbers. But she's not making enough money to justify the effort—and she's seriously questioning whether it's time to pack it in. What we discovered together might surprise you. Because once we looked at her numbers, it turns out profit isn't the problem at all. This is a real-time coaching call that walks through: The real story her numbers are telling—and why one bad month doesn't mean the business is broken Why cutting expenses isn't a scalable solution (and what to do instead) What a healthy profit margin actually looks like—and how Jen's business compares The four metrics you actually need to track—and what they mean If you've ever looked at your bank account and thought, "Why isn't this working?" this is the episode for you. RELATED LINKS: See Jen's website here: https://www.essentialjewelry4u.com/ How to get control of your $ https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/how-to-get-control-of-your-episode-158 How to create profit goals https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/how-to-create-profit-goals-episode-209 A step by step plan to double Louise's email list https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/a-step-by-step-plan-to-double-louises-email-list-episode-303 You're probably more successful than you think https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/youre-probably-more-successful-than-you-think-episode-295  

In this episode, Susan talks with Inner Circle member Shelley Sandford about what it actually looks like to build momentum when you're starting from zero. Shelley joined the program before she even launched her website, followed the process, asked for help when she got stuck, and made a key messaging shift that changed everything. Seven months later, she ran an event that sold 500 units — and she's breaking down exactly how she got there. This conversation is honest, practical, and especially helpful if you're doing the work but haven't seen the payoff yet. In this episode, you'll learn: how to tell the difference between "this isn't working yet" and "this will never work" what Shelley changed after her 1:1 coaching call — and why it mattered so much how repeated events build skill and clarity, even when results are inconsistent what finally clicked before her most successful event If you've been showing up, following the steps, and wondering when it's going to come together — this episode will give you both perspective and proof that you're not behind.   RELATED LINKS: You can find Shelley's work here: Website: Barkandbone.caInstagram: @Meat.On.Bones Do This When Your Sales Are Down https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/do-this-when-your-sales-are-down-episode-287 A $14K Pop-Up Shop Promo Using POD https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/a-14k-pop-up-shop-promo-using-pod-episode-269 Morgan's strategy to sell out her new collections https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/morgans-strategy-to-sell-out-her-new-collections-episode-221

Sara's built a solid foundation for her handmade business. Now, she's ready to cut back on in-person shows and grow her online sales. But how do you go from "everything's set up" to actually seeing consistent revenue? This episode is a fly-on-the-wall coaching call where we map out a clear, focused plan for hitting $35K in sales between September and December—without burning out or second-guessing every move. Listen in and learn: Why having a strong funnel and good products still won't get you the sales you want How to reframe ad spend as "paying for visibility" (not gambling for sales) The simple two-part ad strategy that builds her audience and drives traffic to her best-sellers How to give your subscribers a reason to buy every week—without creating new products or offering discounts   RELATED LINKS: Handmade Business? See How Janine Will Double Her Online Sales. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/handmade-business-see-how-janine-will-double-her-online-sales-episode-300 Christina's transitioning from in person to online sales. Here's how. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/christinas-transitioning-from-in-person-to-online-sales-here's-how-episode-298 The stress free content plan that built a huge audience. https://www.thesocialsalesgirls.com/blog/the-stress-free-content-plan-that-built-a-huge-audience-episode-190