Etsy is one of the most popular marketplaces around where creatives, artists, and small business owners share their creations with the goal of earning supplemental income or just putting their work out there.
If you’re more interested in making decent money rather than merely gaining exposure or finding an outlet for your creative pursuits, you might be wondering what kind of potential Etsy has.
We have put together a list of some real-life Etsy millionaires and success stories who have been able to turn their little shops into globally renowned brands and high-income businesses.
Get ready to be motivated by the stories behind these clever entrepreneurs and how they came to build their eCommerce empires.
Etsy Millionaires and Success Stories
1. Dylan Jahraus (BegoniaRoseCo)
Source: Dylanjahraus
Only a few people can boast of achieving complete financial freedom before hitting their thirties and Dylan Jahraus is one of them. She makes multi-six figure income from her Etsy store, BegoniaRoseCo, selling custom decor items made with faux flowers, greenery, and succulents.
Dylan also has a lucrative coaching business on the side that she uses to sell courses and teach other people how to scale their Etsy shops and start generating a high income from sales.
However, Dylan’s road to success hasn’t been as easy as you’d think. Despite getting a degree in business and working as an executive for Zappos and Zoo Lily, Dylan struggled to land a new job after her family relocated to San Diego.
This is because her husband’s job in the U.S. military meant they had to move around a lot so she wouldn’t be able to stay long at a company.
This lack of employment opportunities inspired Dylan to start exploring other ways to make a buck. She walked people’s dogs and sold jewelry she bought from China on eBay before deciding to try her hands at selling on Etsy.
In 2016, Dylan opened her Etsy shop called BegoniaRoseCo. Her first product was a decor piece that she had made for her wedding, which didn’t sell until two months after it was listed.
Refusing to be discouraged, she added a new product to her store and poured her energy into making her listings look attractive. By the end of the first year, Dylan’s store made $134,000 in revenue and has continued to grow astronomically since.
In 2022, Dylan’s store earned one and a half million dollars in sales, of which over one million dollars was pure profit.
Also Read: Etsy vs Redbubble
2. Matt Snow and Meredith Erin (Boredwalk)
Source: Boredwalk
Any list of Etsy millionaires would be incomplete without mentioning Matt Snow and Meredith, the Los Angeles-based couple who built Boredwalk into a world-renowned lifestyle brand.
Boredwalk designs and sells functional consumer goods ranging from graphic tees to accessories, journals, decor products, and more. Each product is typically inscribed with witty, dark, and clever copy and art.
The duo launched their Etsy store in 2014 to serve as a personal creative outlet and to enable them to quit their day jobs and start working for themselves.
They invested $20,000 to buy production equipment that would allow them to manufacture and ship all their designs in-house instead of relying on a print-on-demand service.
To drive sales for their brand, Matt and Meredith leveraged a mix of digital marketing strategies and channels like email, social media, and paid advertising.
Since the store launched, the couple has been able to achieve steady business growth, averaging 10-12% MoM growth and 50-100% YoY growth.
As of 2022, Boredwalk brings in an impressive annual recurring revenue of about $3.5 million. Despite these astronomical sales figures, Matt and Meredith are not prepared to slow down just yet.
They currently hire 10 employees to help them make and ship orders on time and are constantly thinking of new ways to improve their offerings and get more people acquainted with their business.
Check Out: Zazzle vs Etsy
3. Tamara Mayne (Brooklyn Candle Studio)
Source: Happi
In 2013, Tamara Mayne began selling hand-poured scented candles made with natural waxes and botanical perfume oils on Etsy as a fun side gig to supplement her income as a graphic designer.
Although she didn’t launch her Etsy store with the goal of becoming a globally-recognized brand she put a lot of effort into making her products look like they were made by a big brand.
Tamara designed professional-looking graphics for her candles and invested in aesthetically-pleasing product photography and packaging. She took the time to craft effective copy and incorporate SEO into her marketing strategy to boost the visibility of her store.
Also, Tamara made sure that every one of her customers had a positive experience whenever they shopped from her and she responded to and resolved any complaints as quickly as possible.
Tamara helped BrooklynCandleCo stay relevant and appeal to more audiences by focusing on products that customers were more excited about and discontinuing lines that didn’t generate lots of positive responses.
These strategies combined with Tamara’s belief in her abilities and willingness to take risks and invest in the right opportunities, allowed the candle-making maestro to unlock rapid business growth.
As a result, BrooklynCandleCo has gone from being a small store on Etsy to being a multi-million-dollar candle studio and Tamara has since quit her job to focus on running the company.
The business currently employs 20 employees, occupies 11,000 square foot factory space, and sells its products in over 500 stores worldwide Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and West Elm.
4. Jamie Skinner and Christopher Chalk (Jungle Culture)
Source: Kimp
When Jamie Skinner met Christopher Chalk while vacationing in Mexico with his girlfriend, he had no idea that they would become co-founders of a massively successful eCommerce brand.
They got the idea to go into business together when Chris, who was living in Vietnam at the time noticed that many of the local restaurants in the area used bamboo straws.
After further investigations and visits to bamboo farms in the area, the pair found a supplier and created a website to sell the bamboo straws called Jungle Straws.
Their mission was to build a sustainable business that could pay for their love for traveling while also making the world a better place. It didn’t take them long to land their first orders so they decided to launch an Etsy store after a few months.
After six months in business and about $5,000 each of personal cash invested, Jamie and Chris realized they wanted to sell more than just straws.
They changed the brand name to Jungle Culture and expanded their product range to include other eco-friendly and ethically-made products such as wooden cutlery sets, reusable safety razors, coconut bowls, organic bath sponges, and vegan shaving soaps.
It took eight months for Jungle Culture to earn its first $100,000. The following year, the business hit $900,000 in sales and created custom products for clients like TOMS, National Geographic, and the U.S. Parks Department.
By 2021, Jamie and Chris were raking in over $1.4 million in sales. Their brand continues to generate seven-figure revenues via wholesale and retail sales from Etsy, Amazon, and their website.
Also Read: Best Sites Like Temu
5. Ashley Bostwick (Wander and Lust Jewelry)
Source: OrlandoVoyager
Another Etsy millionaire whose story is inspiring is Ashley Botwsick, the brains behind the dainty necklaces, unique gemstone rings, modern glam earrings, and timeless bracelets that Wander and Lust Jewelry is known for.
Ashley started selling on Etsy in 2014 to supplement her earnings as an HR professional. At the time, she was planning her wedding so she went on Etsy to look for gifts she could give her bridesmaids.
Upon realizing that the items on the site were handmade by creatives and artists from all over the world, she decided to try her hands at making and selling her own jewelry even though she had zero experience in the field.
After doing lots of research and watching countless YouTube videos, Ashley spent $300 on supplies and began designing her first jewelry collection. When the collection was ready, she asked a friend to model for her and borrowed a camera from another friend for the photoshoot.
Within the first six months, Wander and Lust Jewelry made $20,000, almost half of what Ashley was earning annually at her day job. This pushed her to keep working hard at the business so she could afford to quit her job.
A year later, Ashley was able to achieve the dream of leaving her 9-5. Her Etsy store continued to make good sales but it wasn’t until 2018 that she hit the six-figure revenue mark.
In 2019, Ashley doubled her sales figures from the previous year by giving customers the option to personalize the items they want and rebranding some of her best-selling products to attract specific niche audiences.
As of March 2023, Ashley’s Etsy shop has made over 1.9 million in lifetime sales. The jewelry entrepreneur has hired two women to help her design, manufacture, and pack all the store’s orders.
Ashley is proof that taking a business from idea to execution is no easy feat but when you rely on the right strategies and follow market trends, you can achieve amazing feats with your Etsy store.
6. Andrew Moore (Felony Case)
Source: LinkedIn
Many Etsy millionaires did not achieve success overnight. It’s taken years of consistently putting out great products and taking measures to drive their brands forward for them to cross the seven-figure mark.
Andrew Moore belongs in this category. He is the founder and designer at Felony Case, a Toronto-based business that specializes in creating and selling unique phone cases for iPhones and high-end Samsung devices.
Felony Case began as a small store on Etsy in 2012 and has now evolved into one of the biggest and most popular iPhone case brands on the market.
Andrew got the idea to start making and selling phone cases after someone on Twitter shared a photo of a metal-studded case and asked for recommendations on where to buy them.
The next day, Andrew ordered a couple of silicon iPhone 4 cases and metal screw-in punk studs from eBay. When they arrived, he punched holes into the cases, screwed in the studs by hand, and began selling the phone cases to friends and friends of friends.
Since people seemed to be loving the cases, Andrew decided to create an Etsy shop and start selling them there. The rest, as they say, is history. Before long, Andrew was shipping his phone cases all across the world and getting offers to sell them in retail stores.
The rapid growth of the business prompted Andrew to seek out manufacturing and packaging companies that could help him bring his designs to life since making them by hand was no longer tenable.
According to Andrew, Felony Case now brings in an average of $120,000 a month in revenue. In addition to Etsy, the brand’s products are also being sold in major retail outlets around the world including Indigo, Nordstrom, Revolve, Holt Renfrew, Free People, and Urban Outfitters.
7. Hannah Gardner (The Views & Co)
Source: TheViewsandCo
After graduating from college in 2018, Hannah Gardner knew she wanted to go into business for herself. She started a media buying agency to help businesses set up and manage ad campaigns on Facebook, Google, and Instagram.
Unfortunately, she struggled to find clients and when she did find some, she ended up undercharging them while overdelivering on responsibilities because she was broke and desperate.
This quickly led to Hannah experiencing burnout. However, luck shined on her when she landed a client who needed help running ads for her Etsy shop. While on the job, Hannah realized that selling on Etsy would be so much easier than ad buying so she decided to become an Etsy entrepreneur.
Hannah used Google to find a production partner and hired a designer to help her create fast fashion accessories. This is how her feel-good fashion brand, The Views & Co came to be.
Not all of Hannah’s ideas for the business panned out. For instance, her bathing suit line failed because it couldn’t generate customer interest, which caused Hannah to pivot into selling affordable, ethically-sourced jewelry.
Within one year of creating her shop, Hannah made $1 million in revenue, making her an Etsy millionaire. In August 2020, Hannah hit her first $200,000 revenue month.
However, she continued handling every aspect of the business on her own until she scored another $200,000, then she decided to bring in her first employee.
The View & Co has continued to grow by leaps and bounds and Hannah now splits her time between overseeing its affairs, being a YouTube content creator, and coaching other small business owners who want to replicate her success.
8. Erin E. Hooley (Bailey’s Blossoms)
Source: TexasLifestyleMag
Erin E. Hooley is not typically the kind of person you’d expect to be the owner of a multi-million-dollar fashion empire. She got married at 19, had six kids by the time she was 28, and doesn’t have a college degree or any kind of formalized training; she doesn’t even know how to sew.
So how did Erin go from being yet another overworked mother toiling away in obscurity to being a wildly successful entrepreneur?
It all began in 2008 when Erin decided to start selling hair accessories on Etsy to keep busy and earn passive income to keep her family afloat during what was a dire financial period.
Erin launched Bailey’s Blossom and began making and selling items like tutus and hair adornments. Eventually, Erin decided to relaunch the brand as a DIY destination and source for children’s clothing.
Since she couldn’t sew, she focused on designing the clothes and invested $30,000, the last of her and her husband’s savings, into buying materials and hiring people to make the clothes.
The orders began flowing in almost immediately. By January 2016, Bailey’s Blossoms had gotten so big and built a community of tens of thousands of customers that it could afford to move on from Etsy.
Merely 48 hours after leaving Etsy and using social media to drum up buzz about the brand’s website, Bailey’s Blossoms experienced a jump in sales almost 4 times bigger than their previous sales numbers.
By 2020, Hannah had grown the toddler clothing brand’s user base to around 750,000 customers and was bringing in about $1 million in sales.
9. Alicia Shaffer (Three Bird Nest)
Source: USPS
Alicia Shaffer is easily one of the richest and most popular sellers on Etsy. As far back as 2015, the mom of three was already making waves and getting profiled for earning between $80,000 to $90,000 a month and averaging $1 million in annual revenue.
Like most Etsy sellers, Alicia was only hoping to earn a little extra income on the side when she opened her Etsy store in December 2011.
At the time, she was recovering from a failed business venture—selling handmade blankets, carriers, slings, and other baby products—that she had managed.
Although she wasn’t feeling confident in her entrepreneurial abilities, Alicia decided to launch an Etsy shop and start selling some of the headbands she made for her women’s clothing boutique.
She hoped to make $100 to $200 extra to help cover the cost of dance and soccer lessons for her kids. To Alicia’s surprise, she generated over 90 orders in the first few weeks of the store’s opening.
At this point, she made the brave decision to start running Three Bird Nest as a business rather than a hobby. Alicia expanded the brand into a full-fledged clothing line and started learning how to increase her Etsy sales.
She incorporated professional-looking photography as well as detailed titles and descriptions into her product listings. The strategy paid off handsomely and helped her join the league of Etsy millionaires.
By February of the following year, she was no longer able to fulfil the influx of orders by herself so she hired an assistant. Alicia has since increased her workforce size by over a dozen people, all of whom help to make, package, and ship orders.
Alicia has since moved from Etsy to selling her products exclusively on the Three Bird Nest website.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, starting a business involves more than just dreaming; it requires you to take action to make your ideas possible and then keep it profitable for years on end.
These Etsy millionaires are proof that if you take the leap to become an entrepreneur, believe in yourself, and keep learning ways to satisfy your customers and maximize sales, you can go farther than you ever expected.
Tell your story, connect with your customers, and market your products properly and your target audience will find you and patronize your brand.
Good luck!
