So, you’re working on revamping your LinkedIn and have no idea if it’s appropriate to talk about the Etsy shop that you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into. I mean, who wants to hear about the sixty different soy candles you’ve crafted?

Hint—a lot of people do!

Why should I put my Etsy shop in my LinkedIn profile?

Speaking about your Etsy shop is on LinkedIn can be a huge differentiator because it showcases a combination of your entrepreneurial spirit with a personal passion of yours (well, let’s hope that you’re passionate about whatever you sell on Etsy). It gives something for people to relate to you by showing a bit more about your personality than what’s just on your resume.

So, how can you show off your Etsy shop in a way that impresses recruiters or whoever else is popping by your profile to stalk your career ‘cred?

Unless you’re running your Etsy shop as a full-time job (and if you are, props to you—that’s amazing!), it may be a little bit overkill to create a whole experience section for your shop. In this case, the Projects section is going to be your friend! You can add a new project to your profile by going to Add a Profile Section > Accomplishments > Projects.

Here are some ideas for what to include:

• A link to your shop (doh!)
• How long you’ve been running your shop for
• The type of product you sell. Don’t worry if you’re a doctor and you sell puppy toys—it shows you have interests outside of just work! This also gives people an easy way to start a genuine conversation with you.
• Stats that you’re proud of (for example # of sales in x amount of time, # of unique visits, conversion rate)
• Any techniques that you’ve learned and used that you feel proud of (cough cough mastering Etsy’s own breed of SEO)

An example for you:

Here’s an example of what I previously had on my LinkedIn covering my Etsy shop (which I have now closed down). Feel free to pull from this for inspiration!

Etsy Shop - Bungalow Creative

Jul 2017 – Present

• Launched and currently maintaining an Etsy shop selling business branding templates and custom design services
• Optimized listings to rank at the top of Etsy's search engine - first listing ever was ranked at #1 for its main keyword!
• Achieved 19k+ unique visits, 500+ sales, and $10,000+ in revenue in first year of business, maintaining over a 3% conversion rate
• Promoted shop across social media to increase traffic and brand awareness

You can keep it short and sweet. Remember to revisit this section of your profile every couple of months or so to update your ever-growing stats and accomplishments!

Don’t forget!

Beyond just adding a project for your Etsy shop, don’t forget to add the skills you’ve learned along the way to your skills section. This could include things like Search Engine Optimization, Keyword Research, Customer Service, Analytics, and much more!

You can (and should!) also include a link to your Etsy shop in the links section at the top of your profile. Who knows, your next big order or dream client could find you through LinkedIn, so it’s best to show it off in as many places as you can (within reason).

In conclusion, it’s probable that selling on Etsy has given you a ton of marketable skills and experience that should definitely be shared. Taking time to outline and describe what you’ve achieved on Etsy will not only give you a little confidence boost and kick in the butt to expand your store even more, but if you’re on the job hunt, it’ll make your profile shine a little extra and prepare you to speak about these key highlights in possible future interviews. I truly believe that speaking about my Etsy shop has helped me a ton in past interviews I’ve gone through—my passion for what I do was evident when describing what I’ve learned and accomplished through being a seller on Etsy.

How are you planning on showing off your Etsy shop on LinkedIn? Do you have any other ideas for how to showcase your work? Let me know in a comment below!

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