or scroll down to get the highlights

I get this question all the time: can artists and creatives really earn an amazing living by selling their products online? The answer is yes, and it’s actually never been easier. 

Today I’m talking with Diane Hill, a designer who has translated her gorgeous paintings and designs into some unexpected (and highly profitable) avenues. Diane has taken her business from zero to multi-six figures, and she’s sharing how she got there, one step at a time. I think it will change how you think about what is possible for you. 

From Art Student to Senior Designer

Diane started studying surface pattern design in England, with a focus on wallpaper. This led her to a placement (a type of long-term internship that occurs during the school year) with a hand-painted wallpaper company that she loved. The only problem was that Diane was pregnant, and after her first week at the new job she had a baby and had to withdraw.

She did, however, stay in touch with the company. They invited her to a party, and she turned up with a hand-painted cushion she had personalized for them. Two months later, she got a call asking if she’d like to do a one-off job, and she jumped at the opportunity.

After that commission, they asked her to work for them full-time. Diane felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Having a baby at a young age didn’t affect her career; it actually drove her to work even harder.

She stayed with the company for seven years and became their senior designer, hand-painting walls in luxury residences, yachts, and hotels all over the world. Then she had her second baby, and the commute—two hours each way—became too much.

But Diane felt she had more to give. She had learned these niche skills and wanted to share them with the world. 

Turning Walls Into Opportunities

During her baby’s 3-hour afternoon nap she would paint murals on the walls of her new home, some of which took a year to complete because of the detail. She asked a friend, a professional photographer, to photograph the murals. Diane built a Squarespace website herself – breastfeeding with one hand and the laptop in the other. Those professional images became her portfolio, and she shared them to her social media account.

Her first post on her private Facebook account blew up, getting shared 250 times. Diane was blown away by the response.

The Instagram Breakthrough

Diane’s BIG break came when someone at Vogue magazine spotted her work on social media, which led to a small feature in an edition with Victoria Beckham on the cover. The images were bold and bright, which she believes struck a chord with people.

So Diane started an Instagram account in addition to her Facebook, and grew very slowly. She  kept posting images each time she painted another wall of her home, and one day she received an inquiry.

It took a couple of years, but gradually things picked up. First, someone local asked her to paint a wall for £300, and she was thrilled. She took a photo, put it online, and another person came along a few months later. Diane put the price up, and that’s how it worked. It grew very slowly.

“I got where I am with really good video on Instagram…even though they were shaky, shadowy, terrible videos. It was the videos that really captured people’s attention.”

A Game-Changing Pivot

In a couple of years, she was back to painting in luxury Kensington and Mayfair townhouses, this time on her own terms, and booked out a year in advance. She was busy, but she was beginning to get tired. Realizing she couldn’t grow her business further because she was just one person, she pivoted to selling prints of her artwork. The shift to print on demand was a game-changer, allowing her to automate her processes and shifting the dynamic of her business completely.

Meaningful Impact, Explosive Growth

Diane was selling prints while still doing murals in 2020 when her second big break came. The Black Lives Matter movement had exploded online, and she could see that people were sitting at home, furious about what had happened. Diane, who is half Black,  decided to create something for charity.

She did it, thinking she could raise a few hundred pounds because, at that point, she was selling only a few prints a month. But her fundraiser went viral—her Instagram account grew from about 20,000 followers to 100,000 followers in a very short space of time.

She sold so many prints, she raised £14,000 ($17- $18k USD) for charity. The prints were priced at £35 each, so they were affordable. She kept it really simple: one size, free worldwide shipping, and a small profit margin.

After that, Diane got noticed by everyone, including her dream company Harlequin, who reached out to her about a licensing deal. Between that and the fundraiser, her revenue jumped from a few hundred to £10k per month.

“It’s about marketing, it’s about visibility, eyes on your work. You could be the best artist in the world, technically able, but if you don’t have the eyes on your work, and if you don’t have good marketing strategy, you’re never going anywhere.”

In hindsight, Diane feels that the key ingredient to her success was a sort of “fake-it-til-you-make-it” strategy.  She didn’t wait until she already had clients to put herself out there as a muralist, she painted her own walls and posted those. By positioning herself as a muralist for hire, she paved the way to becoming just that.

New Products, Broader Horizons

Diane paints on a special, hard-to-find silk paper, and her process videos are so captivating that followers began asking about her materials. Seeing an opportunity, Diane considered ordering paper and brushes in bulk from China to resell, but was nervous about the financial commitment.

She decided to test the waters with pre-orders, which did really well, so she used the money to buy more and did another set of pre-orders, which also sold out. Her starter brush kits and paper selection have grown to a big part of her total revenue.

The E-Book Evolution

Diane could see that the brushes and silk were really helping people, and she loved seeing her customers’ work with them. With the help of her sister, she started writing some blog posts on how to paint chinoiserie, always linking back to the brushes and the silk. While it was rewarding to help fellow artists, she knew she could make it bigger.

The downloadable pdf was born of this desire to give away serious, helpful information. Diane wanted to show exactly which brush and paint she used, how she blended, did the details, and even how to mount and frame the artwork. She wanted to talk about the history and put it all in a beautiful book rather than just a blog post.

Diane launched the e-book last November, pricing it at £25. She created urgency with a limited-time 30% discount. And it sold really well, thanks to an email marketing strategy and social media promotion. She was slightly apprehensive since it was her first e-book, but she sold about 500 copies in the first week. Diane received amazing reviews about how helpful it was.

Her second e-book also started with a blog post about her journey in building a six-figure art business. She created an Instagram post asking, “Want to know how I built a six-figure art business?” Using the ManyChat, Diane was able to send commenters the link to her blog post.

The response was overwhelming, with 5,000 comments on that one post. It was a no-brainer for Diane to turn this into an e-book.

This one was bigger, so she charged more and put significant effort into the marketing. Unlike her first e-book, where the marketing was minimal, she went all-in on this one. Within a matter of weeks, it became her most successful product launch.

What Diane loves about it is that it’s a digital product, so there’s no shipping involved, and it’s 100% profit. It sells her knowledge and genuinely helps people. And it’s highly scalable, because once created, it can be sold many times without additional production costs.

She says it has been game-changing to her bottom line.

Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Artists

Many artists don’t quite think of themselves as businesses. They see themselves with an artist mindset rather than a product business mindset. However, they need to do all the same things that a product business would do. Diane is a believer that all the marketing methods that any other business would use, artists need to use as well because they are selling a product. Diane has gained all of these tools from our course The Inner Circle (link) and applied them to her art business.

A few of her followers have expressed disappointment in Diane’s transition to selling digital products, feeling that she’s stepped out of her lane. What she wants every artist or anyone trying something different digitally to know is that those people will always be there. You have to use your data and look at the numbers to remind yourself that what you do is meaningful to people.

When people appreciate your product with their credit card, it means they see value in what you do. Diane keeps her focus on all the joy she’s putting out, and not on the tiny few who don’t like it.

From Passion to Profit: The Inspiring Journey of Diane Hill

Diane’s journey from a young artist studying surface pattern design in England to becoming a successful entrepreneur is truly inspiring. She leveraged social media for growth, transitioned from murals to prints, and expanded her business through smart marketing and new revenue streams. Her ability to adapt and innovate through the use of digital tools and platforms has allowed her to build a thriving six-figure art business. Her story is really a testament to the power of persistence, creativity, and strategic thinking. 

If you want to see Diane’s work or purchase any of her ebooks you can find them at www.dianehill.co.uk/ or on Instagram @dianehilldesign

RELATED LINKS:

Diane’s Website
www.dianehill.co.uk/

How Artist Camila Prada Gets Paid For Her Art

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/how-camila-prada-finally-gets-paid-for-her-art-episode-5/

Makers And Designers: Formula For Growth

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/makers-and-designers-formula-for-growth-episode-65/

Is It Time To Pivot? Here’s How You Know

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/is-it-time-to-pivot-heres-how-you-know-episode-69/

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

or scroll down to get the highlights

The Secret to Selling Out Fast

Wouldn’t it be a dream come true if you could  launch a new product or collection, and have it sell out immediately? What if you could place a new inventory order with 100% confidence that your audience will buy it?

Inner Circle member Morgan Lane Tanner, owner of Foterra jewelry, has a strategy for that. Morgan is a long time eCommerce store owner who sells jewelry made from landscape photographs. Over the years, she’s perfected a method that gets her audience involved in her product launches. The result is that when it comes time to start selling, Morgan sells out. Fast.

Foterra Jewelry’s Scenic Route

Morgan’s journey began in Hawaii. Foterra Jewelry’s core customers are women who love the outdoors and feel a strong connection to nature. These are the people who find joy in carrying a piece of their favorite landscape with them wherever they go. 

The business initially thrived in Hawaii, attracting both tourists and locals who cherished their favorite spots. Now based in the Pacific Northwest, Foterra Jewelry continues to resonate with those who love hiking and have a deep connection to their local mountains and spending time in nature.

Morgan’s pieces allow her customers to take their “happy places” with them, and because of the originality and ingenuity of her concept, Morgan and her husband have built a successful business that supports them.

Blueprint for a Perfect Product Launch

Morgan is an artist, so her business has to balance her creative vision with what her customers will love. In order to avoid alienating her buyers, she has developed a clever strategy to both gauge their interest, and get them excited about new product offerings, before she launches something new.

Morgan often uses this technique when she’s stuck or unsure about how a new design will be received. Whereas with in-person selling, an artist can get valuable feedback from passersby, with online sales you often feel that you’re creating in vacuum. Morgan developed this strategy as a way to get online feedback before investing in creating or buying the product.

The pre-launch strategy starts with engaging the audience to gather their opinions.

The first time she did this, Morgan had been approached by a local nonprofit to design a piece for an Earth Day fundraiser. She wanted to do something special and unique, but was stuck on the design. After some research, she found two charms she loved – one with a wave design and one with a mountain design.

She created two graphics, each showcasing one of the charms, and posted them on Facebook and Instagram, asking followers to vote in the comments. Results were split evenly down the middle.

So she expanded the informal poll to her email list. She sent out a campaign saying, “Something’s coming, and I need your help. Choose which one.” Using a technique from an Inner Circle training, she used buttons to let customers vote. She included graphics of both charm designs, and subscribers could click on their favorite.

The email gathered valuable input but also had an unexpected benefit – it identified who was potentially interested in purchasing. 

Like with the social media poll, the votes in email were evenly split, so Morgan decided to go ahead with both designs. She created a couple of designs using the charms and moved forward with both options.

Next, she guessed that her customers would be delighted to find out if the design they voted for won, so she created a “reveal” Reel to showcase the winning designs. She then sent a similar email to her list, revealing the final charms.

Because people love to give their opinions, all of these organic posts and campaigns had great engagement (likes, comments, votes, etc), and customers appreciate being let in on the creative process. This was great for Morgan, because she reached a lot of her followers without spending a dime on ads.

The Launch Week Hustle

Morgan kept these activities up for a full week, starting on a Thursday and ending the following Wednesday, with the big reveal the day before the official launch. She could have posted even more and spent money on ads, but she chose to keep it organic.

On that Thursday, she teased the collection by showing a bit of the sample-making process through videos and reels. This got people excited as they saw the teasers two or three times before the launch.

When launch day arrived, Morgan sent out emails to her audience and posted on Instagram and Facebook, providing direct links to the new products. She followed her usual launch method, sending emails on the first day and a few days later to her engaged audience. She spent that week talking about the collection nonstop on social media, and contrary to what she might have thought, no one seemed to get tired of it.

By the end of the first two days, Thursday and Friday, she sold about $1,000 worth of the collection. By the middle of the next week, one of the styles was completely sold out.

She quickly ordered more charms to keep up with the demand. The collection was limited edition and lasted for about a week and a half, leaving only about five pieces of one style by the end.

Throughout this period, Morgan continuously posted and emailed her audience, and everyone remained excited. She made sales every day, and the constant communication made her customers feel a sense of ownership and excitement about the collection. 

One Focus, Big Results

Even though Morgan spent a good part of half the month focusing on this one launch, the impact on her sales was significant. If she had spread her efforts over multiple products, promoting different items each week, the results wouldn’t have been the same. She estimated that the focused campaign probably resulted in about a 50% increase in sales compared to a normal week. Selling that many of just one collection was more effective and easier, too, as she didn’t have to constantly switch gears and think about new things to promote.

Morgan found that having a clear focus made it simpler to come up with clever ways to talk about the product. She realized that she could have added more touches, like sending an email a couple of days before the launch, offering a sneak peek 24 hours early, which could have heightened anticipation even more.

Morgan’s biggest takeaway was recognizing the value of her audience’s feedback. Initially, she was nervous about bothering people, but she discovered that customers love being involved and offering their opinions. This interaction created a sense of fun and connection.

Morgan points out that none of her promotional content included her face. Despite this, her customers still felt very connected. She did one face-to-camera story during the launch, announcing that they were almost sold out, which added a personal touch without being overwhelming.

Morgan is now a true believer that engaging with your audience doesn’t have to be intimidating. Simple graphics created in Canva or straightforward posts can be just as effective.

You don’t need to dance on TikTok or share every aspect of your life; maintaining a genuine connection through simple, consistent communication is key.

Beyond New Products

What’s great about this strategy is that it isn’t just limited to new products. In fact Morgan is currently working on a spring sale and is in the pre-launch phase. She’s getting customers to comment to join the pre-launch list, allowing them to shop early. This technique involves getting people on an early bird list. This time, she’s incorporating the ManyChat app to collect emails as well. Without spending any money, she has so far received about 55 comments on one post (which translates to 55 organic emails in just three days).

Morgan says you can even use this launch technique to pull things out of the vault, such as past products, and relaunch them with a new pre-launch strategy. The core principle is building your audience, generating awareness, getting people to click through and engage with your site, and ultimately driving sales. She emphasizes that a pre-launch is essential for any kind of launch. It builds excitement and ensures that people are aware and engaged before the official announcement. She has even found that even those who miss the pre-launch still benefit from the overall buzz and engagement it creates. 

Making It Happen: Engage, Launch, Repeat

Morgan’s success confirms that customer interaction during the pre-launch phase is crucial for achieving sales success. While it’s a bit more work up front, once you see what resonates with your audience, it becomes much easier to create new content. Plus, you can always recycle the posts that performed well. So, it starts with a bit of work, but it becomes a lot easier over time, reducing the mental load as you go.

You can connect with Morgan and see her work at foterrajewelry.com or follow her on Instagram and Facebook @foterrajewelry

RELATED LINKS:

Check out Morgan’s website: www.foterra.com

Nicholas’s strategy to fund his launch with pre-orders will make you watch twice!

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/nicholass-strategy-to-fund-his-launch-with-pre-orders-will-make-you-watch-twice/

What Happens When You Put Marketing First

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/what-happens-when-you-put-marketing-first-episode-198/

Become A Marketing-First Store Owner

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/become-a-marketing-first-store-owner-episode-160/

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

or scroll down to get the highlights

Boost Your Bottom Line: 3 Clever Ecommerce Strategies to Supercharge Your Profits

We ecommerce sellers all jumped into business with one big goal: to make money. Right? But once the thrill of the first sale wears off, the reality is that selling online isn’t the same as selling face-to-face. It’s a whole different ball game that requires mastering new skills. And it’s easy to lose sight of why we started in the first place.

This month I’ve had some great conversations with our Inner Circle members about money. Specifically cashflow and profit. It’s clear to me that every single store owner needs to put some strategies in place that will make them more profitable.

So, I’ve put together this post to unpack three strategies aimed at boosting your bottom line. These are actionable tips you can start applying right away to see a real difference in your profits. 

I’m here to remind you that while it’s normal to face some unprofitable days, especially in the early stages, waiting too long to focus on profit can lead you into a crisis. 

You can avoid that by getting proactive about our profits now. Let’s dive into these strategies and make sure our businesses are not just surviving, but thriving.

First: 6 Questions Your Need To Ask Yourself

Here’s what you should be asking yourself before we get into the strategies::

1) Is the profit from my current sales covering my overhead? If not, when will it? For instance, if you double your sales, will that cover your overhead? It’s crucial to evaluate where you stand with this.

2) How much profit is left each month after covering overhead? Knowing what’s left after all expenses gives you a clear picture of your actual profitability.

3) Am I reinvesting the surplus profit back into the business, like into inventory? Even if you’re turning a profit, think about where that money is going. Is it going into growing your inventory, or is it just covering additional expenses?

4) Am I okay with how I’m using that profit? This is about aligning your financial decisions with your personal and business goals. It’s all about awareness and deciding if and when to change your reinvestment strategy.

5) When do I want to start paying myself? If you aren’t already, remember, there’s no perfect time to start. It’s tempting to wait until you hit a certain earning threshold, but goals can always shift. Consider starting small, perhaps with a modest percentage of your sales.

6) How can I keep my finances on track and boost my profit? I’ll give you a tip right now: schedule a monthly “date” with your finances. Review your profit and loss statement regularly. If you don’t have one, it’s time to get one set up.

Running a business can either be a fulfilling venture that supports the lifestyle you desire, or it can be a constant struggle with little to no financial reward. I’ve experienced both, and trust me, the first option is way more fun. So, if there’s anything I can urge you to do, it’s to take control of your profits sooner rather than later. Let’s make sure you’re not just working hard, but also making money that rewards your efforts.

Strategy 1: Optimize Your Pricing

It’s mission critical to nail your pricing. When done right, this strategy can turbocharge your profits without scaring away your customers. Here’s what you’ll do: take a look at your top 10 most frequently sold products and bump up their prices by just a dollar or two.

These are your most frequently sold items, not necessarily your biggest overall sellers. Because they sell often, even a small price increase can significantly boost your profit—more cash in your pocket, more often.

A quick word of caution:

When you start seeing that extra profit, it might be tempting to put it toward things that might feel right but will slowly drain your resources over time. Offering free shipping, for example, might sound easy and appealing, but it can be a real money sink if not managed carefully.

I got caught in a nasty cash flow crunch with my second business, Weesqueak. When I sat down to look at my numbers, I could see that I had spent $14k more on shipping than I had collected, due to a free shipping threshold I had implemented on my site. My intention had been to get people to buy more than one product, but in reality it was just shaving dollars off my bottom line little by little.

So don’t be afraid to crank up the prices a bit on your hottest items for more frequent profits that really impact your bottom line. And make sure you keep an eye on where that extra money goes. Keep it working for you, not against you.

Strategy 2: Add A “Front Of The Line Shipping” Option

Here’s a little trick that’s a win for you and your customers: introduce a “Front of the Line” shipping option. Create a rush shipping offer like within 24 hours, the next business day, or even within five business days. The timeframe doesn’t really matter as long as it’s clear and offers a perceivable advantage to your customers.

Once you’ve chosen the offer, add it as a shipping option that’s a few dollars higher than your standard shipping rate at checkout. There are always customers willing to pay a premium for faster service. 

What’s great about offering a premium shipping option like this is that it doesn’t involve any physical products or additional costs of goods sold. That means all that extra revenue from the upgraded shipping can flow straight to your bottom line. If you’re not offering this yet, you’re definitely leaving money on the table. So, figure out what quick shipping promise you can make, set it up, and watch as some customers choose to pay more for that speed and convenience. 

Strategy 3: Cash-Smart Inventory Spending

This last one isn’t so much a quick profit tactic as it is a smart, strategic move to keep your business on solid ground. This idea is inspired by the Profit First approach of accounting. What you need to do is set up a separate bank account specifically for your Cost of Goods. Here’s how it works:

Every week, after you tally up your sales, move the amount it cost to produce the products you sold into this new account. This is the money you’ll use to buy inventory. Doing this does a couple of brilliant things. First, it keeps this money out of your operating expenses, which means you won’t accidentally spend it on the next shiny object that catches your eye.

But more importantly it  helps you avoid overbuying inventory. When you see just how much cash you have in that account, you’re forced to make more mindful decisions. For example, say there’s a product you don’t sell often, and the supplier’s minimum order is way more than you need—you’ll think twice. Conversely, if there’s an item flying off the shelves that you’re constantly restocking, it’s clear where your money should go. This account makes your inventory decisions almost foolproof.

As your sales increase, the funds available for inventory will naturally increase too, preventing you from overspending or misallocating funds. It’s kind of genius, right?

Now, if you’re not sure what your cost of goods sold (COGS) is, check your profit and loss statement (P&L). But if you need to calculate it yourself, here’s the formula:

For a given period, here’s the formula for COGS

Beginning Inventory + Purchases
Minus
Ending Inventory
=
Cost of Goods Sold

This is crucial because eventually, you might want someone else to take over production, and if your pricing doesn’t account for labor costs, that transition could hit your wallet hard. Best case scenario? You start paying yourself now. That’s the dream, right?

Remember, the money in your Cost of Goods account is only for inventory purchases. This setup is a game-changer for making savvy decisions that keep your business healthy and thriving.

And there you have it—three solid gold strategies to ramp up your profits and keep your business thriving. Whether it’s tweaking your pricing, adding a speedy shipping option, or managing your inventory funds like a pro, each of these steps is designed to boost your bottom line and make your business operations smoother. Remember, it’s all about being intentional with your resources and making decisions that align with your long-term goals. So go ahead, implement these changes, and watch your ecommerce store go from surviving to flourishing.

RELATED LINKS:

Block some time this week to listen to this episode, and fine tune your pricing strategy:

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/pricing-to-maximize-profit-episode-167/

A Profit First Expert Shares How To Manage Inventory

A Profit First Expert shares how to manage inventory. Episode 82 – The Social Sales Girls

Do This Now And Be More Profitable

Do This Now And Be More Profitable. Episode 204 – The Social Sales Girls

A Lesson On Fixing Your Cash Flow

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/a-lesson-on-fixing-your-cash-flow-episode-166/

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.