You’re doing all the things - listing products, posting to socials, tweaking tags, maybe even dabbling in ads…

But your sales graph?

Flat. 😩

If you’ve been wondering, “Why isn’t my Etsy shop growing even though I’m working so hard?” - you’re not alone.

The good news?

You’re not lazy. You’re not bad at this. You’re just stuck in what I call the Plateau of Busywork and once you learn to spot it, you can break through fast.

Let’s dive into what’s really going on behind the scenes and how to get your handmade shop moving again.

🚨 The Plateau Sneaks Up on You 

At first, you saw momentum.

Some orders. A few good months. You thought, “This is it! It’s working!”

But then things stall.

You start “doing more” - more products, more posts, maybe a shiny new platform. But nothing changes.

Here’s the truth:

You don’t need more. You need different. 

You’re likely stuck in one of these 3 classic signs of a plateau.

1️⃣ You’re Busy - But Not Growing 

You’re constantly doing things:

✅ Posting

✅ Packaging

✅ Tweaking your shop

✅ Watching tutorials

✅ Making new products

But if you look at your sales graph, it’s completely flat. That’s a red flag.

Real-life example: 

A soap seller I worked with posted every day on Instagram… but never looked at her conversion rate. She had traffic, but her product photos were dark and unclear - so buyers didn’t trust the shop enough to buy.

💡 Quick win: 

Check your conversion rate.

Go to your Etsy stats and divide orders by visits.

If it’s under 2% - your problem isn’t traffic. It’s conversion.

2️⃣ You’ve Got Shiny Object Syndrome 

“This week TikTok is hot! Next week Pinterest is the answer! Maybe I need an email list too!”

You jump from one platform to the next, hoping the next “thing” will fix it.

But that scattergun approach? It spreads your energy too thin and keeps you stuck.

Truth: 

Growth doesn’t come from trying everything. It comes from repeating the right things, consistently.

Real-life example: 

A knitwear seller doubled her sales - not by adding new platforms but by focusing solely on optimising her Etsy listings for the autumn season.

💡 Quick win: 

Choose ONE platform or traffic source to focus on for the next 30 days.

Stick to it. Track it. Learn from it.

3️⃣ Your Foundations Are Wobbly 

When your shop hits a plateau, it often means there are cracks in your foundations:

🔻 Unclear target customer

🔻 Weak pricing strategy

🔻 Inconsistent or low-trust photos

🔻 No urgency in your listing copy

Real-life example: 

A handmade gift seller thought she needed ads to “scale.” But her prices were so low, she was losing money on every sale.

Once she re-priced her products properly, she became profitable and her sales picked up without any ads.

💡 Quick win: 

Audit your foundations:

☐ Are your prices profitable?

☐ Do your photos create trust at first glance?

☐ Are your shop policies clear and helpful?

If any of those feel shaky - fix them before adding more marketing.

🧠 Sam vs Lydia: Who Are You? 

Let’s compare:

Sam is doing everything - Canva, TikTok, designing new products at 11pm.

She’s exhausted, frustrated… and still stuck.

Lydia identifies her plateau.

She stops doing “more” and focuses on fixing her conversion rate.

She repackages her existing listings, adds urgency, and sticks to one platform.

Result?

📈 Her sales finally shift - with less stress and way more clarity.

✏️ Homework: Identify Your Busywork 

Write down the last 5 things you did for your shop.

Next to each, write:

– Was this busywork or growth work? 

Then circle ONE growth task that you’ll repeat every week for the next month.

💡 Need examples?

✔ Growth work = improving photos, rewriting descriptions, refining your pricing

✖ Busywork = endlessly tweaking your logo, making new graphics, jumping platforms without a plan

🎁 Ready to Break the Plateau? 

If you’re nodding along and thinking, “Yep - this is me”…

The good news is, you can fix this.

Join the free Listathon Challenge to get clear, step-by-step actions to:

✅ Fix your listings

✅ Boost your visibility

✅ Create products that actually sell

✅ AND get entered into giveaways just by taking action

👉 Click here to join the Listathon Challenge

Let’s break through your plateau — and get you growing again (without the burnout).

You’ve got this 💪

Steph x

👋 Welcome everyone! My name is Steph, I've been running my handmade business full time on Etsy since 2016, and I'm here to help you! 

🧡 I'll help you to start an Etsy shop, Etsy ads, show you how to sell more on Etsy, get to grips with Etsy SEO, Etsy branding, Etsy product ideas, finding your target market, identifying your niche and many many more.

🛍️ If you have an Etsy shop or your own website selling handmade products, or want to start one, this is THE channel you need to be subscribed to!

💰 I help makers start, run and scale their handmade businesses. Turning them from an expensive hobby to profitable businesses making 4 and 5 figure months on Etsy and your own website.

✨ Join the HBSA waitlist

✨ Free resources: Want to make headway in your business but don't want to pay yet? You're in the right place! 

✨ Work with us for deeper transformative results

✨I go live most Mondays on YouTube and in my Facebook group for mini workshops to help you make more money from your handmade business! You can see our upcoming events here