Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Murphy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My business actually started out as just “simple crafting”. I loved painting whether it was the walls in my home or furniture I made or pieces I picked up at an antique store. I worked full time as a Radiation Therapist. It was a tough job mentally and it could easily take its toll on you so painting and being creative with painting was an outlet for me. I especially enjoyed working with Chalk Paint that could only at the time be bought online from London….and to this day, I still use it. Thankfully the paint can now easily be purchased in the states. I started using this particular paint on my furniture pieces and with the leftover paint, I started making signs. I was encouraged by my may friends to start selling the signs I was making. I started making quote signs and decided to give Etsy a try. I signed up and started listing the items I had made. It took a couple of months to get a sale but I finally had! I then found this amazing quote that touched my heart and decided to paint it onto a sign and list it on Etsy and it started selling so quickly I almost felt like I couldn’t keep up. This was truly the kickstart to my current success. Over the years, I have gotten away from making quote signs and am currently mostly only making business signs. Although upon special requests, I will do quote signs for anyone that may want one. I’ve been able to also add laser engraved and laser cut signs to my shop in the past couple of years which are a lot of fun to design and make.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a fairly smooth road for me and I feel incredibly blessed. When I decided to leave my career as a Radiation Therapist to pursue my business full time, I certainly felt the pressure to truly make this business successful. Often the struggles with online sales is getting noticed amongst so many talented people. When I first started on Etsy it wasn’t that well known to everyone. Now I feel most people are aware of it and given that more and more talented people are showing up there to sell their products, it becomes easier to get lost amongst everyone in your niche. The struggles also come with trying to stay on top of trends and knowing what your customers want. It’s also just as important to be able to adapt to the changes of time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a sign maker that loves to make signs for people in all types of businesses. The signs I make are mostly small but I have made many that are quite large. I also do logo signs too. The majority of my signs are all painted though I have introduced laser cut and laser engraved signs to my shop.
I’m most proud of the fact that I have so many amazing reviews. This means that my work is of good quality and customers are very pleased with their orders. Many of my reviews also include quick responsiveness to their messages. I feel being quick to respond to my customers makes them feel important and that is what I want.
What sets me apart from others is my willingness to create custom signs. I love the design aspect of sign making. I love to show customers options that they can have and create something for them that is perfect. Something that will make them happy when they see the final product.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I also started another business selling gift boxes. This business is Urban Pineapple Gifts. I sell a wide assortment of gift boxes for all occasions. The business was very successful through COVID and continues to be. Gift box offerings include homemade soaps, milk bath salts, gourmet cookies, scented soy candles and even a Spotify keychain if purchased.
Contact Info:
- Email: inmind4u@gmail.com
- Website: www.inmind4u.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inmind4u
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inmind4u
