A Beginner’s Guide to Etsy for Coaches & Therapists

If you're a coach or therapist looking to add semi- and passive income to your business, creating and selling digital products (for example, therapy worksheets, planners, journals, or personalised products) is a great way to get started.

Perhaps you’re introverted, exhausted with the online hustle of launching and audience growth, or, like me, have to manage chronic health issues. Passive income is a great option to ease the pressure of having to show up day after day when your energy is on the floor.

I started my Etsy store a few years ago but stepped back because I didn't feel like the shop was where I wanted it to go, and I had a relapse with my health. At the end of 2024, I opened a new store – Quietly Conquer and am once again finding consistency and slowly growing my store. I'm writing this guide from the perspective of someone who is still learning Etsy, with a store in its early stages.

In this post, I share some of what the brilliant mentors I work with taught me, including how to set up my store and create beautiful listings and templates to sell.

*Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something via the link, I may receive a small commission. This doesn't affect the price you pay.

If you have any questions, reach out for a chat at [email protected] or check out my other blogs

Ready to open your own Etsy store? Get 40 free listings here!

Why Etsy Works Well for Low-Energy and Introverted People

Passive income – or semi-passive income – is a way that you can grow your business without adding even more of that daily pressure onto your shoulders.

However, I'm not going to say it’s “easy money” because it isn't. But it's a different kind of effort than 1-1 work that you can work on in your own time. The early days of setting up your shop, creating the first products, learning what sells, etc., do take quite a bit of effort, but you're not having to show up for client calls at specific times – which can be a problem if your energy or health is in a bit of a slump. This direction gives you options, as you can still work on your shop for 20 minutes while under a blanket on the sofa!

If visibility on social media is a turn-off, or it drains you, your Etsy shop can again bring some relief. You don't need ot show up and do daily vlogs or constantly push with lives or reels. Your shop can have its own identity, entirely separate from you or your personal brand. Some may choose to keep it linked, but for others, this option can bring a great sense of relief as you can step back from self-promotion.

Benefits of Selling on Etsy:

Flexibility

I’m guessing you came into coaching/entrepreneurship to not be tied to working hours set by others. But what often happens is that you end up working even more hours when you start your business! Selling digital products on a platform like Etsy is a great way to gain even more autonomy and control over how you spend your time and energy.

As your shop grows and your income increases, you get to choose how much 1-1 work, or other energy-consuming parts of your business, you do. 

It also offers even more flexibility, as you can work on products in your PJ’s under a blanket on the sofa at whatever time of day! Sounds good, doesn't it?!

Less Energy Output

As above, this kind of passive income can save you a lot of time and energy that you’re currently having to put into your business, especially if you’re a therapist/coach/service provider.

The digital product part of your business can be used to replace your 1-1 work, and once you have your first few products up and running, the marketing aspect (creating mockups of products and writing descriptions or posts for socials) will become easier and quicker to create because you’ll have a stash of templates you can repurpose over and over.

It’s also great if your health or energy is low for a long time. As a counsellor as well, I find it very difficult to see clients when my ME/CFS is playing up, but I can sometimes do a little work on my products.

Ability to Pivot

It’s always a good idea when you run a business (whether you have health/energy issues or not) to have more than one avenue to make money.

If you rely solely on 1-1 work, it can be harder to stay consistent with engagement and audience growth strategies. I'm fortunate that the clients I work with understand that I may occasionally need to rearrange our calls. They can do the same without a late notice fee. A lot of my clients now tend to also have ME/CFS, so they really do get it!

But if I went into a prolonged “crash” and was unable to do any counselling work at all, I would lose a significant income if I don’t pivot and diversify my business. 

Faceless Marketing

I spoke about visibility as an introvert in a previous post. I touched upon faceless marketing and how this can be a massive relief for introverts or people who don’t want to be full-on visible online.

With digital products, you can create a business name – totally different from your own. You can set up a store with products that are totally unrelated to the work you do as a coach or service provider.

You can post videos and images of the product itself rather than you! With paid ads, you’ll grow faster, but if you already have a following, you can set up a separate profile and direct your followers straight over.

Getting Started: Choosing What to Sell

Etsy is an online marketplace for creatives, entrepreneurs, artists and small business owners with products to sell. Setting up your shop is pretty straightforward, and the platform has plenty of guides to support you along the way.

The first question is what you want to sell. If you're not sure, do a couple of brain dumps: one to include all of your skills, experience, qualifications, work, etc, and one that's based on your interests or hobbies outside of your work. Then decide whether you want your shop to be an extension of your work (therapists may choose to create therapy-related products, or may prefer to create a shop based around their love of crafting).

Etsy has a What's Trending on Etsy page, so you can take a look at that to see what's selling well.

If you’re looking to sell Done-For-You type digital products and are looking to set things up really quickly, take a look at Evelyn Weiss & Jessa Bellman, who have a large collection of PLR digital templates that includes training that you can customise and sell as your own. It's a huge bonus for those with time or energy restrictions, since reskinning templates can be much quicker.

But if you’re happy to explore yourself, just begin by claiming a store – you can get 40 free listings if you use my referral (I get 40 as well, and this is something you can also do once you're up and running!)

Setting Up Your Etsy Shop

Once you've chosen your niche, it's time to claim your free listings and head over to Etsy. You will also receive an email from Etsy, and they will walk you through the steps to set up your shop.

Name Your Shop

You may choose to stick with your name, a business name or something that feels good for you. Try to make the name descriptive, or one that will resonate with your target audience. My main store is called Quietly Conquer, as it’s aimed at mental health and personal growth tools.

First Listing and Shop Set-Up

As part of the set-up, you'll be prompted to upload your first product. You can save this as a draft while you set everything else up and add your bank details. Then the fun bit starts: you’ll be able to work on setting up your storefront! A simple banner can be created in Canva, sized 1200 x 300px. You'll find a range of templates to help you get started quickly, and you can always come back to improve once you're ready. Or, if you join Secret Weapon, you’ll get some brilliant templates to create the header for your shop.

Take a look at my store for an idea of what a banner can look like – Quietly Conquer

Shop Manager Dashboard

This is the hub of your store, where everything needed to run your shop is located. Once you log in, you'll find the stats, orders, listings, marketing tools, messages, finances and more.

Etsy also gives you a checklist of things that need your attention, opportunities to speak with someone at Etsy for support in growing your store, and more.

Create Your Product Listings

Your listings (the products you have created) are your shop window, so the images you use matter. Use clear, high-quality images and mockups to display your products.

You can also add up to 2 videos now, and Etsy encourages you to do so. I tend to add effects to a static image in Canva, or a scrolling effect of different images or pages of the product.

Once you’ve added the images, you need to then write a description of the product. This description is your sales pitch! You need to speak directly to who you're selling to – for me, that would be directed towards other service providers, as well as anyone who has an interest in mental health and personal growth.

You need to be specific about the problem that your product solves. For example, one of my products begins with: “One Thing at a Time is here to help you focus on what actually matters today and stop the overwhelm freeze. No more decision fatigue, clear steps so you can just get to work!“

If self-promotion is something you struggle with, the marketing aspect is often the hardest part. It can be helpful to remember that you're selling the product, not yourself or your services – you're simply telling a potential customer what it does and why they would want to buy it.

Building Loyal Customers

First, be confident and clear about who you are marketing your shop to. If you’re a coach/therapist, for example, ensure that it’s clear how they can find you on social media or your website if you want people to find you elsewhere. Etsy allows you to add links, but it doesn't like you actively pushing people away from their platform. If you have a shop somewhere else online, you need to follow their rules, so take the time to research and fully understand their policies.

You can build an email list by adding a small free gift to each order. In my store, you can download a free printable. This just means they can now enter your world outside of Etsy, but you are not trying to take them away from Etsy as potential buyers.

Offer exclusive discounts to those who follow your shop or buy from you. Repeat customers are a treat! The shop manager dashboard includes a marketing section where you can create regular offers for people who favourite items or buy from you.

Product Creation and Design

As mentioned earlier, I create most of my products in Canva. There is, of course, the option for PLR products (like Secret Weapon) to help you save time and energy.

Be aware of your time here, though. It can be easy to lose hours (or even days) working on your designs, perfecting them, and then feeling like you're getting nowhere fast.

Aim for products that are genuinely easy to use, with clear instructions included. If you're creating templates for others to customise, stick to elements only used in the free version of Canva, because not everyone has the paid version, and it can mess up templates once customers download them.

Be prepared to respond to any queries from customers and potential customers, and have a FAQ section set up – this will save you time, I promise!

You can choose to set up ads through Etsy, and they have lots of tools and mini trainings you can watch to help you get set up as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Tools, Resources & Support

Some of my favourite tools that I recommend include:

Etsy – Are you ready to create your own online store? Etsy is a brilliant shopping platform that's used by millions. Setting up your store is simple, and when you sign up with this link, we both get 40 free listings!

Secret Weapon Membership – Create your own digital products to sell on your website, Etsy, etc. and use this PLR membership to give you a head start. Jessea and Evelyn have created thousands of product templates that you can use to create your own products. Includes some training and guides, as well as tools for sellers, including good-quality mock-ups.

Sellers Society – For those wanting to build a successful online Etsy store. A brilliant membership, affordable and packed full of value. Weekly shop audits, challenges, tools to get you started and more! Lauren is great and has created a lovely community.

Mood Brain Dump – Create space for your thoughts and check in with how you're really feeling with this A5 minimalist, printable mental health brain dump journal or planner insert. Use digitally with GoodNotes, or as part of your daily journal.

Pacing Planner – This printable digital pacing planner includes energy awareness activities, a task (brain) dump page, a daily planner page, & 3 sizes (A5, A4, US Letter). Designed to help you manage your daily routine and achieve your goals without burning out.

Time and Energy Audit – This free printable helps you discover where your time really goes with this free time audit worksheet. Use the energy rating scale to create a more balanced week. Includes time blocking schedules you can use as a printable or with a digital note-taking app.

Final Thoughts

Building passive income through Etsy by selling digital products can be a great alternative for introverted and low-energy therapists, small business owners and educators. 

When you create and sell digital downloads tailored to your expertise or passions, you can increase your business opportunities without compromising your energy.

If you choose to do this, remember to be patient. Things do take time, especially in the early days until you get established and have a good number of listings. For some it's super-quick; for others (most of us!), it takes time.

Be consistent, but be mindful not to overload yourself. Get yourself familiar with the Etsy shop manager; use their tools and resources to help you grow your store!

I'm still learning this myself, but these are the steps that got me started. Once you get into the swing of things and get organised with your products and selling tools, you'll be able to grow your store and start to get those notifications pop up on your phone (this never stops feeling exciting!).

For more in-depth information on selling on Etsy, I recommend taking a look at another membership I'm in, The Sellers Society – it's an active community on Skool, and the support Laurne gives is outstanding without being overwhelming.

Happy creating – please share your shop below once you're up and running!

If this post helped or you enjoyed reading it, please share one of the images below as it really helps my blog – Thank You!

Meet Lynsey

Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a counsellor, coach and mentor for women who want to create change, but are feeling lost, uncertain and exhausted. With over 7 years’ experience of training, running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and adult trainer, I've learned the value of a gentle and intentional approach to work and life that energises you without draining all of your energy.

I've lived with ME/CFS since 2011, and since then re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses!

How? Improving your mindset, finding acceptance in yourself, and developing a gentle, but solution-focused approach to achieving goals is key. Knowing that it's not about how fast you move, but finding your own pace and trusting that you can achieve your goals in your own way, one step at a time.

If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)

Have you seen my online store Quietly Conquer – Find DFY templates, downloads and more!