Being Broke and Dirty Inspires New Venture

So I'm broke, about $7 to my name after I paid for the soap samples I ordered from HelloCrafty. I'm glad I ordered them when I did, because I'm almost out of my other soap. So, sitting around being broke and dirty, I'm trying to think of how to make some sales. Things have been really slow lately, and I decided that I should try putting some lower-priced items in my shop. The first thing that comes to mind is a set of crocheted cotton face cloths.

After I got them made and listed for sale, I thought about it some more (and thought about my soap purchase some more), and though "Hey, it'd be nice if soap sellers included a little face cloth with people's orders." What would be really nice would be if they bought them from me so that we could cross-promote a little. I started a thread in the Etsy forums, and was surprised at the number of responses I got. One of the first was from none other than HelloCrafty, from whom I'd ordered the soaps that inspired this.

I've also been contacted by over half a dozen more soapers. It looks like I posted that idea at exactly the right time, because a few have told me that they'll be finalizing their lines and packaging for the holidays in the next few weeks, and will order face cloths to coordinate with them. I really stumbled onto something here!

In the end, though, this is just another example of what I love about Etsy. Lots of people who do very different things, but eager to work together for everyone's benefit.