Online marketplace Etsy, which has made a name for itself showcasing handcrafted goods, moved beyond kitsch Thursday and debuted its IPO at $31 a share.
Not bad for an e-commerce platform that so far hasn't posted a profit and sells handmade items, ranging from baby clothes to state-shaped cheese boards. The question now is whether the global marketplace can scale its business strategy as a public company yet keep its community vibe. But canvassing the site for successful small business owners reveals how some savvy entrepreneurs already are successfully mining the platform to rake in six figures in sales.
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