Hello and welcome to my website.
I`m Linda Cooper, a business woman/entrepreneur, wife, mother and grandmother.
I have had an online craft business since 2010.
This website and blog is to help people find eco friendly products to use on themselves, in their homes and give as gifts with a clear conscience. Buying, knowing the products are helping them, no harsh chemicals and they are also doing their bit to help the planet survive.
My story.
3 serious illnesses all at once that lasted for a couple of years or so meant I couldn’t do much.
With eyes affected too I couldn’t even read or watch TV but I loved to crochet, so unable to sit and do nothing, I took it up again.
Ending up with a stack of handmade items I decided, as my health improved, to open a shop on a big site and sell my wares. I naively thought that all I had to do was add the items and they would sell. I was so wrong. I had no idea that I would have so much to learn about writing, photography and promoting my work, without all the designing and making.
It was very challenging at the start but it got got easier as my knowledge base grew. I learnt about taking good pictures, creating great descriptions and social media. I constantly asked questions online and was lucky enough to have lots of help from those who had gone before.
What started as a hobby became more. The thrill of the first sale was brilliant and that was it, I wanted a business, I wanted to work for myself.
I designed each piece myself, mainly because patterns seemed so complicated. I began to write them down so I could recreate them which eventually led to selling the patterns too.
I loved creating new designs. I would see various things in shop windows and think ‘that’s nice, but I could change this and that to a different shape etc.’
I also loved posting them to far flung places and still every sale was as big a thrill as the first one. Crochet was time consuming though and was unlikely to earn enough to bring in a viable income on its own.
Changing what I created and branching out was very exciting.
I kept on trying new crafts which was very enjoyable but I wanted to create something that wasn’t readily available, that was different.
I came across word art, but it was all very basic at that time. I found it exciting but wanted to create more lifelike pictures than those that were already on sale which were mainly flat shapes. They were nice and different then, I wanted to create some but with more life.
It took me many months to find the right software and then the hard work began. Creating pictures that would run through the software and come out the right shape. Then I realised I needed more software for the finishing, cue more months of searching and testing. Finally I had the finished effect I wanted. From there it was a case of creating more shapes, writing copy and taking photos for prospective customers. At about the 2 year mark I finally had my new products that I had created alongside my crochet business while also working in the real world. As the artwork took off, the crocheting took a back seat. 
Just as this fledgling business began to grow, I was made redundant from my job. I gave myself 8 months to make it into a business that provided a proper income. I constantly created new bases, learned all I could about growing my social media and worked longer hours than I had ever done. It worked and I never looked back.
The business grew …. but so did my family … namely grandchildren. As more came along I had more commitments. I wanted to help and to nurture the next generation, to help them learn and grow. My business though had to slow down. I loved creating artwork but it was time consuming, nowhere near as much as the crochet per item but still a lot of time as I refused to compromise on the quality.
I needed a new source of income that didn’t take up as much time, so I went looking. I heard about Affiliate marketing, so I began a quest to learn more. I learned there were many people who just wanted your money. I read information and watched endless videos. That turned into a burning desire to find the holy grail of affiliate marketing, a company that didn’t rip you off and genuinely helped you.
I didn’t expect it to be free but I wanted value for money. I heard so many heart rending tales of people caught out by scammers.
One thing I never lost sight of during that time was: ‘If it looks and sounds too good to be true, then it probably is’.
I found a very good company, Wealthy Affiliate, who have excellent training that teaches how to build a website for whatever you need it for. How to improve it and create a blog for it. All about content creation, SEO and so much more.
How this helped Me.
I built a website for affiliate marketing and then another as an idea took shape.
Many people want to live a more eco friendly life with better quality products for themselves that also help the planet. Most people are juggling busy lives of jobs, family and home with little time or inclination to source new products for themselves, their family and home. I intend to help by finding and showing you wonderful products I have discovered.
Personally I prefer natural products on my skin and in my home, preferring to avoid harsh chemicals as much as possible.
I test the products myself before writing about them and recommending them.
If I wouldn’t use them myself and give them as gifts for friends and family, then they won’t be on this site.
Site Goals.
To find the best and most eco friendly products to help you and the planet survive in a world that is becoming more polluted by the day.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out if I can.
All the best,
Linda
https://easyecolife.com