hey everyone, it's Brandon here. Today's video is going to be a different one than what I normally make. I have a big announcement, and I want to be completely transparent with you. By now, you might be wondering why my shelves are empty behind me. What's up with the title of the video? Am I done with selling on Etsy? Is it all over? What's going on? I promise you, I'm going to explain everything in this video. As you know, I've been selling on Etsy for almost the last decade now, and I've been talking Etsy here on YouTube for the past 3 years. I've really enjoyed my time from starting up my first shop, making a full-time living on Etsy, which allowed me the freedom to quit my 9 to 5, and now sharing my tips and tricks with you along the way. The community that we built is more than I could have ever imagined, and I'm really thankful for all of you guys for subscribing, watching my content, and many of you have shared with me the success

that you found on Etsy, which makes me super happy to know that I was able to contribute and help with your Etc Celler Journey. That being said, recently I hit a beautiful milestone. I got married to my amazing wife, Nicole, just a couple of weeks ago, and instead of having a traditional honeymoon vacation, we wanted to spend this time doing something truly meaningful. So, we found a volunteering opportunity with an organization called Youth Challenge International (YCI for short). YCI runs a program that empowers and educates aspiring female entrepreneurs in Africa. We applied and recently got the exciting news that we've been accepted and that we'll be placed in Uganda, which we'll be flying out in just 2 weeks from this video when posted. Giving back to a community is something my wife and I are extremely passionate about, and the opportunity to explore a new culture is a very exciting and once-in-a-lifetime experience that we just couldn't pass up on. So, coming back to these empty shelves behind me, we

started packing up our home already to start this new adventure, which will bring us around the world for the next several months. Now, here's the problem: this is a full-time volunteering role, which means that I won't have the time to dedicate to making new and quality content for YouTube, which I've been doing for the past 3 years. And this was a really tough decision for me to leave behind everything that we have built on this channel. This community is everything for me, and I have loved every second of connecting with all of you guys, watching you grow your own Etsy shops. But on the other hand, I am incredibly excited for this new chapter, and I can't wait to help aspiring entrepreneurs face-to-face and gain these new experiences. And hopefully later, I can share these new insights and my journey with you all. With that being said, even if I cannot make any new Etsy videos on YouTube, I will still do my absolute best to continue helping our students in the private community, the DFA. And of course, I'm still managing and

operating my own personal Etsy shops while we're away in Uganda. So, he plans on joining the coaching program and private community. You can still do that. I'll still be there to provide guidance and support, and that would be the best place to get in contact with me. So, because of the volunteering commitments, I'll be focusing my time to helping the students in the program, but I won't have time to make new public videos for YouTube for the time being. I just wanted to let you know a bit about my own personal life in case you're wondering why I'm not making any more content. If you want to stay connected and continue learning how to build a successful Etsy shop, the Digital Freedom Academy program is still a wonderful community full of helpful resources for you. Also, I don't post often, but feel free to follow me on Instagram for real-time updates of Uganda and beyond. My wife and I are so excited to have the opportunity to help and provide guidance and support to female aspiring entrepreneurs. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for

Being a part of this amazing community, your support throughout the past 3 years means the world to me, and I really hope that you'll continue to follow along. Reach out for any Etsy-related questions. Take care for now.

I’m taking a break from Etsy (here’s why…)

I’m taking a break from Etsy (here’s why…)