Tim Holley
Product Leader at Etsy
Tim Holley is a product leader at Etsy who navigated the platform through the COVID face mask surge, one of the most dramatic demand spikes in marketplace history, and helped expand Etsy's category perception beyond masks.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Tim Holley shares the inside story of Etsy's COVID face mask surge — going from normal April traffic to Black Friday overnight — and how Etsy made the unprecedented decision to directly call on sellers to make masks. He explains how they then worked to expand category perception beyond masks, ensuring the surge became a lasting expansion rather than a one-time spike.
Leadership Principles
- → When crisis creates demand, call on your sellers directly — Etsy put out an unprecedented call to make masks
- → After the crisis surge, work hard to expand perception so the story isn't just about one category
- → Sellers are astute business people who can pivot quickly — wedding dress makers started sewing masks overnight
Notable Quotes
"We went to sleep one day with typical April traffic, and then it was Black Friday overnight. Nobody knew where to find face masks. Our sellers, if you knew how to sew and had material, making a mask is quite simple."
— On the unprecedented COVID demand surge that transformed Etsy
"We did something we've never done in Etsy's past — we put out a call to sellers saying, 'Now's the time to make face masks if you can.'"
— On Etsy's unprecedented direct call to sellers during the mask shortage
Want to know how you compare?
Take the Assessment