Experience of cooperation between the Goal Marketing Agency and UNDP in supporting Ukrainian businesses entering Etsy

What is UNDP and why is this program important?

UNDP is the United Nations Development Program. This program helps solve the most pressing problems and stimulates development in countries that need it. It is present in 170 countries around the world, and Ukraine is one of them. The organization helps Ukraine not only to survive difficult times, but also to invest in the foundation for long-term development.

The program’s mission in Ukraine is focused on:

• humanitarian aid — helping to rebuild destroyed homes, restoring water, heating, and electricity systems, and supporting people who have lost their homes;
• supporting economic infrastructure — helping small businesses survive during the war, providing grants for training entrepreneurs, and supporting local communities in creating jobs;
• development in the digital environment — organizing training sessions, workshops, and conferences for entrepreneurs, thereby helping them master modern technologies and receive quality advice on their businesses.

The UN Development Program is a significant aid initiative that attracts funding from various countries and directs it where it is most needed. The main idea is not just to distribute money, but to create a program that will help people rebuild their lives.

How we helped Ukrainian businesses master Etsy: experience of cooperation with UNDP

Business development is never easy, and entering international marketplaces is a big step towards scaling up. In the spring of 2025, the Goal Marketing Agency was invited to participate in the UNDP program as expert partners, on the recommendation of Ukrposhta. We became contractors for participants on the topic of Etsy.

UNDP launched a program to support small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine. They were looking for experts to work with Ukrainian businesses that want to enter international platforms, in particular Etsy. They needed specialists with practical experience who know this platform from the inside, understand the specifics of the marketplace, its algorithms, and the characteristics of its audience.

Why the Goal Marketing Agency is an expert on Etsy

• practical experience working with Etsy;
• an individual approach for each business;
• the ability to explain complex things in simple terms.

The conditions were not easy. Working with an international organization requires a high level of responsibility, but after thorough preparation, we were ready to provide quality services. According to the rules, we acted purely as experts: no agency logos, no mentions of the name in presentations, and no direct sales of our services. Our only goal was to provide the highest quality consultation possible.

Participation and contribution to business scaling by the Goal Marketing Agency

According to the program rules, our consulting work consisted of three points:

• business audit;
• conducting webinars;
• consulting.

The first thing we did was conduct a detailed analysis of each business, with an individual approach to each niche. For those who are already on the marketplace and want to scale up.

Detailed audit for businesses on Etsy

• store analysis;
• growth points and mistakes made when filling the store — mistakes in listings, mistakes in advertising campaigns;
• creation of a semantic core;
• sales volumes of specific types of goods by criteria — price, style, country of origin;
• building an understanding of the ideal product for production and describing the ideal customer based on production capabilities;
• conclusions and recommendations for promoting the store.

One of the 70 slides from the business audit presentation

Each audit resulted in a 70-slide presentation with specific recommendations: what exactly to change, what to pay attention to, what the risks are and how to deal with them, and what the strengths and weaknesses are.

Conducting webinars

The Goal Marketing Agency team prepared and recorded four webinars, each lasting at least 60 minutes, which were useful for sellers. Based on their experience working with Etsy, the specialists chose relevant topics for the webinars based on the most common requests:

• first listing and registration of a new store;
• searching for product ideas based on analysis of competitors’ products;
• permitted, prohibited, and problematic products;
• how Etsy’s search engine algorithms work.

Screenshot from a webinar on “Permitted, prohibited, and problematic goods”

Screenshot from the webinar “Finding product ideas based on competitor analysis”

This series of webinars provided a foundation for newcomers to Etsy. We structured all the information into an algorithm of actions, which allowed participants to avoid store blocks and immediately focus on the main thing — creating a quality product and attracting sales.

Individual consultations

If the webinars provided the foundation and the audits revealed the problems, then the individual consultations were where everything fell into place. Each program participant received 1.5-2 hours of live dialogue with us.
During the consultations, we delved into specific situations, analyzed the case of a particular store, and provided personalized recommendations.

What was a real discovery for participants

Many entrepreneurs came with the feeling that Etsy was complicated and confusing. However, during the program, they discovered:

The power of analytics: that niches should be chosen not intuitively, but based on numbers;

The importance of service: how to communicate with buyers correctly in order to turn them into regular customers;

Systematic approach: that Etsy is not a lottery, but an algorithm that can be managed.

Feedback about our cooperation

We have received many warm words about the consultation with specialists from the Goal Marketing Agency from program participants. Here are just a few reviews about our joint work:

Conclusions

Working with 30 different entrepreneurs in the UN Development Program, we have seen an incredible number of talented people creating unique products. However, the biggest challenge for them is proper positioning, analytics, and scaling. When these elements work together, the business begins to grow faster.

The experience of the Goal Marketing Agency in cooperation with UNDP has shown that there are many entrepreneurs who are ready to enter international markets. In 2026, our team was invited for the second time to UNDP to be experts for entrepreneurs. Therefore, we continue this work with the same principles: honestly, qualitatively, and with care for the result.

If you are interested in promoting your business on Etsy and are looking for reliable partners who can help you understand how to actually sell on this platform, successfully promote your business, and expand beyond this marketplace, then leave a request on the website by clicking the button — discuss the project.