Do you wish to learn to begin a worthwhile print-on-demand enterprise targeted on giftable gadgets? Print-on-demand companies are a great way to promote personalised and distinctive items like candles, tote baggage, and mugs with out managing stock or delivery (and all whereas operating a web based enterprise from house!). A majority of these merchandise are good for…
Do you wish to learn to begin a worthwhile print-on-demand enterprise targeted on giftable gadgets?
Print-on-demand companies are a great way to promote personalised and distinctive items like candles, tote baggage, and mugs with out managing stock or delivery (and all whereas operating an on-line enterprise from house!).
A majority of these merchandise are good for purchasers on the lookout for considerate items that may’t be present in big-box shops, and immediately, I’m excited to share an interview with Emily, who has constructed a thriving print-on-demand enterprise centered round giftable gadgets.
Emily, a mother of two, began her print-on-demand journey in 2023 after studying in regards to the potential for creating low-cost, low-risk merchandise. By specializing in giftable gadgets, she rapidly discovered a option to stand out within the crowded e-commerce market. In lower than two years, Emily hit $500,000 in income on Etsy and earned a median month-to-month revenue of $7,500 in 2024.
On this interview, Emily talks about:
- How she shifted her focus to promoting items like candles, journals, and mugs
- Why giftable gadgets are an amazing area of interest for print-on-demand companies
- How a lot you possibly can earn and what it takes to get began
- Suggestions for designing, pricing, and advertising and marketing giftable merchandise
For those who’ve ever thought of creating distinctive and significant items, this interview is full of useful suggestions that will help you begin and develop your individual print-on-demand enterprise.
I additionally advocate signing up for her Make Cash with Print-On-Demand free workshop. On this workshop, you’ll learn the way Emily made $500,000 in two years promoting items, one of the best varieties of merchandise to promote to maximise your earnings, and methods to begin this facet hustle on Etsy.
How I Made $500,000 Promoting Print-On-Demand Presents in One 12 months
If you wish to learn to begin a print-on-demand enterprise that focuses on items, this interview is for you.
1. Please give us somewhat background on your self and the way you bought began with a print-on-demand enterprise. How a lot do you earn month-to-month from print-on-demand?
Hello there! My title is Emily, and I’m your common mother of two younger ladies with a background in schooling. My story is just like many facet hustlers–I used to be awake in the course of the night time doom scrolling on Instagram looking for avenues to make somewhat extra cash and the chance to spend extra time with my youngsters.
My oldest daughter was going to be beginning kindergarten the next 12 months, and I knew that it was going to be difficult having to juggle two working mother or father schedules, and I actually wished to be concerned in her class, go on discipline journeys, and be there to choose her up on a regular basis on the bus cease.
I dabbled in a couple of totally different facet hustles earlier than I stumbled upon a YouTube video about print-on-demand, and I used to be hooked! It was low-risk, low-cost, and didn’t require me to carry any stock…it was good for a working mother or father.
In January 2023, I dedicated to creating it work, and in underneath two years I hit $500,000 in income on Etsy.
Every month varies relying on the season, in 2024, I averaged a revenue of $7,500 per 30 days. I by no means imagined after I opened my Etsy store that it will result in the place it’s immediately!
2. What’s print-on-demand? How does print-on-demand work?
Promoting print-on-demand merchandise is a option to promote your designs on merchandise with out conserving any stock.
You’ll be able to promote a variety of merchandise from t-shirts to candles to tote baggage to even door mats!
First, you analysis what Etsy consumers are on the lookout for, consider one thing like a instructor appreciation present. Then, you create a easy design utilizing a software like Canva and add it to a print-on-demand firm web site, like Printify. When a buyer locations an order, the print-on-demand firm takes over and does all the printing, packing, and delivery!
You simply concentrate on creating designs, and the print-on-demand firm does the remaining!


3. What led you to concentrate on giftable gadgets like candles, journals, and mugs?
Once I first began my print-on-demand store, I targeted on attire like shirts and sweatshirts, which is widespread for a lot of sellers. I used to be getting day by day gross sales, however not on the degree I wished.
A number of months in, I made a decision to strive different merchandise and rapidly observed a development—clients stored mentioning how a lot their buddies, household, or coworkers liked the gadgets as items.
That’s when the lightbulb went on, and I shifted to promoting gift-focused merchandise.
As soon as I made the change, my gross sales grew every month, and as a bonus, I didn’t must cope with sizing points that include promoting attire anymore!
4. What do you want about print-on-demand? Is it value it?
I completely LOVE print-on-demand! The truth that I can create a design, and it may well promote for months (and years!) with out ever having to the touch a single product nonetheless is mindblowing to me.
There’s one product that I spent quarter-hour designing & itemizing, and this 12 months it introduced in over $27,000 in income.
I genuinely love and have a lot enjoyable with this enterprise! A few of my favourite days are spent researching, designing, and itemizing for hours—it seems like a scavenger hunt for brand new concepts, which I take pleasure in. Plus, listening to from clients about how a present made their day or introduced pleasure to their family members is one of the best.
5. What’s a median day like for you operating your print-on-demand enterprise?
Among the finest issues about print-on-demand is that after your store is established, it takes much less time to handle.
I now spend simply 1–2 hours a day processing orders on Printify, responding to messages, and itemizing new merchandise. I like to start out early within the morning earlier than my daughters get up to get most of my work executed. Later within the day, I’ll examine in to reply messages or spend time on enjoyable duties like analysis or designing!
6. How a lot can a brand new individual make promoting print-on-demand?
How a lot a brand new Etsy vendor could make promoting print-on-demand actually relies on a couple of issues, like how a lot time they’ll make investments, the kind of merchandise they’re promoting, and so on.
Some new sellers begin making a couple of hundred {dollars} a month fairly rapidly, whereas others develop their retailers to usher in hundreds over time. The secret’s consistency—including new merchandise often, bettering your listings, and studying what works on your store.
7. Can an individual begin a print-on-demand enterprise with no cash? When do you pay the corporate who is definitely making and delivery the product?
Print-on-demand requires little or no upfront funding to start out! I usually advise that new sellers have $30 to have the ability to pay for the Etsy store opening payment & Canva Professional.
Most print-on-demand companions, like Printify, supply a free plan, and also you don’t want to purchase any stock upfront. You solely pay the print-on-demand firm after a buyer locations an order. This implies you don’t must spend any cash till you’ve already made a sale! It’s a low-risk option to begin a enterprise.


8. What are your bills along with your present print-on-demand enterprise?
My present bills embrace Printify Premium, Canva Professional, and some Etsy analysis instruments that assist me discover in-demand product concepts. I spend lower than $100 every month of the instruments to assist my enterprise!
As I discussed, I do cowl the prices of the merchandise with Printify after I obtain an order. I exploit a enterprise bank card, and I pay it off instantly as soon as I obtain my Etsy payouts. Plus, I get to make the most of incomes factors!
9. Can somebody with no laptop expertise begin a print-on-demand enterprise?
Completely! This enterprise could be very accessible for all talent ranges. Print-on-demand companies like Printify information you step-by-step via establishing merchandise, and design instruments like Canva are tremendous simple to make use of—even in case you’re not a designer, like me!
For those who’re keen to study as you go, you possibly can completely succeed. Begin easy, and as you get extra snug, you possibly can discover extra superior methods!
10. What’s your recommendation for somebody who feels they aren’t creative or inventive however nonetheless needs to strive print-on-demand?
I like this query! For those who’re apprehensive about not being creative or inventive, don’t stress. Once I began my Etsy store, I had no graphic design expertise both, however in case you are keen to take time to study, these expertise will develop.
Success as a print-on-demand vendor comes from combining the power to establish in-demand product concepts and niches with creating easy designs that attraction to your clients.
11. How do you deal with competitors in such a crowded market?
Promoting niched down items–I’ve discovered that the extra narrowed down my merchandise are, the extra that clients emotionally join with them.
For instance, a “greatest instructor ever” mug could not work lately on Etsy, however in case you made a humorous first grade instructor candle, you’ll have a greater likelihood of being seen on the platform.
Etsy clients are sometimes on the lookout for merchandise they’ll’t discover at huge field shops, and easy, particular merchandise are a option to join with them.
12. Are you able to record the steps wanted to get began promoting print-on-demand, from creating the product to really incomes cash?
- Sync your print companion – Join a free print-on-demand service like Printify and join it to your Etsy store.
- Analysis – Choose a particular kind of product or viewers to concentrate on, like items for academics or personalised mugs for pet lovers.
- Select your merchandise – In The Present Lab, we educate college students methods to promote mugs, candles, tote baggage, ornaments, and journals.
- Create your designs – Use a software like Canva to make your designs–and easy is all the time greatest!
- Checklist your merchandise on Etsy – Add your product mockups, write a key phrase optimized title and outline, and embrace an outline so clients know what they’re receiving.
- Set your costs – Be sure to incorporate a revenue margin that covers your prices!
- Make a sale – When a buyer buys, the print-on-demand firm prints and ships the product on to them.
- Receives a commission! – After Etsy takes its charges, you’ll obtain your revenue from the sale.
13. Are you able to inform me extra in regards to the course you’ve got?
I’m so thrilled about my new course with Gold Metropolis Ventures, The Present Lab! This course stands out by specializing in gift-focused print-on-demand merchandise—good for Etsy, a prime market for items! With 60+ video classes, we information you thru promoting standard present gadgets like candles, ornaments, mugs, tote baggage, and journals in your Etsy store.
We embrace The Micro-Niching Workbook, a spreadsheet crammed with a whole lot of area of interest product concepts–one thing I want I had after I began! To maintain issues easy, we stroll you thru deciding on the right product on your store step-by-step.
And now, we’ve added 5 Canva templates for candles, tote baggage, mugs, ornaments, and journals! You’ll be able to simply customise these designs to make them your individual making it really easy to take motion.
All the things included on this course from the teachings to the templates to the microniching workbook are the precise instruments & steps I exploit in my Etsy store each day!
You’ll be able to click on right here to study extra about The Present Lab.
14. What motivated you to create The Present Lab, and the way is it totally different from different programs?
As a profession educator, educating is in my DNA, so sharing what I’ve realized from my Etsy journey felt pure. I’m obsessed with this enterprise mannequin as a result of it’s so accessible—if a daily mother like me can do it, anybody can!
I created The Present Lab as a result of I wished to assist different sellers discover success by specializing in giftable merchandise. Presents are such a giant a part of what individuals store for on Etsy, and as soon as I noticed how nicely it labored in my very own store, I knew I needed to share this technique with others.
What makes The Present Lab totally different is that it’s all about promoting gift-focused print-on-demand merchandise like candles, mugs, tote baggage, ornaments, and journals. It’s not simply one other “methods to promote on Etsy” course—we’ve bought 60+ video classes, a step-by-step course of to keep away from overwhelm, The Micro-Niching Workbook full of product concepts, and even Canva templates to make designing tremendous simple. I’ve made this course as sensible and enjoyable as potential so you possibly can hit the bottom operating with confidence!
Are you interested by beginning a print-on-demand enterprise targeted on items? What would you promote?
Advisable studying: