Imagine making money while you sleep—without dealing with inventory, shipping, or even social media. That’s exactly what Emily, a former educator and busy mom of two, has done by selling print-on-demand gifts on Etsy.
What started as a side hustle to earn extra income and spend more time with her kids turned into a $7,500/month business, allowing her to work from home on her own terms.
In my interview, she shares exactly how she built her POD business from scratch, the lessons she learned along the way, and how you can do the same.
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Key Takeaways
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Print-on-Demand is a Low-Risk, High-Reward Side Hustle: Emily started her Etsy shop in 2023 with no business experience and grew it to $500K in revenue by 2024, with no inventory or upfront costs besides Etsy shop fees.
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Niche Selection and Market Research Are Essential: Emily advises new sellers to start with what they know, research trending products, and use Etsy search clues (like “bestseller” tags) to find profitable opportunities.
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Focusing on Giftable Products Was a Game-Changer: Shifting from apparel to products like mugs, candles, and tote bags that make great gifts significantly increased Emily’s sales and helped her scale faster.
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Success Takes Patience and Consistency: Emily balanced her Etsy shop with a full-time job and saw her first sale within a few weeks. Sticking with it through slow periods and continuously testing new ideas led to long-term growth.
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Organic Etsy Traffic Can Drive Sales Without Social Media: Emily built her business without relying on social media or paid ads, focusing on SEO and creating emotionally resonant designs that appeal to gift buyers.
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Anyone Can Start Without Graphic Design Skills: Using Canva, Emily created simple text-based designs that resonated with customers. She emphasizes that learning the basics and taking action is more important than having prior experience.
How I Make $7,500/Month Selling Print-On-Demand Gifts (And How You Can Too!)
1. Can you share a little bit about yourself and how you got started with print-on-demand? What inspired you to try this business model?
Hi there! I’m Emily, a mom of two young girls, wife and a former educator on college campuses. I began my side hustle journey on Instagram, searching for ways to earn extra income and have more flexibility to spend time with my kids.
With my oldest daughter starting kindergarten, I knew juggling two full-time jobs would be difficult. I wanted to go on field trips, volunteer in her class, and pick her up everyday from the bus stop.
After trying a few different side hustles like Amazon FBA, I discovered selling print-on-demand on Etsy through a YouTube video. It met all my criteria for a side hustle: low-risk, no inventory, and no need to post on social media!
In January 2023, I made it my resolution and was determined to make it work. Within two years, I reached $500K in revenue on Etsy, averaging a $7,500 monthly profit in 2024. I still can’t believe it most days!
2. What is print on demand for someone who has never heard of it before?
Print-on-demand (POD) lets you sell your designs on products without the need to print, pack, or ship the products yourself. You can apply your designs to a wide range of products – from t-shirts and candles to tote bags and more.
Here’s a quick overview of the POD process:
- Research: Begin by researching current trends on platforms like Etsy. Consider focusing on a specific niche, such as products for teachers.
- Design: Create simple designs using a tool like Canva.
- Upload: Upload your designs to a POD platform like Printify, which will handle the printing and shipping for you!
When an Etsy customer purchases your design, the POD company manages the printing, packaging, and shipping. Basically, you get to focus on designing while Printify manages the physical products!
3. What were your first steps when launching your print-on-demand store? Did you start on a marketplace like Etsy, or build your own website?
The first thing I did was watch several videos on how print-on-demand works & how to properly set it up with your Etsy shop. I wanted to make sure I set everything up properly before moving forward!
I highly recommend Etsy, as you can leverage the millions of people already shopping on the website without needing to pay for a website, ads, etc. I knew this was a good fit for me, because I didn’t have experience running a business or my own brand.
After getting my Etsy shop set up & synced with Printify, it was off to the races with doing market research and designing. I am a big believer in learning by doing, so it was important to be practicing while watching how-to videos at the same time.
4. Many beginners struggle with choosing a niche. How did you decide what types of gifts to sell, and what advice do you have for someone trying to pick a profitable niche?
I always encourage new sellers to start with what they know! Yes, I know it seems simple, but by starting out with niches and ideas you know, you are able to come up with unique ideas that speak to those customers. And everyone’s an expert in something! For example, maybe you’re a mom or work in the corporate world or have a certain hobby.
From there, it’s diving into Etsy to see what is actually selling. I recommend simply typing into the search bar any of the ideas that you brainstormed and look for clues–do you see best seller badges? Do you see items that have sold in the last 24 hours? That is a good sign there is demand for it on Etsy!
5. Can you walk us through what your first few months were like? How long did it take before you made your first sale, and what kept you motivated?
During the first few months, I was spending any available time I had working on my shop. I was working in my 9-5 job, so I would work during my lunch break, after my girls went to bed, or any time I could. I was committed to making it work, and I also was having a ton of fun at the same time!
I remember my first sale clearly–I was at a child’s birthday party at our local gymnastics studio. The kids were eating cake, and I felt my phone buzz, and it was an Etsy sales notification. I had to do a double take, because I could not believe that a stranger across the country had purchased something I designed…and I didn’t have to ever touch the product.
That first organic sale came a few weeks into starting my shop, and it was the proof of concept I needed to stay motivated. I knew if I could get one sale, that I could get 100 sales. That moment really helped me commit to making this work!
6. Were there any major challenges or mistakes you faced early on? What lessons did you learn that could help beginners avoid common pitfalls?
Since I didn’t have any business or graphic design experience, I was learning everything from scratch. But this is what I love about this business – you can truly start from zero and build a sustainable income.
Early on, I learned to be patient with myself, watch as much content as I could, and take action (even if I didn’t feel ready). Something I would have done differently looking back is to take a course, which would have saved me a ton of time trying to find answers to my questions.
One lesson I learned was to focus on what customers want and not only what I wanted to design. Ultimately, you are providing a service or products for the Etsy buyers, and it was an important lesson to focus on their needs/wants rather than my own preferences!
The other big lesson I learned was to experiment with other products, outside of apparel. When I made the shift to giftable print-on-demand products, my sales started increasing consistently, so don’t be afraid to try new products!
7. At what point did you realize this could become a full-time income? Was there a turning point or strategy that really accelerated your success?
This is an easy answer! Focusing on giftable products was really the turning point in my Etsy shop. There was a lightbulb moment where several of my products had sold, and I received messages/reviews from buyers that their mom or sister loved the product as a gift. I had an a-ha moment where I knew I should keep pushing in this direction, and I am so glad I did!
About 6 months into my Etsy shop, I was making an extra paycheck per month. Similar to when I got my first sale, I knew that if I had scaled it to this point, that it was absolutely possible to continue growing my shop to a full-time income. By the fall, I was making my full-time income, and then during the holiday season, I was able to double my monthly income!
8. What strategies have worked best for getting sales? Do you rely on organic traffic (SEO, social media) or do you use paid ads?
Through the last two years, I have relied primarily on organic traffic from Etsy. I don’t run any social media accounts, and I have just leveraged the power of Etsy traffic to scale my shop. I have run limited ads to my products, which shows the power of organic traffic on Etsy.
I have focused on gifts with simple designs that emotionally connect with Etsy buyers, and this has worked time and time again with primarily organic traffic!
9. How do you handle competition, especially on platforms like Etsy where there are thousands of sellers? Any tips for standing out?
The key to standing out on Etsy is narrowing down your products to a very specific buyer. It might feel like you are limiting your reach, but in reality, you are giving your products a better chance to be seen when you are selling to a very specific person.
It will be incredibly difficult for a new Etsy sellers to stand out a generic “mama” product, but if you narrowed that down to a “twin mom” or “softball mom” design, you give yourself a much better chance of being seen by Etsy customers!
10. What’s your process for designing products? Do you create your own designs, hire a designer, or use AI tools?
Since the beginning, I have always created my own designs in Canva! As I mentioned, I learned that I could create simple designs that would sell because they emotionally connect with the customers. Most of my designs are simple text on a product, and I love sharing with aspiring Etsy sellers that you don’t need to have extensive experience to do this!
Before designing, I always make sure I have done market research to see what is selling well, where there might be gaps that I can fill in the market, etc. so I know exactly what I will be designing.
11. Can you break down your income streams? Do most of your sales come from one platform, or do you diversify your income across multiple marketplaces?
Since starting this entrepreneurship journey, I have diversified into a few income streams. My primary income stream comes from Etsy selling print-on-demand in one shop and digital products in a second shop. Currently, I only sell on Etsy, but I have goals to expand my products to other marketplaces.
Outside of Etsy, I provide coaching & a course with Gold City Ventures called The Gift Lab, teaching students how to use these strategies to launch & grow their own Etsy shops.
Lastly, I became a specialized Pinterest Manager, where I support business owners with their Pinterest presence to help them find their ideal clients or customers on the platform. This has been such a fun addition to my business, as I love collaborating with fellow business owners!
12. If someone wants to start their own print-on-demand business today, what are the exact steps they should take?
- Sync your print partner – Sign up for a free print-on-demand service like Printify and connect it to your Etsy shop.
- Research – Pick a specific type of product or audience to focus on, like gifts for teachers or personalized mugs for pet lovers.
- Choose your products – In The Gift Lab, we teach students how to sell mugs, candles, tote bags, ornaments, and journals.
- Create your designs – Use a tool like Canva to make your designs–and simple is always best!
- List your products on Etsy – Add your product mockups, write a keyword optimized title and description, and include a description so customers know what they’re receiving.
- Set your prices – Make sure to include a profit margin that covers your costs!
- Make a sale – When a customer buys, the print-on-demand company prints and ships the product directly to them.
- Get paid! – After Etsy takes its fees, you’ll receive your profit from the sale.
13. What are some common misconceptions about print-on-demand that hold people back from getting started?
The biggest myth I hear about print-on-demand is that Etsy is too saturated and it’s too late to get started. This could not be further from the truth! There is so much opportunity on Etsy–new trends are always popping up, customers are always buying gifts, and so much more. I always joke that if there were 10 more of me, I could easily have another 10 Etsy shops with a different focus. There is truly room for all of us at the table!
Another misconception is that you have to have graphic design skills to get started. I had zero experience before starting my shop! Tools like Canva make it easier to learn, and I recommend starting with very simple designs to start.
14. What’s one tool or resource you wish you had known about when you started that would have made your journey easier?
Everbee is a research tool that I wish I had started using earlier in my Etsy shop. It gives you so much incredible information to understand what is truly in-demand on Etsy, and it would have been an amazing asset to use from day one.
And I wish I would have had my course, The Gift Lab! Many courses & content focus on selling t-shirts, and my course focuses on the power of selling simple designs on giftable print-on-demand products. This strategy changed my life, and I am so thrilled to share it with others!
15. Where do you see your business going in the next few years? Are there any future goals or new business ideas you’re excited about?
This is a great question! First, I want to continue growing my Etsy business with new product types & fresh designs. I love serving my customers with unique products they can’t purchase in a store, and I want to keep doing more of that. My other goal is to work with more aspiring Etsy sellers to help them reach their own goals.
There is nothing better than hearing from students when they get their first sale or meet their monthly goals. We have launched The Gift Lab to teach students the exact strategies I have used, and I am so excited to keep sharing this knowledge with other sellers!
16. Lastly, for someone reading this who feels stuck in their 9-5 job, what words of encouragement would you give them about starting their own side hustle?
First, I want to say I can empathize with anyone in this position! While I was fortunate to really enjoy my last job, I have been in that position before, and it can feel incredibly daunting at the moment. The best advice I can share is to stay patient & focused on your journey.
It is easy to want to give up if sales aren’t happening immediately, and I see so many new sellers quit before they have really learned how to do this. Those that stick with it through the early period will come out on the other side. Everyone’s journey will look different, and the best thing you can do is stay focused, patient, and consistent.
Final Thoughts
Emily’s story is proof that you don’t need a business degree, fancy design skills, or a huge social media following to create a profitable online business.
Selling print-on-demand gifts could be your next open door if you’re trying to make more money and have your own successful business.
If you’re ready to take the first step, follow the simple steps outlined in this article, start experimenting with product ideas, and stay consistent.
Your first sale could be just around the corner—and it might be the moment that changes everything!
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Are you ready to launch your idea and turn it into a business you are proud of?
Join the FREE One Funnel Away Challenge now!
