Master print on demand productivity like a top seller 🏆

Summary

In this video, Mandy, a successful Etsy print-on-demand entrepreneur, shares seven productivity hacks that have propelled her business to scale rapidly while balancing family life. She discusses time blocking, batching tasks, using templates, creating listing videos, maintaining an idea repository, streamlining product offerings, and making data-driven decisions. These strategies aim to simplify the journey for other print-on-demand business owners, helping them to manage time effectively, stay focused, and grow their businesses with intention.

Takeaways

• 🕒 Time Management: Mandy emphasizes the importance of time blocking to efficiently manage time and prioritize tasks within specific work periods.
• 🔍 Research Focus: A dedicated time block for research is crucial for demand analysis on Etsy, niche exploration, and idea generation.
• 🎨 Design Efficiency: Batching design and mockup creation within time blocks helps maintain focus and streamlines the workflow.
• 📐 Template Use: Utilizing templates for listing descriptions, customer replies, and mockups accelerates the batching process and saves time.
• 📹 Video Marketing: Creating quick listing videos from mockup files can boost sales conversion and provide a competitive edge.
• 📝 Idea Cataloging: Keeping a running list of niche and design ideas in a universally accessible app ensures that inspiration is never lost.
• 🛍 Product Simplicity: Limiting product and color options prevents decision fatigue for customers and simplifies the design and listing process.
• 📈 Data-Driven Decisions: Making informed choices based on market research, shop stats, and SEO strategies is key to efficient business growth.
• 📉 Streamlining Products: Focusing on primary product offerings and proven designs before scaling to additional products aids in maintaining a cohesive shop experience.
• 🛑 Avoiding Overwhelm: By incorporating these productivity hacks, Mandy aims to help business owners manage their time, master their mindset, and build successful habits.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Mandy's video?

The main focus of Mandy's video is to share seven productivity hacks that she uses to efficiently run her print on demand businesses while balancing her personal life as a mom and wife.

What is the first productivity hack Mandy introduces in her video?

The first productivity hack Mandy introduces is 'time blocking,' which involves dividing the day into segments dedicated to specific tasks or types of work to manage time more effectively.

How does Mandy recommend managing distractions during time blocks?

Mandy recommends minimizing distractions by avoiding the temptation of notifications on phones and staying off social media to prevent 'doom scrolling.'

What is the second productivity hack Mandy discusses?

The second productivity hack Mandy discusses is 'batching,' which is about maximizing time by grouping similar tasks together to reduce context switching and increase focus.

How does Mandy use templates to improve her productivity?

Mandy uses templates for listing descriptions, saved replies for frequent customer inquiries, and mockup templates to streamline certain parts of her business process and make the batching process faster.

What is the benefit of keeping all mockups in a single file per product type according to Mandy?

Keeping all mockups in a single file per product type allows Mandy to quickly grab, modify, and use the file for new designs without having to search through multiple folders or files.

Why does Mandy create a video from her mockup file?

Mandy creates a video from her mockup file because Etsy listings with videos statistically convert to sales twice as much as those with just photos, providing a competitive advantage and catching customer attention.

What is the purpose of keeping a running list of niche and design ideas?

Keeping a running list of niche and design ideas allows Mandy to quickly jot down and save inspirations as they come, ensuring she doesn't lose valuable ideas and can access them when ready to work on designs or research.

How does Mandy streamline her product offerings to improve productivity?

Mandy streamlines her product offerings by offering a limited number of shirt color variations for each design and focusing on primary product types, which reduces decision fatigue for customers and simplifies the design and listing process for herself.

What is the importance of making data-driven decisions in Mandy's business strategy?

Making data-driven decisions helps Mandy understand market demand, customer preferences, and the effectiveness of her strategies, allowing her to make informed choices that lead to better results and faster scaling of her business.

What is the upcoming course Mandy mentions in her video, and what will it cover?

The upcoming course Mandy mentions is part of her Simply Drive Club membership and will cover managing time, mastering mindset, aligning goals, and building habits for success in Etsy print on demand businesses.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Time Management and Productivity Hacks for Business Growth

Mandy, a successful entrepreneur and owner of a six-figure handmade business, shares her top productivity hacks for managing a print-on-demand business while balancing family life. She emphasizes the importance of time blocking, which involves dividing the day into dedicated segments for specific tasks, to ensure efficient use of available time. Mandy also discusses the significance of working in time blocks for various activities such as research, design, and customer follow-up, and the necessity of minimizing distractions during these periods. She introduces the concept of batching tasks to maximize time efficiency and suggests striving for progress over perfection to move the business forward.

05:02

🎨 Batching and Templating for Streamlined Workflows

Continuing with her productivity strategies, Mandy explains the concept of batching, which is about grouping similar tasks together to reduce context-switching and maintain focus. She provides examples of design batching and how it allows for efficient use of time, even with limited availability. Mandy also highlights the benefits of creating templates for various business processes, such as listing descriptions, customer replies, and mockup templates, to expedite the batching process. She shares her personal method of keeping all mockups in a single file per product type in Canva, which simplifies the mockup creation process for Etsy listings.

10:02

📹 Leveraging Video Content for Enhanced Listing Appeal

Mandy introduces another productivity hack: transforming mockup files into quick listing videos for Etsy, which statistically improve conversion rates due to their ability to capture customer attention. She details a simple process of creating an MP4 video from a set of mockups, which not only saves time but also provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Mandy emphasizes the importance of keeping the process simple and efficient, aligning with her overarching theme of productivity optimization.

15:03

🗒️ Maintaining Organization with Niche and Design Idea Lists

The fourth productivity hack Mandy shares is the practice of keeping a running list of niche and design ideas in a notes app, which she finds accessible and synced across all her Apple devices. This method allows her to jot down inspirations quickly and access them when needed for design or research purposes. Mandy explains that having a simple and immediate way to record ideas is crucial to prevent losing valuable thoughts and maintain productivity, especially when inspiration strikes at unexpected moments.

20:04

🏗️ Streamlining Product Offerings for Customer Decision Simplicity

Mandy discusses the benefits of streamlining product offerings to avoid customer decision fatigue and to simplify the design and listing process. She recommends focusing on primary product offerings, such as t-shirts and sweatshirts, and limiting color variations per design to six to eight options. Mandy explains that this approach not only aids customers in making decisions but also helps in efficiently scaling the business by reducing the complexity of the design and listing process.

📊 Data-Driven Decisions for Business Success

The final productivity hack Mandy presents is making data-driven decisions within the business. She stresses the importance of researching market demand, studying niches and keywords, and utilizing Etsy shop statistics to inform product and design strategies. Mandy advises using data to understand customer preferences and to guide business decisions, which is crucial for efficient scaling and avoiding wasted time and resources on unprofitable endeavors.

🎉 Upcoming Course and Invitation to the Simply Drive Club

In the concluding part of the script, Mandy announces an upcoming course within her Simply Drive Club membership, aimed at helping members manage their time, master their mindset, and build successful habits for their Etsy business. She invites viewers to join the club for access to resources, templates, trend reports, and group coaching, and mentions a free print-on-demand course available in the description. Mandy encourages viewers to stay focused, take action, and pursue excellence in their business ventures.

Keywords

💡Productivity Hacks

Productivity hacks refer to strategies or techniques designed to increase efficiency and effectiveness in completing tasks. In the context of the video, the speaker shares personal productivity hacks that have helped her scale her print on demand business while balancing her responsibilities as a mom and wife. Examples from the script include 'time blocking' and 'batching', which are methods for organizing work into dedicated time segments and grouping similar tasks together, respectively.

💡Time Blocking

Time blocking is a productivity method where one divides their day into distinct blocks of time dedicated to specific tasks or types of work. This approach helps in managing time more effectively and ensuring that important tasks receive the necessary attention. In the video, the speaker uses time blocking to allocate specific time segments for different activities such as research, design, and listing on her Etsy store.

💡Batching

Batching is a productivity technique where similar tasks are grouped together and completed in a dedicated time period. This method maximizes time efficiency by reducing the cognitive load associated with switching between different tasks. The speaker in the video applies batching to activities such as designing, creating mockups, and listing products, which helps her maintain focus and streamline her workflow.

💡Templates

Templates are pre-designed forms or documents that can be used as a model for creating new content. In the video, the speaker mentions using templates to expedite certain processes in her business, such as listing descriptions, saved replies for customer inquiries, and mockup templates for product designs. This use of templates helps to standardize certain aspects of her work and saves time by reducing the need to start from scratch each time.

💡Mockup Templates

Mockup templates are design files that show how a product, such as a t-shirt with a particular print, might look in a realistic setting. The speaker saves all her mockups in a single file per product type in Canva, which she refers to as a 'mockup template'. This allows her to quickly create new mockups for different designs by copying the template and adjusting the colors or mockups as needed.

💡Listing Videos

Listing videos are short, dynamic clips used on online marketplaces like Etsy to showcase products in a more engaging way than static images. The speaker mentions converting her mockup images into a video format to create listing videos for her Etsy store, which can help attract customer attention and increase the likelihood of a sale.

💡Niche Ideas

Niche ideas refer to specific themes or markets that a business targets with its products. The speaker keeps a running list of niche ideas and design concepts in a notes app, which helps her to organize and recall these ideas when she is ready to work on new designs or conduct market research.

💡Streamlining

Streamlining refers to the process of simplifying or making something more efficient. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses streamlining her product offerings by limiting the number of color variations and product types for each design. This approach helps to prevent customer decision fatigue and makes the design and listing process more manageable.

💡Data-Driven Decisions

Data-driven decisions are choices made based on the analysis of data or statistics. The speaker emphasizes the importance of making decisions in her business based on data, such as studying market demand, analyzing shop stats, and understanding customer preferences. This approach helps to ensure that her efforts are focused on areas with the highest potential for success.

💡Print on Demand

Print on demand is a business model where products are only produced when a customer orders them, reducing the need for inventory and upfront costs. The speaker has scaled her business using this model on Etsy, which allows her to offer a wide range of designs without the associated risks of traditional inventory-based businesses.

💡Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace focused on handmade, vintage items, and craft supplies. The speaker uses Etsy as a platform to sell her print on demand products, leveraging its large user base and the platform's features to grow her business. She discusses optimizing her Etsy listings with images and videos to increase visibility and sales.

Highlights

Mandy, a busy mom and wife, shares seven productivity hacks to efficiently manage her six-figure handmade business and Etsy print on demand scaling.

Time blocking is essential for managing time effectively, ensuring important tasks receive the necessary attention.

Designating time blocks for specific activities like research, design, and listing helps maintain focus and maximize productivity.

Batching tasks within time blocks reduces context switching and streamlines workflow, allowing for efficient use of limited time.

Creating templates for listing descriptions, saved replies, and mockups accelerates the batching process and saves time.

Mockup templates in Canva save time by having all mockups in one file, simplifying the design process for new products.

Transforming mockup files into videos for Etsy listings can increase sales conversion and give a competitive advantage.

Keeping a running list of niche and design ideas in a notes app ensures no inspiration is lost and ideas are readily accessible.

Streamlining product offerings to avoid decision fatigue for customers and simplify the design and listing process.

Limiting color variations and primary product offerings helps in creating a cohesive shop and easier navigation for customers.

Making data-driven decisions by studying market demand, SEO, and shop stats to inform product and design strategies.

Using data to guide business decisions prevents wasted time and resources, ensuring efficient scaling of the business.

Mandy's upcoming course in her Simply Drive Club membership aims to help members manage time, master mindset, and build lasting success habits.

The Simply Drive Club membership includes resources, templates, niche reports, group coaching, and monthly masterclasses.

Mandy invites viewers to join her Simply Drive Club for access to new courses and resources to thrive in their Etsy business.

A free print on demand course is available for those interested in learning more about starting and scaling an Etsy business.

Mandy emphasizes the importance of staying focused, taking action, and pursuing excellence in business endeavors.

Transcripts

as the owner of a six figure handmade

business as well as someone who scaled

to multiple six figures with Etsy print

on demand in less than two years it goes

without saying that I've always had to

be super efficient with how I spend my

time to make sure that I am reaching my

goals while also making sure I'm not

sacrificing my time as a busy mom and

wife as well so for today's video I want

to share seven productivity hacks that I

incorporate into my work and processes

that have transformed the way I run my

print on demand businesses allowed me to

scale them faster and minimize the

overwhelm of accomplishing all of the

things in case we haven't met yet my

name is Mandy I've started and stopped

multiple entrepreneurial adventures in

the span of more than a decade and

learned a lot along the way now as the

owner of multiple businesses and an

obsession with freedom from fulfillment

using print on demand my goal goal now

is to provide you with strategies to

simplify the journey so that you can

stop the overwhelm start making progress

and Thrive with your print on demand

business the first one for me is huge

and that is because whether you're

running another business working

full-time somewhere else or if you're a

busy stay-at-home mom you need to be

able to fit in print on Demand work in

pockets of time and not only that you

need to be able to maximize whatever

time that you do have available so how

do you do that time blocks time blocking

is just a fancy term for dividing your

day into segments or blocks dedicated to

specific tasks or types of work this

approach helps you manage your time more

effectively ensuring that important

tasks receive the attention they deserve

now when it comes to running a print on

demand business I have a few different

key time blocks that I will designate

and work within when I'm working on my

print on demand businesses so whether I

have 30 minutes of time or an hour of

time or a glorious 2 hours of time I

know exactly what my priority is for

that segment of time and I can really

focus and stay on task when it comes to

that activity for example I frequently

have a Time block for researching this

includes researching Demand on Etsy

researching Niche related websites

looking at competition studying Niche

specific topics or themes coming up with

some ideas coming up with some new

Concepts or key words that I want to

research related to a particular Niche

the amount of time I have available for

the block May determine how much I can

focus on but this block is really all

about research and idea formulation I

might start formulating in my head what

type of designs might go with these

Concepts as I research and jot down some

notes but the intention is of really

focusing that block of time on hammering

out the research another separate block

of time will then be when I actually do

my designs and my mockups based on the

research and ideas I already started

formulating because again I've already

got now some research and brainstorming

started in my brain so it's a lot easier

to then start formulating designs and

concepts for those ideas and niches when

I actually get to my block of design and

mockup time from there I have a block of

time where I'm doing the actual listing

another block of time that I might

designate to following up with orders or

customers and so on during these blocks

of time I typically try to minimize

distractions for example avoiding the

temptation of notifications on my phone

or staying off of social media to avoid

Doom scrolling yeah I see you I know

you're right there with me too and I say

try because I'm not always successful

and that's okay too we need to give

ourselves Grace as humans but again the

goal here is to do your best to try and

block out as much time as you can have

this designated Focus for each of these

different activities and then strive for

Progress not Perfection this is what

will ultimately help move your business

forward and help you scale

faster Within These time blocks one of

the key things I'm doing is working in

batches which is productivity hack

number two time blocks are about

designating your time but batching is

about maximizing your time for example

designing in batches creating mockups in

batches listing in batches planning your

social media in batches an example of

design batching is creating a set of

several different designs back to back

and when I do this I typically work on

one Niche or theme for a batch so I'm in

the zone and have a similar customer in

mind for each of the designs then from

there I'll carry that batch of designs

forward and batch a set of mockups for

each of them and then in another time

block I will batch getting that same set

of designs all uploaded into printify

and so on when I'm badging my work it

allows me to work very efficiently even

on the days when I have very little time

to spend working on growing my business

this concept of batching within time

blocks reduces the amount of context

switching that your brain does when you

are switching from task to task so this

ultimately allows you to stay more

focused and therefore your workflow is a

lot more streamlined if you want to take

a deeper dive into my time blocking and

batching methods I'll link my full

series on that below where I have a

separate video for each step of the

process that I take and this leads me

into my next productivity hack create

templates one thing that can make the

batching process go even faster is to

create templates for certain parts of

the process templates can be used in a

variety of ways in your business but

some of the key areas for me are for

listing descriptions so that I can

easily grab one for each listing saved

replies for frequent customer questions

or issues and mockup templates mockup

templates are by far the biggest

timesaver for each one of these and I'll

show you why I actually keep all of my

mockups in one single file per product

type in canva so for example all of my

Gilden 18,000 mockups are loaded and

saved into one single design file I keep

them all in one single file not folder

file in canva so that way when I'm ready

to make a new mockup for a new design I

simply grab that file copy it delete any

of the colors or mockups that I don't

need and I'm ready to go got my size and

color chart in there as well and so I do

that for every single different type of

mockup styles that I have for different

products so I have one vile for my

Gilden 18,000 mockups I also have

another one for my comfort colors

t-shirt mockups I still offer a few

Guild in 64,000 as well so I have a

mockup template for those too and again

for each of these I've got my size chart

color chart in there ready to roll all

together I also keep these mockup files

sized to Etsy optimized listings I get a

lot of questions about this and

currently I'm still using a rectangle

ratio of about 2200 by 2025 in terms of

pixel size edsy switched last year to

showing Square images in the searches

but they also say that some areas still

use a rectangle and they also say that

your listing photos should be able to

work for both ratios therefore I find

that the sizing of images tends to crop

better when it's a rectangle getting cro

dropped into a square I lose much less

of the image itself so I essentially

just make sure that my image isn't

zoomed in too far and that all of my

important details are not on the outer

edges when I'm ready to make mockups for

a listing again I simply copy the mockup

template and add my design for each of

the images I typically make sure I have

8 to 10 depending on how full I've got

that mockup file and I I've got them all

ready to go I've got my image in there

I've got my transparency adjusted and I

export the whole thing as one JPEG file

so that when I get to my Etsy listing to

finalize it I'm literally just grabbing

one file folder that I saved and I'm

uploading all my images in one shot it

makes it so much faster and I literally

just have everything ready to go in one

file I'm not jumping around between

folders I'm not trying to find it in one

program and pull another one from over

here all together all at once super

super

streamlined which then leads me to my

next productivity hack literally taking

the mockup file that I just created and

I'm saving it as a video so you remember

that file that we talked about where I

have one for each design and I've got a

set of mockups in there and it's

typically got around 8 to 10 images I

change each of those images to one

second using the duration function in

canva and then I export the whole thing

as an MP4 video and so in less than 60

seconds I've created a listing video for

my Etsy listing Etsy has said that

statistically listings with videos

convert to sales twice as much as

listings with just photos and I believe

this has everything to do with the fact

that it catches customer attention when

they they scrolling listing videos

create movement on the screen when you

hover over them so it immediately draws

your eye to that movement whereas if it

were a still image that customer might

have just kept scrolling as he also says

that a much smaller segment of sellers

use listing videos which means it can

also give you a competitive advantage

and I did it all without any extra time

or effort really involved other than a

couple clicks I honestly used to hate

making mockup listing videos when I

first started with print onand in fact

for the longest time I didn't even have

any because I'm like who has the time to

go create some sort of cute little video

on top of everything else that we're

doing but with just a couple clicks with

a file that I'm already creating for my

listing and adding that as a video now

that I can do again I'm all about

keeping it simple being super efficient

and getting it done moving right along

my fifth productivity hack is keeping a

running list of all of my Niche ideas

design ideas and anything else related

all in one place I'm an apple girl so I

use the notes app because it's already

on my phone it's on my iPad it's on my

MacBook everywhere I have an Apple

device it's right there and super

accessible and it syncs across all of

them I have different folders for

different shops and then within those I

have different notes related to ideas or

Concepts that I might want to pursue

that I've just jotted down whenever they

might have come to me I know there are

plenty of apps out there that do the

exact same thing that can be used on any

device and some people also like to use

spreadsheets or other more advanced

methods for keeping track of their ideas

and different niches but I know myself

and I know that if it gets too

complicated or if I have to go find it

in some other folder I won't do it

believe it or not I am someone who gets

major squirrel brain so I can't get to

someplace quick to jot down a note

quickly my brain will move on to the

next thing and I'll totally lose my

train of thought so for me this is what

has worked super well so that I can just

keep adding to a running list at any

given time and then also access it

whenever I'm ready to work on designs or

research it's also great for those times

where I'm at a grocery store or I see a

spark of inspiration somewhere I can

whip out my phone jot it down or even

save a picture to it and then move on or

perhaps I'm in the middle of a design

batch for one Niche and I'm struck by an

idea for something difference in another

Niche I don't want to stop and bounce

into another idea while I'm in the

middle of a batch or designated time

block so instead I make a quick note

close it out and then go back to

whatever I was doing so that I'm not

interrupting my flow and my brain can

stay focused on the design whatever

process is at hand we want to designate

our time for that and we want to have a

way to still hold on to those ideas but

not have it interrupt what we're in the

middle of doing elsewhere my sixth

productivity hack actually serves a

couple purposes and that is keeping my

products and offerings streamlined so

what I mean by that is for example I

sell Comfort colors t-shirts as one of

my product offerings in fact it's one of

my main product offerings these days

along with sweatshirts these two product

types are where I start

99% of my designs Within These I try to

offer no more than six to eight

different shirt color variations for

each design and then I typically don't

scale to another product type like a

tote or a mug until I start seeing

traction with a design the reason I take

this approach of selective color choices

as well as having primary product

offerings is twofold one as a customer

there is such a thing as decision

fatigue and that means that a customer

will have so much trouble making a

decision on something that they end up

not making a decision at all and they

exit the sale or they think I'm going to

think on this and come back to it and

they don't and that is not what we want

to happen if we can prevent it and so

it's a bit of a retail psychology thing

but it is true and so I do try to keep

color choices and product offerings

streamlined in that sense the second way

that it helps me be productive though is

it helps to streamline my design and

listing process different products have

different mockups different prices

different shipping costs different

keywords different descriptions so again

when we think about scaling fast fter

and more efficiently streamlining your

product offerings means that you are

also streamlining the design and listing

process at the same time similarly

offering a ton of products with a ton of

different designs for a ton of different

niches can start to become a bit

cluttered in your shop for customers to

navigate as well especially as you're

just starting out and trying to create

some cohesion and get some traction

going in your shop this doesn't mean

that you can't eventually scale to

additional products as design sell you

absolutely can and should once you have

some proven designs and niches but again

as you're creating initial listings

initial designs and you're working on

growing efficiently then having that

product offering streamlined will really

go a long way both for you as well as

for your customer and finally number

seven which is the one that you will

hear me preach again and again because

it is so important and not only does it

help you be more successful in your

business It ultimately helps you be more

productive as well and that is making

datadriven decisions within your shop so

that means doing your research studying

demand in the marketplace doing your

homework when it comes to niches and

keywords and SEO to give your shop the

best chance of success it also means

looking at your shop stats and your Etsy

ad stats if you've got those turned on

and the keywords and the data that they

have is looking at visits and favorites

and eventually sales so that you start

to understand which directions to

continue moving towards you've got lots

of great data at your fingertips so the

more that you can use that information

to direct the types of products that

you're creating the types of designs

that you're using the types of niches

and keywords that you're implementing in

your shop the more you can use data and

inform decisions for that the less

you'll be throwing spaghetti at a wall

if you're getting out there and spending

all of your precious time creating

listings creating designs creating

products doing all of that work and

spending hours and hours of time doing

that without having done any research

without studying what customers actually

want without putting in any effort into

the keywords or what's actually going to

be profitable and help you scale up

faster you probably just spent a lot of

time wasting time and when we talk about

productivity we're talking about

activities that are going to be the most

efficient and yield the best potential

results and the only way to do that is

by making those datadriven decisions by

doing your research to see where it

points by looking at your shop seeing

what's working or potentially not

working by making adjustments and

decisions based on that

and by continuing to make progress and

move forward with intention and there

you have it my seven productivity hacks

my not so secret timesavers now for

running my SE print on demand shops in

just pockets of time I hope this has

been helpful for you let me know in the

comments if you have your own

productivity hacks I'd love to hear

about them I'm also super excited to

share that later this summer a brand new

course will be launching inside my

simply Drive Club membership I'm in the

process of recording it right now and it

will be all about taking you from

overwhelmed to in control so that you

can unlock the secrets to managing your

time mastering your mindset aligning

your goals and building habits of

success that last in order to thrive in

your Etsy business in addition to all of

the resources templates Niche and Trend

reports and group coaching that's

already packed into the membership each

month I also host a new master class to

cover the biggest topics related to

operating a successful print onand

business access to the membership is

always open But be sure to be on the

lookout for more information when the

new course is available consider this

your personal invitation to join me over

in the club in the meantime be sure to

check out my free print on demand course

in the description stay focused my

friends keep taking action and never

stop pursuing excellence in your

business thanks for watching I'm so glad

you're here and I'll see you in the next

one

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