9 Tip BEFORE You Start Print on Demand - My Thoughts After $1,000,000+

Summary

This video script shares the journey of building a successful print-on-demand business from scratch to a multi-million dollar venture. The speaker offers nine key tips, emphasizing the importance of momentum, focusing on one product, limiting color options to avoid choice overload, choosing the right print provider, understanding storefront context, leveraging organic SEO and ads for traffic, utilizing PayPal credit for cashback, growing an email list for increased profit, and embracing AI tools to boost efficiency. The speaker also stresses the necessity of patience and learning the skills required for business success, likening it to earning a pay raise through hard work and dedication.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Start with Momentum: The importance of building momentum by taking action instead of just consuming information.
• 🔑 First Steps Matter: Sign up for necessary accounts to kickstart the business and avoid procrastination.
• 🎨 Focus on One Product: Initially, concentrate on perfecting one product rather than spreading efforts across multiple products.
• 📈 Scale with Success: Once a product reaches a significant sales milestone, consider repurposing the design onto other products.
• 🛑 Avoid Choice Overload: Limit color options to prevent customer confusion and simplify inventory management.
• 🏭 Choose the Right Print Provider: Select a provider that aligns with your business needs for quality, pricing, and reliability.
• 🏷️ Understand Storefront Context: Tailor product listings to fit the platform's audience and expectations.
• 🌐 Drive Traffic Strategically: Utilize both organic SEO and paid advertising to increase visibility and sales.
• 💳 Utilize Business Credit: A credit card like PayPal's can offer cashback benefits, aiding in business growth.
• 📧 Grow an Email List: Email marketing is crucial for increased profits and customer retention.
• 🤖 Embrace AI Technology: Leverage AI tools to boost productivity and efficiency in various aspects of the business.
• 🔧 Learn and Earn: Acquiring new skills is essential; be prepared to learn before earning substantial income.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video script?

The main topic is the speaker's experience and tips for success in the print on demand business, going from zero to a multiple seven-figure business.

What was the speaker's initial challenge when starting out in the print on demand business?

The speaker's initial challenge was building and maintaining momentum, as they spent months watching videos and learning without actually growing their business.

Why is it suggested to sign up for all associated accounts early on in the business?

Signing up for all associated accounts early on helps to build momentum by taking the first steps towards starting the business, even though it's a small step.

What is the speaker's advice regarding the focus on product design in the early stages of the business?

The speaker advises to focus on one product and not to repurpose designs across multiple products until the business can generate about ten thousand dollars a month from one product.

Why is repurposing designs considered a waste of time in the early stages of the business?

Repurposing designs is considered a waste of time early on because the first designs may not be good enough to sell well across various products, and it's more effective to focus on one product to build sales momentum.

What is the significance of focusing on one product to reach a certain sales threshold?

Focusing on one product allows the entrepreneur to master selling that product and ensures that the designs are effective before expanding to other products.

What mistake did the speaker make regarding customer options in the early stages of their business?

The speaker offered too many color options for customers, which led to choice overload and confusion, making it difficult for customers to make a decision.

Why is it recommended to limit color options for products?

Limiting color options prevents choice overload, makes it easier for customers to decide, and ensures that print providers can maintain stock reliability.

What is the importance of choosing the right print provider for a print on demand business?

Choosing the right print provider is crucial as it affects product quality, production time, stock reliability, and overall customer satisfaction.

What is the speaker's advice on storefront context when listing products?

The speaker advises that product listings need to be relevant to the storefront they are posted on, as different platforms have different aesthetics and customer expectations.

Why is it suggested to focus on organic SEO or paid ads for traffic?

Focusing on organic SEO or paid ads helps to drive traffic to the product listings, which is essential for sales. The choice between the two depends on the budget and the number of designs available for different interest groups.

What is the benefit of opening a PayPal credit card for business purposes?

The PayPal credit card offers cash back on all spending, which can provide significant tax-free cashback, helping to increase business profits.

Why is growing an email list considered important for an online business?

Growing an email list is important as it can greatly increase profits and provide a significant return on investment, making the transition from platforms like eBay or Etsy to Shopify smoother.

What potential benefits does the speaker see in leveraging AI for business purposes?

The speaker sees AI as a tool that can potentially increase output and efficiency in various areas of the business, from design creation to other operational aspects.

What mindset did the speaker adopt to learn the skills needed for a successful business?

The speaker adopted a mindset of learning and working for free initially, similar to getting a job and working for a pay raise, by posting a large number of listings before critiquing their performance or worrying about earnings.

Why is implementation considered the key difference between success and failure in the business?

Implementation is key because the process of building a business is simple and low-risk, but it requires consistent action, patience, and the ability to handle the mundane tasks involved in growing a business.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Building Momentum in Print on Demand Business

The speaker shares their journey from starting with no capital to achieving significant success in the print on demand industry. They highlight the importance of building momentum by taking action rather than just consuming information. The first step suggested is to sign up for necessary accounts to kickstart the business. The speaker also advises against spending too much time on repurposed designs early on and instead focuses on one product until a steady income is achieved. The example of a successful shop, 'otz shirts', is given to illustrate effective repurposing of designs. The summary emphasizes the need for action, focus, and learning from successful strategies.

05:01

🛠 Choosing the Right Print Provider and Storefront Strategy

This paragraph discusses the critical role of selecting a print provider in the print on demand business, emphasizing the differences in quality control, production time, and stock reliability among various providers. The speaker recommends Printify and suggests choosing a provider based on factors like production time and inventory management. They also touch on the importance of understanding storefront context, tailoring product listings to fit the platform's audience, and the strategies for driving traffic through organic SEO or paid ads. The speaker's experience with three holiday seasons is shared to provide insight into the process of scaling a business using a combination of organic growth and targeted advertising.

10:01

💳 Financial Strategies for Business Growth

The speaker introduces financial strategies that have contributed to their business growth, such as utilizing the PayPal credit card for cashback rewards and the importance of understanding credit management to avoid debt. They also stress the value of growing an email list for increased profits and a smoother transition from platform-based selling to an independent Shopify store. The use of AI in design creation and business operations is advocated as a means to enhance output and efficiency. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the necessity of patience and perseverance in business, drawing a parallel to the process of earning a pay raise through learning and proving one's skills in a job.

Keywords

💡Print on Demand

Print on Demand (POD) is a business model where products are only produced when a customer orders them, reducing the need for inventory and upfront costs. In the video, the speaker discusses their success in the POD business, which has allowed them to generate significant profits without the financial risks associated with traditional inventory-based businesses.

💡Momentum

Momentum, in the context of the video, refers to the continuous forward movement or progress in building a business. The speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining momentum to overcome initial challenges and questions that might hinder the growth of a business, suggesting that taking action and making progress is more beneficial than endless planning or learning.

💡Multiple Six Figures

The term 'multiple six figures' denotes an income level ranging from $100,000 to $999,999. The speaker uses this phrase to describe the substantial profits they have made in their print on demand business, indicating a high level of financial success.

💡Baby Steps

Baby steps are small, incremental actions that, when taken consistently, can lead to significant progress over time. The video mentions taking baby steps as a strategy for building momentum, such as signing up for necessary accounts, which individually may seem minor but collectively contribute to the growth of the business.

💡Repurpose

Repurposing, in the context of the video, means using the same design or product in different ways or on different platforms to maximize its potential for sales. The speaker advises against early repurposing due to the potential waste of time and resources but highlights it as a successful strategy once a design has proven to be profitable.

💡Choice Overload

Choice overload occurs when consumers are presented with so many options that they struggle to make a decision, potentially leading to no purchase at all. The video script warns against offering too many color options for products, as it can confuse customers and reduce sales.

💡Print Provider

A print provider is a company that handles the printing and shipping of products in a print on demand business model. The speaker discusses the importance of choosing the right print provider for factors such as quality control, production time, and stock reliability, which are crucial for the success of the business.

💡Storefront Context

Storefront context refers to the appropriate presentation of products that aligns with the platform or marketplace where they are being sold. The video emphasizes the need to tailor product listings to the specific context of the storefront, such as Etsy or eBay, to maximize sales and appeal to the target audience.

💡SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a product listing in search engine results. The speaker mentions organic SEO as one of the methods to drive traffic to the product listings, which involves creating content and optimizing it to rank higher in search results.

💡Email List

An email list is a collection of subscriber emails used for marketing purposes, such as sending updates, promotions, or newsletters. The video script highlights the importance of growing an email list for increasing profits and facilitating the transition from marketplace platforms like eBay or Etsy to a standalone Shopify store.

💡AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI in the video refers to the use of artificial intelligence tools to assist in various aspects of the business, such as design creation. The speaker sees AI as a valuable tool that can potentially increase output and efficiency, despite some controversy and debate over its use in the creative industry.

💡Implementation

Implementation refers to the act of putting a plan or idea into effect. The video concludes by emphasizing that successful business growth is not about the idea itself but about the consistent and diligent implementation of that idea, comparing the process to learning and proving oneself in a job before receiving a pay raise.

Highlights

The speaker shares their journey from starting print on demand business with no capital to generating over a million dollars in profit.

Nine tips are provided to help others start their own online business and increase their chances of success.

Emphasis on building and maintaining momentum as a crucial step in the early stages of business growth.

The importance of overcoming initial questions and concerns by taking action and moving in the right direction is highlighted.

A strategy for starting with a business plan and focusing on one product to build momentum is suggested.

The speaker advises against repurposing designs in the early stages and instead recommends focusing on one product.

The success of a shop called 'otz shirts' is used as an example of effective repurposing of designs across different products.

Limiting color options to avoid customer choice overload and simplify the selling process is recommended.

The impact of choosing the right print provider on the success of a print on demand business is discussed.

The speaker shares their experience with different print providers and the importance of quality control and stock reliability.

Understanding storefront context and tailoring product listings to fit the platform is emphasized for better sales.

Different strategies for organic SEO and paid advertising are compared in terms of design requirements and budget.

The benefits of using the organic method to refine designs before investing in paid ads are explained.

The use of PayPal credit card for cashback and its potential benefits for business expenses is mentioned.

The importance of growing an email list for increased profit and easier transition to Shopify is discussed.

The potential of AI tools in enhancing business output and addressing controversial issues in the creative industry is explored.

A comparison between learning in a job and learning in business, emphasizing the need to work for free initially to gain skills.

The mindset of posting a large number of listings before critiquing or worrying about earnings is shared as a learning strategy.

The speaker addresses common frustrations and emphasizes the importance of implementation and persistence in business success.

Transcripts

I started doing print on demand back

when I was completely broke and over the

past couple of years I've been able to

do well over a million dollars and

generate multiple six figures in profit

my journey has not been easy but there's

been a lot that I've learned along the

way that might help you if you're

looking to start your own online

business today I'm giving you the nine

tips that helped me go from literally

zero to grow what's approaching a

multiple seven figure business if you

implement these tips early on I promise

that you'll at least have a better

chance of succeeding and getting what

you want so without further Ado let's

get into tip number one which is

building and keeping momentum

when I first started out I would spend

months watching videos just like these

feeling like I was making progress

because I was learning when in reality

those were months that I could have

spent growing my business my problem

wasn't that I didn't have enough time

money or information it was that I

didn't have any momentum momentum takes

challenging things which are just

basically things that you don't

understand yet and makes them feel way

easier before you even get started

you'll have a thousand questions and

concerns that'll hold you back but you

have to start moving in the right

direction before you can start answering

those questions build out a business

plan worry about a logo and all these

tedious little things as silly as it

sounds the easiest way to get started

building momentum is to sign up for all

of your accounts it'll take you less

than an hour and you only have to do it

once sign up for a new Gmail account and

then use that email address to sign up

for all of the associated accounts I've

got this linked down below so you can

follow each link super easily if you

want otherwise you can just visit each

website on your own it is a baby step

but if you can take enough baby steps

they'll eventually compound enough to

build enough momentum to carry you to

the things that will actually make you

money now this is going to upset some

people but especially early on it's a

huge waste of time to be repurposing

your designs now don't get me wrong this

is a lucrative and good strategy but the

first designs and products that you make

aren't going to be good if you upload

your very first designs to t-shirts

hoodies sweatshirts and mugs you're

probably just wasting time uploading

your designs to all of those products

and wasting money on all the listings

you still should post your bad designs

but instead you should pick one product

and make that your entire Focus this is

one thing that I actually did get right

when I first started out I just picked

one product and kept trying with it

until I could get it to sell I would

just go to the best sellers page on

printify and focus on Strictly one of

these products until you can get to the

point where you're making about ten

thousand dollars a month once you can

hit ten thousand dollars a month it

means that you have designs that can

sell then you can take those designs and

do what this shop called otz shirts has

done this is a great example of

repurposing done well I've talked about

this shop before and he's done around

2.8 million dollars from selling the

apparel now the owner of this shop does

something really clever

he takes his best designs from his

apparel shop and uploads them onto mugs

in his second shop

so what he's done is gone from 2.88

million to 3.68 Million by repurposing

the same designs onto mugs and this has

worked super well because he has great

designs so whether you're selling on

eBay Etsy or Shopify start with one

product make that your entire Focus

until you can get it to about ten

thousand dollars a month and then worry

about repurposing those designs onto

other products doing this made me

successful a lot faster because I was

able to master selling one product but

one thing I definitely didn't do right

was offering way too many options for

the customer I get it it's tempting to

want to sell all of the wonderful color

options to sell to your customers the

more color options the more sales you

get right no instead of your customers

excitement over all of the color options

that you offer they'll just get Choice

overload you want a customer to see the

blue option and buy it posting four

shades of blue will just confuse them

and make it hard for them to pick their

favorite so you have to decide for them

they'll tell themselves that they'll

just buy it later once they've made up

their mind and they'll never come back

and on top of giving your customers

Choice overload the print providers that

offer a ton of color options have a hard

time keeping them all in stock and if

it's out of stock and someone still

orders it that order gets sent to

another print facility if they have it

in stock or you'll have to deal with the

customer and ask them if they want a

different color both of those situations

are not optimal the easiest fix to this

is simply to offer less than 12 colors

if you offer more than 12 fewer people

who see your listing are actually going

to buy and the easiest way for you to

pick what colors to sell is to first

pick which print provider you want to

use now from The Profit that you take

home to your customer satisfaction

choosing the right print provider will

make or break your business now with

print on demand you'll work with a

company like printify who provides you

with white label products like these

you simply pick one of the products and

upload some kind of design to it whether

that be text an image or an AI design

and then you'll list it for sale in your

storefront with a nice mock-up on

printify when you choose the product

that you're selling you're presented

with many different print provider

options this is because printify doesn't

print and ship any of the items instead

they'll just connect you with one of

these print providers who can now each

of these print providers can offer

different prices colors sizes and they

operate differently from one another

since each print provider is independent

they are not created equal things like

quality control average production time

and stock reliability also play a huge

role in your business on paper these two

centers might look very similar the

dream Junction just being a little bit

more expensive the thing is come

Christmas time and you'll be looking at

poor stock reliability and production

times of seven plus days with the dream

Junction before the orders even ship out

mobster digital maintains a one to three

day production time year round and they

keep great inventory for selling apparel

I only use Monster Digital this also

limits my size and color options making

it easier for me to decide when I'm

going to sell now I can tell you that

because I've been through three holiday

seasons already but if you're selling a

different product or in a different

region of the world then I'll leave some

more recommendations down below or you

could chat with a printify specialist by

clicking on Snappy in the bottom left

corner of a printify page and you can

ask them which print provider is best

for you if you're curious about other

print-on-demand companies I've already

done a quality and cost comparison video

and for the reasons that I give in that

video I only use printify now everything

that I've mentioned up until this point

doesn't matter at all if you don't

understand storefront context the best

way I can explain this is you don't go

to LinkedIn to watch Tick Tock videos

hopefully your product listings need to

be relevant to the storefront that your

posting them on and there's two ways

that you can do this so I searched eBay

and Etsy for the exact same thing and

just by looking at these funny t-shirts

you should be able to see a noticeable

difference

good Etsy shops have images that bring

the designs to life and make each shirt

look hand crafted and eBay Shoppers just

don't care that much

a good Etsy image kind of looks out of

place on eBay and we'll talk about

Shopify and private websites in a second

all of the platforms work and there's no

right or wrong way but delivering your

designs in a way that fits the

storefront will generate you the most

amount of sales now the second factor is

getting traffic you're either going to

be doing organic SEO which includes

making content if you're into that or by

paying for traffic with ads this

determines your budget and also changes

how many designs you'll need to make for

each interest to do well and organic you

have to post a lot of designs per

interest so 25 fishing shirts 25

skydiving shirts and so on this is the

cheapest way I cover an easy way to do

this in my design tutorial you could

post a thousand designs to eBay or Etsy

for two hundred dollars and that allows

you to Target 40 different interest

groups with 25 designs each doing that

also makes you way better at designing

if you're paying for ads you don't want

to have as many designs per interest

group because then you're just paying to

promote your good and bad listings

instead of just letting organic search

filter them out for you you'll want to

know which designs are good before you

start paying for ads and to do that you

can either buy designs or you can use

the organic method and then just run ads

to the products that start selling and

not all the other products the organic

strategy allows you to get better at

making designs without losing money on

running ads it's slower and I know most

of you won't want to do it but it works

as you start posting those first

thousand products some of them will

start to sell and you'll start making

back the money that you're spending

posting the products now where this

really gets unlocked is some of your

designs will start selling regularly

when that happens you can take those

best-selling designs and use them to

start a Shopify store you already have

designs that sell and you know who your

previous customers are for those

products and you can run ads to a

Shopify store with those winning

products and you may or may not be able

to use your previous customer data to

run targeted ads to people with similar

interests hopefully you can see how this

is the cheapest and safest way to scale

your business

now tip number seven is just to open a

PayPal credit card before Dave Ramsey

puts me on his Blacklist I do not

recommend opening up a credit card until

you understand how badly credit card

debt can screw you if you're not careful

you'll end up paying like 20 more on

everything that you buy a 100 purchase

becomes a hundred and twenty dollars

worth of debt very quickly but if you're

a careful and competent individual I'd

highly recommend the PayPal credit card

you can use it with printify and it

gives you three percent back on all the

money that you spend so when I spend

about half a million this year I'll get

about fifteen thousand dollars of

tax-free cashback that I can use on

whatever I want I've used the AmEx and

the sapphire cards and the business

cards and this one is so much better

it's just straight cash back and you

actually get more rewards by using it

now number seven is something that I

wish I could have started sooner because

I easily could be making an extra five

to ten thousand dollars a month and

that's just by growing an email list

it not only increases your profit but it

also makes that jump from eBay or Etsy

to Shopify a lot easier when I was first

starting out I wasn't entirely sure that

I was going to be able to make it so I

didn't have that long-term thinking now

I saw this article covering return on

investment for email marketing and top

performers in retail in e-commerce can

make forty five dollars per dollar spent

that's a four thousand five hundred

percent return for collecting an email

address obviously this is probably a

high-end return but still I recently

started doing this and Allura makes it

super easy to do so hopefully I'll be

able to have a discount code down below

this video number eight is something

that I wasn't able to do when I got

started because it wasn't an option but

you're leaving time and money on the

table if you're not leveraging AI

I see people saying AI steals from

artists people saying that it's just you

being lazy but regardless there's AI

tools coming out for everything that you

can think of not just making designs

plus there's AI coming out to fix all

the controversial issues like Adobe

Firefox where creators can choose if

their art is used by the AI or not even

from what I've been able to do with my

existing business outside of creating

designs and the things that we talk

about on this channel there's potential

to 10x your output in all kinds of areas

if you look for it tip number nine is

the one that nobody wants to hear which

is why I've saved it for last to

hopefully Salvage this video's

performance I gotta get that ad Revenue

you know

I saw this comment on a video yesterday

and he said that he's coming up on two

months with 40 items posted 250 views no

sales and what a waste of time this was

and that comment actually reminded me of

myself back when I was working my first

job at Noodles and Company it was a

minimum wage job I was making seven

dollars an hour and I vividly remember

getting my first paycheck deposited into

my account and just thinking I need to

make more money the thing that I didn't

realize about getting a pay raise was

you had to learn the entire new position

learn all of the skills associated with

that position and work a couple months

in that position before you ever even

got the pay raise now I went through

this process anyway because I didn't

have another option and what ended up

happening I ended up getting the pay

raise now I'm really grateful that it

was structured that way besides

initially getting hired I was only paid

for the skills that I had business is

the exact exact same way because you'll

only get paid for the skills that you

already have starting a business is like

getting a job except you have to show up

learn all of the skills and work for

free before you ever even get hired and

a lot of people don't want to do that I

was able to take that same lesson I

learned at Noodles and look at what

successful shops were already doing I

saw that they had huge amounts of

listings in their stores so I decided

that I would post 4 000 listings to my

shop before I would even critique myself

or worry about how much money I was

making this mindset allowed me to learn

the fundamental skills that I needed to

work the position before I made the

money once I learned everything the

money started coming when I get comments

about click bait or people saying that

it doesn't work the process is extremely

simple it's cheap and low risk it takes

way longer than you think it will and

most importantly it's extremely boring

to do the implementation is the only

difference between us the process will

work if you do

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