Built Online Podcast

Episode: Don’t Wait: You Don’t Need to Be an Expert to Start on Etsy | ft. Dina Lu
Host: Cody McGuffie
Guest: Dina Lu
Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Cody McGuffie welcomes Dina Lu, a creative entrepreneur known for her journey from a stable government job to building a multifaceted online business. Together, they discuss breaking into e-commerce (especially Etsy), the myth of needing to be an “expert” before you start, and the iterative, often messy path of turning your passions into a sustainable business. Dina candidly shares her wins, pivots, challenges, and how her focus shifted from making money to finding personal fulfillment through creative projects like her "Calligraphy Poems for the Soul."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debunking the “Expert Myth”

• Dina's Perspective: Dina emphasizes you don’t have to be an expert to start teaching or selling online. If you’re even a few steps ahead of the people you want to serve, that’s enough.
  • Quote:
    “For anyone out there who's thinking of maybe sharing about their journey or teaching people or training people on something, I think if you are, like, a couple steps ahead of the people you're going to teach, that's already enough. You don't have to be the top, top expert.” —Dina (00:00, 16:49)

2. Dina’s Career Path: From Office Job to Online Creator

• Starting Out:
  • Dina was in a traditional 9-to-5 job as a business development associate in a government office (16:16).
  • She had dreamed of becoming a digital nomad since her early twenties.
  • Started learning calligraphy and selling greeting cards/workshops (02:58).
  • Within a year of launching her calligraphy business, she quit her job and began working for herself (03:48).
• Key Motivation: Desire for time, location, and financial freedom fueled her transition despite not knowing every step in advance.

3. Navigating Early Revenue and The COVID Pivot

• Initial Revenue Streams:
  • Earned ~$1,000/month from teaching in-person calligraphy workshops (06:27).
  • Quitting was possible due to low expenses and living at home (06:27).
• COVID-19:
  • Forced her to shift from in-person workshops to virtual corporate team-building workshops (08:15).
  • She preferred B2B sessions because they were less labor-intensive than selling individual tickets (08:22).
• How She Landed Corporate Clients:
  • Leveraged university/business contacts, social media, her website, and networking. Cold emailing was not effective (10:30).

4. Shifting to Coaching & Content Creation

• Coaching Calligraphers:
  • When workshops slowed, she pivoted to coaching other calligraphers who wanted to run their own businesses (09:03).
  • Used Instagram, a blog, and an email list to find and nurture clients (12:55).
• Starting YouTube:
  • Repurposed blog content into YouTube videos for SEO and list building, not aiming to be a "YouTuber" at first (13:50).

5. The Journey to True Digital Nomadism

• Digital Nomad Reality:
  • Achieved her digital nomad goal after her YouTube channel grew rapidly, thanks to a viral Etsy video and hitting 10,000 subscribers in a month (22:47).
  • Booked a one-way ticket to Vietnam after reaching this milestone (22:47).
  • After seven months abroad, realized she valued having roots at home (23:15).

6. Experimentation & Multiple Streams of Income

• Dina’s “Scrappy Year:”
  • She supplemented income with odd jobs: UGC content, UberEats, making TikToks for brands, and selling Canva templates on Etsy (21:07, 21:46).
  • Her candid recounting:
    "I was just trying to make some cash while I focused on the YouTube."—Dina (21:07)
• Etsy Experience:
  • Posted a video about making 10 sales in her first month.
  • The video went viral and caused her YouTube following and AdSense to jump (22:47).
  • She is transparent about not being a “superstar” Etsy seller, but her relatable progress resonated.
  • "People loved hearing from somebody who wasn't making millions from Etsy, I made 10 sales in my first month. And then I shared about it on YouTube." —Dina (16:49)

7. Soulful Business: From “Hustle” to Purpose

• Moving Beyond Money:
  • Dina grew tired of pursuing side hustles solely for cash.
  • Launched “Calligraphy Poems for the Soul”—writing calligraphied, personalized poems for people based on struggles they submit (25:15).
  • The goal is to create meaningful art and connection, not just revenue:
    "The primary goal isn’t to make money. The primary goal is to do something that feels right for me with the skills that I have and the interests that I have." —Dina (29:35)
  • She sees this as her “soul business” for the next 10–20 years (29:35, 31:44).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Getting Started:
  • “Just do the thing and, you know, you’ll figure it out.” —Dina (33:41)
• On Expertise & Teaching:
  • “If you are like a couple steps ahead of the people you’re going to teach, that’s already enough.” —Dina (16:49)
• On Finding Fulfillment:
  • “I think my goal is... to do something that feels right for me with the skills that I have and the interests that I have. This is me starting on my soul business.” —Dina (29:35)
• On Scrappiness:
  • “I was just trying to make some cash while I focused on the YouTube.” —Dina (21:02)
• Cody on Diversification Advice:
  • "The average millionaire has seven streams of income... I think that was just bad advice... When you're first starting out, you should put all your efforts to... yourself learning, and then my one income going first." —Cody (35:24)
• Dina on Focus:
  • "I always tell people two things max. You can only do two things. Like, yeah, work on two income streams max at a time." —Dina (36:31)
• On Who Should Start a Business:
  • “Not every person should. Like, not every...there’s no right way to live and make money… I think whatever people want to do, like how they want to live, you don’t have to start. There’s a lot of different ways.” —Dina (37:09)

Important Timestamps & Segment Breakdown

• 00:00 — Debunking the “expert” myth; beginning origin story
• 02:58 — Dina’s transition: nine-to-five -> calligraphy business
• 06:27 — Quitting her job & early revenue
• 08:15 — COVID pivot: B2B virtual workshops
• 10:30 — How she landed corporate clients
• 12:55 — Move into coaching & content creation
• 18:51 — Expanding beyond calligraphy; evolving her business model
• 21:07 — 2022: Experiments, side hustles, early Etsy experience
• 22:47 — YouTube explosion & becoming a digital nomad
• 23:15–25:15 — Returning home, reassessing goals, “what now?”
• 29:35 — The “soul business”; sustainable, meaningful work
• 33:41 — Advice to her younger self
• 35:24 — Discussion: bad business advice, income streams
• 36:31 — Dina’s rules for focus: two income streams max
• 37:09 — Who should start a business; alternate paths
• 40:32 — Where to find Dina and follow her work

Resource Recommendations

• Book: P.S. You’re a Genius by Kelly Track — "It's a book about how to think about everything that you've done in your life and all your skills and basically create your genius, like, find the thing that you're meant to do." — Dina (32:03)

Where to Connect with Dina Lu

• YouTube: Dina Lu (Main channel)
• Instagram: @dinadloo
• Website: dinalucreative.com
• Calligraphy Poems: “Calligraphy Poems for the Soul” on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram

Tone & Takeaways

Genuine, encouraging, and candid—Dina’s story counters the conventional “overnight expert” narrative and champions learning in public, starting where you are, and prioritizing personal alignment over external expectations. Whether you want to sell on Etsy, build an audience, or just find meaningful work, Dina demonstrates the value of experimentation, authenticity, and adaptability.

Key takeaway:
You don’t need all the answers—or a full resume of achievements—to get started. Take action, stay resourceful, and let your journey unfold—sometimes, that's what builds expertise.

For the full conversation, refer to timestamps above for in-depth insights or visit the episode link.