Heather (5:41)

Thanks for having me again.

Lizzie Smiley (5:42)

I'm so excited. I'm so excited. These are always such fun conversations and like, let's just say the topic on everyone's mind it seems like these days is print on demand. So I'm really glad you're here. We have so much we want to learn about you. But I kind of want to come at you with like the kind of the question that's been bubbling up in my mind. I want to know because like, historically Print on demand on YouTube, it's like the topic. I feel like those are the videos that go viral. You guys are like the most YouTube famous in the Etsy space. I think it attracts more sellers, like potential sellers interested than any other type of product sold on Etsy. Like for sure. That's been my observation, like looking over all of them. Why do you think that is? What is it that makes Print on Demand the hottest Etsy type of shop to have?

Heather (6:28)

I think that Print on Demand opens up the opportunity to give power to people who may not have been able to create their own business in the past. I think that we're seeing such a new wave of entrepreneurship that we are almost breaking away from the normal of working a 9 to 5 and being able to start a business with almost very, very little investment. And I think that a lot of people have that entrepreneur heart and it's just hard to get into it. And I think when people learn about Print on Demand, it's like, oh, I only need to spend maybe like 20 to $50 to invest into this business model that spends. Sounds great to me. I thought I had to own a brick and mortar business, right? A lot of us think that, or maybe that we have to invest thousands of dollars for inventory. But I think Print on Demand, this is the new era to me as far as this is the time and the place for people to finally have the ability to have their own businesses and be entrepreneurs for once. And I don't think we've seen that in the past. I think that a lot of corporations kept a lot of things hidden and it's almost has forced past generations to work the 9 to 5 right, be, you know, a worker, be get into labor. And while those are all wonderful occupations and I really think all the people, all the people that show up and, and help and serve in those industries, I think a lot of people are opening their eyes and ears up to this wonderful world of online business now. And we can compete in ways with a lot of the big corporations and businesses. So all in all, I think a lot of people are excited and I think the newer generations that are able to create and sell right off the jump, they don't have to wait for inventory to come in. Right? So I think that's what I'm seeing and I'm so excited to just be in this space and talk about it all the time because it's something that, that just fires me up and yeah, that's my guess on why I love it.

Lizzie Smiley (8:44)

And I think that when we think About Etsy, we think about a physical product obviously now, and I'm in the digital product space more than anything. I'm obsessed. But when we think about the majority of people going to Etsy, they want something physical. And so it just takes away this. I've got to, I want to sell something physical, but I've got to do all these pieces that take away my profit and instead I can just focus on the design. And that is so powerful. If someone clicked Play Heather and they are like just kind of chewing on Etsy for the first time, this caught their attention. But they don't really understand print on demand. Could you please explain what it is and also like how it can go beyond T shirts and sweatshirts?

Heather (9:22)

Yeah. So Print on Demand is a business model where you integrate your print on demand company's application and software to your Etsy shop or different platforms. So a lot of print on demand companies have broadened their horizons as far as platforms that you can connect to. Now it sounds way more complicated than it actually is. It's actually very simple to integrate. It's very easy, step by step. That's why I have my Print on Demand crash course. That's a completely free course on how to set up a through Z walkthrough guide too. For that reason, because it seems daunting to just start because it's like you have so many questions of I don't know what, I don't know. But it's really a simple process where you integrate their software to your Etsy shop. After integrating, you create listings and when those listings are purchased from a random stranger on the Internet, or maybe just someone that you know, maybe it's your mom, your dad or friend, family member, if you're lucky, then that order will go and be streamlined and integrated to your print on demand company's website and software and they will print, pack and ship that item. Now, I will say you do get charged before they print, pack and ship that item. I think that is a misunderstanding some people have with this business model is you don't have to pay right away, but you do have to pay to get on Etsy and then charge for that initial order that you get and any order following that from customers. So once that is charged and then they print, pack and ship, they will attach the tracking information to the order and the next step of the process is just the customer receiving the product and you following up as far as maybe any customer service. So if the customer is like, hey, this doesn't fit, what can I do? So you, you handle that customer service process. I like to say that Print on Demand is a semi passive business model. I wouldn't say it's fully passive due to. We still, we create our products. We are the artists behind the screen at the end of the day. And I know a lot of people, even from handmade sell, I've worked with a lot of people feel kind of like, oh, you know, this doesn't feel like my art since I'm sending it to a print provider. But you're still the artist behind the screen. It's just, this is giving you the ability to spread your art in a new way that a lot of people weren't able to before. It's, it's giving that opportunity to the average person who doesn't have that investment up front. Right. So it's just beautiful business model. Again, something I could just talk about all day, every day because I love it so much.

Lizzie Smiley (12:02)

I love that you mentioned about how it works, like financially. So like the customer pays Etsy and the order goes through to Printify. Printify charges you. So there's a markup. Right. Etsy is going to charge whatever you want them to charge the customer and that's going to include your profit. And then you are going to pay Printify for the service and the raw materials. And so what typically happens though is you're paying Printify before you get the money from Etsy. And that was a bit of a roadblock for me in the beginning because at that point in time I wasn't, I didn't have, I was afraid of like, well, what if I get like a hundred orders? What if something goes crazy? And so at that time, our friend Jenny from the shop, she's like, oh, I got this specific credit card for this and I don't. I pay it off every month or every time I get an Etsy deposit so that I'm not sitting on it or carrying credit. I can link that for you guys. It's just a simple Chase card and it took all the fear out of it. I wasn't worried about it dipping into my monthly bills or whatever. So is that, do you, do you like that approach too, Heather, if people are a little tight, I mean, I'm not usually big on credit, but I think in that situation, if it's a, if it's something that would stop you from starting, it's like a really good approach.

Heather (13:06)

Yes, I completely agree. That's what I did when I began is I opened up a business checking, I opened up a business credit card. And that is what I, I mean, at first I was, I did make the mistake and I was charging certain things on my personal credit card and my personal expenses because I was new. I didn't, I honestly didn't think it would work. I didn't think that I would have many sales with Print On Demand and Etsy. And it kind of blew up from there.

Lizzie Smiley (13:38)

Hate it when that happens.

Heather (13:39)

Yeah, yeah, I know. A good problem to complain about.

Lizzie Smiley (13:43)

So sorry for you.

Heather (13:44)

Yeah, I know, I know. Feel sorry for me, please. I need it. I'm kidding. But yeah, it's, it's a good problem to have. Right. But I think that when you are someone like myself, I had very low investment. I, I was just paying off my student loans when I started with Print On Demand and Etsy. And that's what's so incredible about this business model is it gives us that opportunity to scale our own businesses and finances. And from there I switched to a business credit card. I got the Chase card. I think it was like Chase Inc. Yes.

Lizzie Smiley (14:18)

That's what I have.

Heather (14:18)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the plus of that, and it's so funny because we're not, I don't, I, I don't even think like we, we. Honestly, I, I don't know if you're, if you are or not, but I know I'm like not affiliated or sponsored by them, but it's, it's just one of those things that I'm like, this is a great opportunity to get some reward points because when I opened it, yeah, it's kind of one of those like credit card hacking things because with Print On Demand, since you can pay off the amount right away, it kind of doesn't really hurt you the way that a credit card typically would, where you kind of rack up in interest. For me and my Print On Demand business, I only charged what I could pay off. And I had. At first it was like a few transactions and then my business scaled so quickly that I was hitting like hundreds of transactions in a month. And I had to keep calling into my credit card company to increase limit, which is a good problem. Right. It's a great problem to have. But there was a moment where I was like, oh my goodness, I'm not going to get any orders out. But the plus side of that is within my first year of opening my credit card, getting the reward credit that they offer, in the beginning, I think I made like a few thousand dollars in just credit card reward points.

Lizzie Smiley (15:32)

Yes.

Heather (15:33)

In addition to just making profit in my Print On Demand and Etsy business. So there's a lot of other possibilities that open up with having print on demand and even that credit card. And I'm really happy you mentioned that.

Lizzie Smiley (15:45)

Yeah. And like, so for transparency, when I did my print on demand shop, and by the way, I mentioned this in the intro, but I'll say it again now, I took your credit course. Heather, I had just met you. I resonated the most with you. We were both like micro niche girlies. You're like just, you've always just been my vibe. And your course was spectacular. I immediately like, I got to 100 sales so fast. I had a bestseller badge like in the first month. It was bananas. It was so great. Ended up that I, I just have preferred digital products. But like you were my print on. You were my print on demand expert. But at that time I actually opened a Chase personal credit card and, and I only recently ordered the Chase Inc. So like for people who maybe don't have an LLC yet or anything like that, what I'm going to link, it's. I'm not an affiliate for them. I just have the refer your friend link. And so it gives us both points. But I think I have bought with just the points. And Jenny would always use them for airline miles. Right. Because she lives in Greece and she travels a lot. I do not. I have a 2 year old. I don't even want to go to the grocery store. But I got like, I think two iPads. I got an Apple watch, like with just the rewards of running my print on demand business. So I was like, oh, this is great. So okay. But I like already have beat that horse. Totally. I'm not going to say it because it'll offend some people, but we can move on from that. Okay. Typically people think print on demand. They think, you know, T shirts, sweatshirts, fashion is hot, whatever. But Printify now has like this incredible catalog. Are you seeing students have success go beyond T shirts and sweatshirts?

Heather (17:12)

Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of students have success with other avenues and other product types. So not just T shirts, sweatshirts. And I, I think that's something that when I came into the print space and on YouTube, I know one of the biggest problems for a lot of sellers is, oh, T shirts and sweatshirts seem so saturated. Yeah. And they still aren't. You know, you can still sell T shirts and sweatshirts and get into the game as far as that goes. But what I found is some sellers come to me and they're like, I just don't want to go into T shirts and sweatshirts. Can you point me to something else? And, um, I have done that in the past, and they have seen incredible results. I mean, I've had sellers that I've worked with who've hit multi six figures with just T shirts, sweatshirts, apparel, and then I've had sellers who've hit their first six figures in maybe candles or mugs. So there's so many products you can go into, and you can have success with those products. At least you're focusing on the right niches. You're creating products and designs that people want to buy and maybe not what you think they might want to buy. I think that's something a lot of sellers I work with and I have to have kind of a talk to on. Hey, you know, I like your designs, but I don't know if they're. If they're applicable to this audience type. Right. So it's kind of hard to have that moment with yourself too, and be real and honest with your own shop and say, oh, you know, I. I can't really foresee maybe my mom, who's in this niche buying this. Or, you know, if you think of a friend or coworker, it's good to just put your place in those. Those shoes and. But yeah, yeah, that's me going on 10 tangents.

Lizzie Smiley (18:56)

So, no, I'm actually not at all. But you know what? Okay. I'm in that. There's this Facebook group for Printify, the Print on Demand, Printify Rockstar, something like that. Aren't you in there too? I feel like we're both in there.

Heather (19:07)

Yes, Yes.

Lizzie Smiley (19:08)

I like it because they talk about, like, people order samples of all their different products and then, like, share reviews about it. It's actually been a really. One of the more helpful Facebook groups. Have you seen those? Like, I'm just curious if you have any experience, the tapestries, because I keep. They're like these fabric tapestry tapestries that you hang on the wall, and I feel like I've seen really good reviews for those. Do you have any experience? I'm super curious. I'm going off script completely. Heather, I'm sorry.

Heather (19:29)

Oh, yeah, no, you're fine. I'm. I'm here for it. So for the tapestries, the. For the bachelorette party niche, those are really doing well. Graduation niche. Because if you think about it, when a lot of bachelorette parties, when they're going on trips and I know, I know you. You just.

Lizzie Smiley (19:49)

I just got back from one, like, yesterday.

Heather (19:51)

Yeah. So decorating the Airbnb or for like an event, people are using the tapestries. So it's not even the SEO people are using, isn't sometimes even tapestries. It's just like wall sign, you know, or fabric wall sign. You put in a Airbnb, you're going to decorate it. Airbnb for a bachelorette party or graduation party. Right. Maybe a birthday party. So those are what I'm seeing as a trend, is that use and then also just for maybe the more spiritual niches, I like to say. So kind of celestial. Yes, yes. So those are the other avenues to go. But again, it's kind of knowing your product type, knowing the niches and the audiences who are going to buy from those areas is what I found is. And also looking on the market, like, I do research on the market, just like you, Lizzie, where we're researching just about every day, every week. And, you know, we been in and on Etsy for the past few years. So it's kind of like when you have that much research and data, you kind of know the markets and the product types. And that's where I'm, I'm very grateful when I have like, also students who tell me, hey, I don't want to do sweatshirts and T shirts. Give me something else. You know? And I'm like, well, have you considered tapestries? And they'll look at me and be like, tapestries?

Lizzie Smiley (21:10)

Isn't that a boomer product? Like, I love all the boomers. I'm just saying that's totally what are what your your people would say.

Heather (21:16)

Yeah, yeah, they're like, they give me like the wildest look, and I'm like, please trust the process. Trust the process. And then they find they strike gold in a way, I like to say, and they kind of mine for that gold, find a good niche. And that's what I love. I love going into all the areas we can do with print on demand that historically a lot of big corporations and businesses have went into that we now, as individual entrepreneurs can also go into and have successful businesses. And I really just again, going back to the beginning, I love this era of entrepreneurship because that's what print on demand is allowing to a lot of us individuals now.

Lizzie Smiley (21:56)

So I'm sparking so many ideas and I debated whether or not to even say anything. So I'll talk Gilmore Girls fast on this, you guys. But I'm thinking, okay, so like grand Millennial, which pss me, that's literally when you are a boomer in a millennial's body. And we love anything kind of granny core tapestries would totally fit into anything that niche. I love what you spiritual. I totally thought of, like, tarot card type design, which is trending on a tapestry. I think you could also go Christian for sure. Like scriptures and things like that. There's actually a lot of underserved, really popular scriptures. So long as you find a translation that is not. That's in the public domain. I just like, I just felt like, holy cow, I could go open a new shop right now. Not gonna do it. Not gonna do it. But. But the ideas were. And the other thing I will say, I love what you said about people aren't searching tapestries. I always thought that printable wall art was really saturated on Etsy. And ever since I started doing my weekly trend report, I realized, nope, not at all. And in fact, one of the biggest things are, like, really big posters. There's a lot of demand and very little competition for, like these huge posters. And I'm like, oh my gosh, you could totally do that as a tapestry. That would slay. Okay, I'm done. But that was fun and I got it out of my body and now I can think about other things. Okay. Heather, we were chatting recently and you had me. My jaw was on the floor hearing about a couple of your students in your coaching group right now. And you know what? Who doesn't love it before and after? I'm just so here for it. Can you tell us, like, I need the tea on what is happening with these people?

Heather (23:25)

Yeah. So I have been in the Etsy and print on demand space for probably the past few years as far as, like being on YouTube and my courses and content and just working with clients and a few of my beta testers from my initial course, like the first coaching group I've ever taken on. It's really interesting because all of those sellers that I worked with in the initial phases of their businesses, some had zero sales, some had maybe they were close to four figures in that mark. Some of those students, I mean, I want to say it's been two of those students from that first beta group, which I only took like a small handful because I, you know, it's one of those things you're testing. You're trying to make sure that your teaching works. And those students, I gave them kind of lists of niches to go into and almost roadmaps in a way. I didn't name it that when I began with them, but those clients that I started with in that program ended up eventually hitting just last year, multiple six figures. In their own business, they're at over 500k in total revenue in the past few years. Um, another client, they hit 180k in their business in total since starting with them. I had another client just last year that I started with in the beginning of the year who doubled their revenue. They were at, they hit, they just broke like 20k and they ended up hitting 50k at the end of the year. Which, I mean, I know with all these numbers it's like, okay, what's profit? But a lot of the times it is around 20 to 30% profit margin when you're looking at print on Demand and Etsy. So even the seller like last year, you know, they're breaking six figures in profit. So from having multiple six figures within their last year. So I know a lot of sellers say, hey, is it possible this year? And the answer is yes. And I have proof from my last clients who did it last year. I, every year there's always a new seller I work with who hits these incredible milestones. And it, it is inspiring and it gets me excited because this is what I love doing. I love working with people and seeing them get to that level of even quitting their nine to fives or even with some sellers I work with, it's like, how do I quit my 9 to 5? Like, I'm at that stage, but I don't know what to do. And that's kind of the next, you know, the next level is, okay, let's figure out how to stabilize this, make it consistent and maybe hire a virtual assistant, get you acclimated to making this full time. Right? So, and that's really cool because when I started on YouTube, my goal was to help just one person. Now it's been multiple people and it's just so, it's so cool. Like it's. This is what I wanted and I've achieved that and I'm striving to do that again with my. I brought in a very intensive. I started a new kind of intensive program called Bestseller Accelerator this year with one on one clients, which is the first time I've taken one on one clients to this extent since 2020. 2021. Was it, I think 2021 or 2022 when I started Print on Demand Academy, it might have been 2022. No, I think it was 2021 because it was the first year I started on YouTube, I took one on one clients. And from that, basically this year I was like, you know what? This had such incredible in just phenomenal results. In the time And I haven't taken on one on one clients because I've been focusing in other avenues. And so this year I decided to do that again and I'm just excited because these are people that inspire me, they fire me up and I'm just so excited to hopefully get that those success stories later on in the year, in the next few years with these clients. But there is some magic and I, I found that I've really loved this in this element. And so anyways, this is long story to say that I'm just very proud of the people who I've been able to work with and they've put in a lot of work in their shops and it's at this point where I know it's like a repeatable process which that's what I teach in the print on demand academy. And then if people need that extra support, that's where I'm kind of opening up that one on one help. But it's, it's only like once or twice a year when I do that unfortunately just due to bandwidth. But I love what I do in this space and what I've been able to see with my clients and students. So.

Lizzie Smiley (28:04)

If you are a print on Demand seller, then odds are pretty high that you care about saving time. While it's nothing compared to selling a handmade product, believe me, I know I've done it all. All the steps of creating a design, mocking it up, importing it into Printify, setting up the listing, moving it to Etsy and so on. Like it can still feel cumbersome and tedious. And I do get emails from you guys being like this process is all lot. So that is why I'm so thrilled to share that my friend and well known print on demand YouTuber Cassie Johnson has recently launched a bulk mockup tool that is going to change the game for you and save you so much time. Simply Listed will take your favorite mockups and load your design accurately onto each image. With just one click it connects to your Printify account and it loads all of your mock ups effortlessly into your listing for you. It's going to save buckets of time on this like low skill task so that you can get back to the listing steps that really need your expertise the most, like identifying opportunities, creating designs and writing stellar SEO. Simply Listed also allows you to create multi item listings more easily than ever before by automating the process of copying and pasting all of those various product skus, those long SKU numbers that connect your Printify products to your Etsy Listings. So if you've ever sold two products like both a T shirt and a sweatshirt version of a design in one listing on Etsy, you know what a big deal this is. It saves you so much time and error. So check out simply listed with my link today and you will get a 14 day free trial to create mock ups for up to 50 listings. And you can use the SKU linking feature for unlimited SKUs. So start saving time and making more sales. And Cassie, we endlessly appreciate you for this. You are simply amazing. You're so full of heart, Heather, like, obviously, like knowing you very personally. It's so precious to hear you talk like this here. So just to get. Because you and I tend to go deep together. When I was a kid, I was. My mom was one of, so I would say in like the 60s, she was 60s into the 70s. She was one of four women at Wharton School of Business. It was all men. And she was very much like ahead of her time. She was a very feminist, very pro woman and among her peers, she's this very high powered saleswoman. And I'm home with like the nanny. And I was always so proud of her. Even though I missed her. I was always so proud of her and the way that she was paving the way. And I remember her telling me stories about having to like hide her pregnancies because like women in sales and in business, it was like frowned upon and the company got annoyed. And that was before there were like, things to protect women. We're getting better as a culture. But I also remember thinking when I was in college, like, and getting so excited about the prospect of the Internet and E commerce because I wanted both. So my mom opened up this world of just high success. Like, just she's, she was extremely successful. And I wanted to have that and be with my kids. And like, I think that's why Etsy has been so profound and why the work that you're doing just with Legacy. You were talking about. What's the. We were talking about Hamilton. Yeah, you went and saw Hamilton. What was the quote that really got you?

Heather (31:18)

Yeah, so the quote that I really loved in Hamilton was Legacy means that you're going to plant seeds that you'll never see. Or I might have butchered that a little bit.

Lizzie Smiley (31:30)

Chills.

Heather (31:31)

Yeah, it gave me chills when I saw that over the weekend. And I, I am a late viewer of Hamilton. I will say I just saw it this last weekend and I just felt like, like you said profound is the best word for it. Like it's like planting seeds that we'll never see. There's so many people we might touch in our media that we're in content we're putting out in the world. Right.

Lizzie Smiley (31:55)

We'll never know them. We'll never know thousands of these people.

Heather (31:59)

Yep. Yep. And yeah, anyone who's listening now, like, it's. I hope that those of you have that because it's magical. And that's what I want to do in my life is have that planting seeds I'll never see. And I'm completely okay with that. I think that in the world of also being in just an online presence, it is. I want to at least spread my knowledge the best I can.

Lizzie Smiley (32:27)

Yes. Especially to other women.

Heather (32:29)

Oh, yeah, yeah. And I just, I love just what you said too, is having that inspiration. And you really don't know how many lives you're affecting and hopefully helping through sharing your story and your messages. And I think that's something that I love about the space. I love about meeting sellers and people like you, Lizzy, who just recharge my entrepreneurship. And I hope that I do the same for other people. And it's, it's one of those magical things.

Lizzie Smiley (33:01)

Okay, so I think this is like kind of the perfect little segue, like for some real talk because. And the majority of people, like, in the Etsy coaching space, you and I know almost all of them and love almost all of them. We have some of the most incredible colleagues on the Internet, like, in terms of really providing value, very few bad actors. And so I love, love, love my colleagues. Colleagues. I also, I hear a lot of feedback from, like, listeners and things like that. A little skepticism about some of the success stories, like your students. So can we talk practical? You recently had this YouTube video pop off on, like, kind of what you would do starting a new etsy shop in 2025. And I think we should dig into that. I'm also going to link that. I need to make a note. I'm going to link that YouTube video because people need to actually see this visually as well. But let's talk through. Like, let's say someone does want to break six figures. They're starting in January. That is their goal. They want to be one of those bestsellers. Also highly recommend they get in touch with you. At least take your free course. If not, join one of your coaching programs. But can you talk through, like, what, like, what would you do? What would you recommend to them? I mean, and let's, let's go big. Like, yeah, we could talk to the person who Wants to make an extra couple hundred a month, but we can. They can also take the bigger goals and then extrapolate it down to what's doable for them. So let's say we want to clear six figures. What would you do starting that Etsy, that print on demand shop now.

Heather (34:24)

Yeah. So as far as just the what I kind of outlined in that video and I'll try to do more of a quicker version.

Lizzie Smiley (34:32)

Yes.

Heather (34:33)

Where any seller should start. And just even if you are in the consideration kind of okay, is this right for me? Will I actually make this happen? Stage?

Lizzie Smiley (34:42)

Yes.

Heather (34:43)

I think that it's good to first of all do your research, see stories, real stories of that this works. And then next, after you've decided and you're excited about it, my first piece of advice is to just start. I know that's you've probably heard that 20 times for anyone who's watched any motivation. Yeah.

Lizzie Smiley (35:05)

So why like people probably go, oh, but why is that so important?

Heather (35:08)

Yeah. So for just starting, I think that a lot of people procrastinate the inevitable. So it's kind of just asking all the questions of, oh, you know, what about my. How do I set up finances? How do I set up my bank account? And I think a lot of people know the answers. They just don't think to apply it right away because you might already know. Okay, maybe you need to go to your county clerk office and figure out, okay, should I get an A doing business as document file that for my county, start that and then the next step, you could probably go into your finances. Okay, what do you need to do for your finances? The obvious answer is probably to open up up a business checking at the very minimum. Right. And then you can maybe open up a business credit card later. So that those are things we all know, but we just, we procrastinate in doing. And that's okay. I, I don't want anyone listening to feel attacked. I was there as well. So that's why I also have that free crash course because I think it's so essential to learn what you don't know and have someone just walk you through the process and kind of explain everything in fine details. That and it's no investment. Right. Like it's completely free course. It's just, hey, take this course. See if this is right for you first. And if you get through the course, you're like, hey, this isn't right for me then you know, but at least you take that effort and you start and you start the process of opening up that shop because I think a lot of people who. A lot of sellers. One of the biggest regrets I hear from so many sellers is I wish I didn't procrastinate this to the extent that I did because now I have a full fledged shop and I would have had this sooner if I hadn't just procrastinated. So I think that's first step and first part of all this. The second is starting and putting things into motion. I think a lot of people. So even if you set everything up, what I've noticed is the second hurdle a lot of sellers have is, okay, it's time to put this in motion and start listing. How do I list? How do I create a listing? How do I create a product again? Tutorials on YouTube, my free course. I have it all A to Z in my free course too. And, and I really recommend people going through at least a tutorial on YouTube, even if it's not me, I'm okay with that. It doesn't hurt my feelings. But at least you start, right? So as far as putting this in action, so maybe tomorrow you put on the calendar, tomorrow I'm gonna list one listing. And by doing that act, I think a lot of people, again, you know what you should be doing, but you're not acting on it. That's my biggest thing that I hear from sellers. I know what I should be doing. I knew you were going to tell me that, but it's not until you put it on a calendar or even today. So can you do something today in your business? Can you do something tomorrow? And I'm not saying schedule something a month from now. I mean, if you're on vacation, then totally understandable. Schedule it after the vacation, but try to do it as soon as possible. I really like the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Yeah. And he says, yep, you need to establish habits in your daily life to make changes. I mean, that's, that's kind of a summarized version of what I had a takeaway of. His book is establishing some habits that are going to lead you to success in change in your life. So that's what's really important in what I consider the planning phase of your business is start those habits right away or make it maybe easier for you to do those habits. So that might look like going to work a little bit earlier and working on your Etsy shop before work. I know that sounds maybe difficult, but if you have maybe a laptop you can take to work or your phone, you can create listings on your phone, on an iPad that's the beauty of print on demand. So that's kind of the first phase. Lizzie, I don't know how, how I'm doing so far as far as amazing, amazing.

Lizzie Smiley (39:19)

Like, I think something that's really helpful to hear, and I want to hear your approach this because it might even be different than mine. And I always love when that happens because it just means there's more ways, there's more. There's like you kind of can't go wrong, like, follow a path, but if they're wanting, like, like those are such great practical steps that I feel like sometimes we skip over. And a lot of people do feel super. I'm someone who would be totally intimidated by all that in the beginning. In fact, I. And I don't recommend this now that I've talked to attorney Paige Holston, had her on the podcast. But I started with just my Social Security number as a sole proprietorship and my personal bank account. And I tested it and see if I like, saw if I liked Etsy, and then after the fact added the more formal stuff. And that's not illegal to do. You're at a little more risk because you're not separating your assets. This is not legal advice, by the way. Just like my personal experience, you're not separating your assets with an LLC from your business, from your personal. But to test it for a month or two, that was what I did because it was a lower barrier to entry. So I love that you're covering these basic things so that people can kind of jot them down. What I think would be so interesting is what does it look like? So we're adding listings. I also want to say, do you remember when you were 15 and you were learning how to drive a car and it was so cumbersome, like, you put your foot on this and then you pull this thing, throttle back, or not throttle, whatever the gear shift is. And then you have to put. It's very cumbersome. But then you practice, you did it over and over again. And a few weeks later, if you drove every day, it was becoming much more fluid and natural. And that's the Etsy listing process. Right. In the beginning, it feels like there's all these steps and you're forgetting where things are. And it's like, it takes me so long. Well, yeah, but if you do it every day for two weeks, it'll be like the driving, where it becomes more fluid.

Heather (40:58)

Yep.

Lizzie Smiley (40:58)

What are these? What actions and activities need to happen for someone to hit that six figure mark? What kinds of like at what rate do they need to be listing? Like what are some of the key things you've noticed? The differentiators between those who maybe make an extra hundred dollars this year versus like clear the six figures.

Heather (41:17)

Yeah. So the habits of the sellers who have hit six figures and multi six figures differ from the people whom might have just, I mean still they see progress, they have additional income stream. And I just want to say at this, at this stage too, don't compare your shop to others. I think that's the easiest way to quit out early for those of you listening because it is, it is tough when you're starting because you almost have that imposter syndrome of like who do I think I am? And I've had that too and I, I hit multi six figures in a year. So we all have it. Even successful sellers will have that moment. Just try to keep going forward. Stop comparing your shops to others. That's a time waster. It's a habit you shouldn't be doing. So take out that habit list. Maybe during that time the habits of successful sellers and those multi six figure sellers I've seen and even in my own business has been listing almost daily. Whether that be one listing or a few listings, a lot of sellers have listed daily. Now I will not, not, I will not say that the amount of quantity over quality will ever be in my suggestion to anyone. I, I don't believe in quantity over quality when it comes to Etsy listings. However, I think that quantity builds experience, it builds skill sets. It also allows you to test different markets and see where your design might sell. I've had a lot of sellers I've worked with where they're trying to sell to one niche and they find that they're not getting any sales with the design and product type, they go to an entirely different niche and they start to see sales. So how can that seller even know that if they don't create another listing? Yes, they won't know. And I think that's the biggest thing and I completely agree quality over quantity any day. But I don't think it's it. You're not going to hit that quality level until you really practice and start listing and trying. I think the try is the most important thing and most important piece of advice I have for those of you is to just try different markets, try different niches, try different designs, try different products when you begin. And I know that can be overwhelming, but it can also lead you to really great success in your business. And that's what I've Noticed in the sellers who have hit those multi six figures is they're willing to try. They don't care about failure. They're not looking at the listings that aren't selling. They're looking at the listings that are selling. So just keep that in mind.

Lizzie Smiley (43:54)

Okay, so you guys know how I love to test a new Etsy shop concept so I can give you all the intel, like on what's working on Etsy, what's hot, where there's demand, and how you can increase your Etsy income this year. So last October, I started a brand new Etsy Shop selling PNG files and Tumblr wraps. And this was after hearing my guest Eden's story of launching this kind of shop, shop brand new in January of 2024. And she made $91,000 in passive income in just 10 months. That was episode 159, if you want to go check it out. It's literally insane. So in the first 53 days of my new PNG and Tumblewrap Etsy shop, I already had 93 sales, 39 designs, 17 different designs selling, which is the big win. It wasn't just like one bestseller going nuts. It was 17 different ones, one bestseller badge on a listing, and seven listings that were in multiple shoppers carts. So not too shabby at all for a totally new, unestablished shop. The more research I do in this particular niche, the more possibilities I see. Like, this is nowhere near saturated. Before I went in there, I thought it was. It's nowhere near. The opportunities are endless. And my opinion is if you want to start a digital product shop, meaning like mostly passive income for, for this year, or, you know, let's say you want to start a shop but you're not sure what to sell, you're kind of on the fence. Absolutely, 1000%. I would tell you to do AI PNGs and Tumblr wraps. It's. It's just winning left and right. So in December, I hosted a workshop where I taught exactly how to do this. Like, I just broke open my chest and showed you all my secrets. We covered how to design to decide what designs to create that are still high demand but low competition. I taught how to use midjourney to create the art for your designs. It's an AI image tool that I show you exactly how to use, all the little secrets, how to set up your Etsy listing. So no secret, no like, you know, stumbling blocks there, you'll know exactly how to do it, how to write the SEO, which is a really big deal. So that people find you. It was the most value packed workshop I have ever done and in fact one of my students in the workshop took the strategies that we covered, created new listings the very next day and had sales within 48 hours. It was a brand new shop. And then one month after the class he already had 62 sales, 112 listings, 72 favorites and a bestseller badge. So he's doing backflips and I'm like super excited for him. So this stuff works and I promise I covered it in a super beginner friendly way. That's the beauty of it. So to get the workshop replay and all of the bonuses because there's a lot in there, visit the AI PNG and Tumblr rep workshop link that I will have in the show notes for you. And you can use the code save50 so s a v e all caps the number 50 to save 50 on your purchase. Save 50. I literally cannot wait for you to join us on this adventure. I am having way too much fun. You guys are someone's. I remember years ago, someone, someone called me Grandpa for telling the same story over and over again. But I am gonna say this one thing. When I was in art school for college, it was like we were doing a new project every single day. And it wasn't that we didn't need to put more time or hours into the original project. It was that our skills got better with repetition. And so I agree with you. Whereas I don't think you should just throw up a bunch of junk, random junk. I think you should, I think, I think more time should be spent in the research part. Look, finding those micro niches, finding those opportunities is where I like to spend the time. And then not some time on the design, but not time on the design. But I have found as someone who's not, I am not intuitively a good artist. Lol. Art school. It was for interior design though, so that's a bit different. And lol. Still terrible at that. I switched to history pretty quick. But the point is, the point is I have become so much better over time. It is a skill that can be built even if you don't necessarily have the eye. Even if, if you sit down to this day, if I sit down and you tell me to draw a person, you're getting a stick person, you are getting a hangman circle with a line and two lines for the arms. Like I'm not. But because I have now created hundreds of listings between print on demand and digital and then like social media graphics, when I Sit down to design. It's much more intuitive, it's much faster, it's much more attractive, it sells more. So just the volume is to get the practice in, to get the repetition just like an athlete would do. Off my soapbox, I'm done. What if someone spent last year this is like their kind of maybe year two, last year didn't go the way they'd hoped. How can they kind of analyze what they've been like? Give us some tips on analyzing what we've done so far and figuring out where we need to make the changes. Does that make sense?

Heather (48:31)

Oh yeah. And I think that when we're looking at our shop in the past year, I think that again it kind of goes back to what a thing I said earlier or kind of reference to is. We all know what we should be doing and we resist that sometimes. And I think that some sellers, you know, if you're not seeing sales, what are you not doing? That maybe other shops are. Are you maybe not going into a certain product type that that's trending right now. So one example is I think bell and Canvas 3001. I think there's still trend for it. It still sells really, really well in group listings. But I'm seeing as far as individual listings the comfort colors. 17. 17 million percent. Yes. They love, customers love it. So if you're still selling a bell and Canvas 3000 niche that is maybe catered towards trends and maybe those trendy looking T shirts than selling like the Social Club.

Lizzie Smiley (49:34)

Like Social Club. Don't put that on a Bella and Canvas.

Heather (49:37)

Yep. Yeah. And customers know what they want as far as those trends and they're looking for comfort colors. A lot of people know about comfort colors. A lot of customers, they know the brand that they want their designs on or if they're the, the design that they're going to purchase on. So I think that's really important is look at what other sellers are doing now. In the case that you are that seller that's doing all those things then maybe it's good to step back and kind of look at your shop as a whole at times. I think there are some common mistakes I seen in Etsy shops as far as the main thumbnail image can be maybe zoomed out. Can you tell what, what the, what you're selling without reading the title from that main mockup photo? That's something I've noticed with some sellers I've looked at I've done. Last year I, I took it upon myself to do way more shop reviews than I've ever done because I think that helps me to teach better too, the more audits I do and things. And that's one common thing I saw as the main mockup thumbnail image. That is what is going to ultimately sell your listing. Yes, SEO does, it's important. It's going to the relevant customers to your listings. But what I really noticed is that main thumbnail image and the difference between even one color that you're using on that main thumbnail image. If you're using white versus black as example as your main T shirt mockup image, and maybe you're offering the black in the second image, it doesn't matter to the customer because they're, they're going to click into your listing because of that first image. Not the second, not the third, not the fourth. So I think that's a big thing I've noticed. And, and so I think I went off in a tangent from your initial question, but that's no, it was like.

Lizzie Smiley (51:24)

How to analyze what you're doing wrong. I think that's, I think that's so wise people don't give enough credit to the mock ups. Like, and I'm someone who sometimes uses and has created lots of AI mockups, but you really need to have a high quality. Like you need to really pay attention and look at your, look at your listing in a sea of the competing listings. And like how does it look even guys, even for physical products with my signs, the exact same sign would sell on one background and wouldn't sell on the other. So the product was good, the design was good. But the mockup, the way that the image was framed and presented in that thumbnail image would make or break it. So maybe it's time to upgrade your mockups. Maybe your designs, maybe your fonts could be improved. Could you go, you know, build your mental archive and look at a bunch of best selling listings in your niche? What kinds of fonts are they using? Not saying to copy directly. I'm just saying are you tuned into what your perfect customer would be really attracted to? Like if you are doing a 90s vibe design with like the checkers and let's see like a disco ball kind of effect or anything like that. And then you're using some kind of really tiny like script font. It's not the vibe. You need like a groovy font. You need a, is that the right word? What's the word for that kind of font?

Heather (52:35)

Yeah, I would say retro font.

Lizzie Smiley (52:36)

You need a retro font. Like probably even doing like a, like A bold like serif font would not work like, would work great for a social club type of a design, but not if you're doing so you have to like pay attention to these things. So yeah, I think you, I think you like nailed it. I think we, it's perfect. Oh my gosh. Heather, I could talk to you another three hours. We'll just have to have, we'll just have to have you back. And, and for those listening, Heather's been on several episodes. I will link all of them. You can hear her story of like coming out of the medical field to full time print on demand. Like so her story's amazing. Everything she's ever shared has been so valuable. Heather, where are the best places for us to like find you and connect and learn from you?

Heather (53:14)

Yeah, so I'm on YouTube at Heather Studio. I think my at is it's Heather Studio. So it's Heather Studio or Heather Studio. I'm also on Instagram at its Heather Studio as well.

Lizzie Smiley (53:27)

Okay. And then like 12 out of 10 recommend your free crash course course. It's like, why not? It's free. Everyone should take it. If they're in print on demand and they want to grow, it's super valuable. Are you, do you want me to send people there?

Heather (53:41)

Yeah. Yep.

Lizzie Smiley (53:42)

Okay.

Heather (53:43)

Probably the, the better resource to start.

Lizzie Smiley (53:46)

Yeah, it's a, it's a great place to start. Are you going to be doing more one on one coaching this year?

Heather (53:50)

Mid year I'm looking to reopen. I'm gonna start a wait list for that. But typically I will say I usually take sellers who have, have started their shops. They've listed some and they're looking to scale. Typically it's sellers who've had some sales kind of tested out print on demand and they're very serious about scaling. So. But mid year is when.

Lizzie Smiley (54:11)

Yeah. You do interviews, right? Like people have to apply.

Heather (54:14)

Yes, yes. And I will say like with applications and whatnot, I'm, I'm very careful because I only want to bring in those people who are really serious and I can, I can see that return on investment for them. So I typically have a kind of vetting process for that one. So. But yeah, it's going to open mid year. We'll have a wait list and it's really exciting. I'm really excited to kind of take on more clients mid year here.

Lizzie Smiley (54:39)

So I love that. Okay, so if that's you and you'd like to work with Heather one on one, it's a huge opportunity because she didn't Used to offer that you want to take her crash course. Now that'll also get you on her email list. So then you can get your shop going. You can. You can be able to show her your series and have some. Have a little. Have a little knowledge going in. Then you'll get an email to say when she's opened it up and you can apply and work with her because it's. That's. It's like our legacy conversation. Heather, we want to. I don't want to. I don't want to pretend I can help someone if they're really not a good fit. So it's good that you do that.

Heather (55:09)

Yep. Yep.

Lizzie Smiley (55:10)

Okay. My love, it's been a pleasure as always. Thank you for coming. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for your amazing, beautiful heart and your generosity. It's the best.

Heather (55:20)

Thank you. Thanks for having me on again, Lizzie. It's always so fun talking about all. All the print on demand things and even digital. I love hearing the digital world, too, from you.

Lizzie Smiley (55:30)

It's fun, actually. Sometime it'll be super cool to do something together because I could teach, like, how to create the designs with AI and then you could teach the print on demand part. We could. That could be a really interesting collab. I totally just threw you. I didn't. I didn't. That was a random thought. We'll talk later, guys. It would be fun. We'd have so much fun. Jenny and I want to do, like, a mindset thing like that, so we just need to do more. I think also we should do a roundtable with the print on demand girls like episode.

Heather (55:55)

Yeah. Yeah, I'd love that.

Lizzie Smiley (55:57)

Okay, I need all the DMS and the emails. If you guys want any episodes like those, tell me. Tell me in the. I can't tell you. Telling me in the comments. DM me, y'all. We love you so much. We're cheering for you this year. I have never been more excited about all the potential on Etsy. The more I learn, the more possibilities I see. So stick with us. We want to take you there. And until next week, go make something awesome. Take care, y'all. And that's a wrap on this episode of how to sell your stuff on Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to howtosellyourstuff.com where you'll find podcast show notes, all the links from today's episode, the blog, courses, coaching, and more. If this episode was helpful to you, awesome. The greatest compliment I can receive from you is a raise rate, review and subscribe on this podcast. Not only will it allow us to connect again on a future episode, it lets me know I'm providing you with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Have a great day and see you next.