Working for yourself and from home has many advantages, from flexible work hours and working in your pajamas to, best of all, earning passive income. There are few things better in life than waking up to phone notifications sharing how many overnight sales your shop made! 

However, it can be overwhelming to know where to start, and many would tell you, “you’re too late.” 

However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth! There are many fantastic opportunities to launch your online business, and print on demand is a fantastic place to start.

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What is Print on Demand?

Print on demand, or POD, is a business model where you create designs to be printed on products like bags, mugs, t-shirts, posters, and more. Then, you list these products for sale in an online marketplace like Etsy or your own e-commerce store. When someone purchases a product from the shop, the print-on-demand company you’re working with prints your product and ships it (with your shop’s logo) directly to the customer. 

Printing on demand saves you the hassle of printing the design, shipping it, and worrying about filling orders. Keep reading for some of the most significant benefits you’ll reap from opening a print-on-demand shop in 2024.

My two favorite POD suppliers are Printify and Printful because they offer amazing quality and fast shipping times. I have relied on both of these companies for years and they each integrate seamlessly with my Etsy shops.

Very Little Risk

Unlike traditional shops where you need to purchase and make the product yourself, you don’t have to spend anything on product costs until you make your first sale. This means you don’t need to invest a bunch of money into purchasing supplies, tools, shipping materials, and more before your store starts making money. 

Instead, you pay the print-on-demand company a small base price for the product and the cost of shipping, which is something you should definitely factor into your pricing. 

You can list your print on demand products practically anywhere, but I recommend listing them on Etsy. Etsy is a great place to list print-on-demand products because of the small listing fee and the huge built-in audience. 

Flexible Work Hours

Running your own side hustle or business is a great way to increase your income and flexibility. If you’re a busy mom like me, this is fantastic because I can work anywhere with a computer and internet connection, giving me plenty of flexibility with my kids’ schedules. 

You can also pace yourself as you build your business. If you’re currently employed at another job, you can take time on the weekends or wake up early to work on growing your business.

Build Passive Income

I’ll let you in on a little secret: passive income is the secret to freedom. 

Unlike many jobs where your time is directly tied to how much you make, passive income gigs, like selling print-on-demand products, allow you to make money in your sleep. You’re also not limited by the hours in the day as your products are listed 24/7 and can bring in sales constantly. 

Print-on-demand is excellent for anyone looking to maximize their time and profits because once the design is created and listed, you can sell it repeatedly and on various products. The only work you have to do after listing a print on demand product is to approve the order so that the print-on-demand company can print it and ship it to your customer.

Frees You From Bosses

As you build your business, you can create stronger, consistent cash flow sources from many products instead of relying on one boss to supply you with a paycheck. 

You’ll feel a massive weight off your chest when you realize that you can stop worrying about a missed payment, losing a client, or being fired because you have other income sources to lean on.

A Creative Outlet

Many of us don’t work jobs that allow us to express ourselves creatively, at least not in our favorite ways. Print on demand is a fantastic creative outlet because you can create designs based on your favorite hobbies and passions. For example, you could create print on demand apparel with knitting themes if you love knitting or sarcastic quotes if you enjoy comedy or have a strong wit. 

Of course, you must be careful about using trademarked images or phrases. Even if you adore Disney, Harry Potter, or Star Wars, never use photos from these licensed properties. Instead, rely on less specific themes, like going on vacation, bibliophiles, or baking, to satisfy your creativity and keep yourself out of trouble. 

Build Marketable Skills

Even if you don’t see yourself working a POD business forever, you will learn so many marketable skills from running your business. 

Here are just a few marketable skills that will help you land work in many other industries: 

• Providing amazing customer service

• Managing an e-commerce shop

• Writing compelling product descriptions and titles that convert customers

• SEO optimization

• Market research

• Social media marketing

• Product research

• Basic graphic design skills

• Experience running a business, pricing your products for maximum profit, and more

These skills provide a safety cushion should you ever want to change your business or return to a traditional employer. 

You can also use these skills to launch other money-making income sources, like freelancing on Upwork by writing SEO-optimized titles and product descriptions or designing Etsy store banners for other shop owners. You could also expand into social media marketing for other small businesses with your experience. 

Recently, I've launched a new "Hybrid" Etsy Shop (where POD & Digital Products are combined targeting a specific audience! If you'd like to learn more about this unique method feel free to check out my YouTube video here!

Our community, Digitally Purposed, is different from anything out there. Not only does it lay out a step-by-step guide to launching and marketing your digital products business and helping you overcome common misconceptions, it also has one of the best private support communities dedicated to helping you every step of the way.

Plus, we have weekly training on the most requested topics like marketing, design tutorials, niche research, along with live Q&A calls and new PLR products!

Just need some feedback? Personalized shop audits are also included!

Selling digital products online requires constant learning and we'd love to support you!