When Christina Umerez first began drawing pet portraits, she had no idea it might replace her day job and provides her the liberty to work just six hours a week.
But that is precisely what happened. Christina opened up a profitable Etsy shop through labor and effective strategy, using a combo of print-on-demand, audience targeting, and specific market research.
Today, Christina’s shop generates passive income, requiring her to work only a few hours weekly for business maintenance and fresh designs.
She recently chatted with Pat Flynn on the Smart Passive Income podcast to share how she made it possible.
A pet passion project
Umerez had overtime on her hands when quarantine began, so she began researching side hustles to generate additional income while exploring a recent creative outlet. This led to painting pet portraits for her friends. Eventually, the response was so positive that Umerez began selling custom prints on Etsy, the web shop for creative artists.
In the course of the holiday season, Umerez had so many orders that she was overwhelmed and struggled to fulfill the escalating demand. She knew if she desired to keep her recent business afloat, she needed to pivot.
The print-on-demand solution
Umerez did her research and discovered print-on-demand, the method of outsourcing the printing and shipping of products through an external supplier.
She began implementing this technique together with her Etsy shop, allowing customers to print custom pet portraits on different products. Umerez immediately saw a rise in profits but still received more orders than she could fulfill. Then, she had an concept that modified all the pieces.
Umerez eliminated the customization and began premaking generic designs (outside of pet portraits) for her customers. She would then send them to her supplier to have them printed and shipped for her, significantly reducing her workload while she continued to generate revenue.
“I remember just sitting there, and I used to be like, wait, I haven’t got to do anything,” she says. “I got an order, and there is just nothing I even have to do. You only must pay your supplier, but there isn’t any work.”
Leaving her day job
By switching to print-on-demand and identifying her area of interest audience, Umerez watched her revenue rise from a consistent $300 to a formidable $12,000 per thirty days. She decided to depart her day job, embracing the liberty and potential her pet portrait shop made possible.
Mastering Etsy
Here’s what Umerez learned about constructing her business on Etsy.
1. Find your area of interest. Umerez’s Etsy sales skyrocketed once she discovered her area of interest market with limited competition and a dedicated, passionate following. She initially tried marketing to 10 to twenty different audiences to seek out the proper fit. Once Christina pinpointed where she’d have probably the most success, she expanded into various sub-niches. This led to customers purchasing multiple related products, further increasing her revenue.
2. Pick the suitable supplier. Step one in establishing a print-on-demand business is finding a supplier to print and ship the products. Several different suppliers can be found, including Printful, Teespring, and Apliiq. To make sure the sleek operation of her business, Umerez utilizes Printify as her print-on-demand supplier.
To streamline the method, Printify is linked on to her Etsy store. When an order is placed, they handle creating and shipping the product. Umerez only has to step in when a customer criticism arises. Even then, Printify promptly issues a reprint or a refund in order that Christina isn’t left financially answerable for any complications.
3. Stay ahead of the curve. To get inspired, Umerez spends time researching other best sellers on Etsy. She looks into what makes a good design, including exploring different fonts and colours that she will apply to her designs. She even utilizes ChatGPT to generate engaging content and witty sayings that she will incorporate into her designs.
Umerez also notes the importance of standing out by curating a high-quality listing: an attractive photo and a compelling and relevant title.
“What do you think that someone goes to type within the search bar? And that in case your product got here up first, they’d be like, yes, this is precisely what I used to be searching for,” she says.
4. Utilize Etsy-specific analytics and pricing strategies. Umerez optimizes her business through data evaluation and strategic pricing. Her really useful approach is to incorporate the associated fee of shipping in pricing—that way, potential customers aren’t discouraged by unexpected expenses.
Umerez also takes advantage of Etsy’s promoting to find out the performance of recent designs. Analyzing the featured picture, product type, and design of a successful listing can provide helpful insights.
Financial freedom
Generating nearly $100,000 in profit in 2022, Umerez’s store is now almost entirely passive, only requiring about one hour each day to administer the business and create fresh designs.
Her journey from a pet portrait side hustle to a thriving Etsy shop has given her the financial freedom and adaptability to pursue her passion for travel and other life goals. Her current focus is guiding others to copy her success and achieve financial freedom.