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

Mar 19, 2024

Starting a print on demand (POD) business when you're broke might seem like an impossible dream. Yet, I turned that dream into a reality, generating over a million dollars and carving out a six-figure profit along the way. My journey was anything but smooth, filled with lessons learned that could help any aspiring online entrepreneur. Here are nine tips that propelled my business from zero to the verge of a seven-figure empire. If you put these strategies into action, you stand a better chance of achieving your business goals.

Tip 1. Building Momentum is Key

At the outset, I was stuck in a loop of consuming endless content, mistaking learning for making progress. Real growth starts when you build momentum. Begin with simple actions, like setting up your business accounts. This might seem trivial, but it's your first step toward creating a business structure. Each small step compounds, steering you closer to making real money.

Tip 2. Focus on Perfecting One Product

Early on, avoid the trap of spreading your efforts too thin by repurposing designs across multiple products. Concentrate on one product until it begins to sell. For instance, narrow your focus to the best-selling product on platforms like Peaprint. Achieving a consistent sales figure, such as $10,000 a month, signifies you have a design worth replicating across different items. This approach led to faster success in my case.

Tip 3. Simplify Choices for Your Customers

Offering too many options overwhelms customers, leading to indecision rather than more sales. Limit your product colors to avoid choice overload and stock issues. By narrowing down choices, you simplify the decision-making process for buyers, which can boost sales.

Tip 4. Choose the Right Print Provider

Your satisfaction and profit margins heavily rely on your print provider. Different providers offer various prices, colors, and quality levels. Selecting a provider that aligns with your business goals is crucial. For reliability and consistent quality, I learned to partner with providers that maintain short production times and good stock levels, especially during peak seasons.

For example, At Peaprint, we offer a comprehensive solution for your print on demand (POD) business. With our Mockup Generator, you can easily create custom designs and showcase them on our selection of 850+ unique products. From T-shirts and hoodies to dresses, swimwear, bags, posters, phone cases, mugs, and more, we have a full range of products to cater to your customers' needs.

One of the key advantages of partnering with Peaprint is our world-wide fulfillment service. We handle the entire fulfillment process, from printing and packing to shipping, ensuring that your products reach your customers no matter where they are located. Our global network of factories and efficient logistics ensures timely delivery and customer satisfaction.

Here's how it works:

1.Choose and design products: Browse through our Product Catalog and select the items you want to offer. Use our Mockup Generator to customize the designs according to your preferences.

2.Buy or start selling custom products: Once you have finalized your designs, you can either order products for yourself or add them to your online catalog for customers to purchase.

3.Fulfillment and quality test: Leave the printing, packing, and shipping to us. We'll ensure that each order is produced and packaged with the utmost care and quality.

4.Shipping and delivery: Once the orders are ready, we will handle the shipping process. From the moment the order leaves our facility until it reaches the customers' doorstep, we take care of every step to ensure a smooth and efficient delivery process.

Tip 5. Align with Storefront Context

Make sure your product listings match the vibe and expectations of the platform you're using. Whether it's Etsy, eBay, or Shopify, presenting your designs in a context that resonates with the platform’s audience maximizes your sales potential.

Tip 6. Getting Traffic: Organic vs. Paid

Developing a strategy to attract traffic is essential. Organic SEO and content creation are budget-friendly, requiring numerous designs to target various interests. Alternatively, paid ads require a refined approach, promoting only your best designs to avoid wasting money. Starting with an organic strategy lets you refine your designs with minimal financial risk.

Tip 7. Leverage a PayPal Credit Card for Cashback

Once you've got a handle on your finances, consider a PayPal credit card for business expenses. It offers cashback on purchases, which can add up to significant savings over time. However, caution is advised to avoid falling into debt.

Tip 8. Grow an Email List Early On

An email list can significantly increase your ROI, making the transition to a platform like Shopify smoother. It's beneficial for maintaining customer relationships and driving repeat business. Don’t wait too long to start building this valuable asset.

Tip 9. Embrace AI and Work Hard

AI tools are revolutionizing the POD field, from design creation to operational efficiency. Embracing these tools can multiply your output. However, success ultimately comes down to perseverance. Like any job, you must invest time and effort upfront without immediate payoff, honing your skills until the sales start rolling in.

Conclusion

My journey from a broke hopeful to a successful print on demand business owner was fraught with challenges, but the lessons learned were invaluable. By focusing on momentum, product perfection, customer simplicity, the right partnerships, storefront alignment, traffic strategies, financial wisdom, and the potential of AI, you can navigate towards success. Hard work, patience, and resilience are the bedrock of any successful business. Start small, stay dedicated, and your print on demand business can thrive, too.