30-Day Print-on-Demand Challenge: Week 4

In just two days, the 30-day Print-on-Demand challenge will come to a close, marking the beginning of my next entrepreneurial challenge: effectively marketing and generating sales.

Nearly a month ago, I eagerly embarked on this challenge with a singular focus: to list 30 products within the allotted time frame. In hindsight, my initial goal now seems rather short-sighted. By the beginning of the third week, I had surpassed my target and found myself constantly monitoring views on my Etsy listings.

However, it soon became clear that this journey was far from over.

While Etsy is a bustling marketplace, the sheer volume of listings demands significant effort to ensure your products appear on the first few pages of search results.

Driving traffic to my Etsy shop marks the next crucial step in my entrepreneurship journey.

This week, I achieved some small yet significant victories that contribute to my long-term goals:

• Listed additional 6 products on Etsy (total of 36 product listings). I staggered their listings and observed a spike in views each time a new product went live. Moving forward, I plan to continue this strategy by posting a new product every other day.
• Optimised tags to improve visibility, resulting in increased views. This involved studying successful shops and implementing recommendations from eRank.
• Purchased samples from Printify and Gelato (print-on-demand providers). Despite trusting their positive reviews, I prefer to personally inspect the fabric and quality of the print/embroidery designs.

I mentioned last week that I was considering upgrading my subscription on eRank. While I believe it would enhance my Etsy listing ranks, I've decided to postpone this investment for now.

In the upcoming weeks, I plan to:

• Create a social media account for Sarcastically Yours (maybe an Instagram account?).
• Keep adding new products to Etsy until I reach 50 listings.
• Implement video postings on my Etsy listings.

A member of the Facebook group 0 to 100k posted a question asking everyone their reason for joining this challenge. My response was simple: FOMO (fear of missing out) and I thrived on deadlines.

While these reasons were true, internally, I've also come to realize:

• The challenge taught me to bet on myself first, rather than seeking others' approval.
• I am an artist in my own way. Thanks to Canva, I could transform my ideas into designs for my products.
• The entrepreneurial journey is undeniably daunting, yet it's about taking each step towards my goal of doing this full-time.
• I've relearned to dream big.

Why does the eye see more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?

~ LEONARDO DA VINCI