Today, I want to share a fun guest post from my friend Cody Berman. Cody is a digital nomad who left his corporate job to dive into full-time entrepreneurship. He started selling digital products in 2018 and was hooked after earning over $700 in just one week. Now, he helps other entrepreneurs and creators monetize their businesses through digital products.
I used to juggle a ton of side hustles—at one point, I had over 20 different income streams. It sounds impressive, but it was exhausting. I tried everything from delivering UberEats and editing podcasts to building websites and running affiliate campaigns. While some of these gigs paid well, like the $500 I made for writing a single blog article, I was always trading my time for money. As soon as one gig ended, I had to hunt for the next one.
At one point, I co-founded a disc golf manufacturing business. For those who don’t know, disc golf is like regular golf but with plastic discs instead of balls and clubs. Our company grew quickly, selling products in all 50 states and over 20 countries. On paper, it looked fantastic, but behind the scenes, we faced constant product issues, shipping delays, and inventory problems. I was burnt out and ready for a change.
In early 2019, my friend Julie told me she was making money selling printables on Etsy. She had spent about 60 hours creating digital products and had already made over $5,000. The idea of creating something once and earning money from it repeatedly sounded like a dream compared to my physical product business.
I had no clue what a “printable” was and had never been on Etsy, but I decided to give it a try. My first 20 printables were terrible, and I got zero sales. I had no graphic design skills, didn’t do product research, and was unfamiliar with Etsy. But after a lot of trial and error, I started making decent-looking printables.
I focused on creating seasonal products, which paid off big time. For example, I made dozens of Valentine’s Day printables, including cards, love coupons, and custom photo cards. In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, I made over $100 in a single day and ended the week with $718 in sales. It was my first taste of true passive income.
This experience was a game-changer. I realized the potential of selling digital products on Etsy. Building a successful Etsy shop isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme; it requires effort to create high-quality designs, optimize listings, and promote products. But once your shop is up and running, it can become a passive income machine. My Valentine’s Day printables continue to make sales every year, even years after I first listed them.
If you’re interested in selling printables online, I recommend signing up for a free training workshop. This workshop will teach you how to get started, what kinds of printables to sell, and how to make sales on Etsy. Are you interested in selling printables online? What questions do you have?