She Outsourced Everything… and Still Made Bank Selling Sweatshirts on Etsy | Christina Umerez
Apr 23, 2025
55:28
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Quick takeaways
Christina transitioned from custom pet portraits to print-on-demand sweatshirts, enabling her to generate passive income with simplified designs.
Utilizing Etsy's built-in audience allows new sellers to effectively test niches without significant marketing efforts or risks.
Outsourcing operational tasks, like customer service, helped Christina maintain her freedom while scaling her successful online business.
Deep dives
Transitioning from Pet Portraits to Print on Demand
Christina's entrepreneurial journey began with selling personalized pet portraits on Etsy, which she started during the COVID-19 pandemic. While initially a fruitful venture, she quickly encountered challenges, such as time constraints and overwhelming order volume, leading to burnout. This experience prompted her to pivot towards print on demand, where she discovered the potential for creating simplistic designs that could sell across various products. Transitioning to print on demand allowed her to scale her business without the intensive time commitment required for custom orders.
The Benefits of Selling on Etsy
Christina advocates for Etsy as a primary platform for new sellers due to its built-in audience and low marketing requirements. Unlike platforms like Shopify, where extensive marketing efforts are needed to gain traction, Etsy allows listings to gain visibility through internal search optimization. She highlights that beginners can easily test multiple niches without a significant risk, as Etsy's inbound marketing draws customers already searching for products. Her experience demonstrates that a well-optimized Etsy store can lead to significant passive income, particularly for new entrepreneurs.
Creating Effective Listings Through Research
For anyone entering the Etsy marketplace, Christina emphasizes the importance of thorough research before creating product listings. She suggests utilizing tools like Everbee to analyze trends and sales data, allowing sellers to identify profitable niches. By understanding what designs and keywords are trending, sellers can create listings that are more likely to generate sales. Christina encourages experimentation with different styles of products while maintaining a cohesive theme within the store to build trust with potential customers.
Managing Workload and Customer Service
As Christina's business grew, she needed to manage her time effectively to maintain her freedom as a digital nomad. By outsourcing customer service to a virtual assistant, she was able to focus on design and expansion rather than daily operational tasks. This delegation not only streamlined her business operations but also allowed her to dedicate more time to travel and personal growth. She advises new sellers to plan for scaling their businesses early on to avoid burnout and sustain the momentum of their ventures.
Balancing Trends and Evergreen Products
Christina highlights the significance of balancing evergreen products with seasonal trends to ensure consistent sales year-round. While she acknowledges that holiday-themed items can be lucrative, she warns that reliance on such trends can lead to sales fluctuations. By focusing on evergreen products, which are aimed at ongoing market demands, she has created a stable foundation for her income. This approach not only sustains her business during slower seasons but also allows for the addition of trendy products without sacrificing overall profitability.
#360 What if your creative side hustle could fund your freedom and run itself while you explore the world? In this episode hosted by Kirsten Tyrrel, we’re joined by Christina Umerez, a digital nomad who built a successful Etsy print-on-demand business that now supports her travel-filled lifestyle. Christina shares how she went from custom pet portraits to simple sweatshirt designs that generate passive income on autopilot. She walks us through her step-by-step research strategy, explains why Etsy is the perfect beginner platform, and reveals how she scaled her store while outsourcing nearly everything. Whether you’re crafty or just clever with words, this episode proves you don’t need design experience — or even inventory — to start building a business that works while you play!
