Print-on-Demand Side Hustle Turns Into $766K Business For College Dropout

Cassidy Johnson turned a print-on-demand side hustle into a full-time job generating more than $766,000 in a year — all without a college degree.

After she was furloughed from her job during the pandemic, Johnson began creating t-shirt designs on her phone and posting them on Etsy Inc.

Her business model involves creating the designs on blank templates and then sending orders to manufacturers to print and ship the product after an order is placed.

The gig became so lucrative, she leveraged it into three revenue streams: the print-on-demand business, an Etsy store called StopMockAndRoll and a YouTube channel. Her print-on-demand store has brought in over $100,000 in its most successful month. The YouTube channel is even more lucrative, according to CNBC.

She actually closed the store last month after a publicity-led influx of views hurt her rankings in Etsy’s search algorithms, but she’s already started another one, which suggests the process is repeatable.

“I’m not a magical unicorn,” said Johnson. 

Johnson’s success comes without a college degree. She recalled once telling herself that she was “going to make scraps” without one, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Confidence is key, she explained. 

“Without knowing what you’re good at, it’s hard to be a confident person,” said Johnson

Johnson found her sense of confidence by reading self-help business books and developing a winning mindset, she said.

Her channel on Alphabet Inc’s  YouTube platform currently has more than 126,000 subscribers, and Johnson continues to create designs that people can’t help but buy. She estimated that one-third of all of her sales is pure profit.

© 2023 Zenger News.com. Zenger News does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Produced in association with Benzinga

Edited by Miriam Onyango and Newsdesk Manager