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What It's About
An architect discovers cash in minimalist onsies.
Business Model
Manufacturing
Skills Required
Design & Research
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium
Words of Wisdom
One of the best things about print-on-demand is that there is no inventory since things are printed as people order them. This gave Gerald the ability to expand his designs without any cost. No inventory to buy, just post designs and see what people put in their carts. He added simple, edgy type-face inspired graphics that featured fun and playful messages with a clean aesthetic. More white to dribble on.
Fun Fact
Gerald was inspired by an episode of our podcast featuring a man who provided for his family with five side hustles. Gerald has decided to do that, too, so he’s on the hunt for his next side hustle.
Notes from Chris
Episode 389
By day, Gerald Lau is an architect. He’s a fan of clean lines, lots of white, and simple typography. He also liked the idea of a side hustle. At first, though, he tried a couple projects that didn’t quite work. One was selling designer stationery and homeware online, from his home. It was hard for him to find time to keep up with the stock, fulfill orders himself, manage customer service, and do the marketing required to run the business alongside his architect work, which often requires long hours. So then he tried doing interior design gigs on the side, but it felt like overtime. He took on too many projects and burnt out. [Remember: do something different for your side hustle.] Gerald is a regular listener to Side Hustle School, and an episode about print on demand businesses caught his interest. It inspired him to develop an idea he had to create timeless, minimalist t-shirts for his kids. He named his side hustle The Typo Tees. Gerald decided to specialized in alphabet onesies (like the letter of a child’s first or last name] and t-shirts. The first results were as promising as his previous attempts: nothing much happened. As he broadened his designs, a crazy thing happened: people began buying the onesies and shirts… and these customers were happy with the product. They loved dressing their kids in something that was personalized for them, like the first letter of their name. This change in direction ended up bringing Gerald in more than an extra $1,000/month. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:- The Typo Tees: See what all of the cool toddlers are wearing over on Gerald's website!
- Shopify: Gerald used Shopify to set up his store for The Typo Tees, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
- Shopify | How To Start An Online T-Shirt Business: This is a great in-depth, step-by-step guide on how to start an online T-shirt business written by one of the world's leaders in online retail.
- 3 Ways to Start a T-shirt Business to Create & Sell T-shirts Online: Here's an in depth look at the process written from the perspective of a side hustler we've featured in the past (Ep. 131)
- Florida Man Earns $100,000 Selling T-Shirts with No Inventory: There’s more than one way to make a lot of money designing and selling t-shirts without actually keeping them on hand. In today’s story, an app designer earns six-figures with a print-on-demand service
- T-Shirts on Amazon Make $17,000 in a Month: A former corporate employee in Ireland runs a merchandising hustle on Amazon.com that brings in as much as $17,000 in profit in a single month. She does this with no inventory, no risk, and no paid traffic
Quote of the Day
"The more you want to earn from a side hustle, the more effort you need to put in. There are no shortcuts."
—Gerald Lau #SideHustleSchool
