You probably live under a rock if you haven't seen it yet, but I sell merch and literally have it posted everywhere. If you're not
then what are you really doing?! Of course I had no intentions on this becoming a thing, but it did, and people have supported it. So why not keep going?
What started as a simple weekend project during quarantine, I planned on making a bag to inspire myself each time I left the house. Gathering my wallet, headphones, iPad, house keys, and any other necessities for the day, they could fit perfectly in the bag. After selling t-shirts with my brand name, I figured no one would want to carry a bag with my name on it... its not Dior, but what would I lose by not at least trying? So that's exactly what I did.
As a young, black entrepreneur, I like to see others be successful with their business ventures and creative concepts, so I thought it would be nice to share mine and hopefully inspire one of you. I found black canvas bags at Hobby Lobby for about $3 each and ended up buying 10. I guess I should've mentioned that I had access to a Circuit Machine and a heat press machine, but those were not included in my $10. I found vinyl in my brand colors at Michael's and used an online coupon to save some money on my purchase, then decided to design a creative, yet sarcastic slogan that would describe anyone who has the idea of being productive.
Seeing others post online about working from home, starting businesses, or life journeys such as fitness, cooking, diets, or any motivational task increased my target audience with my new product. I was able to test the success of my product with having 10 bags made, and they sold out within the first few days. That was motivational enough for me to at least try again, so I added the bags and t-shirts to my website. I don't get consistent orders, which I'm glad because fulfilling them would probably drive my anxiety through the roof, but I get a couple orders every other week which gives me a time to be creative and focus on designing items to ship out. Also, shoutout to all of the people who have supported, purchased, or inspired my brand and products. Talking to my best friend a few days ago as I was fulfilling orders, she told me that I need to make a TikTok or a reel showing my crafty side, so I created a video and uploaded it to my Instagram Reels page:
She also mentioned that if I treated my side hustles as a full time job, that I would be more dedicated to succeeding. Hearing that stuck with me, and honestly it inspired me to want to do better for myself instead of just motivating others to better themselves. I took time to sit back and reflect on different possibilities to have multiple streams of income, whether its building websites, consulting, or designing products; and that became my focus for the week.
As a motivational tip, I hope that whatever million dollar idea, or even a $100 ideas that you have, you act on them now with the resources that you have available. You never know how far you can get from spreading your wings and trying something new. If you don't succeed, either try again or move on to a new idea, but never give up.
Stay motivated.
Mike.