make money

There Are Upfront Costs Associated with Making Money on Teespring: Day 1

March 9, 2015 By Jeffrey Strain Leave a Comment

Upfront costs needed to sell Teespring t shirts

One of the requirements for the Teespring $10,000 Spare Time Challenge placed on me by my sister was I had to begin the challenge Monday. I wasn’t allowed to spend a couple of weeks studying so I had a solid foundation when beginning the challenge (something that I think anyone who wants to try to make money with Teespring should do). I only had a weekend to learn as much as I could, which basically means I took a crash course on how it works and how to make money with it. It means I will have to do a lot of learning along the way, and I’ll probably make more mistakes than I would have if I had the time to do more thorough research.

The good news is Teespring has solid information on their site (called Teespring University) to learn the basics. I’m hoping this taught me enough to keep me from making any major mistakes. I went through all the information they had, and I got some good basic information I know will help me. But I also didn’t fully understand everything, especially when it comes to the marketing of the T-shirts. I still have a lot to learn. The one thing which did become apparent is trying to make money with Teespring isn’t going to be free.

One of the aspects which makes Teespring attractive to many people looking to make money is there aren’t any upfront costs to have the T-shirts printed before trying to sell them. While this is certainly a huge advantage, and it can save those using this system a lot of money, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any upfront costs when trying to make money. In order to have any chance to sell $10,000 worth of T-shirts in 100 days, I’m going to have costs involved which I may not recover.

The most obvious of these costs is advertising. The Teespring University goes into the basics of how to advertise the T-shirts on Facebook, and unless you already have a fanbase to market to, you’re going to have to spend money to buy advertising to reach the people your T-shirt designs are being targeted toward. I’m not sure exactly what this cost will be. The college student who made $80,000 said he spent $10 per T-shirt campaign, while the university suggests $25. Since many people say it can take numerous campaigns before making money, there’s a chance I will have to risk a decent amount of money before I can make any money.

I think deciding what the amount one is willing to risk toward this money-making effort is essential. You need to have a Teespring budget. Not making this decision upfront could lead you to lose a lot of money. It’s important to set an amount you’re willing to risk to be successful, and if you can’t do it before you spend that amount, you should quit. This is important for a couple of reasons. With a limited amount of money to spend, it means you will more carefully think through the amounts you spend utilizing your limited resources. It also sets a “do or die” point where you need to begin making money, or you need to quit so you don’t keep throwing money at something that’s not working for you.

I’ve decided to risk up to $1,000 for this challenge. This amount isn’t set in stone. I may decide to spend less if I feel there is no way my efforts are going to produce results after several campaigns, but I won’t spend more than this without making any money. I think this will give me more than a fair amount to establish whether or not I can succeed at making money with Teespring, while still bringing a substantial return on my investment (1000%+) if I’m able to succeed and make at least $10,000.

What I think is important to understand is to make money with Teespring, the vast majority of people will have to risk some amount of money. This amount won’t be as much as it would be if buying the T-shirts upfront was required, but it still will be a significant amount for most. For those who don’t have money to risk, this probably isn’t the best method to try and make extra money in their spare time.

How College Sophomore Marc Boulos Made $80000 with Teespring

February 18, 2015 By Jeffrey Strain 7 Comments

How a college sophomore made $80000 on Teespring

For those who are looking for ways to earn extra money in their spare time with little upfront costs, one opportunity out there which may be of interest is Teespring. This is a company which allows you to design T-shirts and try to sell them. The appealing part of the company is that you don’t have to pay for the T-shirts upfront, meaning if you don’t sell as many as you anticipate, you aren’t out any money. The question is, how difficult is it to make money with Teespring?

Anyone who has common sense knows that earning money is never as easy as those trying to sell you on their system make it out to believe. What’s difficult to decipher is what type of dedication it will take to earn the money that those promoting the system claim you can make. They only highlight the successes they’ve had, and never the failures. Anyone who has tried to start a new business knows there will be a learning curve and there’s no such thing as instantaneous success. The question of how steep the learning curve will be is one that can be difficult to ascertain.

That’s why those who think the Teespring model may be a good way for them to earn some side-business income should watch the interview with a college sophomore Marc Boulos (see below). He managed to earn $80,000 through Teespring over the last year only doing it part-time (he was a full time student), but some of the things he says in the interview might surprise you.

In his very first Teespring campaign, he had a small success, earning about $100 after expenses. That’s what encouraged him, but it wasn’t smooth sailing. He admits that after his first success, he launched 40 new campaigns, all of which failed to meet the number needed to get printed. Yes, you read that correctly. After one small success, he failed 40 times in a row where he didn’t earn any money. While he didn’t lose money for the T-shirts, he did spend about $10 for advertising on each campaign, so he was $300 ($400 in advertising costs minus the $100 in profit from the first campaign) in the hole after 41 campaigns.

That doesn’t sound like much of a success story. It sounds like someone who was learning a system, and trying to make adjustments with everything he learned from each campaign that failed. It was his 42nd campaign that finally did well and when he began to start making some good money.

Now, you might think that once he had a successful campaign, all was easy money from that point on. It wasn’t. Marc says that of the 500 T-shirt campaigns he’s launched with Teespring, only 80 of them have actually sold the minimum required and made money. He had 420 failed campaigns to only 80 successful ones, but the 16 percent which were successful earned him $80,000 for the year.

Understanding that those earning money with Teespring have had a learning curve to overcome and aren’t successful with every campaign (in fact, they are only successful in about one out of every 6 campaigns) gives a much more realistic view of what it will take to make money with Teespring. That said, there is an opportunity for people to earn money in their spare time if they put the time and effort into it.

The video is a bit long (35 minutes), but it is worthwhile watching if you think you may be interested in T-shirt design.

Is Teespring Legit or Is Teespring a Scam?

February 14, 2015 By Jeffrey Strain 29 Comments

There are a lot of people who are looking to make money online, but there are so many money making scams out there that most look at any opportunity which appears it may be legit with some amount of skepticism. This isn’t a bad thing. Being skeptical can save you from wasting time and money. This skepticism is especially strong when there is a claim of what initially appears to be too good to be true, such as no upfront costs needed to begin the business. Teespring is one of these companies that almost seems too good to be true.

Is Teespring Legit?

The first question is whether or not Teespring is legit. The company has been around for a few years now, and has even produced a number of millionaires and hundreds of people making six figures according to Forbes. In order to ascertain if Teespring is legit, it’s important to understand how they make money.

How Teespring Works

Teespring is rather ingenious by making it a win-win situation for all. Instead of creating a design, paying a T Shirt company to create the T Shirts and then hoping you can sell all of them to make a profit, Teespring has you create a T Shirt and set a goal of how many T Shirts you will sell. The more you think you will sell, the more money you’ll make if you reach the goal. If you don’t reach the stated goal, then the T Shirts are never produced and no money ever changes hands.

This is how Teespring is able to not charge an upfront fee. If you don’t hit the stated sales goal, they don’t have to produce the shirts so they don’t lose money. If you do reach the stated sales goal, a profit for you and the company have already been factored in so they produce the shirts and are guaranteed a profit.

Is Teespring Safe?

There is no real financial risk to using Teespring, therefore making the company safe. Since you don’t need to give any upfront money when using Teespring, you aren’t risking losing your hard-earned money. The real investment is your time. If you create campaigns that don’t reach their sales goals, you don’t earn anything.

What are Teespring Risks?

The biggest risk is costs you may incur when creating and trying to sell the T shirts. If you pay someone to design a logo or other image (you don’t have to, you can do this on your own), you may lose these costs if you don’t ultimately sell the T shirts you have set as a goal. The same can be true if you spend money to try and promote the T shirts. This money is gone and you don’t get anything for your investment in the advertising if you don’t reach the T shirt sales goal.

You also have a slight risk with the number of T shirts you think you can sell. The more you place as your goal, the more you will make for each shirt sold. The problem is that if you don’t reach the goal, then you get nothing. For example, if you set a goal of 50 shirts and sell only 49, the shirts are never produced and you get nothing. If, however, your set the goal at 10 T shirts and sell 49, you would get paid a commision for all the sales since you met the goal, but that commision would be less than if you had said you could sell 40 T shirts. Attempting to accurately estimate how many T shirts you can sell without overestimating is important to get the most money for your efforts.

Is Teespring a Scam?

Teespring is definitely not a scam. It’s a legit business. There are some risks, so it’s important to understand how the company works so you know what you’re getting into, but it’s a legit opportunity to make money without having to pay any upfront costs. If you think you are creative enough to come up with some T shirt designs which you could sell to others, you may want to check out Teespring as a possible way to make some extra money in your spare time.

For how to make a success of selling this business as well as other side businesses check out these articles.

Building Facebook Pages for T-Shirts Sales
How to Mix Investing and Small-Business Ownership
Side Jobs to Grow Your Bank Account

(Image courtesy of Teespring)

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Preparing for McDonald’s Monopoly 2014

May 28, 2014 By Jeffrey Strain 3 Comments

I received an interesting e-mail from a reader who wanted to know what was the best way to prepare for McDonald’s Monopoly 2014. While many people simply play this game for fun and entertainment, there are a number of people who take the game quite seriously as a way to earn some extra money during the year. It’s possible for someone to earn several hundred dollars on this game, if they know what they’re doing and decide to try to make money instead of try to win the contest. The e-mail that I received wanted to know what was the best way to prepare for McDonald’s Monopoly in 2014. This is what the e-mail said:

“I’m looking for the best way to earn money with the next McDonald’s Monopoly game that comes out. I see that you have written about this contest in the past, and I was wondering if you had any advice on what would be the best way to prepare for the contest so that I can make the most money when it does arrive. I’m looking to use the contest as a way to supplement my income at college, and I want to do everything that I can to make sure that I’m successful when the contest comes about. Any advice you might be able to give me would be greatly appreciated.”

Here are a few steps you can take to better your chances of making money when McDonald’s Monopoly 2014 launches.

Get a Job with McDonald’s

This might be going overboard a bit, and could be difficult to time since the Monopoly game isn’t set for a certain time of the year. It launched in July in 2013, but it had been held in October and November in previous years. That being said, if you want to have access to game pieces, working at McDonald’s would be one of the best ways to accomplish this. You likely won’t be able to take them directly from the packaging (most stores inventory the packaging quite tightly for these games), but you’ll have first access at all the game pieces thrown away by customers.

Make Friends with Those Who Work at McDonald’s

Another way to get early access to game pieces is to have friends who work at McDonald’s. If they aren’t collecting game pieces for themselves, they can save you the pieces customers throw away. The best scenario would be to have friends at different McDonald’s locations across the city or town where you live. This will allow you to have friends collecting the pieces from several different stores, instead of from a single location. This has the potential to get you quite a few game pieces in a short period of time.

Recruit a Team to Help You

Another way to acquire game pieces is to have a team who helps you collect them. By finding a number of people who are willing to help you well before the game begins, you’ll be ready to collect as many game pieces as possible from day one. If you wait until the game begins, it can take several days to organize a team, and waste valuable time collecting game pieces when they’re most in demand.

Come up with a Strategy

Take the time to come up with a strategy for all aspects of the game. You need to figure out ways to collect as many pieces as possible, and how you plan to sell them to make money. By creating a strategy well in advance of the game beginning, you can be ready to put it into action the day that the game begins. The sooner that you’re able to do this, the better chance you have of making money on the game.

Start Quickly

The best time to make money with McDonald’s Monopoly is the first week or two of the game. This is because people haven’t had the chance to collect many game pieces themselves, and many of them decide to buy ones to fill in their board. It’s important to realize that a lot of people don’t understand how odds work. There are many who collect game pieces trying to get any peace that they don’t have regardless of whether it’s a common piece or a rare piece. In the beginning, even common pieces can generate quite a bit of money because there are so many people who are trying to get them for their board. By knowing that people who play the game don’t always logically look at the value of the pieces, there’s an opportunity to make money if you can start selling them early enough.

Commit to Making Money at the Game

It’s important to commit if you plan to make money on the game. There are enough people who do this these days that if you aren’t committed to getting yourself organized to begin selling as soon as possible, there’s a good chance that it won’t work out for you. By creating a strategy, putting it into action as soon as the game begins, and committing to put the time and effort into selling the game pieces, you should be able to come away from the 2014 Monopoly game with a little extra money in your pocket.

(Photo courtesy of Miguel Vaca)

13 Ways to Make Money While Exercising

May 7, 2014 By Danielle Warchol 4 Comments

One of the biggest problems many people face when it comes to exercising is lack of time, mostly due to work and other obligations. Most people who decide that they need to get more exercise immediately think about joining a gym. While this is certainly one way to get more exercise, there are many alternative ways to get exercise at no cost. It’s possible to do even better than that by using a bit of creativity to work while getting exercise. Maybe pick up a full or part-time job that gave you an income and also helped you get in better shape at the same time. Here are a few different ways to make money while exercising:

Tour Guide

If you’ve ever been to any historical or cultural site, you’ve probably seen or taken a guided tour. Tour guides have to do a serious amount of walking several times a day, as they tend to give multiple tours during one shift. If you’re looking for a part-time job, becoming a tour guide is not only a great way to get exercise and make some money, but to become more involved in a cultural or historical site in your town or city.

Teach Gym Classes

Did you know that many of the people who teach courses at gyms only do so part-time? All it takes is a certification class and some knowledge of the area you want to teach, and you’re good to go! If you want a good workout and some decent money, consider teaching a gym class, whether it’s a spin class or yoga class. You can also teach classes at your local YMCA.

Referee for Youth or Intramural Sports

Youth and intramural sports are always looking for qualified referees for their games. You’ll get quite a workout referring such sports as soccer, lacrosse, hockey, or football, since you need to be just as quick on your feet as the players. Some divisions and leagues require certification and previous experience to referee, however, so before you go ahead and look up referee jobs, make sure you’re actually qualified.

Dog Walking

One of the easiest ways to make money while exercising is by dog walking. If you live in a city, you’ll have no trouble finding people who need their dogs walked while they’re at work, away on vacation, or busy on the weekends. You can make good money dog walking, too, sometimes upwards of $50 for a one hour walk. If you have a couple dogs you walk at once, you’ll not only be raking in a decent amount of cash, but will be getting a good workout as well.

Mowing Lawns

Mowing lawns is another great way to make some money while getting a workout. There is even a thing called the lawnmower diet. A lot of people have no interest in mowing their own lawn and if you have the time to push a lawn mower around a yard, you’ll earn some cash and get a workout.

Landscaping or Construction

A lot of people will pay good money for construction or landscaping projects. Landscaping or construction can be a part-time side job or a career, depending on your interest, but it’s definitely a way to make some decent money. There’s also no question that you’ll be getting quite a workout regardless of whether you’re working on a small or large scale project.

Bike Courier

You may think that bike couriers have gone out of fashion, but they’re actually still used in many major cities. With the rise in bicycling, many companies prefer to use bicyclists to help promote an environmentally friendly image. Biking across a city to deliver a package or a takeout delivery is a job that requires a lot of athletic dedication. Not everyone wants to bike four hours on a time, after all. Become a bike courier is a great way to get an intense workout and make some extra money.

Seasonal Yard Work

Do any of your friends, family members, or neighbors need seasonal yard work done throughout the year? Maybe someone doesn’t want to rake their leaves in the fall or clean their gutters in the spring or shovel snow in the winter. Yard work always works up a good sweat, and if you offer your services for hire, you can make that exercise worth your while.

Work at a Youth Camp

Many youth camps are constantly in need of workers during the peak summer hours. Youth camps are very into physical activities, whether it’s pickup sports games or general camp activities. Whatever events and games you may have to participate in, you can bet that you’ll be exhausted by the end of the day. If you love working with kids and being outdoors, working at a youth camp might be the perfect way for you to make money while getting a workout.

Work at a Sports Arena

Have you ever wanted to work at your favorite ballpark or golf course? Why not get a job as a caddy? Even a job showing people to their seats at large arenas is sure to give you a good workout. After all, walking up and down all those flights of stairs is far from the normal sedentary desk job.

Teach an Athletic Class

If you happen to be great at a specific sport, aerobic activity, or fitness routine, get your certification and teach a class. This way you’re actually partaking in a fitness routine while getting paid to do so. Best of all, if you choose to teach a group class, you’re going to make a significant amount of money.

Be a Masseuse

You must be wondering how you’re going to exercise while giving a massage, right? After all, massages are supposed to be relaxing and not at all energizing. But did you know that you can lose 300 calories by giving someone an hour-long massage? Being a masseuse requires a lot of upper body strength and it’s a surprisingly good workout. People pay a lot for massages, so you can also set a decent price for your services.

Do Odd Jobs Around the House

Many people are looking for someone to do odd jobs around their house. This could range from fixing broken appliances, renovating a room, landscaping, running errands, cleaning, carrying furniture, or helping move large items. While some of these activities will be more of a work out than others, you’re still getting exercise. And if someone’s paying you to help them out, why not do it?

These are just a few suggestions to get your creative juices flowing. There are actually dozens of more ways that you can get exercise and make money at the same time. It’s worthwhile taking a moment to consider how you can do this in a way that suits your lifestyle and you may find that getting in shape can actually make your bank account a little heftier.

Go Ahead and Be a Sellout

April 22, 2014 By Jennifer Derrick 1 Comment

A long time ago I had high artistic ideals. I wanted my work to change the world, to bring awareness to important issues, and to be “great.” That lasted until I was out of college. That’s when I realized that I had to eat, pay rent, and fill up my gas tank. High ideals went out the window in favor of any job that paid. And since I graduated in the middle of the 1990’s recession, the bar wasn’t all that high. I took a fair amount of advertising and marketing work, shilling useless products to people who probably didn’t need them. But I got the bills paid, even if my work wasn’t world-changing in any way.

A few years out of college, I met a former friend who was still clinging to his ideals. You can guess the state he was in. He didn’t have a job and was living with his parents. He had no social life or real work. But, dammit, his ideals were still pure. He was still cranking away on his “literary masterpiece.” In his parents’ basement. While I was far from rich, I’d managed to cobble enough money together to have my own place, a car, and a few extras. I felt superior to him in just about every way.

“You sold out,” he accused me.

“I had no choice. Work of high artistic merit doesn’t pay the bills.”

“That stuff isn’t important. Your work should change the world. Be important. Not just be some drivel on the side of a cereal box.”

“Yes, but I also need money to live. These jobs pay my bills.”

“Sellout,” he said, shaking his head.

I think I was supposed to be insulted. I wasn’t. While I don’t live for money and I don’t chase the Joneses, I’m well aware that everyone needs money to exist in this world. Earning money through legitimate work isn’t a terrible thing to do. In fact, it’s pretty darn noble. I’m sure if you’d asked my friend’s parents they would have preferred having a sellout for a son over a mooch.

There is nothing wrong with taking jobs to pay your bills. You may not be crafting life altering prose when you write that ad for weed killer, but you are earning money with your skills. You only become a “sellout” if you let that kind of work permanently derail your higher dreams. If you’re writing marketing brochures by day and working on your novel or Pulitzer winning article by night you haven’t sold out, you’ve just made a realistic decision to keep your head above water and feed yourself/your family.

You might even find that “selling out” can be a good thing. Work that gives you a credit can be a pathway to better things. You never know who will see your work and ask you to work for them. One job may lead to another until you are suddenly being paid to produce work of high artistic merit. (Incidentally, some of the greatest artists in history became famous after they sold out.) The money you earn from selling out can also be used to buy more education or better supplies which may speed you on to that ideal job. Getting yourself out there and earning money is rarely a bad thing.

The exception is that you should never take work which goes against your moral principles. Sometimes you have no choice but to work against your beliefs, as when your jerk of a boss demands that you work on a campaign for fur or be fired, even though you’re vehemently opposed to the fur trade. You may have to do it because you don’t have enough money saved to tell the jerk to shove it. (But you’ll quickly learn to save money and find a better job so that you’re not in that position again.) If you have a choice, though, don’t sell your soul. Try to find jobs that align with your beliefs, if not your definition of great writing.

And try not to take work that will impact you negatively later. Writing that script for a hard core porn movie may net you a boatload of money, but chances are someone down the road is going to frown on that one. Just try to look forward and think about how this job will be seen later when you’re applying for another job. Most employers won’t care that you took “sellout” work like advertising, low budget movies, brochures, and infomercial scripts, but they may not look so favorably upon things written for certain industries or fringe causes. (In other words, if you have to write the porn script to pay for groceries, for heaven’s sake, use a pen name.)

Artistic snobs like to call those of us who get paid for less-than-ideal jobs sellouts. But there’s nothing wrong with selling out. I’d rather be a sellout with a place to live, food to eat, and a cared-for family than a parasite living off of my parents or society. High ideals and great writing have their places and are certainly worth striving for. The reality check is that you have to pay your bills. Fortunately, we live in a world that requires a lot of words to explain (ads, manuals, web sites, easy to read books, brochures, etc.) and offers a lot of jobs for those who are willing to do the work. I’d rather work than not. I still work on my idealistic projects, but I admit that I took the money and ran a long time ago. I’m a sellout, but a sellout with a good life.