Success in eCommerce and print on demand is all about maturity, focus, and, yes, character.

So if you have aspirations to become a print-on-demand legend, it’s imperative to understand what current tshirt / merch designing legends tend to have in common. With few exceptions they:

  • Don’t get stubborn in niches. If something isn’t working, they let it go and move on with haste.
  • Pay no attention to noise, complaints or expectations on social media. They only compete in POD with themselves.
  • Don’t waste money on frivolous resources, unoriginal tshirt templates, and artwork / graphics that lack originality.
  • Don’t go lopsidedly overboard on either seasonal or evergreen niches. They build balanced, mature portfolios with widespread appeal across the calendar and seasons.
  • Understand that 100 rushed, poorly designed tshirts will earn far less money than 10 unique, well-researched, and expertly targeted tshirts.
  • Never get sloppy with trademark, copyright, keyword, and competition research.
  • Focus on more than just tshirts and expand their designs to as many products and platforms as possible.
  • Upload nothing that resembles a competing product.
  • Spend more time researching than designing.
  • Avoid burnout by remembering their mental health is ultimately more important than their portfolio’s growth.
  • Never measure success by anyone’s standards but their own.
  • Embrace the fact that they don’t know it all. They ask for advice, solicit feedback, learn new things and read voraciously about niches, markets, and design strategies.
  • Leave their comfort zone with regard to niche selection, design tactics, marketing / advertising strategies, and more.

If you do what’s referenced above, you are setting yourself up for success both now and in years to come.