How I Accidentally Made 20k in 3 Months
I once made $20,000 completely by accident.
I never wanted to act in a conventional way. There I was, unemployed and about to graduate with a marketing degree. I hadn't a clue what I’d do after graduation but I did know this: I needed to make money.
So, what could be done?
As stated before, I wanted life to go my way and a regular job seemed unappealing. I decided to start a business venture and play by my own rules.
The First Month
I started with something simple- T-shirts. My first idea was to create an Etsy account where I could sell my shirts from. I found a third party website called Printify, which would manufacture and mail the finished products to my customers. I named my business Rose Gold Co. which is both trendy and poses personal meaning behind. From there, I created over 80 designs in the first 30 days;
the simpler, the better.
My Etsy account began to blow up. At a quick glance, I had already made over $1000 in less than a month. But there was a problem, Printify was taking over 50% of my earnings. I immediately knew something needed to change - I needed to make these shirts on my own.
I decided to team up with my friend, Alex, who worked as a marketer for a geothermal company and was perfect for the job. Together, we invested $1500 towards the purchase of a heat press, a vinyl cutter, a printer and inventory. We managed the Etsy sales ourselves and cut out the middle man. Orders came in regularly which required lots of labor hours and we weren’t satisfied with the results. We wanted to make more money.
How our Business Grew
We used our knowledge in marketing to create a brand for ourselves. In order to draw traffic in, we made regular posts to our website with photos that Alex took. Some friends of ours agreed to model for us while wearing some of our shirts. The brand was coming along quite nicely.
Weird Flex but Okay Shirt (Best Seller)
Unintentionally, Alex discovered a music event happening in Dallas where new vendors were welcomed. It was a risk, but we decided to purchase a booth to sell our shirts. For ten days, we manufactured 150 shirts, using our best designs.
Dallas Vendor Event Vlog
Our sales started out slow but as the day went on, more and more people gathered towards our booth. People loved the fact that Alex and I created everything ourselves and wanted to know more about us and what we stood for. We handed out business cards and interacted with our new customers on Instagram and Facebook. We were branding ourselves. Not only were we making money but we were gathering followers for our business. It was a blast!
By the end of the day, we counted the cash and debit transactions, which totaled $2500. This was more than either of us had ever made in one day. We were hooked. How could our business grow further?
The Next Few Months
Alex and I wanted to continue to invest in this venture of ours. We spent the next few months signing up for more events, which took place in different parts of the country.
Traveling posed as a huge challenge for us, but we managed to transport our merchandise to where it needed to be. Many of the events took place in Texas and California and others occurred in Arkansas and Georgia. As our expenses and labor grew, so did our profits. Each festival allowed us to brand ourselves and grow our following.
After participating in over 10 shows, as well as continuing with our Etsy orders, we made over $20,000 in net sales.
To Sum it Up
What started off as one idea, turned into another. I originally intended for Rose Gold Co. to be an e-commerce T-shirt site and now it is a physical store that travels across America. Of course, the business requires improvement and growth, which is what Alex and I plan to give it. This opportunity allowed us to see the business world in our own, first hand experience. What did we learn? A simple idea can grow as long as it is aided by determination and hard work.
I wonder what the next 4 months will entail.
To find out more about our brand, subscribe to our website or follow us on Instagram!
Rosegoldco.shop
Insta: @rosegoldco.shop
I never wanted to act in a conventional way. There I was, unemployed and about to graduate with a marketing degree. I hadn't a clue what I’d do after graduation but I did know this: I needed to make money.
So, what could be done?
As stated before, I wanted life to go my way and a regular job seemed unappealing. I decided to start a business venture and play by my own rules.
The First Month
I started with something simple- T-shirts. My first idea was to create an Etsy account where I could sell my shirts from. I found a third party website called Printify, which would manufacture and mail the finished products to my customers. I named my business Rose Gold Co. which is both trendy and poses personal meaning behind. From there, I created over 80 designs in the first 30 days;
the simpler, the better.
My Etsy account began to blow up. At a quick glance, I had already made over $1000 in less than a month. But there was a problem, Printify was taking over 50% of my earnings. I immediately knew something needed to change - I needed to make these shirts on my own.
I decided to team up with my friend, Alex, who worked as a marketer for a geothermal company and was perfect for the job. Together, we invested $1500 towards the purchase of a heat press, a vinyl cutter, a printer and inventory. We managed the Etsy sales ourselves and cut out the middle man. Orders came in regularly which required lots of labor hours and we weren’t satisfied with the results. We wanted to make more money.
How our Business Grew
We used our knowledge in marketing to create a brand for ourselves. In order to draw traffic in, we made regular posts to our website with photos that Alex took. Some friends of ours agreed to model for us while wearing some of our shirts. The brand was coming along quite nicely.
Weird Flex but Okay Shirt (Best Seller)
Unintentionally, Alex discovered a music event happening in Dallas where new vendors were welcomed. It was a risk, but we decided to purchase a booth to sell our shirts. For ten days, we manufactured 150 shirts, using our best designs.
Dallas Vendor Event Vlog
Our sales started out slow but as the day went on, more and more people gathered towards our booth. People loved the fact that Alex and I created everything ourselves and wanted to know more about us and what we stood for. We handed out business cards and interacted with our new customers on Instagram and Facebook. We were branding ourselves. Not only were we making money but we were gathering followers for our business. It was a blast!
By the end of the day, we counted the cash and debit transactions, which totaled $2500. This was more than either of us had ever made in one day. We were hooked. How could our business grow further?
The Next Few Months
Alex and I wanted to continue to invest in this venture of ours. We spent the next few months signing up for more events, which took place in different parts of the country.
Traveling posed as a huge challenge for us, but we managed to transport our merchandise to where it needed to be. Many of the events took place in Texas and California and others occurred in Arkansas and Georgia. As our expenses and labor grew, so did our profits. Each festival allowed us to brand ourselves and grow our following.
After participating in over 10 shows, as well as continuing with our Etsy orders, we made over $20,000 in net sales.
To Sum it Up
What started off as one idea, turned into another. I originally intended for Rose Gold Co. to be an e-commerce T-shirt site and now it is a physical store that travels across America. Of course, the business requires improvement and growth, which is what Alex and I plan to give it. This opportunity allowed us to see the business world in our own, first hand experience. What did we learn? A simple idea can grow as long as it is aided by determination and hard work.
I wonder what the next 4 months will entail.
To find out more about our brand, subscribe to our website or follow us on Instagram!
Rosegoldco.shop
Insta: @rosegoldco.shop
