076
6 min 1 sec

Successful Artist Adds $1,000/Month to His Income

An artist uses his love of whimsical drawing to create a side hustle selling everything from autographed prints to coffee mugs with his designs on them.
Arts & Crafts Lessons Product Starter Platform

Subscribe Now For A Free Five Step Tutorial

What It's About

After receiving requests to have his illustrations on iPhone cases, an artist discovers a way to expand the kind of products he offers.

Business Model
Arts & Crafts
Skills Required
Artistic & Creative
Complexity
Low
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

Before Marc dipped his toe in the deep waters of e-commerce platforms, it didn't occur to him that his client base would be interested in purchasing his designs as anything but prints.

He learned a valuable lesson along the way: listen to your customers and tailor your product to their wants and needs.

Fun Fact

Marc already had his own shop (using Shopify), and sold prints of his artwork out of it. So why would he offer his work on Society6 as well?

Well, after hours of researching, Society6 was the nicest-looking print-on-demand site he could find where he could offer phone cases. So, Marc started by signing up and setting up an account. After that, he added some artwork and let everyone who had emailed him with requests know that he was now offering his illustrations on several different products.

Notes from Chris

Episode 76
When someone asks you for something you don't provide, do you just say no? That might not actually be a bad idea, especially if you're already focused and fully committed. But what if they keep asking, or a lot of people start asking?

That's the situation that Marc Johns, a successful Canadian artist, found himself in. He was busy making art and selling prints—and he didn't even have a smartphone! But his customers and fans kept asking him for iPhone cases with his designs, so he finally began looking around.

To his happy surprise, he discovered a company called Society6 that would handle everything for him. The quality was high, the process was easy, and he began making an extra $1,000 a month.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Marc Johns: learn more about Marc and his "serious drawings"
  • Society6: Check out all of the different products Society6 has to offer
  • Shopify: Marc used Shopify to start his website, and, as a partner of the show, Shopify is offering a discount to all Side Hustle School listeners!
SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

Chris Guillebeau


Download Episodes By Months:

Season 6 (2022): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 5 (2021): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 4 (2020): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 3 (2019): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 2 (2018): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 1 (2017): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️


Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!

Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Initially, I thought people would only be interested in art prints and couldn't imagine my work on products, but I learned that you have to listen to your audience. YOU are not your audience, and people want to have art in their lives in many different ways."
—Marc Johns #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get a premium Indochino Suit for just $389!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Indochino, the company that’s reinventing men’s fashion.

Go to Indochino.com to get any premium Indochino suit for just $389, plus free shipping, when you use promo code HUSTLE at checkout. 🤵


Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!





To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau