Merch Minds Podcast

This week the guys are talking about design again. Typography to be exact. As Merch by Amazon becomes saturated with more competition, it's getting harder to get sales with everyone trying to get a piece of the pie.

Glen and Yong have been preaching good design since they started the Merch Minds podcast. You can argue that their opinion is bias since they both have graphic design degrees but the lack of sales almost everyone is experiencing is proof that good design is important. You need to have a good design to stand out from the competition since the market is saturated with shirts in the same niche.

Yong recently wrote the ebook Understanding Typography for Merch by Amazon, which was originally announced to the attendees of the Denver meetup. Now the ebook is being officially being announced to the general public and on sale for everyone. Yong wrote the book because after doing the Merch Minds podcast for a little over a year now no one still talks about design. Everyone is always talking about sales, marketing, and keywords but no one talks about the most important factor of doing the Merch by Amazon business.

The book won't make you an expert in typography or design overnight, but it will introduce you to the basic fundamentals. The book will cover important topics such as kerning, spacing, font selection, font pairing and so much more! Even if you don't do your own design, this book will help you better communicate with your designer.

Design is such a visual topic and week after week Glen and Yong been coming on the podcast talking about it. The book will visually explain a lot of the things that they have discussed on the podcast for the past year. It will help you better understand what good typography is.

Yong had been secretly working on this book for over six months. Yong not only wrote the book but he also designed it. Glen wrote the foreward, and there are tons of resources stacked in the book. And here's the best part of making the purchase. Yong will continue to add to the book as time goes on and the people who purchase it will always get the newest version for free. He's promised that as long as he's alive and kicking, he will never charge you another penny for a revised version.

Make the purchase today and up your design game with Understanding Typography for Merch by Amazon for just $37!

Sponsors

Design Candy
http://designcandy.io

Merch Informer
https://merchinformer.com/223.html

This week Glen and Yong are talking Q4! Technically, Q4 is among, and people are getting excited as there are stories about how profitable it was last holiday season. If you were on Merch last year, you were one of the few that experienced the power of Amazon even with all the restrictions.

Glen and Yong both experienced Q4 last year and are predicting the same madness this season. They discuss their strategies on what they are doing to prepare for Q4. While they can't predict what Amazon will do they are taking precautionary actions to avoid any mistakes they made last season.

Sponsors

Design Candy
http://designcandy.io

Merch Informer
https://merchinformer.com/223.html

This week Glen and Yong talk to the legendary Ken Reil. Ken is putting up some ridiculous numbers on Merch that makes the boys look silly. But then again that's not very hard to do.

Ken is from Las Vegas and has a background in sign making. He's currently on the 10k tier and has 6800 shirts live. He took that experience and scaled his Merch account to where he's now making more than what Glen and Yong make combined.

Ken talks about how the Merch by Amazon conference came about. He also talks about how he's scaled his Merch business along with some assistance from his wife. Ken is a true inspiration, and we can all take something from the interview and apply it to our own Merch business.

Sponsors

Merch Informer
https://merchinformer.com/223.html

Ever since the Denver meetup on October 6, Yong has been traveling all over the place. He flew back home to San Jose, California to rent a car and drove to eastern Oregon to for his annual meeting with his friend and client. Not just that but he also met up with fellow Merch Heads in Boise, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Since Yong had been traveling the schedule for the podcast hasn't been consistent. The boys were able to squeeze in a episode while Yong was in eastern Oregon. However, the quality of the episode isn't the best since the Internet was sporadic where he was.

In this episode, Glen and Yong announce they will start coaching people for the Merch by Amazon platform. The boys had received many messages from listeners asking that they offer the coaching services. While many of the information is out there for free, some people just need the one-on-one attention.

If you're interested in the coaching, please go to merchminds.com and make sure to sign up today.

Sponsor

Merch Informer
https://merchinformer.com/223.html

Merch Minds coming live from the Denver Seminar. We talk to Neil Lassen from Merch Informer, Margaret Collier aka Texas Gal Treasures, Travis Renn from Merch Candy and several guests from the day! 

Sponsors
Design Candy
http://designcandy.io

Merch Informer
http://bit.ly/2tUVpGn

Three times a charm. The boys normally record the episodes on Thursday afternoons, but unfortunately, they ran into some technical difficulties. So they tried recording on a beautiful Saturday afternoon with no luck. Finally, on Sunday everything worked and here is the long awaited 50th episode.

Glen and Yong discuss their five bullet points that they think will help you generate sales. A lot of people recently had their accounts approved, and they're asking why their sales haven't picked up. This is a common question so the boys decided to talk about why you aren't getting and what you can do.

The five bullet points in order are:

* Idea/Design
* Niche
* Keywords
* Pricing
* Marketing

Sponsors
Design Candy
http://designcandy.io

Merch Informer
http://bit.ly/2tUVpGn

This week's guest needs no introduction. Whether you're a designer or not chances are you probably heard his name. Von Glitschka is a talented designer, best-selling author, and a teacher on various platforms such as Lynda.com and LinkedIn.

Yong originally met Von back at the Creative Pro Week in Atlanta. Von was a speaker, and Yong asked him to be a guest on the podcast. Von agreed, but after the conference, Von was busy with other projects. When Glen and Yong were at the Merch by Amazon Conference in Seattle Von's name came up as someone who is an influencer in the design community. This reminded Yong to reach out to Von again, and he finally came on the show.

Von talked about he got into design and some of his earlier influences. He discussed his previous job at Upper Deck. Von also talked about the "process" of design which is very important.

He also talked about his latest project, which will benefit all of the Merch Minds listeners. If you want to learn more about the creative process in design, then check out his newest and latest website. At People Love Process every account is premium and subscription-free. For a one-time flat fee, you get access to source files and resources including HD videos to help learn to be creative.

We know many of you are against paying the high subscription fees on sites Lynda.com. This is a great opportunity to learn from Von and other professionals in the design industry. Von also gives the loyal Merch Minds listeners a discount on a package that's already affordable. The discount code is listed below.

Von Glitschka
http://www.glitschkastudios.com

Von's Courses on Lynda.com
https://www.lynda.com/Von-Glitschka/189112-1.html

Von's Courses on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/von-glitschka

Von's YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/5166VRG/videos

Glitschka Studios Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/GlitschkaStudios/

Von's Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/vglitschka/

Von's Twitter
https://twitter.com/vonster

People Luv Process
http://pplluv.com

Merch Minds Discount Code: FRIENDSOFPPLLUV

I'm sure you heard about the Etsy + Printful integration by now. Every since Yong made a Facebook Live video a couple of weeks ago, the topic has gone viral, and everyone is talking about it. In fact, as this video is currently being uploaded Yong has sold his 10th product on Etsy.

If you're currently waiting to get accepted into the Merch by Amazon program, then Etsy +Printful is a good platform to get your feet wet. You also get a higher payout per apparel, and you can offer more products to your customers including tank tops, hoodies, and hats. We all know Amazon is king when it comes to e-commerce but Etsy + Printful is a great platform to start your venture into POD.

Glen interviews Yong since he started uploading his designs and started seeing sales almost immediately. While Yong is not an expert, he emphasizes how easy it is to get started. The program is in its infant stages but the potential is huge.

This week Glen and Yong comes to you live and direct from Seattle, WA. The boys were there for the Merch by Amazon Conference put on by Chris Green and Ken Riel. This is a special episode because they team up with Anthony Busciglio and Kevin Levonas from Amazon Merch: Jersey Edition.

First off, the boys apologize for the quality of the audio. They normally record with a headset, but this week they used a microphone. In this episode, they briefly talk about the conference, but they can't get too much into details. They want to respect the organizers of the conference and the people who attended by not talking about any of the content from the conference.

However, they talk with various people who attended the conference to hear their stories and journies. It's always good to talk to like minded individuals and share tactics to try and scale the program. So sit back as Merch Minds and Amazon Merch: Jersey Edition fills your airwaves with fun guests and stories.

Merch Informer
https://merchinformer.com/223.html

Design Candy
https://designcandy.io

The boys are back to do a show just on their own. In this episode, the boys remind you that the Merch Minds Denver Meetup/Seminar is coming up in a few weeks. The registration is just a few weeks away so if you're near the Denver area make sure and register soon before it's sold out.

Registration is just $60 for the meetup, which will be on Friday, October 6, 2017 from 11am - 5:00pm. Lunch will be provided by the Merch Minds Podcast at the meetup. Besides Glen and Yong, there will be other speakers at the meetup. They are limited to just 40 seats so make sure and sign up before the event sells out.

They also talk about the ethics as content creators. Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, Texas and many people not just lost their homes but some died. And unfortunately, people are capitalizing off of this tragic event, which is not only against Amazon's TOS but it's unethical.

If you're one of those that made Hurricane Harvey shirts you're jeopardizing your account getting suspended. Not just that, you should have some conscience knowing you're monetizing from someone's misfortunes. Imagine if you are going through some difficult times whether it's finances or health and people capitalized from your set backs.

Merch Minds Meetup/Seminar

• The Importance of Good Typography: Yong Jae Chong – Merch Minds Podcast
• How to Research and Find Profitable Niche Shirt Ideas: Glen Zubia – Merch Minds Podcast
• Designing for the AI Illiterate: Margaret Collier – Texas Gal Treasures
• Creating and Promoting a Brand: Mike Peterson – Treasure Gnome
• Trademark - It's As Messy As We Thought It Was – Travis Renn

Location for Merch Minds Meetup
Office Evolution
50 S Steele. St., Suite 250
Denver, Colorado 80209

Merch Informer
https://merchinformer.com/223.html

Design Candy
https://designcandy.i