Merch Minds Podcast

The 2017 solar eclipse has come and gone. A lot of people have made a significant amount of money with the hot trend. Glen and Yong talk with Tara Fleck this week on how she capitalized on the popular trend.

Tara graduated from college with a degree in advertising and marketing. However, through her job, she was able to teach herself graphic design. She used the designs skills she learned and applied them to design 30 solar eclipse shirts.

With the eclipse now officially over she mentioned how she is continuing to sell shirts. There are other hot topics and trends that are approaching. Tara said she already has Halloween designs up and they are already selling for her.

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

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

Design Candy
https://designcandy.io

What happens when your account gets suspended? Well, this week Mo Fremont stops by to talk about how his account was suspended. Mo is a local reseller in the Bay Area and is a friend of Yong's.

Not many people want to talk about their experience of having their account suspended. However, when Yong asked Mo if he would like to come on the show, he said he would because it would be a learning experience for all of us. Mo explains how it happened and how he got his account reinstated.

Now there is a difference between having your account suspended and terminated. When your account is suspended, there is a chance that you could get your account reinstated. When your account is terminated, you can no longer be on the Merch by Amazon program.

Mo also has a podcast called the Niche Reseller Podcast. Many of you came from the reselling community and made the transition into the MBA program. If you're still a reseller make sure and subscribe to Mo's podcast as well.

Reseller Niche Podcast
http://apple.co/2wKi9aL

Reseller Niche YouTube
http://bit.ly/2vWFE2C

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

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

Design Candy
https://designcandy.io

Joe Clay from Merch University stopped by to talk with Glen and Yong. Joe was originally supposed to be on the show in October of last year, but it never worked out. He's finally on the show and to discuss his Merch journey.

Joe is well known in the Merch community for designing his shirts on his smartphone. Joe explains how he uses the various apps such as Over from his smartphone to scale his MBA account. He also sells his designs on Etsy.

Joe is an excellent example of someone who is willing to learn. He has no design background but made efforts to learn as much as he can about it. He has his own Facebook group called Merch University so make sure and join.

Joe Clay

Merch University YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo-j13mLv3_vfSttUIa006g

Merch University Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MerchUniversity/

Joe Clay Etsy Store
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShirtDesignsForYou

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

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

Word Candy
https://wordcandy.io

This week Merch Minds talk to a true hustler. John from Rules from Rebels on YouTube stopped by to talk to the boys. He has a diverse portfolio of side hustles including Merch by Amazon. On his channel, he shares various hustling stories with over 67k subscribers.

John talks about his journey into Merch by Amazon and his other passions. He is a true renaissance man. If you haven't subscribed to his channel, then do it now. It will broaden your mind and help you make money in various ways.

Rules for Rebels
https://www.youtube.com/user/rulesforrebels

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

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

Word Candy
https://wordcandy.io

This week Glen and Yong chat with the founder of TeeLaunch, Christopher Hamze. TeeLaunch is a leading print on demand fulfillment company. They take your design ideas and orders and fulfill them from start to finish. When someone orders on your website, TeeLaunch print the product, ship the product and act as a customer liaise if anything goes wrong.

In this episode, you get a sense of how designs are printed on shirts and other apparel products. Christopher provides us the insights on the Kornit printers, which also happens to be the same,e printers that Amazon uses for the Merch by Amazon program. He also discusses everything from dropshipping and Facebook ads.

The boys are very intrigued by TeeLaunch. With Yong's Shopify store currently on the back burner, he now wants to revisit getting that launched. He is also going to switch to TeeLaunch based on how customer friendly TeeLaunch is.

TeeLaunch
http://teelaunch.com

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

Glen and Yong have been receiving messages from listeners asking to include their expenses in their monthly income reports. However, they both agreed that it would be just too much work to crunch those numbers every month. Instead, they dedicated a whole episode to discuss their expenses.

Merch by Amazon is a very tricky business because there are no tangible products that we deal with. Instead, we have to be creative and find services and products that we pay for in our business. WHile they do have monthly expenses, they also discuss expenses that aren't consistent.

Remember, to always talk to your own CPA about what you can and can't write off. I find that every CPA offers different advice, so it's best to find one that is familiar with online businesses. Let the boys know what some of your expenses are.

Listed below are products and services that both Glen and Yong use in all the different hustles.

Annual Expenses
Adobe CC: $599.88
Dashlane: (5-Year Plan): $149.99
Dropbox: $99.99
Grammarly: $104.96
MileIQ: $59.99
Shopify: $312.00
Skillshare: $99.99

Monthly Expenses
Convert Kit: $29.00
Dreamhost: $10.95
GoDaddy Bookkeeping: $9.99
Libsyn: $30.00
Design Candy: $14.99
Merch Informer: $7.99
Placeit: $29.00

Occasional Expenses
Creative Market
DesignBundles.net
FontBundles.net
InkyDeals
Mighty Deals
MyFonts.com
Pixelo

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

This week Neil Lassen stops by to talk to Glen and Yong. Neil is the founder of Merch Informer, which is the number one software that helps content creators with their research easier and more efficient. Merch Informer is officially out of beta and Neil announces that there will be more features added including keyless accounts.

Yong has said over the past several months that he has heard nothing but great things about Merch Informer but never used it. A couple of weeks ago he finally signed up for an account, and he agrees it is one of the best services to help research niches and designs. You can look up the top selling shirts based on the BSR's in just one click, including the trademark alerts.

Talking to Neil was like talking to a long-time friend. Their conversation with Neil was casual, and Glen and Yong were very impressed by his accomplishments at such a young age. They agreed on meeting up in Denver when Glen and Yong will be there from October 5-9.

Please check out Neil and Merch Informer. You will be satisfied with their service and how it will streamline your research. You get a free 3-day trial when signing up.

Also, as mentioned in the episode, Glen and Yong have been bombarded with emails about private coaching. While they never considered it is something they are considering if enough people are interested. If you are interested, please visit their new site MerchMinds.com and fill out the questionnaire.

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

Merch Minds Questionnaire
http://merchminds.com

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

Back on episode 35, Yong had extended an open invitation to any service providers on Fiverr to come on the show. Chris posted a comment and sent Yong a message saying he would like to discuss his experience on Fiverr as a service provider. Chris believes Fiverr is a fair marketplace for people to offer design services.

The boys asked Chris some tough questions as to why he is providing such services on the Fiverr marketplace. While they are completely against Fiverr, they respect Chris for his honesty and hustle. Despite the differences, Chris ended being an excellent guest and they had a good conversation.

If you're interested in Chris's services on Fiverr check out his profile by clicking on the URL below. We ask that you respect him and his services and not send him any privates messages or post in the group demeaning him. He also has a website MerchComplete.com where he offers his services and if you're interested use the code "%5MERCHMINDS" to get 5% off all orders.

Finally, as mentioned in the episode, Glen and Yong have been bombarded with emails about private coaching. While they never considered it is something they are considering if enough people are interested. If you are interested, please visit their new site MerchMinds.com and fill out the questionnaire.

Chris on Fiverr
https://www.fiverr.com/pebble85
http://merchcomplete.com

Merch Minds Questionnaire
http://merchminds.com

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

One of the most common asked questions the boys get asked is about keywords and how to write a description. However, the boys are not experts when it comes to copywriting. So they brought in the expert in Karon Thackston from MarketingWords.com.

As a disclosure Karon has never worked on a Merch by Amazon listing. She's more familiar with working on listings on the Seller Central side of Amazon. Karon provides some insightful tips, which we can all use on our Merch by Amazon listings.

She recommends her book Amazon Advantage: Product Listing Strategies to Boost Your Sales. She's constantly updating her book, so you will always have the new and updated version. Karon has generously provided a discount code for our listeners to get 20% off, which is listed below.

If you would like to contact Karon on her services or purchase her books, please visit MarketingWords.com.

https://www.marketingwords.com

Amazon Advantage: Product Listing Strategies to Boost Your Sales
20% Discount Code: amz00

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com

This week the boys are up against their rivals Merch Talk and Margaret Collier. However, both Joe Clay and Jeff Davidson were afraid of the challenge and backed out at the last minute. So Margaret decided to take on Glen and Yong by herself.

Margaret is a great friend of the show, and she comes back to talk to the boys. She was originally on the show back in November of 2016, and since then she has made significant improvements. Margaret stops by the show to talk to the boys and talk numbers and her strategies.

Texas Gal Treasures
http://bit.ly/2txb5M0

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://hustlerhacks.com

Yong
e: [email protected]
w: http://geekhustle.com