Merch Minds Podcast

Yong recently came across a job posting to hire a t-shirt designer on Upwork and it had the words "MUST SELL" in the title. This really irked Yong as it proves that people are being frugal and not investing into their business. If you really want to take your Merch by Amazon business seriously take action and invest in it.

Glen shares his own story on how he invested over $10,000 in building his own business and personal brand. Glen was presented with an opportunity to meet and work with Gary Vaynerchuk in New York City. Glen saw this as an opportunity to build his brand and made the decision with no hesitation.

People are always afraid to pay for products and services. The guys aren't saying you should invest 10k into your merch business especially if you recently got approved. However, if you have no experience in design watch videos and take courses so you can learn Illustrator and Photoshop. If you don't want to learn those apps then pay for a good graphic designer and pay a premium price.

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

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

The boys are back in Canada! British Columbia to be exact. This week the fellas talk to Jewel Tolentino from Vancouver. Jewel talk about her journey into Merch by Amazon along with her business partners. Between Jewel and two other partners, they are managing two Merch by Amazon accounts.

Jewel not only does Merch by Amazon but she also has her hands on various other platforms. She sells on eBay, FBA, and Craigslist just to name a few. She and her partner are also social marketing gurus and offer courses on both Udemy and Skillshare.

Essetino Artists
http://bit.ly/2nJjfBI

Jewel Tolentino and Auret Esselen on Skillshare
http://bit.ly/2nd130S

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

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

The fellas head over to the land down under! Glen and Yong interview Luke Kelly from Australia. Luke is married with an 8-month old child trying to learn and scale his Merch by Amazon business.

Luke shares his story on how he got into Merch and what his long term goals are. Luke is also documenting his own personal journey into the print on demand business. He hosts a podcast called Merch Nerds, which you can find on iTunes.

Luke Kelly
http://www.merch-nerds.com

Merch Nerds Podcast
http://apple.co/2m7Ts6n

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

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

Glen and Yong had the privilege of interviewing Jeff Finley this week. Chances are most of you don't know who Jeff Finley is. To Glen and Yong he is someone they follow and respect in the design and apparel industry. He has designed t-shirts for various musicians from Brittany Spears to Metallica.

Jeff is the author of the book titled, Threads Not Dead. It is considered to be the bible of the apparel industry. While the book was published in 2011 it is still relevant today. Almost everything that Glen and Yong preach about design comes from Threads Not Dead. Purchase your own copy and learn about the apparel industry from how to come up with your concept to marketing.

Jeff Finley
http://jefffinley.org

Threads Not Dead
http://amzn.to/2bQwbfw

Jeff Finley's Etsy Store
http://starseedsupply.co

Starbound Renegade
https://soundcloud.com/jeff_finley

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

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

This week Glen and Yong interview Jacob Topping aka Seth Rogan. He is currently finishing up his book Merch and the World of Print on Demand. This book is an in-depth book that covers the apparel print of demand industry such as Merch by Amazon and SunFrog.

Jacob spent countless of hours doing research on what POD sites are the best and where you can get the most money based on your strategy. There are great tips throughout the book but he also exclusively announces a few other exciting news only on the podcast.

Yong was given an exclusive sneak peek of the book and he agrees that the book will be an arsenal of knowledge for anyone in the POD industry. He pre-ordered his copy immediately after his conference call with Jacob. Pre-order your copy today at the discounted price of $34 before the price goes up. The link to purchase your copy is below.

Merch and the World of Print on Demand
https://gumroad.com/a/778384499

Merch by Amazon Top Sellers for Newbies and Pros
https://www.facebook.com/groups/742944462529622/

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

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

This week Glen and Yong talk about the what's going on with American Apparel with Daryl Guidry and why they failed over the years. Daryl posted in the Merch Minds Facebook group about how Ryan Holiday, American Apparel's PR man, wrote a tell-all book (Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator) about how he lied and manipulated the media to get exposure for the company.

The guys invited Daryl as a guest because he read the book and they wanted to have a roundtable discussion as to why AA has failed. In the beginning, AA had a very corrupt founder and CEO by the name of Dov Charney. Charney was a household name when it came to scandals, which included sexual harassment, the hiring of employees based on their looks, and the use of underage models in revealing attire and provocative poses. The ads were raw and at times almost depicted porn due to the camera angles and positions.

It's no surprise AA filed for bankruptcy and was eventually bought out by Gildan, a Canadian company, for $88 million. They discuss what they believe will happen to AA and whether Gildan will continue manufacturing AA products after the stores close in the U.S. It's fair to say that American Apparel is now the Canadian Apparel.

Trust Me, I'm Lying; Confessions of a Media Manipulator
http://amzn.to/2lBvqgo

Daryl Guidry
https://www.facebook.com/daryl.guidry

Glen
e: [email protected]
w: http://[email protected]

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

Merch Minds Facebook Group:
http://bit.ly/2lDAgtx

This week Glen and Yong talks about 10 ways that Amazon can improve their Merch by Amazon platform. The list is in no particular order and it's just something the guys came up with that they would like to see. What improvements would you like to see on Merch by Amazon?

1. Allow the creator to change the featured t-shirt color.
2. Allow the creator to delete drafts.
3. Allow the customer to choose the type of shirt (AA or Anvil).
4. Create a seller app with messages, tier updates, reviews on shirts, and sales.
5. Add Infant Sizes - Onesies / Dog Shirts.
6. Show a Health bar for account status.
7. Customer Support Phone Number or Message System.
8. Sort by Brand name under "Manage" on Dashboard.
9. System in place to allow bad reviews to be removed (based on quality or shipping time).
10. Adding new colors to shirts like Pink, Orange, Lime Green, and Aqua.

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

Yong
e: [email protected]

Merch Minds Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/2lDAgtx

Amazon recently had another round of suspensions. Upon going through various Facebook groups and reading the forum it seems like many accounts were suspended. With no communication from Amazon, it has a lot of content creators on the edge of their seats.

Glen and Yong talk about the suspensions and discuss what they're doing to try and protect themselves. They talk about the research process down to utilizing other POD sites. If you have the same concerns let the guys know what you're doing to protect yourself.

Glen: [email protected]

Yong: [email protected]

Merch Minds Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/2lDAgtx

Glen and Yong received a few emails from people who were thinking of pursuing a career in graphic design. There is a lot of information out there on how to become a designer but the information is vague. The fellas discuss how you can pursue a career in design.

Just remember that it's a lot of work and initially you won't be making much money. If you do pursue a career in design immerse yourself into learning as much as you can whether you go to college or not.

Glen: [email protected]

Yong: [email protected]

In episode 16 Glen and Yong answer your questions! This is the perk and benefits of being in the Facebook group. You can interact with both of them and other like-minded individuals. If you haven't joined the Facebook group the URL is listed below.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1824530797822546/

Glen: [email protected]

Yong: [email protected]