Merch Minds Podcast

This is the very last Merch Minds episode of 2020. Since I started the year with a Spanish co-host, it's only fitting that I end the year with a Spanish co-host. RJ Martinez joins me to recap some of the highlights and lowlights of 2020. Thank you everyone for your support, and I'll catch up with you next year.

Happy Holidays everyone! This week I speak with the very talented Juna Duncan at Detour Shirts. Juna comes to us from Salt Lake City, which is where the next Merch by Amazon Conference will be held. Juna also happens to run one of the most popular and active Instagram accounts for POD.

Juna also talks about the popular style of designs that are resonating with the youth. He talks about the unique Kawaii style of design that originated in Japan. The best way to describe the Kawaii style is that it has a lot of pastel colors, and everything is CUTE.

Make sure and follow Juna and Detour Shirts on IG. He breaks down his designs and shows how they can be made with just simple shapes. He also shares a variety of niches, so make sure and show him support on IG.

Detour Shirts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/detourshirts/

Every episode is a special episode, but this episode is extra special. This week my father Ken Reil stops by, and we discuss licensing agreements and DesignerCon. We had the opportunity to attend DesignerCon in Anaheim a few weeks ago, and we recap our experience.

Ken also drops some valuable nuggets on how to succeed on Merch by Amazon. We're very fortunate that Ken has connections with the staff at Merch by Amazon, and he's always sharing what he can with the community. Ken drops some hints on what's coming in 2020.

I was always very vocal about how saturated the Merch by Amazon marketplace is. However, Ken reassured me that there is still money to be made. Let's all start making goals for 2020 and make sure to share your goals with us in the comments.

This week I talk to the talented artist and illustrator Jay Reed. Jay resides in Southern California, specifically in Orange County. He's been doing print on demand long before Merch by Amazon even existed.

Jay makes a full-time living doing print-on-demand and commission work. It's obvious that he knows what makes a good design and understands how to be successful. Jay shares on how he comes up with concepts and other strategies that we can all implement.

Check out Jay's work for yourself.

Website: https://artistjayreed.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jreedartInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistjayreed/Twitter: https://twitter.com/artistjayreed

Michael Webster represents the struggle. He is your average guy with big goals. Like most of us, he's seeking financial freedom. He wants his wife to be able to retire and be able to support his five children.

How can you not support him? For Michael, it's not about him but more about his family. He talks about his journey into POD and as always he gives my audience a little surprise on how he makes money with local sales.

Make sure and support Michael and his podcast, the Strugglepreneur Podcast. He documents his journey and struggles as an entrepreneur. Let's encourage him to put out more episodes by subcribing!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strugglepreneur-podcast/id1463313952?ls=1

Duy Truong from Portland is starting a new venture with POD. He originally started Merch by Amazon back in early 2017. He's now starting a new journey into building his own brand and selling on his own platform.

Duy started Portland Squad to pay homage to the city he absolutely loves. Being born and raised in Portland he hopes the city can help with his new business venture. Portland Squad is a brand that all of us can relate to because he's building his business from the ground up. Follow Duy's journey and show him some love on IG.

Portland Squad https://portlandsquad.com/

Portland Squad Instagram https://www.instagram.com/portlandsquad/

It seems like it's been forever but finally, Glen and Yong are back. It's been two months since the last episode and we heard your voices. It's time to listen in and see what we have been up to. Make sure to listen to the very end to hear a special announcement.

Hi everyone! It's Yong here. I hope everyone is doing well. I sincerely apologize for the lack of content. This is just a quick update on why we have been absent but we promise to be back soon.

Merch is dead! That's why, for the past several weeks, I put my efforts back into rebuilding my Etsy store. And it's paid because in less than two months I'm already at $600 in sales with just a little over 400 products live.

This week Matt and RJ are back on the show. They are back to talk about their new 30-Day Etsy Challenge, which will motivate you to build your Etsy store. Joining them in the challenge is Dionne Baker and Jay De Souza, who are successful Etsy business owners.

There are many reasons to get started on Etsy. You get better margins and analytics that you don't get on Amazon. Not just that but you have more control. While Etsy still isn't our platform, it attracts the people who are willing to spend more money.

I'm excited about the challenge because as I stated earlier, I been scaling my Etsy store. I'm also enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with Matt, RJ, Dionne, and Jay. With their support, I'm looking to double my numbers by the end of October.

If you're interested in joining the challenge with I encourage you to use my affiliate link. Here's the great thing about purchasing the challenge through me. I will include the following bonuses for free:

• Typography Dissected Poster (PDF Version)
• Understanding Typography for Merch by Amazon eBook
• Understanding Typography for Etsy Workshop

The workshop will be presented after the challenge is over. I don't want to overwhelm everyone because a lot of information will already be presented to us. I will let you guys know the date soon.

You get all this for just $97! Who's onboard to take the challenge with me?

https://etsychallenge.com/etsy-challenge-funnelxqx9ndaf?affiliate_id=1939795

Greg Johnson is a successful entrepreneur. He's married and has six beautiful kids that he supports and raises. With that said, it was a matter of time before we got him on the show.

I'm not going to lie. I had a whole list of questions to ask in regards to Local Merch because that was something we both experimented with back when it was still new. However, the conversation completely took a left turn, and a whole new topic came up.

As entrepreneurs sometimes we need to be innovative and think outside the box. And that's exactly what Greg did. He took his best selling design on Merch by Amazon and had it printed on shirts through a local printer. He then sent them into Amazon to have them fulfilled through their FBA program.

Also, as mentioned in the podcast, we are trying to raise money for Dave Cadoff. He is having surgery later this week, and his colleagues in the POD community are trying to raise money for him. Whether you care about trademarks or not, Dave has committed to fight trademarks trolls on our behalf behind the scenes.

I talk about how special the POD community is. If there is one time we need to come together, it is now. We may have our differences, but I think we can all agree that Dave is the one person who needs our support.

Anyone that supports a minimum of $10 will get a set of five KDP interiors. Just message me with the invoice that you donated. Even if you don't donate, I'll give them to you regardless. I only ask that you give me a couple of weeks to make them.

Dave Cadoff GoFundMehttps://www.gofundme.com/f/dave-cadoff-heart-surgery-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet