2022 Earnings Report

Welcome to the 2022 Earnings Report for Leveled Up Dads! In this post, I’ll be taking a closer look at the income generated from my Print On Demand (POD) and digital download side hustles in 2022.

I’m excited to share with you some of the progress I’ve made and the strategies I’ve used to achieve success. This report is intended to provide inspiration and actionable tips for anyone looking to start or grow their own side hustles.

So, let’s dive in and see how much I was able to earn in 2022!

2022 Earnings Sources

Etsy POD Shop 1 – This is my original Etsy Print On Demand store. I use Printful to manage POD orders while also selling and shipping stickers, magnets, and pins that I had manufactured through Sticker Mule.

Etsy POD Shop 2 – I started this Etsy shop in August, featuring some seasonal products. This store also uses Printful for POD fulfillment.

Etsy Digital Downloads – This is the Leveled Up Dads Etsy shop, which I launched in November.

Redbubble and Teepublic – Both of these shops feature some of the same designs as Etsy POD Shop 1.

KDP – I have a few low content books on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, a FreshRoast Coffee Roasting Journal and a Comic Con Journal.

2022 Earnings

2022 was my second full year working with POD. At the end of the year, I saw a profit of $1,302.60. Not too shabby for something I worked on sporadically throughout the year.

Overall, I saw a 324% increase in Gross Sales (from $1,188.03 to $5,041.90) and a 157% increase in Profit (from $506.38 to $1,302.60) when compared to 2021.

You can see the full year breakdown below.

Some things to note while looking at the earnings above. First, you might notice profit margins weren’t as high towards the end of the year. This is partly due to coupons that I created in my Etsy shop to promote purchases.

The second thing you might notice is that I made a large product purchase in November. I was starting to run low on a few items and bought some larger quantities to reduce my cost per item. I also wanted to purchase these in 2022, as I knew I would be earning a profit for the year, which ended up reducing any profits that I will have to pay tax on.

What Worked Well

Creating new designs, opening new shops, and providing excellent customer service worked really well for me in 2022 and had a big impact on my profit.

Getting better at keyword research was also a big plus for me. This helped me dial in some listings to increase views and conversions.

What Didn’t Work Well

Etsy ads and a lack of consistent effort.

If you look at the second image above, you can see what I was paying out for Etsy ads early in the year. I wanted to increase sales and reviews, but unfortunately Etsy ads didn’t help. It might be my niche though, so I don’t want to say that they don’t work for everyone. Just that they didn’t work for me.

One of the best things about POD is also one of the worst. It does not take consistent effort. You can create some listings and disappear and they’ll still do their thing. Unfortunately this year I had some significant effort gaps in the early to middle part of 2022. I still made a fair amount of sales but I’m kicking myself now for how many more I could have made.

2023 Plans

For 2023, my main goal is to be more consistent.

Outside of that, I plan to stay the course. Upload some new designs, maybe create a few new niche shops, then really focus on the Leveled Up Dads store. I want to create a lot more printable and downloadable digital files that can tie into the content here on the blog.

Conclusion

2022 was a successful year for me in terms of my Print On Demand and digital download side hustles. I was able to generate a significant amount of income and I’m excited to see what else I can do to increase the earnings.

Hopefully this report has provided some inspiration if you’re looking to start or grow your own side hustle. It does take time, effort, and patience to build a successful side hustle, but with the right strategies, mindset, and continued effort, it is possible.

I look forward to continuing to share my journey and helping others level up their lives.