As a busy mom, I started an online T-shirt business expecting to make passive income. I lasted only 3 months.
Courtesy of Rachel Garlinghouse
- The allure of passive income hooked me, and I decided to start an online T-shirt business.
- The videos I'd watched online about the process grossly underestimated the time and work involved.
- Despite some initial success, the workload and stress outweighed the benefits, and I closed up shop.
In the summer of last year, a friend sent me a video she'd watched that explained how easy it was to set up an online business and make passive income. I was intrigued, and I soon went on a deep dive to find out more. I quickly came across several more videos and posts — all saying how easy it was to bring in a significant amount of extra cash by selling a designed product, such as journals, printable art, or T-shirts. I joined a few social media groups, reading through post after post, which all seemed to support the theory that this could be an easy way to make money. As a busy mom, I was intrigued. What I quickly learned is that passive income businesses actually involve a never-ending process that is anything but passive.
The passive income appeal hooked me
As a freelance writer, my income fluctuates a lot. I'm also a mom of four, and I'm forever running errands, doing chores, attending appointments, picking up or dropping off my kids, and helping at their schools. I also have a chronic autoimmune disease, which could make working a traditional job difficult. Having a full-time, 9-to-5 job simply isn't feasible for my life. Selling tees online seemed like the perfect side hustle.
I quickly learned how much work a passive income job is
Starting a new business, even one that boasts of being low-key, is incredibly time-consuming. I spent hours each day researching and working on my online T-shirt business. Some of the many tasks I took on included setting up a new bank account, figuring out taxes, designing the shirts (though I'll admit, this part was fun), researching SEO tips for product listings, ordering samples of the tees, and photographing products. I also had to determine product pricing that was both competitive and lucrative. I am not an accountant, photographer, or designer, so each new job I took on added hours upon hours of work to my already busy days.
Hiccups happened and left me scrambling
The passive income promo videos I watched drastically oversimplified how easy an online business can be. I spent day after day messaging with seller service representatives to work out issues with shipping, payment, design, and much more. I was stressed out almost all the time, desperate to do a great job and make my customers happy, while also trying to keep up with my family's needs and working as a freelance writer.
The business was moderately successful, but I couldn't maintain it
Before starting my online business, I already had a loyal and moderate social media following. The problem for me wasn't getting exposure and selling shirts. My struggle was all of the other tasks, such as products lost in the mail and constant website updates, that come with running an online business.
Several small issues became all-consuming. I sold some wonderful breast cancer awareness and racial equity tees that customers loved, with more designs in the works. Yet, there was nothing passive about getting the products made and sent to customers in a timely manner.
I had my online T-shirt business up and running for only about three months, bringing in a little under $1,000. Some may say I gave up too easily, especially since I had some success early on. But the videos I had watched promised that once everything was up and running, the business would be passive in both effort and income.
The truth is, the demands of selling tees online increased over time, and there was nothing hands-off about the experience. The business consumed my time and energy until I opted to close up shop. I'm both pleased and disappointed in my decision. I still have so many ideas for tees, but the lack of profit when compared to the workload simply doesn't make sense. My time is valuable, and this endeavor just wasn't worthwhile.