Starting an Online Store
Written by Travis Pietsch
A lot of freelance artists have online shops. Any of them will tell you that a store is a great way to make some passive income between projects, but there’s a lot of little things you need to take into account before you get started. Here are a few questions to help you get going.
What do you want to sell?
As an artist, there are a million options as to what you can sell. You can put your art on anything, from apparel to prints to skate decks, so it really comes down to personal preference. I started BadUtility because people were asking me to make prints, but I thought putting my work on physical items would be way cooler. I made stuff that I wanted to have and enjoyed the aesthetics of, and that’s really helped me stay passionate about the project.
Do you want to DIY?
The next thing you’ll need to figure out is whether you want to go through an e-commerce platform or do everything yourself. Using an e-commerce platform takes some of the grunt work out of running the shop, since they typically do all fulfillment and sourcing for you. However, this also means you can’t really do your own quality control on the product, and you may want to create a product that just isn’t possible on whatever platform you’re using. For example, I don’t think most fulfillment companies have the option to produce a deck of tarot cards. That’s why I ultimately chose to do it all myself. It’s more work for sure, but I think it’s worth it.
What’s the store called?
A lot of people want to start with this one, but I think it’s easier to do this once you’ve already answered the other two questions. Knowing what you’re selling and how you’re going to sell it is a great guide for choosing a name, instead of coming up with a name and then feeling like you need to stay within the boundaries that name sets for you. Run wild with your product ideas, get as creative as you can, and then come up with an all-encompassing name.
About Travis Pietsch:
Travis Pietsch is an illustrator and designer living in Orlando, FL. His hand-crafted style has enabled him to collaborate with clients such as Carhartt, Chronicle Books, JR Watkins, and USA TODAY.
