Christina Umerez’s side hustle replaced her day job in less than a year and now requires only 6 hours per week.
BY PAT FLYNN • OCT 4, 2023
Key Takeaways
- Christina Umerez used her extra time during the pandemic to create a side hustle selling custom pet portraits on Etsy.
- When the amount of orders she received became unmanageable, she converted to a print-on-demand shop, drastically reducing her workload.
- Within her first year, her profit increased from $300 to $12,000 a month, allowing her to leave her day job.
When Christina Umerez first began drawing pet portraits, she had no idea it would replace her day job and give her the freedom to work just six hours a week.
But that’s precisely what happened. Christina opened up a profitable Etsy shop through hard work and effective strategy, using a combo of print-on-demand, audience targeting, and specific market research.
Today, Christina’s shop generates passive income, requiring her to work only a few hours weekly for business maintenance and fresh designs.
She recently chatted with Pat Flynn on the Smart Passive Income podcast to share how she made it possible.
A pet passion project
Umerez had extra time on her hands when quarantine began, so she started researching side hustles to generate additional income while exploring a new creative outlet. This led to painting pet portraits for her friends. Eventually, the response was so positive that Umerez began selling custom prints on Etsy, the online shop for creative artists.
During the holiday season, Umerez had so many orders that she was overwhelmed and struggled to meet the escalating demand. She knew if she wanted to keep her new business afloat, she needed to pivot.
The print-on-demand solution
Umerez did her research and discovered print-on-demand, the process of outsourcing the printing and shipping of products through an external supplier.
She started implementing this system with her Etsy shop, allowing customers to print custom pet portraits on different products. Umerez immediately saw an increase in profits but still received more orders than she could fulfill. Then, she had an idea that changed everything.
