Rise Up Designs

Okay okay— can we talk about what just happened?? I woke up, opened my Etsy dashboard, and saw something that made me do a double take before the coffee even hit: FIVE SHIRTS SOLD. OVERNIGHT. Like, while I was literally asleep. 😴👕✨ Even better? They were two different designs —three of one, two of another. That’s not a fluke. That’s a flex. 🎉 This Was a High I Didn’t See Coming I just recently added print-on-demand (POD) to my shop. It was one of those quiet decisions like, “Let’s just test this and see what happens.” Spoiler alert: THIS happened. And it was magic. It reminded me that sometimes, the things we quietly create behind the scenes are the exact things people are out there looking for. ⚙️ But POD Has Rules... And You Gotta Follow Them If you’re using systems like  Printify , or any other POD platform—let me hit you with some tough love: The setup matters. A lot. They’re not hard to use, but they are specific. If you don’t follow the instructions o...

Let’s just go ahead and normalize this: You can be doing the thing, growing the business, shipping the orders, and STILL feel like you’re winging it half the time. Because that’s exactly where I am. I officially launched my Etsy shop on February 12, 2025 , and since then, it’s been a wild, wonderful, and occasionally wobbly ride. I’ve been: 📦 Making and shipping orders 💻 Blogging daily 🛒 Selling UV DTF wraps 👕 Launching print-on-demand tees … and still staring at my screen some days like: “Who gave me permission to be the CEO of this operation??” So here it is—my “still figuring it out” list —a collection of things I’m fumbling through and surviving anyway. 🌀 1. Etsy SEO (aka: The Algorithm Mystery Mansion) Search engine optimization is one of those things everyone swears is the key to success… but nobody can really explain how it works. One day I’m adding long-tail keywords like a boss, the next day I’m wondering if I should delete half my tags and start over. I know...

When I started selling on Etsy, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect: ✔️ Make cute things. ✔️ List them. ✔️ Watch the sales roll in. Yeah… not quite. 😂  Etsy has been an amazing experience so far, but it’s also been full of surprises—some good, some… character-building. Here are a few things I definitely didn’t expect when I opened my shop. 1️⃣ People Will Favorite Your Stuff… But Never Buy It At first, I thought a ton of favorites meant I was about to get a ton of sales.   NOPE. They favorite, they leave, and sometimes… they never come back. 📌 Me, seeing a new favorite: "Omg, they love it! They’re totally buying!" 📌 Me, two weeks later: "Hello?? Where did you go? COME BACK." What I’ve learned: Favorites don’t equal sales. But they DO mean someone liked your product enough to save it—so there’s still hope! 2️⃣ You’ll Spend More Time on SEO Than You Ever Thought Possible I used to think SEO ( search engine optimization ) was just...

Wow. One month into selling on Etsy, and let me tell you—it’s been a wild ride. I went into this thinking, "I’ll just list my products, and boom—sales!" Yeah… not quite. Turns out, Etsy is its own little world, and I’m still figuring it all out. So, if you’re thinking about starting an Etsy shop or are just curious about what this first month has been like, here are the biggest things I’ve learned so far. 1. Etsy is Not a “List It and They Will Come” Situation I naively thought if I put my tumblers up for sale, Etsy would just magically show them to the right people. 😂 Nope. Etsy is a search engine , meaning you have to help people find you by using the right keywords, updating listings, and staying active. It’s work. 💡 Lesson: I’ve been tweaking my listings, learning about SEO , and figuring out how to get my products in front of the right customers. (If you’re curious about Etsy SEO, check out this post where I break it down! ) 2. Your Dashboard is Your Bes...

Let’s be real—when I decided to start Rise Up Designs while working full-time, I thought: 💭 "I’ll just work on my business in my free time. How hard could it be?" 😂 Oh, past me… how adorably clueless you were. (SMH) Because here’s the truth: Balancing a full-time job AND a side business is HARD. Some days, I feel like a productivity queen, knocking out orders, scheduling posts, and managing my Etsy shop like a boss. And other days? I feel like I’m just surviving on caffeine and vibes. If you’re juggling both, you’re not alone. Here’s what I’ve learned about managing the chaos. 1. Time Management is a Myth (Kind Of) I used to think time management meant following a perfectly planned schedule where I worked on my business only during certain hours . HAHA. That's sooooo cute. The reality? Life doesn’t care about your perfectly planned schedule. Some days, I have time and energy to get a ton done. Other days, I just want to eat snacks and stare at the wall. ...