Turn your ideas into income
When Alina Bibisheva started doing Print on Demand in 2021, industry experts were quick to tell her she was “too late.” They said the market was saturated, and the golden opportunities had passed.
But Alina, having trained as an architect with a designer’s eye and a constant urge to keep learning, refused to accept that narrative.
Rather than seeing herself as behind the curve, she viewed her later start as an advantage – she could benefit from the knowledge already available in the market without making the same mistakes as early adopters.
Here’s her success story.
From architecture to print-on-demand entrepreneur
The transition from designing buildings to creating an online store might seem like a radical career shift, but for Alina Bibisheva, architecture provided the perfect training ground for entrepreneurship.
“Architecture was the best education in the world because it has all aspects of soft skills, hands-on strategy, design, engineering, and being able to learn new software quickly,” she says.
The foundation prepared her to handle the various roles required in her business without getting overwhelmed. “I need to be my own accountant, customer service representative, designer, SEO specialist, and then manage all the software. All of these were really easy for me because I had prior experience.”
Overcoming the too-late mindset
When researching business opportunities, Alina was discouraged from entering established markets.
“I started watching YouTube videos to get inspired on what business I should start. For as long as I can remember, no matter what platform you want to start on, people say it’s too late.”
Alina developed a different perspective, allowing her to move forward despite the negativity.
“I think there is never a single day when it’s too late. Even if it is late, you can still benefit from all the knowledge already there.”
This mindset is the key for anyone wondering how to make an extra $500 through an online business. Where some see barriers, entrepreneurs like Alina see doorways.
Finding the right mentors
Connecting with the right mentors early in her journey accelerated Alina’s progress.
“I came across these people called the Life Hacker Couple. There’s a pretty small group of us who all became pretty successful after joining their mentorship program. Other members include Cassiy Johnson, PassiveIncomeAngel, and JennyFromTheShop.” Alina says with pride.
Such a tight-knit community provides tactics and the confidence to keep going through the ups and downs POD entrepreneurs face.
Choosing consistency over speed
Alina approached Print on Demand with a long-term perspective rather than a get-rich-quick mindset.
“I knew from the beginning that it’s going to be more of a marathon than a sprint,” she says. “I had to do at least a little bit every single day. It was slow for me in the beginning. I started at the beginning of the year, and I saw real traction in Q4.”
When today’s work pays tomorrow’s bills
For Alina, the best mindset shift was recognizing the growth potential of POD businesses. Unlike her previous per-hour compensation, POD offered the opportunity to keep earning long after she closed her laptop.
“I was always paid per hour. But with POD, the earning potential was so much greater. I invested an hour today that keeps making me money in 2025. Some hours that I spent in 2021 still give me profits today.”
Navigating challenges as a traditional designer
While her architectural background gave Alina many advantages, it also presented unexpected obstacles. “I had my traditional design habits, and in architecture, you’re taught to create design purely from a creative standpoint, focusing on aesthetics or personal preference.”
POD required a different approach. “When I started doing POD, I realized that maybe that works in traditional design but doesn’t really apply here. Here, the customer is king, and you need to focus on demand – hence ‘Print on Demand.'”
Alina then shifted her approach from creator-centered to customer-centered. She found confidence in her work, knowing that her designs absolutely delighted buyers.
Picking the right platform for growth
Alina’s initial print-on-demand platform choice didn’t provide the profit margins she needed as a growing seller. “I realized that as a small seller, the profit margins were too slim to keep going. So I decided to give Printify a shot,” she explains.
Printify’s product migration assistance made the transition a lot easier. “There’s a beautiful program where Printify gave you a couple of engineers to transfer all your products,” Alina recalls. This drastically cut the time she would’ve spent on recreating every product in Printify.
Printify Choice slashed Alina’s workload by 80%
Once a seller starts getting more orders, operational efficiency becomes a top priority. But before switching to Printify Choice, fulfillment consumed hours of Alina’s time.
“I used to go into every single order and make sure mother-and-daughter outfits would be from the same Print Provider to avoid paying for two different shipments and ensure the items arrive together.”
The introduction of Printify Choice changed everything, and we can see why. “Since I switched to Printify Choice, I think I cut my processing time by 80% because I’m using it for almost all my products.”
Spending so much less time processing orders freed Alina to focus on business growth. “Printify Choice was a great decision for me.”
Printify Choice at a glance:
Printify Choice automatically selects the best Print Provider for each order based on:
– Pricing: We ensure you get the best price for each item with guaranteed flat rates.
– Premium quality: Only top-rated Providers are included in the network.
– Optimized shipping: Orders are fulfilled in the closest facility to customers for faster delivery.
– Consistent availability: Reduced risk of out-of-stock issues by using a network versus a single Provider.
– Quality Promise: All orders are backed by Printify’s quality guarantee with free replacements if they do not meet our standards.
There are currently over 30 best-selling products available through Printify Choice at unbeatable prices, including t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and totes.
The benefits of switching to Printify Choice
Alina found that Printify Choice gave her consistent quality and some great perks.
“It was a no-brainer. It has the lowest price on the platform, the fastest fulfillment time, and the best product selection, so you don’t have to monitor anything.”
After switching to Printify Choice, she saw no drop in customer happiness. “Using Printify Choice has given me more confidence to use the Print Providers Printify picks for me. My customers were just as satisfied with my products as before, if not even happier!”
Delighting customers with surprisingly fast shipping
One unexpected benefit of Printify Choice has been enhanced customer satisfaction due to faster shipping times. It can very well impact reviews and repeat business.
“Some people were shocked by how fast their orders shipped. They ordered Monday and got their products Thursday!” Alina shares. “I always underpromise and overdeliver. So they’re thrilled when their package arrives much earlier than the estimate I give.”
Good customer service has always been important to Alina. “I focus on stellar customer service. No matter what happens, I’ll do my best to keep my customers happy. Printify was helpful because they had my back, especially if anything unexpected happened like things getting lost in the mail.”
Boosting profits $1 at a time
Lower prices with Printify Choice help you reach your profit goals, whether that’s an extra $500 per month or even more.
“Printify Choice helped me a lot with my margins. Especially with sweatshirts, where it’s a $1 difference – that was big. If you sell 1,000 sweatshirts in a year, that’s $1,000 extra in your pocket. It’s that simple.”
These small per-item savings add up fast across hundreds of orders. Combined with the time savings from simpler order fulfillment, Alina’s business became more profitable without extra work.
Tips for new and existing POD sellers
Alina’s advice is simple for beginners wondering how to make an extra $500 a month with Print on Demand: skip the Print Provider research.
“If you’re just getting started, don’t become an expert in all the Print Providers. Just go straight to Printify Choice.“
And for experienced sellers? Alina suggests updating your existing listings to Printify Choice.
“Start with your absolute bestsellers,” she says. Changing your best products to Printify Choice first will save you money right away.”
Her recommendation: tackle your 10 most popular products first.
“Put a little time into switching your top 10 products. From there, just switch others as you have time.”
According to Alina, the best part is the long-term payoff.
Once you update a product, “it’s done forever.”
From first sale to $10K months, Alina’s Looks into the future
So, what’s really possible with Etsy POD in 2025? For Alina, $500 per month was just the beginning. In 2024 alone, she sold between $300k and $400k on Etsy, consistently hitting over $10k per month. And she wants others to know that it’s never too late.
“There are about 100 million buyers on Etsy looking for the next fresh design. When you know exactly what works and what doesn’t, and you have a clear plan with systems and processes, there’s no limit to what you can do.”
Now, after growing both her customer-facing shop and her digital mockup business, Alina created a course sharing the strategies that helped her succeed, aiming to support others in building the freedom-filled business they want.
“My business has given me the freedom to spend more time with my family,” she told us. “I’ve been able to live in five countries. I get to do work I really enjoy on my terms. And I want to help others have that same experience.”
And there’s plenty more ahead for Alina. Here’s to Alina’s continued success and all the entrepreneurs she’ll inspire along the way!
