Founding a successful clothing brand used to be the theme of many daydreams – but today, thanks to POD and social media, it’s easier than ever to create and grow your line while making a decent profit.
Behind every iconic fashion brand is an inspirational origin story. Today, we’re hearing that of Yağmur Demirtas, a successful POD newcomer from Türkiye.
In just over one year, she’s created a successful Etsy store and recently launched her own premium clothing brand, which is attracting attention on TikTok.
After hearing about the talented entrepreneur through her Printify Success Manager, we knew we had to interview Yağmur to learn more about her business and how she plans to scale it worldwide.
Yağmur, could you tell us a little about your background?
“I’m from Türkiye and graduated from college last year. I became interested in personal fashion brands during my studies, which led me toward digital marketing.
Eventually, I did some training and ended up doing an internship for a German business. I also started a part-time job working for a textile company, and they were selling products on Etsy.
After learning more about the platform, I decided that I wanted to open an Etsy store myself and become an eCommerce entrepreneur.
That’s when I began focusing on building my own products and brand. Once I discovered Print on Demand, I quickly opened an Etsy store and have been in business since December 2022.”
And you quickly decided to become a full-time entrepreneur?
“Yes. Initially, when I started selling on Etsy, I only aimed to create a successful side hustle.
However, I rapidly began making more money from my online store than at my regular job.
Once I realized that I could make the same money on Etsy in two hours versus seven hours of regular work, I decided to quit and put all my energy into scaling my side hustle into something much bigger.”
What do you think contributed to your success?
“Because I’m a digital marketer at heart, my first instinct was to think analytically and search for trending products, not items that I necessarily liked myself.
Although I still believe this is a good approach, I quickly learned that I didn’t enjoy it and decided to focus on products I would love creating – clothing and fashion.
Today, I only create and sell things that reflect my personality and that I would actually wear myself. I think that decision was the key to my success as I decided not to copy what everyone else was doing but to find my own way.”
You have your own Printify success manager – how has she helped improve your business?
“I met my Success Manager, Candan, around two weeks ago in Istanbul, and we had a lovely chat.
One of the main challenges when running an online business is working completely alone.
Although it might sound like a dream to some people, it definitely has its disadvantages. You aren’t able to get advice from anyone and don’t have a way to share your concerns or problems.
Candan is more experienced than me. She offers a new perspective and knows all of the data. After I met her, I was really happy because I was beginning to feel overwhelmed uploading products, trying to create a unique brand, and all of the other tasks necessary to run an online business.
Now, I can text Candan whenever I have a problem, and I’ve seen how I could end up as part of a community of entrepreneurs in Türkiye – I’m much more motivated and excited.”
What difficulties did you encounter selling POD on Etsy as a newcomer?
“In marketing, you’re always told to think like your customer. That’s really easy for me because I only create items I would like to own myself, so in effect, I’m my own ideal customer.
I realized this concept pretty quickly, and it helped to take away a lot of the early challenges of knowing what to sell.
However, one of my biggest hurdles was overcoming bad reviews and rude customers. Although I knew this was part of having my own business, I would get really emotional and even cry if someone didn’t like my products.
Today, I’ve learned to be more professional, and I can handle those kinds of things a lot better. I’m now at peace with the idea that not everyone will love what I create and that any kind of feedback is useful and can help me improve.”
Do you have any customer service tips for beginners?
“I try to use my judgment, as there will always be a small element of people who try to take advantage of me.
If someone genuinely doesn’t like the fit or materials of an item, I’ll start by offering a big discount on something else or even offer a full refund.
If a person is rude or aggressive, I don’t think it’s possible to make them happy, no matter how hard I try. In those scenarios, I’ll simply allow them to leave a bad review and respond to it professionally so that future customers can see the interaction.
With all of that being said, I’m really happy with the quality of Printify’s products and the service in general. Printify live chat even gave me advice on what to say to frustrated customers when I was starting out, and they have always been there to solve my problems.”
How about selecting the right niche?
“I know everyone says that the most important thing about Print on Demand is finding the right niche, but it’s actually true.
Don’t focus so much on specific products, but instead, try to select a niche that you really understand and create products that are relatable to the audience.
I’d also say that you shouldn’t get too caught up in what other people are doing on Etsy. Instead, try to get inspired by broader trends or themes from art, movies, or literature, for example.
SEO and competitor analysis are important, but don’t make it your sole focus.”
Do you have any specific marketing advice or tricks that helped you stand out?
“One trick I like to use is to take what other stores are doing and upgrade it.
So, for example, I would find five brands or stores that I liked and analyze what they had missed in terms of marketing. I noticed that many stores weren’t using videos for their products, so I added them to all of my listings.
Next, I discovered many were not responding to reviews, so I made sure to reply to every customer.
Photos and mockups can be another great way to market yourself and stay ahead of the competition.
People want to see how clothing fits, so I made sure to use my own photos of real products, and I even modeled some of them myself. None of these ideas involve reinventing the wheel, but they all help you create a good eCommerce store.”
Although your main focus is Etsy, we’ve heard you have plans to launch your own clothing brand
“Yes, my ultimate goal is to have my own fashion brand, and I’ve already begun marketing on TikTok, which is going well. I’ve even sold a few products on my Shopify website.
When it comes to creating a clothing brand, I try to make my products more premium and recognizable, so I’m focusing on details like customizable neck labels and branded packaging inserts.
For now, though, I’m using Etsy to find out what is selling and to discover more about my audience and what they like.
My Success Manager, Candan, has helped with this process a great deal, encouraging me to upload items in more categories and to test different products. Overall, I’m simply trying to take my time and enjoy the process.”
As a seller based in Türkiye, how has Printify helped you scale your business?
“Most businesses start local and dream of going international, whereas Print on Demand allows you to sell worldwide instantly.
In my case, I simply wouldn’t be able to ship items myself from Türkiye to the rest of the world without Printify.
Printify allows me to have my clothing printed and sent from the closest location to the customer. If they’re in the United States, which 85%-90% of my customers are, it massively cuts shipping times, reduces the carbon footprint, and generally makes me look more professional.
Effectively, I can run a business from Türkiye but operate as if I’m based in the US. It’s a really nice situation and a pretty amazing business model.”
What common myths do you hear about POD?
“I would say a lot of people think that Print on Demand is the same as dropshipping.
Although it essentially works the same way, I think it’s important to want to create something bigger than a simple eCommerce business.
Print on Demand is definitely a scalable business idea – unlike dropshipping, which can be very short-term. POD requires vision and a long-term mindset.”
What’s been the best thing about running a POD business?
“The biggest blessings for me are being financially free and being able to work on something that I am passionate about.
I could probably focus more on sales and profits, but I don’t think I would be as proud of myself.
Honestly, I get so emotional whenever I have a pivotal moment with my business. One time, I saw a TikTok influencer with a lot of followers post something about one of my products.
I’ve also had a customer from the US message me to tell me that she loves my designs and wants to help me promote them as much as she can.
It’s amazing and exciting to me to know that people all around the world are wearing my designs and love what I’m doing.”
