Dave Kettner says, “See this mug right here? I don’t own it. I don’t inventory it. And yet, I make passive income from it, like clockwork, all the time.” Yep. He calls himself a “mug-preneur.” All he does is slap simple images on pre-made mugs, list ’em for sale online, and the orders come pouring in. It’s the easiest business model out there, he claims. But can you trust him? Read on.
I attended Dave’s “make money with mugs” workshop. He promises to reveal how to earn $11,453 per month even if you fail 98% of the time at this. But first, why mugs? Because there’s no inventory to manage. You don’t have to pay up front for them. Nor do you have to ship them yourself. They sell easily because they make such great gifts. You can stand out simply by changing the text to appeal to your target demographic. Last, great profits. You’ll pocket an average of $8.59 per sale.
So how do you come up with witty slogans for your mugs? Simple, says Dave. Just go to Amazon and see what’s already selling. Search “funny mugs for 40th birthday” or “mugs for new mothers” or whatever else. Look for ones with lots of positive reviews and higher price points. Those are your winners. Cool. What next? Design.
Dave uses a mobile app called Word Swag to help redesign these winning phrases. You just type in the text and it spits back a handful of unique designs. Pick the one you like best. Upload it to IconEcom, which is what Dave recommends for on-demand printing and inventory management. Pair it with a plain white coffee mug. Click a few buttons. Optimize the title and bullet points. Then push it over to Etsy or Amazon, where you’ll list it.
Now piggyback off of Amazon and Etsy’s existing traffic. How? Just stuff the keywords people are already searching for into listings. From there, it’s a numbers game. Fail fast, fail often. Upload a bunch of designs, cut the losers, double down on the winners, explains Dave. And to squeeze even more profit from your home run slogans, you can add them to other items like T-shirts and pillows, right there on IconEcom. Rinse, repeat.
Want Dave Kettner’s assistance? You’re in luck. He teamed up with Lurn CEO, Anik Singal, to create a click-by-click course called Printable Profits. The eight module masterclass will teach you everything you need to know to launch and grow your own mug slash swag business. You’ll also get access to the Printable Profits Private Community, where you can ask questions, get support, share wins, and collaborate with other like-minded internet entrepreneurs. The cost? Four easy payments of $397.
Should you invest? Your call. My main concern would be, is it legal to copy other people’s wording verbatim? And even if it is, is it ethical? I would feel slimy doing that. Also, it seems like sales would be really inconsistent. You’d sell lots of graduation mugs, for example, when school gets out. Or lots of best dad mugs around Father’s Day. And so on. But what about the rest of the year? Finally, if copying winning ideas is really that simple, won’t your winners get ripped off by other Printable Profits members? I’m just thinking out loud here.
