Gold City Ventures Etsy Printables Course Review
Review of Gold City Ventures Course
After I interviewed an Etsy Shop owner on how to sell printables on Etsy, I was so intrigued by her success that I looked into her course, Gold City Ventures.
This course goes over her best practices for selling printables on Etsy.
As a mom, I’m always looking for work from home jobs that are flexible and pay well.
I love the idea of creating digital products, listing them on Etsy, and then having Etsy fulfill the orders without having to worry about shipping and handling.
After the initial work is done, it’s essentially a passive income stream!
I connected with a student of the course to hear her experience. I’m excited to share my interview with her below!
But first if you don’t know much about Gold City Ventures, here’s an in-depth look at what it offers…
if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you.
What is Gold City Ventures?
Gold City Ventures teaches you everything you need to know to successfully sell printables and digital downloads on Etsy.*
*If you haven’t gotten started on Etsy yet, you can get your first 40 listings for FREE here.
As a newbie to Etsy and printables, I like how the course breaks down all the essential components (like how to create printables, how to list on Etsy, how to market on Etsy etc.) so that it’s easy for beginners to understand.
It’s an online course so you can complete it when you can. I completed it in around 3-4 weeks.
Gold City Ventures was created by Julie Berninger and Cody Berman.
They’re personal finance bloggers and podcasters who have also had success selling Etsy printables.
Julie sells bachelorette party printables and has made over $1700 on just one of her designs. Cody makes Valentine’s Day printables and has sold over $800 in 1 week on Etsy.
Here are several success stories from students in the course.
If you’re curious about what the best-selling products are on Etsy:
Who is Gold City Ventures for?
Gold City Ventures printables course is for anyone who wants to make a passive income on Etsy.
You can be someone who has a full-time job, a stay-at-home parent, a student, a retiree etc.
Many seem to come to the course because they’re looking for more freedom and flexibility in their lives. With a side income, you have more options.
Just to confirm:
You DON’T have to be a graphic designer. You DON’T need to pay extra for graphic design software.
Gold City Ventures walks you through how to create printables from scratch using the FREE version of Canva.
The course even provides templates to save you time and give you some creative direction!
As long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort to go through the course and create the products, you’re a good fit for this course.
What does Gold City Ventures cover?
These are the text and video modules in the Gold City Ventures Etsy e-printables course:
- Modules 1-3: Idea generation and first steps
- Modules 4-5: How to create printables
- Modules 6-7: Making editable printables
- Modules 8-10: Listing your digital products
- Modules 11-13: Marketing and analytics
- Bonus 1-3: Selling off Etsy and more resources
In the bonus modules, there are 13 bonus lessons contributed by printables experts (including how to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers, use Shopify and sell on your own website).
There are also 12 templates for gift tags, calendars, habit trackers, greeting cards, and other products. It’s easy to make small adjustments to the templates to get your products up on Etsy quickly.
With the purchase, you get a 1 month membership to their VIP Facebook group with additional bonus training and access to Etsy printables experts.
In the FB group, they have weekly Wednesday lives where Etsy sellers share their latest tips and support each other in their progress.
In the FB group, all of the FB training videos have been archived onto a page including the ones about Etsy SEO and Pinterest so be sure to check these ones out!
eRank is an Etsy SEO tool that is highly recommend in this FB group!
eRank has a FREE version so you can try it out and see what it offers.
The paid version (Basic Plan) is often noted as worthwhile at $5.99/month!
Related: Here’s an in-depth review of eRank for Etsy including best practices and tips.
How much does Gold City Ventures cost?
The Gold City Ventures course costs $247. This price may have changed since this article was published.
If you go through this Gold City Ventures course link here, you’ll automatically get $50 off, making the course $197 instead.
If you do have any concerns, the course has a 7-day refund policy so you have nothing to lose.
Gold City Ventures Review
In this interview, Jennifer shares why she selected Gold City Ventures, the most valuable knowledge she gained in the course, and how long it took to make her money back from the course.
Her insights and thoughts are invaluable for anyone considering Gold City Ventures or selling printables on Etsy.
How did you get involved with making printables for Etsy?
I would call myself a self taught designer. I’ve always been interested in making pretty things and “functional art” since I was a kid. I’ve dabbled in painting, scrapbooking, furniture restoration, etc. Most recently I had a job with Sacramento County where I created all the marketing materials for our training classes.
When I found out about Etsy printables I figured I could get paid for what I kind of already do. Before I found Julie & Cody’s course, I had no idea printables were a thing!
Why did you select Gold City Ventures?
Around the time I found out about the Gold City Ventures course, I was looking for a side hustle I would enjoy (and potentially a way out of my day job). I registered for a couple other courses too- Pinterest VA and FB Ads (but none seemed to interest me as much as the printables).
I found out about Cody & Julie’s course through one of these other courses. They sent an email to their list plugging the course, so I checked it out.
What’s the most valuable knowledge or training you learned with Gold City Ventures?
Firstly, printables are a thing! I had no idea before I received that initial email advertising the course. During the course I would say the most valuable thing I learned was how it all works. I really appreciated the step-by-step approach of the course. Once I got my store off the ground, the marketing on Pinterest section was particularly helpful.
Is there anything you felt was missing or could be improved upon in the course to help you be a better Etsy printables shop owner?
Honestly, no. The course had all of the info I needed to get started and Cody & Julie have done a great job constantly updating the course ever since.
How long did it take you to make your money back from the Gold City Ventures course?
Not long. I paid $197 for the course in June, opened my shop August 1st and my total sales in August were $239.43. A little of that was eaten up by advertising but, I would say I definitely made my money back within 2 months.
How much money do you make monthly as an Etsy Shop owner?
My monthly profit is roughly around $1,500 each month. Some months are higher, some months are lower. My monthly sales (not profit) this year have ranged from $894-$3,448. My sole focus has been to deliver amazing customer service while getting my brand out there.
I’ve probably spent more than average on advertising in the past year to make that happen. I think how much you spend on your shop, and how much you make, is directly tied to your goals for your business.
I left my job with the County in March of this year to focus on my Etsy shop full time. Since it’s my full-time job and I’m really trying to build up my shop- I usually spend 4-6 hours per day (M-F). I’m a one woman show, so I handle everything with the business, from item creation to Etsy listings to Instagram and Pinterest. It keeps me busy. 🙂
What is your favorite part about working in printables on Etsy?
My favorite part is interacting with my customers. I love delivering a quality product at an affordable price and seeing their excitement! I’ve met some really great people on Etsy. I also love that I get to flex my creative muscles everyday and create. 😉
What is your biggest challenge as an Etsy Shop owner?
My biggest challenge is probably trying to do it all. I know I should be taking some of my profits and scaling my business but it’s hard. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and it would be really difficult for me to relinquish some control to outside help.
What is a typical day for you working on your Etsy printables business?
I try to break my day up into chunks so I don’t end up in front of the computer for 6 hours straight. I usually work in 90 minute blocks and focus on what needs to be done. I’ll try to post a few things on Etsy daily, create a few things, work on social media posts, etc.
My biggest focus right now is growing my shop, so posting and creating will take priority on any given day.
What are your top tips for being successful as an Etsy printables business owner?
Once you figure out the focus for your shop, research other shops similar to yours and see what they are doing. If they’ve been around for a while and have good sales, they are probably doing something right! That’s what I did when I first started and still do today.
For example, when I first started I had no idea what I should do for my listing images or what potential customers would want to know. I looked to a few successful wedding shops and discovered they answered questions in their listing images and had a computer image with a screenshot so customers could see how easy it is to edit. I loved those ideas and created my own version. Do not copy! But, look to other shops in your niche for inspiration.
Also, I think it’s important to stick with one focus until you get your shop built up. I opened my shop in August 2019 and could have easily done holiday printables but instead chose to focus on wedding stuff for a year. You don’t want your shop to appear too scattered to potential buyers.
Thanks, Jennifer for sharing your insights!
If you’re interested in Gold City Ventures:
If you’re interested in selling stickers on Etsy, check out my interview with this successful Etsy stickers seller.
If you’re interested in selling physical products on Etsy, check out my interview with another successful Etsy seller who was able to quit her job in 4 months. She’s making $1500-3000/week from her Etsy shop.
Interested in other work-from-home opportunities?
Here are additional work at home options that are well-paid:
- SEO Writer – earn $20,000+/month
- Virtual Assistant – make $100/hour
- Transcriptionist – earn more than $100,000/year
- Scopist (edit legal files) – earn $4000/month
- Pinterest Account Manager – make $30+/hour
- Online English Teacher – make $26/hour with Qkids
Related Work At Home Articles:
- 11 Work at Home Jobs that will give you flexibility and freedom
- 11 Effective Ways to Make $100 Fast
- Love Pinterest? Work from home as a Pinterest Assistant.
- Always catching typos? Work as a Proofreader.
- How to be a Podcast Producer
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