Five Reasons To Start Your Sticker Business Right Now

Photo of author
Written By Sam Davis Ph.D.

Sticker Crypt is the internet's premier source of free advice for artists and small business owners! 

Starting a sticker business can be a fun and exciting adventure. You will be your own boss with the freedom to set your prices, work hours and even choose where to live. It's a great opportunity for those with entrepreneurial spirits. This article presents five reasons you should start a sticker business. If you are looking for more information on how to start a business, here's the place to start!

Starting a sticker business is great for creativity

Stickers are small, bite sized statements. They promote your brand and can be placed almost anywhere. For example, you could sell stickers with sayings such as “Be the type of person you want to meet” or “Smile today.” You can create unique messages that give people a reason to stop and share your message on their social media feed.

Because stickers are simple, you can find inspiration for them almost anywhere. Seeing poorly executed stickers on the back of someone's truck can be inspiration to do better. Stickers about current events are weird – but sell pretty well. Just think of the “Birdie” Bernie campaign sticker that blew up in 2016. Every progressive had one.

starting a sticker business

Starting a sticker business is cheap

Starting a restaurant requires tons of capital. But running your sticker business online takes next to nothing to start. You can get started for less than $100 and win the backing of customers all over the world. All you need is a few designs and some creative marketing, and you're off to the races.

Plus, because stickers are small and lay flat, they're easy to store. I see so many people on crafting discussion forums complaining about the amount of room they need to store their tumblers and t-shirts. Stickers just don't have that problem. A corkboard and some little backsets from the Dollar Store will give you everything you need if you want to be fancy. If you're keeping it simple, envelopes to store your stickers in will work just fine.

Your profit potential is big with stickers

Stickers are relatively cheap to produce but can sell but many times worth their production cost, especially if the design is super popular. A sticker that cost you $0.25 is sold for $4 or more at a craft fair; customized or personalized stickers (if you have the equipment to produce them) can be even higher priced.

Sticker business is much different than, say, a print on demand t-shirt business. You might be charged $15 per shirt and you're only able to sell them for $25 – not even doubling your money. If you're selling on Etsy, there are even more fees involved.

This also means that your customer service can be exceptional. It's easy to replace a product that was so cheap to produce. But replacing that t-shirt is going to come straight out of your wallet.

Scaling is as easy as starting a sticker business

When Christmas rolls around, you might find your designs in higher demand. Or, maybe you hit it big with one particular design. Lucky for you, stickers are easy to scale. You can order large quantities if you're outsource, or spend just a few hours at home to make a few hundred more of your favorite, best selling design.

When reviewing your pricing, make sure you account for the cost of each additional sticker you make. Don't buy too much, but make sure that when you're scaling, you're ordering enough products or materials to get some bulk discounts.

Flexibility in design and marketing strategy

Because stickers are simple, they lend themselves to niches really well. Maybe you start off selling political stickers. You love selling unofficial political jokes or campaign related stickers. But after the election season is over, what's left? You'll need to find something else. You can pivot immediately to a new niche.You can try selling stickers that are part of a set like “I love my best friend” or “Girl Power.”

You could even sell religious-themed stickers, especially if you make some really creative ones about your faith! Stickers are super flexible and small enough to be a good trial-and-error process. If it doesn't work, you're not out that much money. If it does work, you'll be just a little richer.

Marketing strategies also change. You may be selling political stickers online, and selling local pride stickers (#DaytonStrong) in gift shops for tourists. Stickers are flexible enough to account for these changes in marketing strategies. You can only sell dog food in so many places – but stickers? The possibilities are endless

Why do YOU want to start a sticker business?

The most important reason is the one that drives you. Do you want to turn your passion into a business? Do you love creating stickers and hope that other people will enjoy them as well? Are you just in need an extra $500 to cover the cost of some new kitchen tile and wallpaper for your bathroom? (Because we all know how expensive those things can be).

Sticker businesses are as unique as the stars in the sky. We hope this guide gave you a few reasons – or at least something to think about – as you begin your sticker journey. Got questions? Leave them in the comments below!

five reasons to start a sticker business right now

Want even more intel?

My upcoming book, "Bulletproof Marketing for Digital Artists" will have everything you want - and more - on digital art and building your digital business. Preorder today, and be the first to get your copy in January 2024!

Preorder Now