I made this whole collage and then…

Back in 2021-2022, I was trying to start a small graphic design business. I found a niche on TikTok that I thought might work for me. Long story short, it was full of scammers and people taking advantage.

I went state by state, asking local fishermen to join in. They would send me a photo of themselves fishing, and I would use my iPad and Procreate to create each piece. It took hours upon hours of work, slowly building my audience along the way. Each person featured in my collage received a free die-cut sticker from me. Some people ordered more, while others completely ignored me.

Some people asked me to create logos for them, and that’s where the biggest scams happened. I’d spend hours on a logo, going back and forth multiple times, only to never get paid. They’d use the logo with my watermarks all over it. If I asked for payment upfront, they’d either ghost me or tell me a sob story about how they’d pay later if I just made it now. Wanting to be kind and helpful, I’d do it, only to be ripped off repeatedly. After getting scammed a third time, I stopped taking requests.

While making the collage, hundreds of people promised they’d order a copy once it was done. When I finished, I did a giveaway. The winner barely even thanked me and said nothing when they received it. I had invested not only my time but also my very limited money into this project.

After all that, I sold just one copy of the collage. Just one copy out of hundreds who swore they would order. This was before the TikTok Shop, so all sales were done through other apps. The experience left a bad taste in my mouth; selling online is almost impossible unless you pay heavily for advertising. Has anyone else had a similar experience? #SmallBusinessStruggles #FreelancerLife #LessonsLearned #ClientStories #OnlineSellingStruggles #SupportArtists