Once upon a Zoom call too many, Mike — a mid-level project manager at a big-box corporation — stared at his screen and thought:
“There’s got to be more to life than muted meetings and spreadsheets I don’t care about.”
Mike wasn’t broke. He wasn’t lost. He was just… drained. The kind of burnout where even coffee stops working.
The Breaking Point?
His 4-year-old daughter drew a picture of their family.
Mike was a stick figure… with a laptop for a head.
Ouch.
So he started doodling again at night — something he hadn’t done since college. Nothing fancy, just cute characters, dad jokes, and the occasional sleepy coffee mug saying, “I tried.”
He posted a few designs on a platform.
He called the shop “StickerDad.”
He made his first sale two days later: $3.70 profit.
“Not even enough for a latte,” he laughed.
But it felt different. Real. Like someone saw his work and thought, “I want that.”
The Hustle Phase
Mike didn’t quit right away.
He built slowly:
– Spent weekends learning Canva and Procreate
– Posted time-lapse videos on TikTok
– Took customer feedback seriously
– Made “Thank You” notes with tiny dad jokes inside every order
Sales started trickling in… then streaming.
Within 9 months, Mike was making $9,000 a month from stickers.
His bestsellers? “Emotionally Exhausted” laptops and “Done Is Better Than Perfect” checklists.
The Leap
The day he handed in his resignation letter, he cried.
Not out of fear — but relief.
Now, Mike works from his cozy home office (half sticker factory, half snack zone) and picks his daughter up from school every day.
She proudly tells everyone:
“My dad makes the best stickers in the world.”
Want to Try It? Here’s Mike’s Advice:
– Start before you’re ready — Done is better than perfect
– Pick something small and repeatable — Stickers, printables, templates
– Don’t ignore platforms like anything you know of!
– Be kind to your customers — Every message matters
– Give it time — Overnight success? Try 6–12 months of consistent effort