How to Start a Print on Demand Side Hustle for Fitness Businesses

Starting a print on demand side hustle for a fitness business or active-lifestyle organization takes under an hour of initial setup. You upload your logo, select three to five products from the catalog, set retail prices with your margin built in, and share the shop link with your community. The first orders come in without any ongoing marketing if your existing audience is engaged. This guide covers each setup step and the decisions that affect how much you earn in the first 30 days.

What You Need Before Starting a POD Side Hustle

Before opening your Bear Grips Pro Shops account, have these ready:

• Your logo or design file: PNG at 300 DPI minimum with a transparent background, or a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS). If you only have a low-resolution logo from an old file, run it through an AI upscaling tool before uploading. The quality of the print is directly tied to the quality of the uploaded file.
• Your existing audience: A list of member emails, a group chat, a social media following, or a class announcement channel. You need a way to tell your community that the shop is live. Without this, setup is pointless.
• A pricing sense: Know what your community expects to pay for branded apparel. Gym members typically expect $28-35 for a tee, $45-60 for a sweatshirt, $38-45 for a hat. Pricing outside this range reduces buy rate.

Step 1: Create Your Bear Grips Pro Shops Account

Go to shops.beargrips.com/signup and create your vendor account. The free plan gets you started with no monthly fee and three live products. VIP plans ($59/month self-service or $109/month done-for-you) unlock lower base prices and more product slots.

For most fitness businesses starting their POD side hustle, begin on the free plan. If the shop earns more than $100-150/month in margin, upgrade to VIP: the lower base prices will pay for the plan cost through improved margins.

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

Step 2: Upload Your Business Logo and Design

Upload your logo or design file through the shop builder:

• Supported formats: PNG (transparent background, 300 DPI+), SVG, AI, EPS
• The same design file is applied across all products in your shop. You do not need separate files for shirts vs hats vs sweatshirts.
• Use the mockup preview to check placement and scale before publishing
• A single logo upload covers your entire initial product lineup

If you want to offer multiple design options (a front logo and a back print, or a seasonal design alongside the main logo), upload each design separately and apply them to the relevant products.

For logo design guidance, see the logo design for apparel guide. The principles apply to all fitness business logos, not just running clubs.

Step 3: Choose Your Starting Product Lineup

Start with three products. Three gives members enough choice without creating decision paralysis. The recommended starting lineup for a fitness business POD side hustle:

1. Core shirt: Choose between a performance tee (Sport-Tek moisture-wicking) or a cotton tee (Bear Grips Airlume or Bella+Canvas) based on your community. Training clubs prefer performance. Social and casual communities prefer cotton or triblend.
2. Sweatshirt or hoodie: The highest-margin item for most fitness shops. Bear Grips Comfort Soft Hoodie (VIP base $36.88) or Perfect Soft Crewneck Sweatshirt (VIP base $34.88).
3. Hat: A mesh snapback or rope hat. Easy buy-in for members who want to represent but are not ready to commit to a shirt purchase. VIP base $25-30.

Add more products after the first 60 days when you have data on what members are actually buying. See the side hustle apparel ideas guide for more product selection frameworks.

Step 4: Set Pricing and Launch Your Shop

Pricing formula: base cost plus your desired margin equals retail price. Standard fitness community pricing:

Product	VIP Base	Typical Margin	Retail Price
Performance tee	$23.86	$10	$33.86
Cotton tee	$19.88	$10	$29.88
Crewneck sweatshirt	$34.88	$13	$47.88
Hoodie	$36.88	$13	$49.88
Mesh snapback hat	$25.88	$12	$37.88

Once prices are set and products are published, share the shop link. Send it in a personal message to your most engaged members first. Then post it in your group chat, email list, or class announcement. The personal message wave typically drives the first cluster of orders within hours.

See the custom shirt income guide for more on pricing strategy and margin optimization.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to set up a print on demand side hustle?

The initial setup takes 30-60 minutes: account creation, logo upload, three products added, prices set, shop link copied. Sharing the link with your community takes another 15 minutes. The first sale can happen the same day you launch if you share the link with an engaged audience.

Do I need design experience to start a POD side hustle?

No. If you have a business or club logo, that file is all you need. Upload it, apply it to products, and launch. If you do not have a logo, a simple text-based design with your business name in clean type is effective and requires no design skills. More elaborate designs can be added later.

Can I start a POD side hustle with no money upfront?

Yes. The Bear Grips Pro Shops free plan has no monthly fee and no upfront cost. You pay nothing until a member orders. The base cost of each item is deducted from the retail price the buyer pays. Your first month can be profitable from day one without any upfront investment.

What is the Done-For-You VIP option for busy fitness business owners?

The Done-For-You VIP plan ($109/month) means you send your logo once a month and Bear Grips Pro Shops builds everything else: picks the trending products, applies your design, creates front and back mockups, writes product descriptions, and sets optimal pricing. You get a live shop without doing any setup yourself. Best for gym owners and coaches with no time to manage a shop manually.