Are you looking at your life right now thinking, ‘There’s literally no way I could add one more thing’? Between back-to-school chaos, work, kids, laundry, and just trying to get everyone fed — starting a digital product shop on Etsy probably feels impossible. And listen… I get it. This summer has been one for the books for me too — stressful, busy, nonstop — so I know exactly what it feels like to be at capacity.
But here’s the thing… what if building passive income didn’t require massive blocks of time? What if it could actually fit into the cracks of your already packed day — like while waiting in the school pickup line or during nap time?
And for those of us secretly breathing a sigh of relief now that the kids are finally back in school… this is your chance to use those tiny windows of peace for something that could change your future.
In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to build a digital product shop even when you’re maxed out — and why it’s exactly those small chunks of time that make all the difference.
xo,
Jacqueline
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Hey, friend, welcome back!
Alright friend, let’s get real for a second. If you’ve been feeling like your life is one giant game of Tetris — cramming in back-to-school prep, work deadlines, activities, and just trying to keep the house semi-livable — I see you. Trust me, this summer has been one for the books for me too… chaotic, stressful, nonstop, and now we’re rolling right into a brand-new school year like it’s nothing.
So if you’ve been thinking, ‘There’s no way I could add one more thing to my plate,’ this episode is for you. Because building a digital product Etsy shop doesn’t have to be this massive, all-consuming project. In fact, I’m going to show you how to do it in tiny, doable chunks that actually fit into your real life — even if right now you’re at capacity. You don’t need hours of free time, you just need the right approach.
And before we get right into it – I want to invite you to join my FREE group on facebook where you can connect with other digital product Etsy sellers or even just those who are interested in learning even more about it who are thinking about dipping their toe into Etsy, we are all right there, me included in space where you can ask questions, get guidance, get support, and even my students from Etsy Profits PRO hang out in there so you can always ask them any questions you might have if you are interested in finally taking the leap into selling digital products on Etsy. You can join for FREE at jacqueline-butler.com/freegroup.
OK so lets get started and dive into it.
You’re already maxed out. Kids, laundry, meals, maybe a job. The thought of adding one more thing makes you want to throw your laptop out the window, right? And if you’re anything like me this summer—holy chaos. Between back-to-school prep, endless snacks, and my own stressful schedule, I get it. If you remember a few posts back, I mentioned that my son got sick this summer.. .this is something that we are still dealing with and if any of you are prayer warriors out there, I would really appreciate some thrown our way because its something that has taken up a lot of summer.
This one’s been one for the books, and honestly, sometimes just getting through the day feels like an Olympic sport.
And here’s the kicker—you already feel guilty. Guilty that you don’t have time for yourself, guilty you aren’t as present with your family as much as you want to be, guilty that you aren’t prioritizing the things you should, Guilty that you’re rushing bedtime stories. Guilty that starting a business feels like it would only pile on more.
But here’s what I want you to know—this isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing smarter. Building a digital product shop doesn’t require three-hour work blocks or some magical open calendar. It’s about micro-moments. Five minutes while the kids are playing independently. Ten minutes during soccer practice. The kind of tiny chunks of time you already have—and that add up faster than you think.
You don’t need six straight hours of peace and quiet to build a business. Honestly, if you’re a mom, you probably haven’t had six hours of silence since the hospital nursery. What you do have are tiny chunks of time—10 minutes here, 20 minutes there. And those add up.
Think about it: during your kid’s baseball practice, instead of scrolling TikTok and laughing at teenagers doing dances you’ll never learn, you upload one product to Etsy. That’s it. That one product could sell 50 times this year.
Soooo…. Instead of catching up on The Summer I Turned Pretty, you use that same hour to design something simple in Canva. Belly-flop over FOMO now, thank yourself later.
Instead of scrolling TikTok for “inspiration” and telling yourself it’s research, just take the damn action. Create the listing. Post the product. No one ever made money from thinking about doing it.
Ask your husband or partner to take the kids out for a daddy/kid date so you can have a couple of uninterrupted hours. You’re not being selfish—you’re building something that could actually help your whole family.
This is the compound effect. Small, consistent actions stack up. A product a week turns into 52 products in a year. And if each of those products sells—even a handful of times—you’ve built an income stream out of nothing more than micro-moments.
And here are a few productivity hacks that work for me that I think could work for you too…
I build my business during baseball practice. So, whether your baseball practice is actually gymnastics or karate or dance, Instead of scrolling TikTok or Insta while you sit in the bleachers, upload one product, refresh your SEO, or create a new listing, bring your laptop, connect to your hotspot and get to work.
If your kids are still napping, God bless you I miss those days – Nap time hustle, Instead of folding laundry immediately, use 20 minutes to knock out a mockup or batch product descriptions. The laundry can wait, I always do laundry during the chaos of my kids running around because this isn’t something that deserves your undivided attention.
Ad then theres the Prime-time trade-off: Instead of watching Netflix or Peacock, create new products for your shop. My hack is that I watch absolute mindless garbage television like everything on Bravo because I have it running in the background while I work on my computer. I haven’t watched a show that I have to actually WATCH in years. When people ask me for recommendations on new shows to watch I literally cannot contribute anything – but I am going to BravoCon this year – so if you’ll be there too, lets meet up!
Another thing I do is wake up early. I’m up at 5:30 at the latest because I give myself 2 solid hours to myself before my children wake up and refuse to let me get any work done. And if you can’t do that… then just try to wake up just 30 minutes earlier than anyone else in the house and use that quiet time to sip your coffee, brainstorm product ideas, draft titles, or research keywords.
Some other ideas I do –
Ask for a “daddy/kids date”: Hand over the reins for an afternoon and gift yourself 2–3 uninterrupted hours. That’s basically a whole week of “micro-moments” condensed.
Work while in the car line: Instead of scrolling on social media, Keep a notebook or Google Doc handy for brainstorming product ideas, SEO phrases, or outlines while waiting in the school pickup line.
Batch create – I LOVE batching my product ideas, try Batch-creating 3 products in one sitting, and then let them sell on autopilot.
Challenge yourself – Upload one product a night after kids go to bed. Just one. Before you sit down to read your book or if you just have to catch up on your shows… don’t let yourself do it until you list just ONE new product. Or whatever this challenge may look like to you… make it work in your life.
And some Mindset Shifts I want you to adopt too…
Scrolling isn’t strategy: Inspiration is great, but action builds income. Don’t get lost in Etsy hacks on social media—just pick one product idea and upload it.
Messy is greater than perfect: Use those 10 minutes to create something imperfect but listed. A “bad” product in your shop has more selling potential than the “perfect” one stuck in your head.
Compounding effect reminder: One product = potential 50 sales. Ten products = potential 500. Every small action multiplies.
So the reframe is this: it’s not about adding more to your plate. It’s about swapping low-value habits with high-value moves. Tiny actions today become big wins tomorrow.
Alright, let’s talk about what to actually focus on first — because if you’re anything like me when I started, your brain is buzzing with a hundred product ideas, a dozen color palettes, maybe even a fancy shop logo. And while that’s fun, it’s also the fastest way to stall out.
Here’s the truth: your first win isn’t 100 products or a perfect brand. Your first win is getting one listing up and live. Period. I promise, done is better than perfect.
And here’s where the magic happens — when you pick one product type and stick with it, you build momentum. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Use templates, use PLR (that’s private label rights products), use the resources already out there to shortcut the hard part. I give you over 1,200 pages of templates to work from that you can steal and list to sell in your shop in minutes inside of Etsy Profits PRO. If you wanted, you could literally just steal all of my products and start your shop, tweak to make it your own and boom. An Etsy shop that is literally done for you. So don’t let that hold you back – not when I am handing it all over to you.
So maybe your first product is a printable planner page. Or a Canva template. Or a digital wall art file. Whatever it is — pick ONE lane, focus, and just get it listed. Stop worrying about branding, stop stressing over your logo, and stop bouncing between ‘maybe I’ll do invitations… oh wait, digital journals… no wait, wedding signs.’ No. Pick one. Commit. That’s your first win.
Because once you’ve got that first listing live, the entire game changes. Suddenly you’re not ‘thinking about starting an Etsy shop’ — you have an Etsy shop. And that shift is massive.
Here’s the thing about digital products: once you make them, they don’t expire. They don’t spoil, they don’t need to be shipped, and they don’t demand you clock in every time someone makes a purchase. You create it once, and it can sell a hundred times over — without adding a single extra hour to your day.
That’s the beauty of this business model. Every tiny chunk of work you do now — during nap time, on your lunch break, while the pasta water is boiling — is building a permanent asset. And unlike most jobs, those assets don’t disappear when you clock out. They keep working for you.
And here’s where it gets really exciting: products multiply without multiplying your hours. If you create five products, you now have five separate streams that can sell all day, every day. Ten products? Ten streams. You’re no longer trading your time for money. You’re stacking up little income engines that keep running while you’re doing school drop-off, watching Netflix, or on vacation.
This is also how you build confidence. Because your first listing? That’s proof you can do it. Your first sale? That’s proof it works. And once you’ve seen it work once, your brain goes, “Oh… I can actually do this.” From there, momentum kicks in.
And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone. I’ve helped hundreds of moms just like you take that first step and keep going until they built shops that bring in consistent income — without burning out, without sacrificing family, and without needing to master every single skill at once.
So if you’ve been wondering if this is really possible for you, let me reassure you: it is. Not because you’ll magically find extra hours in the day, but because this business is designed to work in the cracks of your life, while giving back exponentially more freedom over time.
So if you are ready to fast track your success, if you are done piece mealing together all of this free information from podcasts and youtube videos and saved social media posts you never go back to… I’m inviting you to join Etsy Profits PRO where I will teach you step by step holding your hand the entire way and will be there for you in a supportive coaching community to answer any questions you have along the way. Head to jacqueline-butler.com/etsyprofitspro to get started right now.
Alright my loves , thats a wrap on this post and I will catch you in the next one.
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