Anna is a graphic designer—or at least, that’s what she tells people. In reality, she spends most of her time buried in never-ending client revisions, answering emails that start with “Just one more tiny change” (which is never tiny), and wondering if she should’ve just become a barista instead. Like many creatives, she dreams of building a semi-passive income business that gives her more freedom and fewer 2 AM emails.
Her days are a constant cycle of deadlines, late-night design tweaks, and chasing down payments from clients who conveniently “forgot” to send them on time. She loves designing, but the reality of client work is exhausting. There are only so many hours in a day, and Anna is running out of them.
One evening, while doom-scrolling through Etsy at 2 AM (because who actually sleeps anymore?), Anna stumbles across something that catches her eye—people are selling editable templates for wedding invitations, business cards, party decor, and even fun bachelorette games.
And they’re making good money doing it.
Anna, being the exhausted but curious person she is, wonders: Could I do this too?
The Aha! Moment
Unlike her usual custom work, where she spends hours designing for a single client, this template thing is different. She could design something once and sell it repeatedly without constantly trading time for money. That’s when the idea of building a semi-passive income business really clicks. The concept of earning while she sleeps feels almost too good to be true.
She starts researching and stumbles upon Templett, a platform built specifically for editable templates. It allows customers to personalize designs easily, and best of all, it doesn’t require Anna to send files back and forth or make endless revisions.
This could actually work.
The Experiment
Anna signs up for Templett and plays around with the design tools. She quickly realizes two things:
It’s way easier than she expected (no Photoshop headaches, no complex file conversions).
She actually enjoys it.
Encouraged by this discovery, she starts designing wedding invitation templates and lists them on Etsy. The first week, nothing happens. She refreshes her shop page constantly, waiting for a sale notification that never comes.
Doubt starts creeping in. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all?
Then, one morning, she wakes up to an email: Congratulations, you made a sale!
She nearly spits out her coffee.
From Side Hustle to Game Changer
That first sale sparks something in her. She realizes that if one person bought her template, others might too. So, she creates more—business cards, baby shower invitations, party decorations.
Slowly but surely, the orders start coming in. Not a flood, but a steady trickle. Each sale means someone, somewhere, is using her designs. And the best part? She doesn’t have to customize each one herself.
This is what building a semi-passive income business looks like in action—small, consistent wins that build over time.
Over the next few months, her shop grows. What started as an experiment begins to feel like a real business. She tweaks her designs based on customer feedback, creates seasonal collections, and even experiments with higher-priced premium templates.
And then something incredible happens: her passive income surpasses the amount she was making from a single freelance client.
For the first time in years, Anna feels something she hasn’t felt in a long time—relief.
Now, Anna Has Options
Anna didn’t quit client work completely, but now she gets to choose her projects. She works less, earns more, and doesn’t have to stress over making rent if she decides to take a break.
She no longer dreads checking her inbox, knowing it won’t be filled with “tiny changes” that take hours to fix. Instead, she spends time creating new templates, brainstorming fresh ideas, and even taking weekends off (something that felt impossible before).
Building a semi-passive income business has given her the flexibility and freedom she craved. Now, she has the power to design her work—and her life—on her own terms.
What About You?
If you’re like Anna—tired of the never-ending custom work grind and wondering if there’s another way—maybe it’s time to try something new. Building a semi-passive income business doesn’t require quitting your job overnight or taking a huge risk. It just means designing smarter, not harder.
So, the next time you find yourself awake at 2 AM, scrolling through Etsy and thinking, There has to be a better way, remember Anna.
Your first template could change everything.
