Make $6,435 Per Month Selling Minimalist Maps 

It is hard to get started, and it usually takes about a year to see some real traction. But it is most certainly doable. There’s nothing special about successful shops other than consistency and quality products. So if you really do see this as something you could do long term, then don’t let some setbacks discourage you 🙂

@@SantiHustle 👍Thanks for the encouragement!

Offline is easier... unless you scale waaaay up.

"I think there are more 'how to make money videos' than decent sales." Nailed it. 100%. Otherwise these people would spend their time making sales, instead of letting others in on their niche market opportunity and creating competition for themselves.

@@simonak9699 hey there! I’m involved in every business I share on this channel. The reason I create these videos is to share what I’ve learned with others just like others shared their knowledge with me when I was starting out. It’s a win win for all and it actually feels great to do my part to help the next person get started. I do appreciate your feedback though 🙂

Thank you! Absolutely, I'm working on it! Welcome to the channel!

@@SantiHustle Great videos, Subbed did you ever make the mockup video ?

@@24Rideon I took way too long to make it but it's coming up this week! Stay tuned 🙂

@@SantiHustle Thank you, looking forward

Thank you! I’m really glad you found it helpful! 🙂

Thank you! Glad you liked it! 🙂

Thank you for that 😊

Thank you! 🙂

Welcome to the channel! 😃

Thank you! Welcome to the channel! 🙂

Thank you and welcome to the channel! 😃

I’m working on a video about just that! I’ll let you know as soon as I upload it 🙂

Vectors

It’s worth it! Keep it up and best of luck! 😃

Thank you for watching! 🙂

Thank you! Welcome to the channel 🙂

Thank you! 🙂

Thank you so much! Welcome to the channel 🙂

Thank you! I’m glad you found it useful! As for your question, absolutely! You can try Photopea which is very similar to Photoshop and completely free to use. Good luck!

Thank you! 🙂

Where do you get your satellite images from?

@@StuartGill-UWTSD I just use Google Maps and take a screen capture, then edit as needed. There are other places that you can get higher quality satellite images from but I don't remember what any of those sites are- I've just never needed any high resolution stuff since I most always rebuild the features I need in photoshop (mainly for sports fields, parking lots and things like that which don't show up on snazzymaps)

@@sannyassi73 Thanks for the answer. I'm a Cartographer btw, but was just curious where you get yours from. You're actually breaking Google's policy by doing it that way. OpenStreetmap is great for getting map data, and also adding your own information from satellite imagery too.

Absolutely! I’ll be covering both those topics in future videos 🙂

I bought a map of the neighborhood we live in...already in a frame! Bought it from a local farmers market about 3 years ago. I love them.

Hey there! There are many successful businesses that started less than a year ago and are already profitable. In fact, the examples I showed in the video are less than two years old. It seems to me that in the example you are describing, they made a huge investment upfront before the business was even profitable. It's probably better to just get started, and then focus on scaling once the business is already growing. I do appreciate your feedback though. 🙂

Apples aren't Oranges.

Anytime 🙂

Hi! Thank you! I will probably make another video on the topic in the upcoming weeks! I’ll make sure to let you know as soon as I post it! 🙂

@@SantiHustle I sincerely look forward to the video. In the meantime I will try to figure out how to use photoshop and illustrator. Hopefully I might be able to figure it out and bring myself up to speed with these products. Thank you so much as your channel is a great help to a novice like me.

You use cmyk if you want to design for print media and rgb if you're designing for screens/web

@@hashemisiwaju9583 Thank you for your reply. So does that mean I have to save the design on two different art boards. CMYK to send to the printers and RGB so to display on website and social media?

@@RahulSharma-mo1krIt is best practice to check directly with the printer that you will be sending the files to. Some specifically specify what they want. One I use for a certain type of printed product wants CYMK, and another states that they want you just to send it as RGB and they will take care of the rest the way they want it.

Hey! Welcome to the channel! Absolutely, over the course of the next couple of videos i will go over how to set up a shop from the ground up. It is ideal to have a clear and well defined niche when selling on almost any platform. You want to be the "go to" place to get a specific kind of product. But you can definitely diversify within the niche and sell maps as printable posters, or maps on shirts, shower curtains, mouse pads... you name it. In the video I showed an example of a shop that sells printable maps but also printable constellations. So there is some room there to diversify to other somewhat related topics. I wouldn't recommend selling maps and animal stickers on the same shop though! Hope it helps! Saludos! 😉

Hi, because the end product is radically transformative with respect to the source material, and considering that, in the end, there is practically no trace of said source material, and specially considering that facts such as the layout of any given city is not copyrightable information, I believe the process I showed in the video falls under the Fair Use doctrine. However, consulting with a copyright expert to clear any doubts is always wise 🙂

@@SantiHustle I sell on Etsy and see stores right and left closed all the time. Only wanted to comment that the Google info is very clear about using their google maps . Another thing is that if they do not go after the products used with their maps on sale on Etsy or on Amazon and the likes but if they do and they rise a copyright issue Etsy does not argue, and less with Google or another big company. They just close the shop. It does not matter if you have 100 maps for sale or 10.000, and I can tell buy reading seller's comments that went to that experience that it is really a devastating one , specially of you have hundred or thousands of items for sale and your revenue stream dries up suddenly. I think using Open maps is the safe route to go.

@SantiHustle Since only the styles featured on snazzymaps are licensed under CC and the base material from Google Maps is not, I doubt your point. The layout of a city may not copyrightable, but the technical or graphic realization of said layout sure is.

@@norbertpautner377 correct, but the graphic realization is based on the styles licensed under CC and is further transformed in photoshop later on to the point where even the style itself becomes unrecognizable. At the end, really no data from the source remains; only the factual layout of the city. These are by no means screenshots. Wouldn’t you agree?

@@SantiHustle Do note that companies put traps in their maps to catch copycats.

Thank you so much! I'm glad it was helpful!

Thank you 😃

That’s actually an interesting topic for debate because many successful stores became successful in an overly saturated market. Competitive markets simply prove there’s high demand for such products, which could be an advantage when starting from scratch.

@@MayurWCAM3 that’s a great question. The very best alternative is to have a vectorized map. That way you’ll never get a pixelated result. Converting a flat image to a smart object simply allows you some flexibility when enlarging it or shrinking it, but the end result will never be as high quality as a vector map. Right this moment I’m editing a new video precisely on how to create awesome high quality vectorized maps. I’ll be uploading it this Thursday so stay tuned! Hopefully it will help you achieve the best results possible. I’ll send you a notification when it’s up 🤓

Hey there! The new video on vectorized maps is now live! Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1CAKnmgJlSE.html Using this method you can create much larger maps without worrying about them becoming pixelated or loosing quality. Please let me know if it helps and if you have any questions 🙂

Thank you! 🙂

I personally get the coordinates from google maps. When you click on any given place, it will display the exact coordinates on the bottom side of the screen. Hope that helps!

That’s a great question! I used to do that a lot in architecture school. The best way is to have a vectorized file (dwg or ai) The process I described in the video won’t work for tracing because the end product is an image. I was thinking of creating an updated version of this video explaining how to create vector maps. So let me know if that would be useful for you and I’ll get to work on it asap. 🙂

The lamp itself is just a random tripod lamp I picked up on a local store a while back. The bulb is a Philips 693 Bluetooth retro bulb 🙂

😃 thank you and good luck!

Hi there, I believe the methods showed in the video fall under the fair use doctrine here in the US, given that n1: the nature of the copyrighted work is factual, n2: the amount or portion of the work used is small or insignificant, n3: the effect on the potential market for the copyright owner is non existent, and n4: the end result is highly transformative with respect to the source. I hope this helps shed some light on the matter. However it is always wise to consult a copyright expert to clear any doubts. I do appreciate your comment 🙂

Yeah that could be trouble!!!! He might not know to make stuff work like that!!!!

Remember to download the map using the highest resolution possible and then convert it to a Smart Object using Photoshop or Photopea (free alternative) before further enlarging it 🙂

I already do that but images are still not sharp

Hey there! Styles are licensed under a Creative Commons license and are free to use commercially. The maps themselves are copyrighted, but because the process described in the video involves radically transforming the maps to the point where all that’s left is factual data, then the final result I believe falls under Fair Use doctrine. However it is always wise to consult with a copyright expert to clear any doubts 🙂

Maps of Google are not free to use in a commercial business. Are you sure?@@SantiHustle

Yes! I’m uploading another video this week on the topic so stay tuned! I’ll show how to create unlimited maps for free 🤓

Hi! I will definitely be uploading a dedicated video on that topic so I’ll make sure to let you know as soon as I upload it!

Hi! Thank you so much for the feedback! Remember you can always pause and rewind the video to get a better grip on each step of the process. 🙂 However, I’ll make sure to upload a slower pace version in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again!

For me I find just following along and doing the same steps, pausing when needed, or even reminding back to rehear things helps. Give it a go, and don't worry about how many times you have to pause, or rewind, and try on your own. Eventually it all comes together.

Another option is to select the RU-vid gear icon and change the Speed option to a slower speed.

Hey there! Remember you can always watch the video at a lower speed. That's particularly useful when watching tutorials.

Hi! Welcome to the channel! The maps are, in deed, your own work since you have to edit and customize them to some extent, and you wouldn't be selling just the map but an actual poster with other components as well. All maps being sold on Etsy obtain the topographic data from some source, so you should be completely fine! Good luck with your shop!

@@SantiHustlethat’s something that has always confused me: where is the original basemap that creators use for their maps mentioned? Are those basemaps open source? Are they covered by creative common licenses?

@@WinterEdition Hi Marie! The maps are sourced from Google Maps but are distributed on SnazzyMaps under a creative commons license, which means you can customize them and commercialize them any way you want. Hope this helps!

@@SantiHustle thank you!

@@SantiHustle Only the styles are distributed on SnazzyMaps under a creative commons license.

Hi there! Sure! Its "My Name" by Swif7 🙂

@@SantiHustle thank you so much! I appreciate it

Hi, sorry for the delayed response! You just need to play with the linetypes and lineweight to calibrate the exact aesthetics you are looking for.

Another way that popped in my mind would be a composition of several images, this will not only let you fit more stuff but also increase the resolution.

Thank you! That's a good point about the fonts.

😃 welcome to the channel!

@@sky-sy4qn you’re welcome!

The maps are distributed under a Creative Commons license, which means “you can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.” You can check the license terms at the bottom of the landing page. I hope this clears it.

@@SantiHustle ok, thanks, it looked like only the styles were subject to the license, while the map data itself was under Google's terms, that's why I was confused.

@@SantiHustle If you look closely it says that 'the styles' are free to use (aka the settings of the colors and such). It says nothing about the maps. Google maps is copyrighted and I'd bet good money that google would never give them permission to give out their copyrighted maps under a copyright-free creative commons licence. @DaedalusYoung I'm pretty sure you are correct. :) I'm also thinking about it because probably everyone on etsy is doing it but honestly, I don't think even a teeny tiny chance of getting a lawsuit against google is worth the try. And unfortunately 'but a youtuber said it was ok to do' won't protect me in court haha.

Also something else to note is that any map you create or customize from the explore styles has to be saved if you want to download and use it which means everyone else will see your creations and can use them.

@@harleyqt6488 correct, that’s why the more customization you can add on post production with Photoshop or Photopea, the better!

Thank you! And you’re right, I’ll fix that 🙂

Not everywhere though. In German speaking countries it is usually the other way around. ie . for thousands (Euro/Dollar) and , for fractions (Cents) .

that's exactly what i said @@RastiGan - maybe my english was a bit convoluted ;)

Thank you! 🙈 Zara

Yes! 🙂

Absolutely you can use Canva for things like text and graphics, but when it comes to upsizing the map I would use Photopea which is a free alternative to Photoshop.

😂 I was planning on showing a map of Thun or Interlaken and ended up navigating over Bern. Forgot to update the script 🙈 point taken! 🇨🇭🍻

Hi, the license terms are at the bottom of the landing page. The maps are distributed under a Creative Commons license. You can freely use the maps even for commercial purposes. It would be illogical to freely distribute the “styles” but not the underlying map. These are not styles that you can apply to anything else other than these maps. I hope this clears it. 🙂

@@SantiHustle I know it seems illogical, but it says "All styles are licensed under creative commons and are completely free to use." at the bottom of the landing page, and that's what they mean. They can't give anyone permission to use the underlying maps under CC0 because google owns it. Google only allows websites to embed their data and that is what snazzymaps is doing. Snazzymaps service is to provide styles so that if someone legally, how google intends to, embeds google maps data into their website, they can do so with a cool colourful style. And those styles are under CC0. I mean, I wonder if someone could even legally copyright the specific style of a map (but some companies even try to hold copyright to a single colour or sth so it definitely could be a thing), but it's still a good idea to inform both users of the platform that create styles, and users who use those styles on their website, that those styles can be used under CC0.

@@SantiHustle​​⁠No… you really need to read what it actually says, not what you think it says; ”all *styles* are licensed under creative commons and are free to use”. It says nothing about the map data … because that is something they can’t give to you. They use Google Maps that explicitly prohibits the kind of use suggested. However … you can use e.g. OpenStreetMap data, which is just as styliseable - it just … takes a bit more effort.

@@SayuriYaki You are correct. . Santi Hustle is not in this case. Even if that website said the maps can be used commercially (they only say styles for a reason) you would need the permission of the map owner that in this case is Google.

I think the OP is right. I’ve read the terms of use and it does specifically say the styles are free to use. It then goes on to explain how they can be used in a JSON file or other ways on your website. This really does seem to point to the fact that the styles are for use and not the maps themselves. It is strange though, but if the big G has the copyright of the underlying map then that’s the way it is. If the image is changed significantly for artistic purposes then is there still a copyright issue? Like taking a photo of a statue. You could sell that and not get hit with copyright lawsuits; couldn’t you? If you know then please pass on that knowledge.

Hi! you can download 10 maps per day. In a months' worth of work you can upload 300 completely different maps to your store, which is not bad! On top of that, you can create variations of each using photoshop as I showed in the video. So you can potentially create thousands of listings per month. Hope that helps!

Details?

@@royalcalendars UK shipping only, are u in the UK?

Not really… lots of people know about this business but not all have the consistency and commitment to start and see it through. I’d say that’s the biggest obstacle 🙂

In the video description 🙂

You are adding value by radically transforming and improving the aesthetics of the map, and you are also selling a ready to hang POD product. If you add personalization options like the ones I showed in the video you add even more value 🙂

I’m getting so much heat because of this 😂 I was planning to show a map of Interlaken but ended up going for Bern and forgot to update the script. Point taken! But it was an honest mistake 😅

😅 you’re right! I’ll fix that.

Hi! That's why it is always advisable to enlarge the image by converting it to a smart object using the process I showed in the video. This way you avoid loosing image quality as you enlarge it.

Still@@SantiHustle

You are absolutely right! I visited two years ago and loved it! I was actually thinking of showing a map of Thun or Interlaken but ended up choosing Bern and forgot to update the script! 😅

You’re right! I’ll fix it! 😅

In general saturated markets mean there's high demand for such products. But it also means there is a lot of low quality supply. All that's required is quality and consistency to get a reasonable share of the market 🙂

whilst i agree with you its hard to appear on search results with so much competition. Unless you drastically undercut other shops prices @@SantiHustle

😅 point taken! I’ll fix that comma!

@@SantiHustle I was just playing haha. A lot of great tips and info in this video. Thank you.

I showed a few examples of stores making thousands with this business. It all comes down to quality and consistency 🙂

Well... anyone can make anything really! And still people buy products and services that they could produce themselves if they had the time and resources to do it 🙂 Customers pay for convenience and quality. So if you can deliver a finished, quality product that's one click away, then you have a business 🙂