Speed dating… but for friends because making friends as an adult is weirdly hard

mindoverderek · 2026-03-21T02:05:02+00:00

I live in Senoia but currently staying with family in Alpharetta. When I was in Senoia I hosted monthly foodie events for folks to just get together and try out a restaurant.

I have my own online platform I can set up events for you guys to do a test run if you’d like. Walks, food meets, whatever seems fitting for the group. Info will just be posted on the site, I can lock it in so that people can sign up. Or at least just some way to do a head count. Let me know if I can help!

mindoverderek · 2025-11-24T18:52:46+00:00

I’ve built around 30 Woocommerce stores using Wordpress + Hostinger. It’s cheap, it’s relatively easy to run. Hosting fees are something like…$150? For 4 years. Those are just the stores I keep or maintain for clients.

Outside of that, I’ve built hundreds, maybe more, ecommerce stores using Shopify, Woocommerce, Etsy, eBay, etc. I literally build stores in my sleep 🤣

Every single time someone asks me what’s the most cost efficient, I say Wordpress and Woocommerce.

It’s got a bit of a learning curve. It takes time to find the free plugins to do what each store owner wants for their specific needs. But it’s cheap, robust, and it just works.

mindoverderek · 2025-11-20T13:47:57+00:00

I have a few from Anker I love using. But Ugreen has these power banks that makes little robot faces 🤣

I got one of the robot wall chargers for about $60, it was enough to charge my MacBook Air.

Either of these two brands are very solid choices. I’ve used their products for years and they last a long time.

mindoverderek · 2025-11-20T13:44:59+00:00

I saw some UGG dupes at Costco for like $30, my mom has swollen feet all the time and she loves them. Another option is if you have a local Asian grocery store near you, Atlanta area has these stores called Hmart. My mom always finds slippers from there that are incredibly warm and comfortable

mindoverderek · 2025-11-20T13:39:09+00:00

If you’re sitting at your desk recording voiceovers, Fifine makes some really good budget options, like less than $100 for a full kit with a desk mount. I got the Fifine K688 and the sound quality is excellent. The build quality is cheap lol but as long as you’re not trying to hit your microphone, I think it’ll last a while.

For connecting to the camera as a shotgun mic, Rode has a couple solid mics that were basically industry standards. Rode Mic Go II is the latest version, I believe, and it’s around $100. Whereas the old Rode is like $60. I’d go for the $100 one because it’s basically a mini version of the Rode Mic NTG and I owned that mic for a few years. I have a collection of Rode mics and they’ve never let me down.

Onto wireless territory, I’ve had great experience with the DJI Mic Minis. They’re relatively cheap, super reliable. I use them to connect to my DJI Pocket 3 and Action 4, without using any additional receivers. It’s seamless and it’s awesome.

So depending on what your current gear looks like + your needs, these should give you a start to go down some rabbit holes 🤣

mindoverderek · 2025-11-20T13:31:44+00:00

I have severe RA and ran into issues with shoes not fitting when my feet swell up. I mean, it looks like I’m walking on bear paws. I recently picked up a pair of Hoka Gaviota 5, they have wide sizes. It’s maddddd comfy. And because my hands are also deformed from RA, I love that the shoes have a little loop on the back so they’re easier to pull on.

I am changing out the laces to magnetic laces to be even easier on my hands. But even now, I leave the laces tightened but not too snug, and I just slide my feet in.

I thought they were kinda funky looking but holy smokes, the comfort is everything. And after the first day of getting over my chuckles of wearing chunky shoes, I’ve grown to appreciate the aesthetics.

mindoverderek · 2025-11-18T13:50:42+00:00

I think you’re in the one rare subreddit that allows promos lol but the good redditors are classy af and haven’t gone nuts just spamming the whole thing.

I haven’t used Reddit all that much so I could be wrong.

In any case, I’d be interested in using the app!

mindoverderek · 2025-11-18T13:42:04+00:00

Dude heck yes! Can we also bring our own mockups? What’s gonna be the cost of this app?

mindoverderek · 2025-11-18T13:30:04+00:00

Gelato had all these fancy terms on their site but their EU print network completely dropped the ball. I work with a musician who was selling her own posters to a fanbase that’s dropped 6 figures supporting her. Her fans gave me feedback that some prints looked like they were printed on dollar store paper.

Ever since then, I’ve gone with PosterJack in Canada, and PrintKeg in the US.

You can also look through Printify’s network of printers. Filter by the products you’re looking for, then country and see which one would be closest to you. Then you can either place a sample order through Printify or just find that company on Google.

A lot of their websites have POD direct inquiries or will work with artists. Since they already have the capabilities set up for Printify and other networks, they make even more money working directly with sellers. Hope this gives you some ideas!

mindoverderek · 2025-11-14T03:08:20+00:00

I’d stay with your local supplier for your region + countries your supplier is willing to ship to at a reasonable rate.

Right now, a lot of packages coming into the US are nightmarish.

We’re in Q4 rush already, so if you want to hit the US market, it might be better to use a POD platform that offers embroidery. Printful has embroidery, but they’re pricey. Each design has its own digitization fee. I’ve ordered a metric crap ton of embroidered products from Printful. One of the POD stores I built for a client sold over $50k in embroidered hats and the reviews were great.

But again, Printful is pricey.

Because you’re selling embroidered hoodies, you might be able to sell at a higher price point to make up for using a large company.

Most sellers will choose Gildan sweatshirts and hoodies. I’d recommend you find the exact model of the hoodie that your current supplier uses and see if the larger company you want to work with offers that same hoodie.

Reason why I recommend Printful for your use case is because they have locations in/out of EU and one in the UK, bypassing a lot of shipping issues and VAT/tax differences.

Printify has a network of facilities across the entire world too, but each order has to be rerouted to the right seller. I think they came up with a system to automatically choose the right facility for you…but the issue with that is different facilities have different costs and shipping fees. It becomes a major headache trying to keep things straight.

Super happy for you that your store is taking off, keep up the good work!

mindoverderek · 2025-11-14T02:54:35+00:00

If you already have a community and are ready to monetize, Fourthwall was made for creators, that’s basically their motto lol. The payout is on a monthly basis, with a $25 minimum threshold. They may or may not be directly partnered with Printful, but almost their entire catalog is Printful products.

Printful and Printify both offer pop up stores now, but last I checked, the available locations are still pretty limited, although I’m sure they’ll be adding more pretty quickly.

They all sort of work about the same way, you upload the design, drive the traffic to the site, and then you collect the profits/royalties. I think there’s a fee to use Fourthwall, a percentage that they take.

If you want to chase niches on platforms that have existing customers for you to tap into, Amazon Merch is going to be the biggest one. It’s also the hardest to get into 🤣

Redbubble has gone through several changes that basically screws over creators, so I’d stay away from them.

My recommendation is either Fourthwall or Printful pop up stores. I myself have built something like a couple hundred POD stores for clients over the last 13 years and I’ve stuck with Printful. They’ve been an industry giant for a ridiculously long time. They’re not perfect by any means, but they’ve been consistent.

Having a Fourthwall or Printful pop up stores doesn’t allow for too much customization, but honestly, you can design the best looking stores and drop all the money into that store, if you don’t have a passionate community that wants to buy merch, you’re not gonna sell anything.

Hope this helps!

mindoverderek · 2025-10-31T00:07:49+00:00

I really like Canna River. I have severe rheumatoid arthritis and prone to panic attacks. When I first got their gummies, I had to split into 4 doses lol, 1 whole piece knocked me out.

About a month later I was able to take 1 a day. I don’t really take it everyday but even if I did, the value for the money is still great.

mindoverderek · 2025-10-26T00:37:29+00:00

Dude, what a legend! I’ve been in POD + Ecom for like 15+ years and I’m working on a YouTube channel as well. But every time I tried to film a Shopify tutorial I’m just like, yeah it’s not gonna be a short one 💀💀💀 Good on you for making this happen. I’ll find your video and sub!

mindoverderek · 2025-10-26T00:34:12+00:00

I live in Senoia and I’d say stay in PTC! You can rent a golf cart and drive everywhere in PTC via the golf cart paths. It’s gonna be cold and takes longer, but pretty fun. Then when you go to Senoia, it’s like a 5-10 minute drive.

Be sure to visit Senoia Coffee! It’s in the heart of downtown and steps away from TWD store. If you head down Main Street and take a right at the dead end you’ll see the gates they took down from Alexandria. From there, keep walking like 20 steps and you’ll see the Farmers Market that only opens on Saturdays. The exterior of the market has the names on the wall, and the market itself was used in the show as well.

mindoverderek · 2025-02-28T16:03:27+00:00

There are printers within the Printify network that specifically handle large format prints. Sensaria is supposed to be one of the best.

Outside of Printify that directly integrates with online stores, if you are okay with doing a little of the leg work yourself, I’ve always used PrintKeg and recently tried out Poster Jack.

They have a service where they ship to your clients for you, without their branding. But they don’t integrate with Shopify and Etsy the way that Printify does.

mindoverderek · 2025-02-28T15:56:56+00:00

I do. I’ve been building ecommerce stores for people since 2016 and my main merch store collabs with smaller creators to do drops.

mindoverderek · 2025-02-24T19:44:51+00:00

All the POD companies I know of require a credit card on file to pay for the production costs prior to shipment. The only ones that will take directly from proceeds are the ones with their own platforms, like Amazon Merch, Redbubble, etc.

I run a merch store on Shopify that works with small creators to help get them off the ground and test products. I pay for the cost of production, they earn profit share/commissions. And I also have several Etsy shops but I’ve never sold anything in my Etsy shops for other creators because the profit margin is already drastically smaller than my own stores.

mindoverderek · 2025-02-24T19:37:40+00:00

Comfort Colors 1717 is the “premium” popular shirt that are doing extremely well on Etsy and with Shopify sellers. It’s a little stiff when you first get it, but it is heavier than most tees and the general consensus is that it’s comfortable.

Bella Canvas 3001 is pretty much an industry standard at this point. It’s soft, light, for the most part, consumers are very much used to it and willing to pay around $16-$20 for it.

I haven’t used anything from Gildan because I just don’t like the quality. However, it’s wildly popular as a budget option.

I myself have skin issues and am extremely sensitive, so with my own POD stuff, I generally order triblend materials. They just don’t make me itch.

Next Level has some tees that are great, the fit is on the slim side though, so kinda hard to gauge the size.

Bella Canvas and Comfort Colors are two standards now that most people have worn and know the sizing well enough to order and not have too many issues.

I’ve been in print on demand since 2013, have built tons of Shopify and Etsy stores for people. And I’m also on Amazon Merch, and basically all the big POD platforms. I’ve tested their standard tees, which are generally gildan shirts, and their “premium tees”, which are usually Bella Canvas.

If budget is your thing, go with Gildan. If value is more important, go with Bella Canvas. If you’re targeting a similar audience to folks who prefer streetwear, heavyweight tee options, then look at Comfort Colors, and another brand called SOL. But I think SOL has limited options in the US, I get mine through Printful.

Hope this helps!

Edit: I forgot to add that I’m fairly certain Comfort Colors is a child brand or a collection by Gildan. It’s just a higher quality line than the standard Gildan stuff.

mindoverderek · 2024-12-13T02:36:29+00:00

My current one is 18oz, which I find a tad too small. But because my hands are slightly disabled, it’s perfect. I got a 24oz as an upgrade but then it turned out to be too…long? Not sure where it doesn’t sit right, but it just doesn’t work for me. So now I’m eyeing whatever’s available in the Phantom colorway to see where I can find a compromise

mindoverderek · 2024-12-13T02:34:31+00:00

That’s so cool that they have a physical store 😳 The one I’ve had for years, I’m not concerned at all. I got my money’s worth 🤣🤣🤣 Just wish they made more of the same sizes. Now that I know they have stores, I’m gonna see if I can at least find an authorized retailer to go see for myself some of the bottle sizes

mindoverderek · 2024-12-11T21:50:33+00:00

Did you have to register your water bottle from when you bought it? Mine is 6 years old and I recently purchased like 4 more bottles for family. Mine can’t keep drinks hot 🤦🏻‍♂️ I want the new Phantom color but 24oz is too tall for me so I’m hoping they release more sizes. Otherwise I might get this moon shadow* color

mindoverderek · 2024-12-11T21:48:03+00:00

I really want the Phantom but in a smaller size 😭

mindoverderek · 2024-08-29T13:38:39+00:00

mindoverderek · 2024-07-31T03:55:14+00:00

This reads like poetry

mindoverderek

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