I Tried Making Money with Canva for 30 Days—Here’s What Happened

If you told me a few months ago that I could make money using Canva—the same tool I used to design birthday invites and random Instagram posts—I would’ve laughed.

But one lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to test it. No big plan. No business degree. Just 30 days, a free Canva account, and the hope of proving that you don’t need to be a professional designer to earn online.

Spoiler: it worked. Not only did I make sales, but I also learned a few surprising things about online business along the way. And I’m sharing every detail here.

It all started with a $4.99 purchase. I was browsing Etsy when I saw a simple digital planner selling hundreds of copies a month.

It wasn’t flashy. No elaborate graphics. Just clean, simple design and useful content. I thought, “I could do this.”

The problem? I had never created a product to sell before.

That night, I opened Canva, typed “planner” in the search bar, and scrolled through hundreds of templates. I picked one that looked professional but was easy to edit.

Over the next week, I made my first product: a 30-day content calendar for small business owners. I added prompts, ideas, and a splash of my own style.

On Day 7, I listed it on Etsy. On Day 10, I woke up to my first sale. By Day 30, I’d uploaded four products, made $236 in profit, and learned more about digital products than I had in the past year.

How You Can Do It Too

Step 1: Choose a Digital Product You Can Create Quickly

• Canva makes it easy to create planners, checklists, calendars, workbooks, resumes, and templates.

• Look for product ideas with consistent demand. Search Etsy or Creative Market for what’s selling.

Step 2: Find a Template to Customize

• Use Canva’s free templates as a base.

• Search for the exact product type (“budget planner,” “meal planner,” etc.).

• Choose a clean, simple design that you can tweak to make your own.

Step 3: Add Real Value

• Content is king—even in a pretty design.

• Include tips, prompts, or time-saving tools so the product is more than just decoration.

Step 4: Create Multiple Products

• Don’t rely on one listing. Aim to upload at least 3–5 products in your first month.

• More listings = more chances for sales.

Step 5: List and Promote

• Etsy and Gumroad are beginner-friendly marketplaces.

• Write a product description that explains exactly how it solves a problem for your buyer.

• Use relevant keywords so your product shows up in search.

Mini Takeaways

• You don’t need to be a designer to sell digital products—Canva does the heavy lifting.
• Your first product doesn’t have to be perfect—just good enough to start selling.

• Multiple products increase your chances of making consistent sales.

Those 30 days taught me that starting small is more powerful than waiting for the “perfect” idea.

I wasn’t an expert. I didn’t have a fancy shop. But I took what I had—Canva, curiosity, and a few hours each week—and turned it into real money.

If you’re thinking about trying it, my advice is simple: pick one product idea, open Canva, and just start.

And if you want to combine Canva with AI to supercharge your results, check out my other post: How to Use ChatGPT to Make Your First $500 Selling Digital Products. It’s the same approach I use now to make the process even faster.

Your 30 days could be the start of something way bigger—but only if you take that first step.

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